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prototypelq · 5 months

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The Most Unreliable Narrator I Have Ever Seen

soooooo I had a Cyberpunk-obsessed phase pass recently, and this time Johhny Silverhand's character caught my eye. His story, more specifically, and how... inconsistent he seems, depending on each source.

In the game, Johhny acts like a bastard for most of the game. He panic-rages on his first meeting with V, throws many threats around, but is later beaten into the background with the blocker pills Misty gave to V. Even Johnny's friends' are well, they react Loudly to his return. Y'know, make it known his presence alone provokes a lot of anger from them.

Even during his first appearance, when V gets thrown into Silverhand's memories of his SAMURAI concert, the only real thing V recalls is the all-consuming rage that he felt, which he tried to shout out through the microphone, but it never felt like enough.

And doesn't this sound weird then, that the only thing Johnny does throughout the game after that first meeting is help V out? He learns about the Smasher guy hideout at the docks (he does that through dubious means but that's Johnny for you), he helps V out when the seizures become worse, he calmly agrees to Any decision V makes, despite V clearly Not being in any real state to oppose him in the finale of the game, he plans the whole thing with "Alt" so V can get his body back at Johnny's own expense, from the beginning, and he doubles down on that claim at the end of the game.

Do you see the dissonance? The egoist rockerboy that admitted to using his friends to getting what he wants, and the downright self-sacrificing hero and a friend that is Johnny at the end of the game? People change, sure, but this divide is very massive and too sudden, so I wanted to dig into that. And what I've stumbled upon, with the help of canon Cyberpunk materials like the Red sourcebook (or, more specifically, LayedBackGamers' reading of the canon books and his lore videos on different topics), is that

Johhny Silverhand from Cyberpunk 2077 is the Most Unreliable Narrator I've Ever Seen.

Count with me here:

Johhny's personality in general. No matter what your interpretation of him his, it's impossible to ignore that Johhny is very much a people person and he exploits that knowledge and charisma to suit his own goals. If you choose to trust him, then you might have already been played.

2) Johhny has been alone, only his lovely self for 50+ years inside the Arasaka chip. Don't ask me how he is still even remotely sane, I haven't got a clue (hopefully the time as a construct without outside stimulation flies differently and he hasn't felt those 50 years in real time). The thing to mention here, however, is that, being alone with your thoughts and emotions for a long time, having nothing else for entertainment, is a great opportunity to rewrite your own memory of events or emotions you've felt.

3) Lack of a body. The aforementioned constant rage, that was the dominant emotion is Johnny's life (before Alt, at least, if Never Fade Away is anything to go by, and I mean, that's literally a love ballad), is a symptom of his PTSD from his too-young years serving in the corpo war, same as his signature silver hand. I'm not a specialist here, but I do know PTSD, especially for war veterans, is a physiological illness just as much as it is a mental one. Johnny's body literally had trouble living normally after that experience, and knowing this bastard - he never managed to treat that. Existing as a personality construct frees him from the many bonuses of being corporeal, but it also free him from the physiological side of PTSD. His day-to-day existence is fundamentally different from that of the Johnny Silverhand that the world knew 50 years ago, so yes, as a 'time traveler' or a source of information and comparison about the 70's and 20's of cyberpunk world Johhny is not a good source.

4) The chip with Johnny is literary inside the head of another person. The characters in game question, multiple times, just which decisions is V making on his own, and which of them might be Johnny's doing. Not consciously, no, but V and Johnny are clearly not your simple neighbours. They are not your 'close friends that start subconsciously copying each other' too. It is quite possible that the chip with Johhny is adapting to the 'hardware' it is running on, so it is specifically implementing parts of V's personality into Johnny, to minimize the 'friction' between the personality and the body it is supposed to inhabit. Everyone say hi to existential horror)

5) How does Soulkiller ever work? Is there data on how much the resulting engram actually resembles the person it tried to copy? How did the process of copying Johnny go? I can answer the last one - very badly.

Death of Johnny is told in excruciating detail in the Cyberpunk sourcebooks. Johnny died on the floor of Arasaka tower, torn in two by a shotgun blast from Smasher. There is no information on how much time it takes Soulkiller to create the engram from the brain, but it better have finished doing that before Johnny's brain started dying from a lack of blood and oxygen, and he clearly didn't have much time either, considering bisection is not the best for bodily fluid preservation, so it's a wonder the engram even works properly. Plus, during the initial heist to steal the chip with Johnny, the chip was damaged further before the idiots decided to stick an unknown harddrive into their heads to preserve it. Basically, it's nothing short of a miracle, that engram-Johnny is actually a whole damn person, that he can function, think and feel properly (well, as much as Johnny can do those things)

It is very sad that V can't talk to Johnny about this, as the man does blame himself over things he hasn't even done, and he had done enough emotional damage to himself and people around him without that kind of burden on top of it.

6) Johnny's memories are literally false. The attentive reader had to pick this up in my previous point - didn't Johnny die in the hands of Arasaka after they interrogated him? Nope. Nope, and I can say that confidently because,

(drumroll please)

Cyberpunk tabletop sourcebooks! Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the Cyberpunk universe and the TTRP series of games, has worked closely with CDPR writers during the production of the 2077. He oversaw everything, and he says that 2077 is in the same cyberpunk universe too, it's not an 'alternate reality' or anything.

Johnny Silverhand died while trying to buy time for his friends to escape, from a shotgun shot from Adam Smasher. That's it, he died on that floor, there was noone to interrogate, no rooftop helicopter he ran for.

The sequence of 'memories' we see from Johnny's POV in the game is a mishmash of two different assaults on the Arasaka towers, yes towers there were two of them. There is a great video explaining all the small and Major details Johnny's version of events got wrong, because we have the sourcebooks and the text inside. You may accuse me of holding a 'holy canon' argument ... and well, yeah, this is kind of holy knowledge, as it was written for gamemasters.

Still, some of the things in Johnny's version are Major, and while the media certainly covered the whole story extensively with corpo propaganda (oh, btw, Johnny didn't bomb anything, he probably didn't even know there was a nuke involved, he is literally just a scapegoat), there are some holes that a citizen of this world might know and wish to poke. The aforementioned Two Arasaka towers, or the absence of the legendary solo Morgan Blackhand from Johnny's story. Interestingly enough, there is a radiostation of Maximum Mike in-game, who is actually just pretty much Mike Pondsmith, and he does propose a couple of questions the 'official' version of the attack doesn't cover (like, where would a rockerboy even get a nuke, he might have been popular, but that's not just something you find without military contracts, and that means corporations). Another thing is that since Arasaka owns Soulkiller and has had the engram for a couple of decades, it is quite possible they are the ones responsible for messing with Johnny's memories.

So uh, yeah, Johnny is the Most Unrealible Narrator I have ever seen. Johnny of 2077 is most certainly not the Johnny of 2020's, but this might be a good thing. Maybe the 'real' 2020's Silverhand could never have made the progress the engram did, or become such a good friend and companion for V, or maybe he could have done those things too. We'll never know. I really love this story anyway.

#thanks for reading #johnny totally deserves a second chance at life after this why cant he and johnny show alt the finger and delta out of there #so v could live out his days and then johnny would take over #on the other hand johnny is a great example that being an engram is not the end so maybe v could come back in some sort of form later #after giving alt the finger #btw thats not alt either that's probably just an ai that caught little wind of actual alt and just calls itself her #also alt herself might be alive but that story is WEIRD so no idea #cyberpunk lore is great i had an amazing time listening to it and discovering new things #mike pondsmith is also amazing heard a cyberpunk red campaign he mastered and listening to him has been a blast he is a true storyteller #cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk red #legends of night city #mike pondsmith #johnny silverhand #phantom liberty #this is the first and last time I praise cdpr after that back to hate for the ps4 version of the game i go #and for refusing to update the game for that platform and for not releasing the dlc for it and for upping the system reqs even higher #ill live to see actual 2077 before I get access to hardware that can run that shit #btw existential horror enjoyers I sure do hope you have heard of SOMA )))#oh i also dont think johnny was that bad in life either like he was bad but rogue and kerry are clearly happy to have him back so the game #must've shown just a very low time for him he had to be a good friend to earn that kind of loyalty still could behave like a bastard tho

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grymkoena · 5 months

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#No time to play the game today so please enjoy some pictures I never posted because i wasn't 100% happy with the light in them #looking at them several days later the shots are honestly not even that bad though #save me Rosalind Myers #cyberpunk 2077 #rosalind myers #cyberpunk 2077 phantom liberty #cyberpunk dlc #cyberpunk photomode

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existentialcrisisetcetera · 7 months

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if i had a pound for every time keanu reeves was in a piece of space-age tech that made the protagonist hallucinate him, id have two quid but it's weird it happened twice

#happy phantom liberty day everyone #johnny silverhand #the squip #cp2077 #bmc #cyberpunk 2077 #be more chill

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jeysuso · 4 months

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the year is 2023 soon to be 2024 and cyberpunk has somehow managed to fuck my life up yet again

#cyberpunk 2077 #finished phantom liberty and I GUESS. I GUESS!!!!!!#😭😭😭 i just want v to be happy why is that nOT ALLOWEDDDDDDDD #cdpr i'm in your walls ffs #'gnight vincent. today was a good day.' fuck you all the way to the bank for that one.

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clown-demon · 3 months

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@littlebadger

"HEY~! You have white hair like me~! And you're not some OLD elderly man~! Did you DYE it, or did it come out naturally like that~?"

#littlebadger #hey put on a happy face; then everything is okay / nikolai #You are my liberty; I celebrate the day ; that you change my history / Mainverse #((Since I've been DYING to Rp with you and you liked one of my calls... HERE YOU GO!#((Also we be fellow potatoes.. hell yea...#((Also it's been so long since I've watched Danny Phantom.. but it's my childhood

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glassrunner · 7 months

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the tower ending got me FUCKED UP.

sometimes when i get really depressed i fantasize about not dying, but disappearing — waking up 100 years later after everyone i know is gone, or just moving to a completely different place where i’m nothing, nobody. and after playing through this ending, i know i’d find peace eventually, but it’s really that transitory period of losing everyone i know to the point where they don’t even care where i am anymore… to feel in my head that my existence is meaningless is one thing, but to really know it and constantly contend with the undeniable proof of reality — that’s the part that could kill me. but i guess it’s what you do afterwards that matters. to survive or not, is it all worth it?

#lauren plays cyberpunk #mental health or lack thereof #insights #phantom liberty spoilers #also let’s never talk about ‘goodnight valerie. it was a good day.’ i was crying onto my controller #there are no real happy endings where nobody dies and that’s just the nature of the cyberpunk universe #people always say the legends are unlucky in dying early #but when the alternative is this… burn fast and burn bright until the end #fuck this fucking game

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flowerandblood · 4 months

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The Man with the Pearly Hair

[ Amor • Aemond x Psyche • female ]

[ warnings: sex content, fingering, smut, angst, obsession, symptoms of the disease such as fever and convulsions ]

[ description: After she is attacked in a fair by a strange man and narrowly avoids death, her father the king decides that from now on she will be watched over by one of his ‘ghosts’, a assassin acting on his orders, wearing a black mask. The man follows her like a shadow, accompanied by their past, which keeps her awake at night. Gothic horror love story, angst, sexual tension, verydark Aemond. ]

This story is several requests combined into one: sworn protector x female; Amor x Psyche; Phantom of the Opera! Aemond x female. I took the liberty of creating a completely new story from this, having only elements of each of these requests.

Series & Characters Moodboard Lady Walford Moodboard Gothic & Horror Sensual Moodboard

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Next chapters: Masterlist

____

Her husband did not let her experience any peace or rest the night after the ball, informing her that he did not mind if she fell asleep while he was rooting into her sore core. They would fall into sudden, deep slumbers, his arms embracing her tightly.

As soon as he awoke she could hear his murmur of satisfaction caused by her presence and the closeness of her body – his length throbbed inside her, and with tentative, slow movements at first, he would begin all over again.

She felt stunned by the intensity of the sensations, feeling as if they had truly become one flesh, his scent filling her nostrils, her cheek nestled against his chest. After their intense rapture, they fell asleep again, and when she regained consciousness for a moment, she told herself that she couldn't open her eyes, as if Vhagar was lying next to her and not her husband, her King, the man who killed for her.

She would then open her eyes and lift her head, gazing with bliss and peace at his sleeping face. She stroked gently his cheek and hair, afraid that she would wake him. She was only answered by his hum of contentment, his arms clasping around her tighter, pressing her closer to him, his hand sinking into her hair, hugging her cheek to his heart.

She could hear his slow heartbeat, feel his warm breath, and thought she had never felt truly happy before him.

Truly peaceful.

Truly safe.

When, during one of the evenings they spent quietly in his chamber, each sunk in reading a book, sitting by the fireplace, Ser Criston walked in and announced that the bodies of the royal family had finally been found, decisions were made very quickly.

Her husband had ordered the tombs for his family to be made much earlier and they stood empty under the great temple next to the graves of his ancestors, waiting for their burial place to be discovered. She could see the pain mixed with anger on his face when he found out that the bodies of his parents and siblings were buried in a mass grave under the kitchen cellars.

She lowered her gaze with a clenched throat, thinking only of how humiliating it must have been for him, that her father had treated them worse than the murderers, who at least had the opportunity to be buried with prayers and any dignity.

Her husband ordered the work to be expedited and decreed that within the next two days everything was to be prepared for this grand royal funeral, unable to bear the thought that the bodies of his loved ones were lying and rotting, waiting for justice.

He did not speak, he did not eat and he did not sleep, immersed in his own thoughts, sitting for long hours in front of the fireplace and gazing into the flames, joining her only in the morning, seeking refuge in her embrace, tired and distraught.

Even though her father had done all this, she felt complicit.

"My Queen, the dressmakers have not managed to sew a suitably thick gown and cloak for you. It is freezing and snowing outside, why not wear a different gown, such as this one, a brown one?" Suggested one of her servants a few hours before the ceremony. She shook her head without even bestowing a single glance on her, looking in the mirror.

"No. I must wear black, wear mourning by the side of my King. Bring my gown and the cloak I wore at my mother's funeral." She said dispassionately, she heard the women look at each other with concern.

"But Your Grace, you will frown, the material is too thin. Let us at least put your furs on underneath your cloak." Mumbled one of them. She sighed and nodded.

As she rode behind her king-husband, past the row of coffins in front of them, the cold winter air pierced her body like daggers. She closed her eyes, trying to curl into herself, knowing that she faced hours of standing during the funeral ceremony in the cold temple and thought that this would be her punishment for what her father had done.

For the fact that his treacherous blood flowed in her.

Therefore, she hid the quivering of her body by standing behind her husband rather than at his side, wanting to bear it with dignity, thinking of lying down in a warm bed as soon as they returned to their stronghold.

Already on the journey back she felt an excruciating pain in her bones, her head heavy as if someone was squeezing her skull – it seemed to her that the world around her was humming and blurred, struggling to maintain a straight posture.

When they reached the courtyard of the fortress Ser Criston had to help her off her horse; he looked at her for a moment, apparently seeing her pallor, however he said nothing.

He did not trust her knowing who her father was.

She did not resent him for this.

The most important thing for her was to know that he was completely devoted to her husband.

Her King no longer commanded her to come to his chamber, simply disregarding the possibility that she should spend the evening and night anywhere other than with him.

For this reason, she followed him into his quarters feeling her whole body shaking – everything around her seemed blurred and painfully loud, she had the sensation as if someone was breaking her bones.

She swallowed with difficulty, stripping out of her cloak and gown with the help of her servants, one of whom seeing her pale face leaned over her and asked in a whisper.

"My Queen, shall I summon a medic?"

She shook her head, raising her hand in a gesture that informed them that they could leave – all she dreamed of was to lie down and sleep. Her husband only hummed under his breath when she told him she'd already gone to bed, sitting with his back to her by the fireplace, staring into the flames completely absorbed in his thoughts, memories and regrets.

When she lay down she finally felt some kind of relief – she didn't have the strength to turn or move so she just closed her eyes and after a moment there was silence and darkness all around her.

"My love?" She heard as if through a fog someone's voice, his voice, her King, her husband, her death, her beloved shadow. She felt his wonderfully cold hand on her inflamed body – even though she was drenched in sweat, she got the impression that she was freezing all over. "My love, wake up."

"I'm cold." She mumbled out with difficulty, unable to stop her body shivering, each breath made her struggle.

She felt that her lungs and nostrils were on fire.

She heard him swallow loudly and then he was gone, her mind drifting away again. She awoke with difficulty lifting her eyelids, suddenly noticing that the chamber she was in was filled with the light of candles. She could hear conversations all around her, as if there were several people inside, someone's hand washed her forehead and her chest with a cold cloth, bringing her relief.

"My King, we asked her, but she said she was choosing this gown and this cloak and that she would not bring shame to the king, that she must look proper on such an important day, we could not force her." She heard someone's terrified voice and recognised her maid, answered immediately by her husband's cold, mercyless hiss.

"You fucking fools! I'll hang each of you in turn as soon as…"

"− my King −" She muttered quietly, wishing he was by her side, terrified that she couldn't see anything clearly – her head was spinning and she had trouble keeping her eyelids open.

"− I'm so cold − yet at the same time my body seems to be on fire −"

She heard his quick movement, a moment later he was already beside her, his cold, familiar hand caressing her every night touched her cheek – she sighed in relief as she smelled his scent.

"− you have a fever, my love − brother Albert will prepare a decoction at once, which you will have to drink − rest now −"

She lurched as he forced her to drink the disgusting decoction she was nauseous from, the taste of ginger and garlic so intense that her stomach twisted all over.

"− drink − that's an order − you are to obey your King and husband −" He exhaled, holding her cheek painfully tight, tilting her head back so she wouldn't choke, forcing her sip after sip to drink it all to the bottom.

When he finally let her go she cried out loud, terrified and weak, not fully aware of what was really happening to her, forgetting where she was and who she was.

She felt her husband holding her in his arms throughout the night, his hand touching her forehead again and again, checking if her condition was improving. She had a feeling, half asleep, on the verge of consciousness and lack of it, that she heard him praying quietly, lying on his side behind her, his face pressed against her hair.

Gods, who watch over justice in heaven and on earth, have mercy on us.

Gods, who intercede for the poor and despised, have mercy on us.

Gods, who have brought this woman before me and bound me to her for eternity, have mercy on us.

What was empty is full.

What was broken is whole.

What was separated is one.

She tightened her hand on his arm which embraced her hearing his words, feeling a squeeze in her throat. He flinched at the gesture, lifting his head, she felt his anxious breath on her hot cheek.

"− my love? − how do you feel? −" He asked quietly and she swallowed loudly, feeling that she was still hot, her head was spinning and she was in pain all over, but she was no longer trembling.

"− tired, my King − tired and sore −" She whispered, and he sighed heavily, embracing her more tightly, putting his face where it had been a moment before.

"− sleep, my love − your husband is with you −" He whispered, rising after a moment, taking the cloth from her forehead – she heard him dip it in the water and squeeze it out, only to lay it again on her hot skin. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief at how pleasant it felt – he slipped his ice-cold hand under her nightgown and placed it over her heart.

The next day her husband had to attend a meeting and her mother replaced him at her side. She was forced to drink another dose of the medicine, but this time she was able to drink it alone, falling into a restless sleep again afterwards.

Brother Albert found to everyone's relief that her fever was slowly lowering and her body was beginning to fight back, that the worst was probably behind them.

Despite her mother's objections, when she felt a little better in the afternoon she asked to be allowed to take a bath and to change into a new chemise.

Washing her hair and body all drenched in sweat and then putting on a new undershirt made her feel fresh again, and although she felt like her head was going to burst and she had to go to bed again immediately, she regained her appetite and her mother personally went to see to it that everything she needed was brought to her.

She was surprised when one of the lords loyal to her husband since their conspiracy days, who was among his closest advisors, Lord Malet, entered her chamber. He had not announced himself beforehand and surprised her completely with his visit.

"My Queen, I know this is not the right time, however, there is an urgent matter I must discuss with you." He said standing away from her bed. She lifted her gaze to him and sighed heavily, having great difficulty concentrating, everything around her was spinning.

"Speak, my Lord. I am listening to you." She said in a hoarse voice and coughed quietly, sighing heavily. The lord shifted from foot to foot, swallowing loudly, clearly aware that he had to brew words.

"The King has decided today to marry my eldest daughter to an important dignitary of a neighbouring kingdom, to strengthen our alliances. However, I have already promised her hand to someone else. The King will not listen to me and I have come to beg you to intervene in this matter." He said lowly looking at his feet, embarrassed apparently by his request and by having to beg the traitor's daughter for help.

She let out a quiet breath, recognising that this matter required great delicacy and forethought – her husband was like a burning flame and all it took was a moment's inattention for him to set everything around them on fire in his rage.

"− I will try, my Lord −"

Her husband walked into their chamber as her mother was helping her eat the broth. Something about the sight pleased him; he hummed, coming closer to them with his hands clasped behind his back, his forehead lightened and smoothed.

"− my wife −" He said softly, and she nodded, not having the strength to do anything else.

"− I will take care of her now, my Lady −" He directed his words to her mother, and although the tone of his voice was calm, one could hear that he was not giving her any opportunity to object.

She nodded, handing him a half-empty plate of soup and stood up, stroking her head, telling her to rest.

As soon as the door closed behind her, her husband pulled the eye patch from his face, accustomed to not wearing it in her presence. He sat down next to her on the bed, putting on a spoonful of soup and placing it under her mouth. This time she did not stand up to him and ate slowly even though she was already full.

"− I'm glad you've got your appetite back −" He said lowly, relief and weariness in his voice at the same time – she knew he hadn't slept through the night, exhausted after the funeral and terrified of her condition. She swallowed quietly, gathering herself with difficulty to get out what she wanted to say.

"Lord Malet paid me a visit today." She began hesitantly, lifting her gaze to him. She saw that he looked at her surprised, vigilance in his healthy eye, his brow furrowed.

"What did he want from you? Why was he bothering you in such a state?" He asked with an air of annoyance and displeasure. She pressed her lips together, feeling her heart pounding fast.

"He came to ask me to help him in a matter concerning his daughter." She said slowly and saw him lick his lower lip furiously. He chuckled under his breath, however there was no laugh of amusement – he ran his hand over his mouth and chin impatiently.

"I see. Do not think about it." He said dryly, indicating to her that he intended to end the subject, putting another spoonful of soup on her.

"He is her father, Aemond." She made another attempt – he saw his jaw clench, his lips forming thin line, his nostrils moving restlessly.

He tried not to explode.

"And I am her King. She lives to fulfil her role for the kingdom." He said harshly, coldly, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

She could see in his gaze the threat that one more ill-considered word from her and he would lose his temper.

"If your father had told you to marry another woman instead of me, would you have done it?" She asked quietly, feeling her words hang in the ether; she saw the shock and fear in his gaze, his lips twitched – she could see he hesitated.

"…yes."

She looked at him with her lips slightly parted, feeling a tightening in her heart and in her stomach, some horrible, cold kind of disappointment flowed through her body, the realisation of who she was in his eyes.

A favourite, but still, just a pawn.

She answered nothing more, lowering her gaze, feeling only a terrible headache, only fatigue, only resignation.

"However, I fear she would soon meet with an unfortunate accident that would make me a widower." He added after a moment and she looked at him in disbelief, feeling her heart pounding rapidly.

He stared at her, his healthy eye wide open, focused only on her, a certain, cold, piercing gaze that would see every lie and hesitation, every weakness.

"The daughters of lords in the kingdom would die until you were the only candidate to become my wife. You know very well that I am very patient." He added in a half-whisper – she swallowed loudly as she saw him set the bowl of the soup down on the table next to their bed.

"You and I are like the sun and the moon. Like north and south. Like day and night." He hummed with delight, grinning uneasily to himself, his fingertips running over her warm cheek.

"Do you think I would let any other man take you as his wife? I'd let anyone else touch you? Hm?" He asked softly, but there was a sweet threat in his voice that sent a shiver through her. She shook her head, despite her fatigue and weakness feeling the throbbing between her thighs at his words, so dark, threatening, certain.

"And you? What would you have done if I had not come to you that night? If your treacherous father had married you off?" He asked lowly, quietly, looking at her vigilantly, more like an animal than a human being, searching for any signal of hesitation or falsehood.

"My husband would find me dead in his bed before he had time to touch me, to bruise me of the only thing left of my dignity." She whispered with a certainty from which he licked his lower lip quickly.

He began to breathe involuntarily through his mouth as he stared at her with wide-open eye, his sapphire gleaming mischievously in the moonlight streaming through the window into his chamber.

She sighed quietly as she felt his hand slide from her cheek down her neck to her breasts and lower abdomen, lifting her nightgown with an impatient motion, his fingers sinking into her hot, soft womanhood.

Her lips parted in a quiet, dreamy moan as he began to explore her condition, meeting her wetness between her slit – she saw a smirk appear on his face from which her walls pulsed hard around nothing.

"Destroy me. Leave me with nothing. Those were your words. Weren't they?" He gasped, his fingertips trailing between her folds, teasing her bud, her thighs involuntarily spread wider, the pleasure and tickle she felt in her lower abdomen making her feel even more stupefied.

"Yes." She mumbled quietly, innocently, with a sigh, as if the very memory of the intense, brutal act that was their first physical intimacy when he took her maidenhood brought her some kind of relief.

She shuddered as she felt his finger begin to slide tentatively inside her, teasing her opening with a click of her moisture, looking at her with some kind of intrigue.

"You didn't know who I was, and yet you let me take you. You longed to become my wife. Why?" He asked low, his voice deep and resonant, and she realised that this was the first time he had ever broached the subject of his or her feelings in any way, that he was allowing her into places of his mind that no one else had access to.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus, feeling weakened and at the same time distracted by the tickle she felt between her thighs, the tension that grew in her with each passing moment as his fingers dug harder into her throbbing heat, sliding out of her only to slide back in.

"− because you were like death − like a dark veil, a shroud, a coffin, and I felt dead − it seemed so right −" She whispered and she heard him draw in the air loudly, as if her words had startled him, his thumb beginning to run over her pearl and tease her as his fingers pressed the spot inside her hidden in her folds with sure, circular motions.

"− do you still feel dead? −" He exhaled in a trembling voice, as if there was something in the sight of her, in the way she moaned softly and wriggled helplessly, without the strength to resist him, from which he was losing his temper.

"− sometimes − but not with you − never with you −" She mumbled, glancing up at him wearily – his face looking different from usual, breathing loudly along with her, his full lips parted slightly, his eyebrows arched as if in worry, his eye misty, full of affection and longing.

"− if I will not be violent − will you let me? −" He asked in a quivering voice, and she nodded, knowing what he wanted, knowing what he needed.

He undressed, allowing her hand to untie the ribbon in his hair as he leaned over her, gently stroking her face with his fingers. He lay down between her thighs looking down at her, lifting the material of her nightgown only over her thighs, not wanting her to get cold.

She felt the head of his cock pushing against her slit and she sighed softly, spreading her thighs wider, wanting to make his task easier. He rooted into her surprisingly tentatively and slowly, sliding out several times, as if he wanted her insides to adjust to such intense filling.

It was such a surprisingly pleasurable and tender sensation that she began to moan quietly beneath him, stroking his cheeks and hair, their mouths meeting with each other in a sticky, hot, slow kiss, then another and another, their lips trailing over each other, their hot breaths surrounding their faces.

She ran her fingertips over the skin of his scarred cheek, feeling his thrusts begin to grow deeper and more confident, they both started to pant as a thrill of pleasure shuddered through them. She clasped her hands on his bare buttocks, rubbing against him so that he pressed the wonderful spot inside her each time he slided inside her.

"− yes − oh, yes −" She whispered, tilting her head back, his lips slid down to her neck, placing small, greedy kisses on her skin, leaving a wet trail on it, sucking and licking her naked flesh, rooting into her with the sure, deep thrusts of his hips, her walls clenching against him steadily.

"− am I causing you pain? − do you want to stop? −" He muttered between his pushes, with the remnants of his strong will trying to remember that she was still weakened and sick, that just a few hours ago she had a fever and should now be resting, not exerting herself.

However, he had never done this to her in such a gentle way before and she shook her head quickly, breathing loudly along with him.

"− n-no − please − please, husband, it feels so good −" She mewled, massaging his neck with her palm – she heard him groan low, his manhood throbbed hard inside her. He immediately sped up his pace, taking her hot hips in his hands, pounding confidently and deeply into her, slapping his thighs against her buttocks with a loud click of her moisture.

"− fuck − so good −" He exhaled looking down at her with his lips parted wide – she clamped her hands on the pillow on either side of her head, feeling her walls suck him inside, soaking his cock, his pace increasingly intense and fast.

All that came out of her mouth was a mumble as she came suddenly, pleasure shook her body and she just began to moan helplessly, trying to push him away, but to no avail – he pressed his hands against the bedding, slamming into her like mad, panting and groaning loudly, allowing himself to be more vocal than usual, his forehead pressed against hers.

"− just a little longer, my love − I'm so close − oh, gods, fuck, fuck, fuck! −" He gasped loudly, with a few final, desperate thrust filling her with his seed, his face expressing fulfilment and bliss. They panted for a moment with their eyes closed, still rocking their hips, trying to calm themselves.

She stroked his soft, long hair as his body fell gently on top of her, completely without strength, making sure he didn't crush her with his weight.

"You have possessed my body and soul." He whispered in her ear, his large hands still stroking her thighs and buttocks in a soothing, calm motion.

"You have broken into my mind. Into my heart. I feel that I'm losing my mind. That I have crossed the line leading into madness." He muttered in a trembling voice and, without knowing why, she felt herself smiling, her lips placing a tender, warm kiss on his bare, sweaty shoulder, her fingers running over his back.

"We both crossed it long time ago, my love."

_____

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @randomdragonfires @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes @darylandbethfanforever9 @fudge13 @snh96 @rwdkarla @echos-muses @ipostwhtifeel @letmeloveyouuuu

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1800-fight-me · 1 year

Text

The Phantom of the Red Keep

Aemond Targaryen x Female!Reader

Phantom of the Opera AU

Rating: M (Mature)- as a general rule for my blog, minors please do not interact!

Warnings: Gothic horror romance vibes, violence, very sensual scenes but nothing explicit, jealous and possessive aemond- this is not what we would consider a healthy relationship lol

Word count: About 8.5k

Synopsis: You are haunted by the phantom of the Red Keep and he is determined to make you his.

Author’s note: This is not an exact retelling of Phantom of the Opera, it is based off of the vibes and loose plot, though I took a ton of liberties and of course the villain gets the happy ending in my version. This has been long awaited and its finally here and I am so excited!! I hope this lives up to the hype! Thank you so much @anepitomeofgrace for the mood board!

Important announcement!! I am no longer using a taglist! Instead if you would like to be notified when I post new fics follow my side blog @jo-writes-fanfic and turn your post notifications on!

Aemond Masterlist

You moved into the Red Keep when you were a young girl after your mother died and your father was given a position in the king’s small council. Everyone warned you of the ghosts that reside there.

But you never were very afraid of ghosts.

When a phantom voice began to speak to you through the walls at night, you were not afraid but rather enchanted.

Your ghost had a beautiful voice, soft and low, as he whispered secrets to you from within the castle walls.

Years passed and you told no one of your encounters with the phantom of the Red Keep, preferring instead to keep his existence to yourself.

You used what he taught you to your advantage. People often questioned where and how you learned to navigate the political landscape of the capital city so well and how you seemed to know everything that happened within it, but you would not reveal your ghost to others.

He was your watchful eye, your teacher, your companion in loneliness, your salvation.

You often wondered if he was truly a ghost or if the rumors of the scarred and reclusive prince were true.

But you never dared to ask, scared you would offend and lose him.

You heard his voice even in your slumber, the soft lilt of his accent as he led you into dreams, dark and deep and often of him.

He called your name, voice low and seductive, and you smiled.

“Tell me of your day,” he ordered as you unfastened the bodice of your dress in preparation to retire for the night.

You never worried if your phantom could see you in states of undress for a part of you would always belong to him, and besides, he was a ghost, or so you believed.

“Lord Stark did in fact attempt to make a move like you warned me he would,” you said softly as you slipped the dress off your body.

“Hm,” the unpleased hum echoed through the room.

“I managed to dissuade his efforts,” you said softly.

“Your father will not tolerate your insolence for much longer,” he mused.

You sighed as you pulled on your nightgown.

“I do not wish to marry.” The end of the sentence, ‘anyone but you’ went unspoken.

For how do you confess to a ghost that you love him?

The soft chuckle heard made your heart thump in your chest as you slipped beneath the sheets of your bed.

“You will eventually be forced,” he said.

“But you can still help me to delay the inevitable, yes?”

“Of course, my sweet,” he promised.

You sighed in contentment.

“Will you tell me another story about dragons to help me sleep?”

You drifted off to sleep with images of fire breathing dragons in your sleep and the warmth of your phantom’s voice in your ears.

———————-

“How interesting,” you said and your bored tone betrayed your true feelings as Lord Greyjoy rambled on about the types of wood his ships were built from.

You wished you could steal one of his ships and sail far away from him.

You took another sip of your wine and withheld your sigh as the man, oblivious to your impatience, began speaking of sails and the type of material used to create them.

You wondered how long you would have to suffer through this before you could escape to the library.

The quiet refuge of books was your favorite place in the Red Keep. The fact that your phantom often visited you there only played a small part in why you loved it so.

“Lord Lannister!” you said in surprise as he approached you and the dreadfully dull Lord sitting on the bench next to you.

“Hello, my lady,” he said kindly and nodded to Lord Greyjoy.

“I was wondering if I could perhaps steal your attentions for a short while,” the handsome man said.

“Of course!” you said all too excitedly.

He smirked.

“I am sorry, Lord Greyjoy,” you said, your tone full of sincerity that you didn’t feel.

“It is alright, I shall have to finish telling you about the wonders of my ships another time,” he said kindly.

“Absolutely,” you agreed and took Lord Lannister’s hand.

He led you down the path through the gardens and once you were certain you were no longer in hearing distance you looked up at him.

At the twinkle of amusement you saw in his eye, you both began to laugh.

“That man is such a bore,” he said and you giggled once more in agreement.

“I hope it is alright that I came to rescue you from his clutches,” he said dramatically and teasingly.

“It is more than alright,” you said with a smile.

“My hero,” you teased and he smirked once again.

You had a surprisingly pleasant conversation with Lord Lannister as he walked you through the gardens and eventually deposited you in the library.

He was very kind, if a bit arrogant, but you found that you did not mind his company and he respected you as a person which was much more than many of them men vying for your hand could offer.

Unfortunately your afternoon did not get better as you anticipated, for you never heard the sound of your ghost’s voice as you read quietly in your secluded corner of the library.

He did not visit you that night either.

You tossed and turned and struggled to sleep without the comfort of his gentle voice.

When sleep eventually took you, you dreamt of an angel with a halo of white hair who beckoned you to follow him into darkness.

———————-

The next day Lord Lannister invited you to dine with him, which you accepted.

You tried to be realistic. Your yearning for a man you were not sure even existed would not help you in this life.

Your father would marry you to someone soon and at least the man before you was relatively kind and not positively tedious to spend time with.

You even managed to hold yourself back from rolling your eyes at the arrogant statements he made from time to time so as to not bruise his ego.

He was kind enough and you were prepared to settle, so when he moved to kiss you, you allowed him.

It was a short, proper kiss and did not arouse any sort of feelings within you.

But you smiled at him and thanked him for walking you to your rooms before you found solace within them.

You sighed as the door shut behind you and you were once again alone.

Your favorite voice whispered your name and the hairs on the back of your neck prickled.

You were not alone.

“You are back,” you said breathlessly.

“I did not leave,” he said, his voice hard.

“I… you did not speak to me last night,” you said.

“You betrayed me,” he said and anger colored his tone.

“No, I-“ you protested but were cut off by him.

“No? What do you call it when you smile and bat your pretty eyelashes at a man? What do you call it when you allow another man to kiss you?”

His voice was low and dangerous, full of anger. It should have frightened you but instead you felt indignant.

“It is not as if you kiss me! I do not even know if you are real or a figment of my imagination!”

“Do I not feel real enough to you when you touch yourself to the sound of my voice?” he growled out.

You gasped in shock.

“Do not bother pretending, my sweet. You are not as subtle as you think you are,” he said.

Tears of embarrassment pricked your eyes.

“I am real, pretty girl. Do you not remember how all the suitors you despised seemed to suddenly disappear?”

“That was you?” you asked in surprise.

You sat heavily down at the end of your bed.

“Of course, I protect what is mine. You are mine, are you not?”

“Yes,” you breathed out, spellbound.

“Good girl. You shall have your proof of my existence soon enough, but you must be patient. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, yes, absolutely,” you said hurriedly, excitedly.

You could hear the smile in his voice as he said, “Wonderful.”

You breathed a sigh of relief that you were no longer the object of his temper, and instead back in his good graces.

As you fell asleep that night you pondered on what he revealed to you in that conversation. You were giddy with excitement at the prospect of getting proof of your silent protector.

———————-

“I wish to tell you something,” you said to Lord Lannister as he sat with you in the castle gardens.

“Do tell,” he said and his eyes danced with amusement.

“When my mother passed away she promised she would send me an angel to care for me and watch over me.”

“What a beautiful promise,” he said, clearly placating you.

You sighed.

“Yes, and her words came true. There is an angel that protects me,” you said.

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

“That must be a comforting thought,” he said and patted your hand as if you were a child.

“No, not just a comforting thought, there is a presence that protects me from those that wish me harm,” you said urgently.

“Is that why so many of your suitors have disappeared? I have heard rumors of you being cursed, but I have never been afraid of silly superstitions. I also heard ridiculous gossip of ghosts and recluse princes when I came here, there is no need to put stock in such things.”

You furrowed your brow.

“No, there is-“

“Lord Stark!” the Lannister man exclaimed as he saw his friend across the gardens.

You sighed in frustration as you watched him stand and bound towards Lord Stark and embrace him.

The two began speaking and you were quickly forgotten.

The topic was never raised with him again.

———————-

Your nerves were high as your lady’s maid dressed you for the masquerade ball.

Feasts, parties, and balls were all commonplace during this time of year in which lords and ladies often courted and marriage alliances were made.

Though, a masquerade ball was a first. You were excited. You found the whole idea rather romantic.

“Are you certain about this dress?” you asked Reyna.

“Of course, my lady! You look absolutely beautiful. The men will fall at your feet,” she said with a sweet smile.

You really only cared about impressing your phantom and you hoped against hope that tonight would be the night you finally got the proof he spoke of.

You smoothed the front of your emerald green dress as she brought you the delicate black lace mask.

You pulled it on carefully and Reyna made a few small adjustments before she declared you perfect.

You thanked her and with a grin you made your way towards the great hall.

The moment you entered, you were enchanted. Musicians played ethereally beautiful songs and as you strode through the hall you were fascinated by people’s outfits and masks that bordered on costumes.

Elaborate decorations made the room appear to sparkle and shimmer.

A servant handed you a glass of wine and you sipped on it as you made your way through the bustling crowd.

Soon, however, the dancing began and you smiled happily as you watched the men and women twirl.

A man approached you and asked you to dance, you grinned as you accepted, and quickly determined him to be Lord Greyjoy.

Though he was not your favorite lord, the music was quick paced, as were your steps and you were happy to join the merriment, no matter the company. It was not as if he could speak much to you anyhow as the dance was quick paced and required a switching of partners frequently.

Man after man danced with you and your smile was as wide as the stretch of the sea.

You felt a prickle on the back of your neck, like a heavy gaze was upon you, but as you looked around you could see nothing but strangers in masks.

At the end of the last fast song you were spun by Lord Lannister and another man caught you.

The crowd clapped as the song ended and as you caught your breath you looked up at the man who held you.

You did not recognize the face of the handsome stranger who smirked down at you, so why was there something about him that felt so achingly familiar?

He wore all black, with the intricate embellishments on the cloth a dark green, the exact shade as your dress.

His hair, a shocking silvery white color, was straight and pulled half back as it cascaded down his back and across his chest. It was much longer than most men keep their hair, and it was beautiful.

The left half of his face was completely covered with an intimidating black mask that appeared to have a sapphire within it rather than a hole for the eye to see through.

The right side of his face was bare and you marveled at the handsomeness of the sharp planes of his nose, cheekbones, jaw, and chin.

His visible eye was a startling yet otherworldly gorgeous violet color.

His smirking lips were plush and naturally curved upwards.

You had never seen such unique beauty in a man.

You were certain your expression was wonderstruck as you stared up at him.

The next song began, a much slower melody, and he held you close to his warm body as he swayed you both to the beat of it.

“I do not believe we have met,” you said primly as you attempted to muster up your wits.

He smiled at you before he spun you.

He caught you and pressed your back to his front. As he leaned down, his hair fell across your shoulder and his lips grazed your ear.

You shivered in response as your eyes fluttered closed.

His large hands spanned much of your waist and you covered his hands with your own, wishing to keep him close.

“Are you certain of that?” he whispered in your ear.

Your spine went rod straight, the hairs on the back of your neck stood, and you sucked in a gasping breath as you recognized the voice of the man that held you.

He chuckled darkly, that laugh that you often heard in your dreams.

“I am not certain of much of anything anymore,” you breathed out.

“Not even of my promises?” he teased as one hand moved further down your waist and the other up high enough that his thumb grazed the bottom of your breasts.

Your breath hitched even as your eyes drifted closed once more and your head fell back against his shoulder.

“You are the only thing I believe in anymore,” you murmured.

“Hm,” he hummed in satisfaction at your words.

One hand gripped your waist and the other slipped up your arm, across your collar bones to rest gently around your throat, as if his hand were another necklace to adorn you.

“You are most beautiful this night, my sweet,” he purred.

You breathed in his warm masculine scent and wished to stay in his arms forever.

He spun you back around to face him and he caught you with hands around the small of your waist and your hands found their place on his chest.

“You…you are much more handsome than all my wildest dreams. Why would you hide this face from me?”

You could not look away from his gaze, it was as if he had a power to trap you with him, though you would never desire to escape him.

You placed your hand on his cheek and did not miss the way it made him suck in a breath, as if he were just as affected by you as you were by him.

You did not know how many songs had passed since you were in his arms, but you never wanted the music to end for fear of no longer being pressed against him.

The entire room melted away and there was only you and your phantom made flesh as he danced with you to music of your own making.

“There are things you do not know of, that I have made efforts to protect you from,” he answered you finally.

You furrowed your brow in confusion and as you looked away, you realized it was the first time you had looked away from his face since he took you into his arms.

You hadn’t realized that multiple songs had come and go and still he held you. You hadn’t realized that most of the eyes in the room were on you, curiously watching you and the mysterious man.

“I have proof now of your existence. Tell me everything, or do you not wish to make me yours?” you asked as you looked back at him.

He pursed his lips as he stared deep into your soul.

“Of course I wish to make you mine,” he breathed out.

He sounded just as entranced by you as you were with him.

You reached up and softly grazed your fingers against his sharp cheekbone.

“Then show me all of you, my phantom,” you whispered as your fingers curled around the edge of his mask.

So enraptured by your touch and your presence it took him a moment longer than it should have to react and you had nearly removed the mask from his face and saw a flash of a jagged scar before he yanked himself back from you.

He pulled the mask from your hand and covered the side of his face once again as he stepped back, his chest heaving with desperate breaths.

You stumbled backwards from the momentum of his sudden movements, and strong hands from behind caught you and with a glance back you realized it was Lord Lannister.

Your breathing was also heavy as you turned back and gazed upon the object of your affections in shock.

Regret flashed in his eye, but he turned and quicker than you could think of anything to say, he disappeared into the large crowd and was soon gone.

He was gone as quickly as he appeared and your eyes stung at the near rejection.

“Are you alright?” Lord Lannister asked you and you realized his hands were still around your shoulders where he had caught you.

“Yes, quite,” you said and the shakiness in your voice did nothing to assure either of you of the statement’s truthfulness.

As your attention once again found the room around you, you then heard the hisses of angry whispers of the people around you.

“Monster.”

“Did you see that horrid scar?”

“Why would she let him touch her?”

“Disgusting.”

“His eye….”

“Recluse prince.”

“Aemond Targaryen,” one man said and you whipped your head around to him.

“What did you say?” you demanded.

“My lady, that must have been Aemond Targaryen, the recluse prince. Only the gods know what would have caused him to slither out from his hiding place,” the old man said worriedly.

You huffed and turned to leave.

“Perhaps I should accompany you to your room to ensure you arrive there safely,” Lord Lannister offered.

You nodded absentmindedly and took his proffered arm.

As you exited the hall you let out a sigh of relief to be away from such a crowd of hateful and discontented Lords and Ladies.

“I fear you put yourself in danger by dancing with such a man, my lady,” Lord Lannister finally said after he gave you several moments of quiet to collect yourself.

“He meant me no harm,” you said softly.

“You know nothing of his intentions,” the man said.

Finally you reached your door.

“Thank you, Lord Lannister, I appreciate your help and concern,” you said in an attempt to dismiss him.

He nodded, and he clearly understood your message.

“Goodnight, my lady,” he said.

“Goodnight, my lord,” you replied and turned and walked into your room.

You shut the door securely behind you before you slid to the floor and released the tears you had been holding back.

You could no longer withhold the torrent of mixed emotions you felt that so overwhelmed you.

You heard nothing from your ghost that night and as you fell into a fitful sleep, nightmares plagued you.

You dreamt of a demon that chased you and all you could see of it were two sapphire colored eyes that glowed in the depth of darkness you were lost in.

———————-

Your phantom did not find you for the next two days and despite being surrounded by people often, most frequently suitors who wished to woo you, you found yourself incredibly lonely.

Each night when you entered your room you called out for him but only silence greeted you.

By the third day you resolved yourself to try and move on. It was easier said than done.

Now that you had actually met the man that belonged to the voice you idolized, it was much harder to prevent yourself from loving him.

It was as if he was in your head, had burrowed himself in your heart, captured your soul and held it in the palm of his hands.

How were you supposed to just let go?

You pondered on all these things as you attempted to relax in the bath in your chambers.

Your father was pressuring you to make a decision soon. You were lucky that he even allowed you a say in who you would marry, though you knew he was partial to Lord Lannister. Thankfully, he agreed with your assessment that Lord Greyjoy was an absolute bore.

He was not present at the masquerade when you danced with your phantom, but he had surely heard the gossip by now.

It would not bode well for you.

You wished to hear your ghost’s voice so desperately you feared you were hallucinating the sound.

But there it was again, your name, said with such gentleness and care.

“Are you really there?” you asked hopefully.

“Yes, my sweet,” he said after a moment too long of silence.

You sighed in relief.

“I have missed you,” you said.

“Truthfully?” he asked and there was vulnerability in his voice.

“Of course,” you said passionately.

He did not reply and you grew concerned he did not believe you.

You were suddenly grateful for the suds and bubbles in the bathtub for fear he could see you. It was something you had never been self conscious about before, but now that you had seen the handsome man himself and knew he was real, you were more worried about what he had seen.

Even still, you said, “Please do not hide from me any longer, I wish to see you when you speak to me.”

“Why would you wish to see a monster?” he asked harshly.

Your eyes prickled with tears at his pain.

“I do not believe people’s words that you are a monster. You, who has protected me at every turn, are a good man,” you said gently.

The oversized portrait beside your bed creaked and opened as if it were a door.

You gasped as your phantom stood in the darkened entryway.

A mask still adorned half his face, though this time it was white and interestingly there was still a sapphire embedded in it where his eye should be.

You sunk lower into the bath and gripped its edges as you stared back at him.

“You cannot believe that about a creature of such darkness,” he said.

“I do. I rather like the dark,” you said and a small smirk showed on his beautiful lips.

“Come closer,” you said as you reached your hand out to him.

He walked slowly over to you and knelt next to the bathtub.

You placed your hand gently on the side of his face and his eye fluttered closed while he took a shaky breath.

“Your name,” you said, your voice soft and tentative. “Is it Aemond as some have speculated?”

He made a pleased sound low in his throat as he nuzzled his face into your hand.

He ran his nose across your palm and the veins at your wrist.

Your heartbeat spiked.

“You have no idea how long I have yearned to hear my name fall from your perfect lips, my sweet,” he murmured.

Your breathing was heavy as you looked at your phantom, your angel, your Aemond.

“Aemond, I apologize for attempting to unmask you in front of a room full of people. Truthfully, I forgot we were not the only two people in the world,” you said gently as your fingers traced his cheek and lips and soaked in the warmth of his skin.

“Hm,” he hummed in pleasure.

“Will you bare yourself to me now?” you asked.

You wanted to add that it was only fair as you were currently mostly bare in front of him.

Though the bath was a milky color from the soaps and scents, and suds still covered the surface, you were certain his all knowing eye could see much of your glistening wet skin.

His eye blinked open and he looked at you, his gaze raw and full of emotion.

The sound of knuckles rapping at your door broke your focus from him.

“My lady?” your lady’s maid called out.

You looked across the room to your door.

He quickly stood and disappeared behind the portrait door once again without another word, as if he truly were a ghost.

You sighed in frustration before you called out, “Yes? Come in.”

“My lady, I forgot to bring you your fresh bed sheets, I am so sorry! I will only be a moment,” she said as she rushed to your bed.

“It is quite alright, Reyna,” you reassured as her anxieties often became too high.

She smiled at you and quickly started her task.

You sunk lower into the now cold bath and cursed your rotten luck.

———————-

Your father ran out of patience and betrothed you to Lord Lannister.

You sat at the celebratory feast and tried not to look too sullen.

When the queen congratulated you, you flinched slightly, now that you knew it was her son you were so desperately in love with you felt even more guilty.

You worried the news would break him.

Even still, you did your best to be graceful and poised as many people offered you their excitement on your happy news.

You didn’t mind Lord Lannister, truthfully, but he did not bewitch your very soul as Aemond Targaryen did.

There was a commotion that caught your attention, a fire had started in the opposite end of the grand hall.

You gasped and watched as the men rushed to put it out.

A hand grasped your wrist and began to tug you backwards.

Your eyes widened in surprise as your phantom pulled you into the nearby darkened hallway.

A mask still covered half his face and his expression was hard.

He pressed your back against the cold stone wall with the weight of his body against yours.

Your breath sped and your heartbeat spiked.

Not from fear, no, from the feel of the long planes of his warm body against yours.

He placed a hand against the wall on either side of your head and caged you in.

“Do you wish to marry him?” he asked.

“No,” you breathed out, your focus again on his lips as he spoke.

He leaned down so his lips grazed your ear and asked, “What do you desire?”

You shivered.

“You,” you practically moaned as your eyes closed.

He hauled his body off yours and you whimpered softly at the loss of his warmth.

He smirked.

“Then wait for me, I shall come for you, my sweet. I promise,” he said and you quickly nodded in agreement.

He turned his head to look back down the hallway at the great hall.

His hair swished as he moved and you longed to run your fingers through the white silken strands.

“They have most likely put out the fire by now. Go before you are missed,” he said.

“Alright,” you said, and before you tore yourself away from him you pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

He hummed in pleasure and you attempted to memorize the sound, beautiful as it was, just like everything about him.

When you reentered the great hall, the chaos was settling and no one had noticed your brief absence, not even your betrothed.

———————-

Most afternoons you could be found in your favorite secluded corner of the library.

Unfortunately, your betrothed knew that and often interrupted your reading.

Today however, you were blissfully alone as you reread your favorite book.

Sunlight filtered through the nearby window and bathed you and your novel in a warm glow.

A cup of tea and a little snack were long forgotten as the plot enraptured you and you curled up into a plush armchair.

A whisper of your name slid through the contented air and alerted you to the presence of another.

“Aemond?” you whispered back.

“Come with me,” he crooned.

You turned and saw him. He had revealed another secret hallway, this time hidden by a bookshelf.

His beauty was otherworldly and you felt as if you were in a trance as you set your book down, stood, and walked towards him.

You took his hand and allowed him to lead you into the dark and watched as he shut the bookshelf door behind you.

He lifted a torch off the stone wall and held it before the both of you, though you suspected it was only for your benefit.

“Where are we going?” you asked.

The thought occurred to you that you should have asked before you followed him, but logic was never your strong suit when it came to decisions about your phantom.

You could never resist his pull.

“To show you more of myself,” he said.

Your heart skipped a beat.

You walked through winding corridors until he stopped at another portrait-door. Though, this time your view of it was from the inside.

He opened it, stepped down himself, and then with hands on your waist, helped you navigate the large step down.

Though, he stood so close that your body practically slid down the length of his as you did so.

With your hands on his strong shoulders you stared at him.

His gaze flickered down to your lips and for a moment, an excruciating wonderful moment, you thought he might kiss you.

But he released you and took a step back, his breaths as rapid as your own.

With him not right in front of you, you could see the room you stood in.

It was dark, the dark curtains drawn completely so as to not allow any light within.

Candelabras adorned the furniture to offer the light your eyes so desperately needed.

It was also clearly the room of a prince, grand and ornately decorated.

Black and emerald green silk covered the large canopy bed.

The other decorations matched his chosen colors.

You slipped from his hands and walked around the room, your fingers traced the surfaces as you took it all in.

It was all so Aemond. But there were pieces of you as well.

A vase full of your favorite flowers. Stacks of your favorite novels were on both his bedside table and his desk. They were mixed with books you did not recognize, ones that must be his favorites.

Crumpled papers took up space on the desk, with your name scrawled at the top of the one on a stack of blank papers, as if he had been trying to write you a letter.

There was an easel with paint supplies in front of the window, finished paintings leaned against the wall, turned around so you could not see them.

The painting drying on the easel, however, was of you. You gasped softly.

It was a romantic view of you in the bath as you had been the other night, and there was such love and tenderness in your face as you looked at the viewer of the portrait, the painter of the portrait, truthfully.

There was a halo of light around your body, every stretch of your skin that was visible had a brightness about it, the more intimate parts of your body covered by the water in the bath.

Tears pricked at your eyes as you realized this is how he viewed you. An angel, just the same as you perceived him.

He was your angel of darkness and you were his angel of light.

“Oh Aemond,” you breathed out.

If you were a betting woman, you would bet that many of the completed paintings you could not see were of you as well.

You knew the reality of what you saw, this was not just love, it was obsession.

Logically, you should be scared, but you could not bring yourself to be anything but flattered.

There was a mirror in the corner, but it was covered by black cloth as if he did not wish to see himself, your heart cracked at the thought.

He had been watching you warily as you explored his space and learned more about him.

“I want you to know the reality of what you would be getting into if you choose me, my sweet. A life of darkness with someone most consider a monster,” he said as he leaned against the wall and looked down at the floor.

You strode towards him and placed a hand on his cheek and led him to look at you.

“That is your version of reality? In my reality I see a kindhearted man who cares for me deeply and is offering me a life of affection. I do not care for others' opinions and would like to help you heal from the hurt they have inflicted,” you said quietly and tenderly.

He breathed out in surprise and brought you closer, so you were pressed against him.

“You say such kind words but you have not seen all of me, you do not know why others fear me. There is more darkness to me than you know,” he said lowly, but still he moved his face closer and nudged his nose against yours.

“Then show me,” you begged once again, “and let me accept you completely.”

His lips were so close to yours that you could almost feel them.

You ached for him, had ached for him for so long, that you lost yourself, your self control, and leaned up to brush your lips against his.

But, he pulled back right before your lips were able to meet.

You let out a shuddering breath, same as he did as he pulled his face back enough to look at you.

He intertwined his fingers with yours and lifted your hand to the mask he wore.

With a slight nod he gave you permission to remove it from his face but still said, “Are you certain? This would bring you past the point of no return.”

“I have never been more certain of anything in my life,” you said fervently as you stared at him with your heart in your throat.

He swallowed and dropped his hand from yours to let you finally take off the mask.

You gently curled your fingers around the edges and his eye fluttered closed, another indication of his nervousness, as if he could not handle seeing your expression once you saw him.

You slowly pulled it off and revealed the other half of his face.

A long jagged scar stretched from above his eye down across his cheek.

Instead of a left eye, there was a sapphire in place of where his eye should be.

You realized you were mistaken before when you thought that the mask held the sapphire, it was in fact a replacement to the eye that was missing.

Though the scar marred his skin, it did not take away from his handsomeness. You could understand how the scar and sapphire eye could intimidate others, but you could not understand how anyone could describe him as a monster.

“Beautiful,” you murmured as you cupped his cheek and ran your thumb across the scar.

His eye fluttered open and as he looked at you, his perfect lips parted in shock. You knew he felt that the disfigurement was a reflection of his soul and expected rejection. Though he had subjected himself to the potential rejection anyway, because of his feelings for you.

“You cannot mean that,” he said and the words broke your heart.

You kissed his cheek, his scar, right below the sapphire eye and he gasped softly.

“My phantom, my protector, my Aemond,” you said as you trailed your lips across his cheek, across the length of the scar.

“I absolutely mean it,” you said passionately and he groaned as he, at long last, pressed his lips to yours.

His plush lips were soft as he pressed them firmly against yours.

He made a low pleased hum as your lips moved against his and you tangled your fingers in his hair.

It was not the sort of kiss that sparked a fiery passion, no, it was slower moving than that, deeper. The kind of kiss that changed the both of you intricately, completely, eternally.

The kiss molted the love within you and him like lava and fuzed your souls together.

When you pulled back and ended the kiss he said, “I love you, completely, my angel of light.”

“And I love you, darkness and all,” you replied and kissed him once more.

———————-

The day of your wedding to Lord Lannister had arrived and you were a bundle of nerves.

Aemond had sworn to you that you would not have to go through with this wedding. He assured you that he would make you his and his alone.

You believed him, you just did not realize that he would wait until the last minute to do so.

Your lady’s maid Reyna cinched up your wedding gown as you stared at yourself in the mirror.

Your expression was sullen and you felt as if you were being readied for your funeral.

Aemond would intervene as he promised, right?

You had tried to talk to your father, to make him understand where your feelings lay, what your heart desired, but he refused to listen.

“You look beautiful, my lady,” Reyna said as she finished prepping you and stepped back to view her work.

“Thank you,” you said quietly.

“What is wrong?” she asked as she took your hands.

You shook your head and refused to let your eyes fill with tears.

You must believe in your phantom’s promise, he had protected you at every turn and you had to believe him that he would do so now.

“Lord Lannister seems kind,” Reyna said gently.

You nodded.

“Yes. Yes he does,” you agreed as you took a deep breath to calm your nerves.

Your father arrived and escorted you to the sept.

The sept was grand as always, and as it was sunset, lit completely with hundreds of candles.

A large crowd of lords and ladies filled the room and watched you as you walked towards a future of shackles.

Your heart plummeted as you saw Lord Lannister there waiting for you.

He smiled at you as your father walked you towards him, escorted you towards a loveless life. You could not force yourself to smile back. Your breath was short and it felt as if there was a weight on your chest. Your legs shook as you walked and finally you stood before Lord Lannister and the septon.

The Septon cleared his throat and the crowd’s murmurs and whispers hushed and it was suddenly all too quiet.

You could hear the pounding of your own heart.

The septon opened his mouth to speak, to begin the ceremony, when another booming voice filled the sept.

“I object to this marriage. This woman is spoken for. She belongs to me,” the voice of your ghost echoed through the room, through your very soul.

You gasped in relief.

The sept doors blew open by an unexpected and terrifying gust of wind that blew out all the candles and thrust the grand room into darkness.

There were gasps of horror and shock as well as screams in fear.

You grinned.

“This wedding is over,” the voice announced and you whipped your head around as you realized where the origin of the sound was.

The phantom of the Red Keep stood behind the Septon.

A fire suddenly lit behind him, illuminating him, and another round of gasps and screams began.

Aemond stood, presence intense and intimidating, dressed all in black. He wore nothing to cover his scar and sapphire eye.

Your body moved of its own accord and you managed to take one step towards him, when an arm gripped you around your waist and hauled you backwards.

Lord Lannister shoved you behind him and pulled out his sword.

He pointed it at Aemond. You lurched forward, but he held you back with his arm.

Aemond quickly pulled out his own sword.

The septon scrambled away.

Guards began to stream into the sept, but the fire spread, as if controlled, and circled around the three of you, and kept everyone away.

“You have no claim on this woman! She is my betrothed!” Lord Lannister yelled.

Aemond smirked, a devilish sort of smile.

“That is certainly not true, is it, my sweet? I have a strong claim on you, do I not?” Aemond asked you as he leaned to the side to meet your eyes around his enemy’s body.

“Yes,” you breathed out, entranced by his presence.

Lord Lannister whipped his head around to look at you in shock.

“He is a monster. Let me save you from him. I am your chosen hero, remember?” he said fervently.

You shook your head.

“He is my protector, I tried to tell you this before. My heart belongs to him,” you replied.

“No,” he said angrily and shook his head.

“No,” he repeated himself, “you will not whore yourself out to this vile demon. You are my betrothed.”

He attacked your love. You gasped as they crossed swords and the sound of clanging steel echoed.

You stepped back, as close as you could get to the edge of the circle of fire without burning yourself, and did not know what to do.

Others watched the fight through the fire, helpless to assist, and did nothing but spectate.

The men fought and it was clear that despite Aemond’s missing eye, he was the superior skilled swordfighter.

You felt powerless to help. The fight did not last long, for Aemond soon sliced a shallow cut across Lord Lannister’s chest and then disarmed him.

He held the tip of his sword to his opponent’s throat as he breathed heavily and gritted his teeth. Hate gleamed in his one good eye and you knew your betrothed represented all the hate and suffering Aemond had endured since his eye was so savagely taken.

“Stop,” you gasped.

He turned his head to meet your gaze and the look in his eye softened.

“You do not have to kill him,” you said, “just take me. Let us be together. Let us leave this place behind.”

He pursed his lips, a war fought inside his mind, before he nodded and removed his sword from Lord Lannister’s throat even as he kicked the other sword away so it would be completely out of reach.

You ran to him and threw yourself in his arms.

He kept his sword pointed at your former betrothed, but hugged you back with his other arm.

Lord Lannister held up his hands and nodded, conceding and admitting his defeat.

Aemond turned his head and pressed a kiss to your temple.

“I want it to be known here and now that this woman did choose me willingly. Though I know you will indeed ignore my words, there need be no monster hunt, she and I wish to leave peacefully,” Aemond announced.

The crowd stared in shock as you pulled his face down for a passionate kiss.

Your love raged like the fire that surrounded you.

He was yours and you were his.

“Take me,” you begged him as your lips broke apart.

The last thing you saw was the uptilt of his lips into a smirk before the room was plunged into darkness and then there was only the sensation of falling.

You splashed into deep water and strong hands pulled you up.

“We must hurry,” your lover said as he helped you swim.

You looked up and as the ceiling closed above you, you could see that the entire sept seemed to have lit up in flames once more.

He led you to the edge of the canal and hauled you up out of the water.

He lit a torch he found on the wall and you could finally see.

“It will take them some time to put out the fire, but they will follow us as soon as they can,” Aemond said to you in a hushed and hurried tone as he helped you step into a small boat that floated upon the water. He handed you the torch and you held it as you took your seat and settled.

He soon followed and took the oars and rowed as quickly and powerfully as he could, his strength evident in the action.

He navigated the canals effectively and knew which turns to take in the winding and confusing darkness.

You stared at him as he did so and admired your phantom in the flickering light.

His hair was wet, his lips set in a hard and determined line, and the sapphire glimmered and gleamed.

You loved him, you wanted him, you were joyously happy he had saved you from a life you despised.

You smiled.

His gaze flickered to yours and he raised an eyebrow at you.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I love you,” you said quietly but strongly.

He smiled. A real, full smile, not a smirk or a half smile, a real full smile in which his lips stretched and you could see his teeth.

“And I love you, my sweet,” he eventually replied, the moment heavy with emotion.

“Thank you, for protecting me, my guardian angel,” you whispered.

He shook his head.

“Thank me when we are actually safe in our destination,” he said.

“Where is our destination?” you asked. You did not truly care about the answer, anywhere safe with him was perfect to you.

“There is an estate in the countryside owned by the Hightowers, my mother’s family, that has been gifted to us by my mother. Some sort of recompense for all I have endured from my father’s family, I suppose. We shall have to pretend to be Hightowers and it will be a simpler life than you are used to in King’s Landing, but it will be safe and I will protect you. I hope you find that suitable,” he said softly.

“Of course,” you said, “a life with you is all I desire.”

He smiled once more and it was your favorite sight in all the world.

“Good, I have arranged for a septon to be waiting there to wed us. If all goes well it will only be a few days' journey and then you will well and truly be my wife.”

You grinned and placed your hand on his knee as he continued to row. It took all your self control not to throw yourself into his arms and kiss him until neither of you could breathe anymore.

“I could not imagine anything more perfect, my love,” you replied.

The canals eventually deposited the two of you into the entrance of a river on the outskirts of the city.

Aemond climbed out of the boat and quickly helped you do the same.

Thankful for the cover of darkness, he snuck you to a stable where two horses awaited you both.

He pulled clothes out of the packed saddle bags and handed you a bundle.

“Can you help me?” you asked as you turned your back to him.

You heard a shuddering breath.

“Of course,” he said and began to unlace your wedding dress. He slowly pulled at the laces, and his fingers brushed your skin as he did so. You shivered, and you were not certain if it was from the cold air or desire for the ghost that stood behind you.

You slipped out of it and turned back to face him.

His gaze was dark and intense once again.

Your heartbeat stuttered.

Then you heard distant shouting, you were still being pursued.

“We must hurry,” he urged.

You swallowed your disappointment and nodded even as you began to remove the rest of your clothes.

He walked to the other side of the horses, to hide you from his view, and allowed you to finish changing.

You pulled on the new clothes, and realized he had picked out peasant clothes a man would wear, most likely to make you both as inconspicuous as possible.

You pulled on the fresh underclothes, the trousers and boots, and then the loose white shirt.

He rounded the horses, already fully changed with an eyepatch over his sapphire eye.

Your breath caught as he knelt before you and began to tie the laces of your boots.

You bit your lip as you watched him.

His nimble fingers moved quickly as he laced both shoes then stood to his full height before you.

He then laced up the front of your shirt, to hide your breasts, and his hands grazed them as he did so.

Your breathing was heavy as you watched him.

He nodded in satisfaction with his work then pulled two cloaks out of the saddle bags as well.

He pulled his cloak on and then helped you with yours.

Your hands caught his and you could not help yourself.

“Kiss me,” you breathed out.

He huffed in amusement before he pulled you in for a brief but firm kiss.

“Aemond, please,” you begged as he pulled back.

He gripped your waist and rested his forehead against yours.

“I will make you mine and give you everything you desire, my love,” he promised, “but you must exercise patience. We need to hurry, our lives are still at stake.”

You sighed and nodded.

He pulled your hood over your head and then tied his hair back and did the same.

With strong hands on your waist he helped you climb atop your horse and then mounted his own.

With the click of his tongue, he urged his horse forward and you followed his lead.

Soon, both your horses were galloping and you left the horror of King’s Landing far behind.

You journeyed into the darkness, but felt assured that there was light at the end of your travels for your phantom was there with you, and you would be together, forever, as you both desired, as was right.

You loved the man, the ghost, the so-called monster beside you. You loved your protector, the man who had maimed and killed for you, who guided you through the deepest darkness.

He was your angel, your salvation, the rest of your life.

He was yours and you were his, forever.

All was finally right in the world.

#aemond targaryen #house of the dragon #hotd #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x you #aemond targaryen x y/n #aemond #aemond targaryen fanfic #aemond targaryen x fem!reader

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wanderingaldecaldo · 4 months

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Santa Baby

text message template by @luvwich

Text + more pics after the cut 🧑‍🎄

Mittens (06:31:10pm): Cabinet meeting is running long. I'm not sure when I'll be able to leave V (06:32:22pm): on crismis? 🥺 V (06:32:56pm): dressed up n everything V (06:33:11pm): <img> Mittens (06:39:24pm): And we're done. Taking off in 10, be there in ~90 V (06:40:06pm): 🧑‍🎄🧑‍🎄🧑‍🎄

I hadn't been feeling the Christmas spirit this year, until the "meat partner" stepped up and decorated the house yesterday. Today I spent the day with my blorbos. It started with the last pic in the set, which prompted this little story. It's been a year (derogatory), and Rosalind and Phantom Liberty really resparked my love for this game.

Happy holidays! 🧑‍🎄

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mail-me-a-snail · 7 months

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Valentine is done Here but now they're gone Romeo and Juliet Are together in eternity -- or, v learns the right ending is not always the happiest one; sometimes, it's not an ending at all.

happy phantom liberty launch day!! this is the last fic in the "your heart is on my sleeve" series :] ill keep writing for silverv as long as the inspiration flows, but this branch of their story is over <3

chapters 2-4 coming in the following days; keep an eye out for those :3

#cyberpunk 2077 #cbp 2077 #cp 2077 #silverv #johnny silverhand #male v #kerry eurodyne #silverdyne #silvervdyne #fanfic #fanfiction #mine #my writing #whooo NELSON!!!!!!!!!!!#this fic exploded me so fuckign bad. hi #silvervance #vance

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saintlyguy · 5 months

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Some Panam imagines because she’s awesome.

(SPOILERS)

I like to think that thanks to Johnny, V can now shred it on guitars like a pro without the former taking over. I laugh at the idea of V being hyped up to sing at the campfire and then singing Ripped Pants from Spongebob which makes Panam spit out her drink and laugh into fetal position.

Continuing the Virtuouso V headcannon, V is called to the campfire to sing again which has Panam expecting another silly song. Only this time V dedicates a spoof song to her they dub as “Let Me Drive My Tank Into Your Heart.” Bonus points to yall who know the original song.

If V and Panam were to ever have a dedicated song, platonic or romantic, it would be “Never Was a Love Like Mine” from Mad Monster Party. This song’s lyrics remind me of how much Panam cares for V. This would be a nice slow dance song for the two.

V and Panam often wear each others jackets. It just sort of happened one day and all the other Aldecaldos found it endearing.

If V is a former Nomad, then it’s harder for Panam to convince V to become an Aldecaldo because they are wary of losing another clan/family.

I think Panam would like the soundtrack to Bat Out of Hell and would dominate karaoke with “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.”

If you had befriended Panam, Judy, Kerry, and River then these chooms should have been in the audience of the final fight in Beat on the Brat. The idea of V’s friends being their cheerleaders is funny. Panam would be the one cheering for V the loudest, even screaming the famous words “GRAB HIS DICK AND TWIST IT.”

An alternative to how Phantom Liberty ended instead of losing Panam: V takes precautions of telling Reed to inform all their friends about V’s whereabouts after the operation LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE. If V Romanced Panam, then they would wake up the Aldecaldo’s newest camp with Panam and Reed by their side. Immediately Panam is kissing V all over then Reed explains the whole thing where V can’t use combat chrome anymore. Panam immediately reassures V that she’ll take care of them. Then she brings V out to a bbq where all of their friends are waiting to finally greet V as they begin their new life with the Aldecaldos and Panam. I LIKE HAPPY ENDINGS DAMMIT.

#cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk v #cyberpunk #panam palmer #johnny silverhand #river ward #kerry eurodyne #judy alvarez #cyberpunk phantom liberty #solomon reed #cyberpunk 2077 imagines #panam palmer imagines #cyberpunk 2077 spoilers #cyberpunk spoilers

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awhalesrider · 7 months

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Some thoughts about the story timeline in CP2077(2.0) after the release of PL

Dunno if it's a spoiler (about PL) but you are alert anyway!!!

The more time I spend playing Phantom Liberty, the more I realize that the canon timeline could be PL (after chasing clues about Evelyne and Voodoo Boys) followed by other main quests (getting Hellman with Panam and seeing Hanako in the Parade with Takemura). The quest of "Phantom Liberty" pops up as early as V is chasing after Evelyn, and there will be quite a bit more new dialog with Johnny and NPCs in the main quests if you finish the expansion before them...

In this case, the silverv relationship will develop in a natural way in cp2077 2.0 with all their interactions in Dogtown.

The conversation in Pistis Sophia and Johnny's grave in the oil field are milestones (in their relationship) of qualitative changes. In Pistis Sophia, they have promises about taking a bullet for the other. In the oil field, they truly understand each other (if players take the proper choices). But...for me all these are a little sudden? Like I know they spend 24h a day together, but the *reasons* are not enough, you know? Especially for V. They are dying because of Relic, and what make them finally take Johnny, who is an engram in the chip that's killing them, as a friend, a comrade and even a soulmate for them?

So it is very nice that we finally have those quantum changes in their relationship accumulating in Dogtown. What happened in PL fill the blanks in these "reasons".

Dogtown is a treacherous war zone with a whole lot of colluding forces. V is confused. In such a high-pressure environment, who should they trust? Maybe the only one they can rely on is themselves, and Johnny is somehow themselves. That's the point. The only person who is LITERALLY and TECHNICALLY on the same boat with them is the engram in the Relic.

That's why in some conversations at the end of the PL, when V says "Got the two of us more time together"... the tone of their voice sounds like they are in relief (instead of being annoyed). When they are strunggling in Dogtown, for a moment maybe, V thinks that they are lucky to have Johnny in their head, and that at least they are not alone. They have Johnny despite all awful things.

With the timeline goes like that, both the promises in Pistis Sophia and the true reconciliation in the oil fields become a done deal.

Just imagine. Even though you have some happy time together, you will still hesitate to make a generous promise to an engram living in a chip that's killing you that you'll take a bullet for him too, right?

But what if he was the only close allied comrade in arms you could trust for a long time? What if he was always there for emotional support, no matter what choices you made?

Your answer, of course, will be: Yeah, I would do the same for you.

#silverv #johnny silverhand #female v #male v #johnny x v #johnny silverhand x v #cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk2077 #phantom liberty #some meta stuff #plz cdpr they just want to live together #I dunno I am just crying

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elvenbeard · 8 months

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I was at Phantom Liberty Tour Cologne and this is how it went!

Img: A screen showing Johnny Silverhand with tickets to the Phantom Liberty Tour Cologne and the title "Phantom Liberty Tour - 25. August 2023 Köln"

The following is 100% an expression of my personal views! I experienced the Phantom Liberty Tour event in Cologne as overall extremely positive, I had been very hyped about it in the weeks and days before, and CDPR did not disappoint me in any way shape or form with what they put together! For transparency, I didn’t have to pay for anything beyond my own travel costs and accommodation, everything else was included solely in my application for the event being accepted.

This post is intended as a way to give a glimpse into the experience to everyone who couldn’t go or whose application wasn’t accepted -and I just wanted to share my thoughts xD It was a very small and exclusive event with very limited tickets, and I still feel super priviliged to have been able to go there. I’m aiming to share my experience with everyone reading this now and give you at least a little peek behind the scenes of it all!

We didn’t have to sign any NDAs or such, we only weren’t allowed to take pics/videos or make audio recordings of the showcased gameplay!

If you’re also going to one of the upcoming events in your respective countries, maybe wait reading this until you’ve been there to not ruin any potential surprises! And also, if you don’t wanna be spoilered about anything Phantom Liberty as such, meaning, the actual game and story, but still wanna know about what the event was like: I will put a warning onto sections that contain spoilers for the gameplay, so you can skip those!

How me and my sibling even got invited in the first place

I only learned about this event more or less on accident when my sibling sent me a screenshot of an Instagram post about it XD So, big props to them for giving us both this chance! XD That was back in May, the post said “tell us why we should invite you to the PL tour in Cologne” in its sign-up form. I did, and then waited patiently to maybe hear back from them. Originally, after sending my submission, I received a reply saying that “if you’re invited, we (CDPR organizer team) will get back to you until August 4th “. In my submission I wrote something along the lines of that I’m relatively new to the game and fandom, but it quickly evolved into my new favourite video game and unlocked so much creativity for me, so that I’m making my own mods for it now, create art, and write. My sibling was a fan of the first hour, preordered the Collector’s Edition for PS4 back then, and now we can both simultaneously get hyped for Phantom Liberty. It would be an amazing opportunity if we could also attend this event together!

When I hadn’t heard back by then I accepted that I hadn’t been selected, was a bit sad, but it was alright. But then, a few days later while I was at work, I got an email with the headline “Hey Choomba” and I was like wtf? So, turns out, due to the insane amount of submissions they pushed back the notification day about a week. Around 1,500 people sent applications that the organizers all looked at individually, and only around 250 guests plus team members and special guests were actually present that night. I didn’t know about the delay in response, because I’m not active on social media beyond Tumblr… lemme tell you though, that was such a nice surprise, and I was super happy and would’ve been none the wiser had I not been picked xD

Due to the shorter timeframe though it was now a little harder to find a hotel still, as the PL Tour took place during Gamescom week. So, half of Gaming Europe was already in Cologne for that convention and hotels were scarce. On the one hand, it obviously made sense they put the date this weekend, so the devs already in Cologne anyway could swing by with ease. On the other hand, if you were, like me, definitely not from Cologne or the general area, a little more prep time ahead would’ve been nice.

Still though, my sibling and I still found a somewhat reasonable hotel and drove to Cologne in the early morning hours of August 25th!

Img: The door to the venue with a bright red "Phantom Liberty Tour" banner above the entrance

(cont. below the cut, long post with many pics, beware!)

The Venue, the Queue, the Delay, the Tickets

The sole information we had in advance was an address, to bring our ID cards as they’d make sure we are on the guest list and are 18+ years old. The event would start at 6pm and last until 12am. It said that "cosplays are very much appreciated" so I went in casual cosplay as Vince, because why the hell not XD But that was it in terms of what we knew about what was going to happen.

At around 5.20 p.m. we were at the location given to us via E-Mail. Parking was eh, but alright, we found a space close by, and as we drove past the venue, they were just in process of setting up their flag and banner. So yay, we’re in the right place! :D

Img: The black CDPR flag above the entrance :3

I was so fucking hyped, I couldn’t last in the car a second longer, so we just joined the queue and waited despite the occasional rain shower. We got talking a little bit with the people around us, there were some fellow modders, everyone was wearing some kind of merch, there were lots of fantastic cosplayers, too! Miles Tost, CDPR level design, was there and briefly talked to us all waiting patiently. Then we were informed that sadly there would be a little bit of a delay. I think at around 6.30 or so the queue finally started moving and at around 7 my sibling and I were inside the venue :D The reason of the delay is and was unclear, we learned later though that the guy responsible for the organization had set up something like this for the first time iirc, and therefore I’ll happily forgive the slight delay. Overall, the night was fantastic and I sure as hell couldn’t have done it better!

After checking our IDs, the lovely people by the entrance handed us our numbered tickets! One of the staff then asked us if we’d already played Phantom Liberty at Gamescom, which we hadn’t, so we also received one of those yellow plastic throwaway bracelets. Those who had already played it got a red one. The reasoning here was that they only had a small play area upstairs, so not everyone would be getting a chance to play the demo of the game, and people who hadn’t seen it yet would be preferred, to keep things fair. During the night some people with yellow bracelets would then be randomly approached by a member of the team and invited upstairs with a “mystery ticket”. I sadly didn’t get to play the game myself, neither my sibling, but we still got to see the gameplay anyway :3 We’ll get to that in a minute.

Img: Mine and my sibling's tickets, front and backside respectively; the bottom text on the backside says "be careful not to damage this section as you may still need it over the course of the night!", both tickets feature prominent circuit board and barcode designs

CDPR also invited us to free drinks with little tokens, and there was a broad selection of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages at a small bar! I would’ve loved for there to be something like a Johnny Silverhand or Jackie Welles to order, but I guess it wasn’t the Afterlife after all. Still though, free drinks, even if generic, pretty cool :D

Activities within the Venue

While we were queuing outside still, we’d also heard about various activities that had been offered at the Warsaw station of the tour, and those were different from what we could do in Cologne!

After receiving our tickets and everything we were free to explore the location for a bit, as the actual show wouldn’t start until 8pm (originally 7 pm but well… delays :D).

There was the main floor with a big, convention center style setup with rows of chairs and some bar tables. There was the huge screen, the bar, and a really cool netrunner chair for taking pictures that the cosplayers rightfully loved :D On the left side were also a small Xbox play area where you could test out some Xbox game pass games XD The event had tons of sponsors contributing something cool.

Img: The main area of the venue right before the show begins, an industrial-style interior with bright red and white lights, and many people looking at a big screen at the wall featuring Johnny and a welcome text in German and English respectively

Next door was a little secluded area for a podcast to be recorded later during the night, as well as a booth where visitors could record video messages for the devs (I missed my chance here and that’s what I regret most about not doing during that night ;A; but I think/hope a lot of others present seized the opportunity to send some love to Poland for this amazing game and team <3).

Img: A small square room with four high-end gaming PC stations sponsored by NVIDIA; the screens are currently showing the main menu screen of Cyberpunk 2077 - can I just take one of these home with me please?

Then there was the upstairs area with the gaming corner, as well as another little recording studio set up by an independent German filmmaker team who were documenting the development of Phantom Liberty! We could’ve also contributed to that, if we had wished to, but I preferred to stay behind the camera this time around xD Looking forward to watching the documentary though once it’s out!

Img: a Netrunner chair replica surrounded by screens and gadgets

There was also an outdoors courtyard area serving as a chillout zone with food (vegetarian options available) and a really cool live medieval folk band playing songs from the Witcher OST :D The various walls on the inside were decorated with photos showcasing German cosplayers and works of fan artists, and those of them who were there that night were allowed to take their photos home as a little extra special keepsake!

Community Love

The community love was so, so real and despite being comparatively new to the game and fandom still I felt super at home and comfortable and welcome. Kind of like, “I’m in the right place”, if that makes sense XD

Speaking of community… while we were still outside in the queue my sibling pointed out to me that there was a Kerry cosplayer in the line behind us, and lemme tell you, I was fucking hyped and made it my mission to greet them over the course of the evening xD I’ve been to a few smaller, less gaming-focused cons this year and there were few Cyberpunk cosplayers, no Kerry so far, so this was my chance!

Turns out, the Kerry in question was none other than fantastic @ophani (you can follow her on Instagram as well and check out what she’s working on atm!) who had been one of the first Cyberpunk people I’d ever followed on tumblr after becoming more involved in the fandom xD So yeah, the fanboy moment was even more real once I’d realized that. Also, there with her, amongst others, was @korribancosplay (also on Instagram!! Go check out his fantastic work <3) who actually recognized me first for being there looking sorta like Vince. He recognized that specific V with that hair and tattoos from my art xD I was like whaaaah! Honestly, that was my highlight of the night hands down in regards to meeting fellow fans :D Again, big shoutout to you two for the lovely conversation and everything, we’ll definitely stay in touch, and I hope I can venture over to NRW again in the future to meet up! xD

Img: Left, ophani as Kerry Eurodyne in his 2023 appearance <3, right, korribancosplay as Goro Takemura - I wish I'd brought a proper camera, blurry phone pics that I tried to somehow save through editing ftw :D

There were a lot of other amazing cosplayers, accompanying the two mentioned, and others as well that I didn’t all get to talk to but yeah… it was amazing seeing them all regardless and the love everyone poured into their costumes! Really got me hyped about getting back into cosplaying as well!

Let the Show Begin

But then it was finally 8pm and everyone gathered in the main showcase area.

None other than male V’s German VA Björn Schalla opened the show with a little speech (“I guess I don’t have to say who’s speaking right now”). That already sealed the deal for me in terms of “okay yeah, CDPR not playing games (figuratively), this is gonna be an amazing night if literal fucking Voice-of-V is here as a special guest”.

Then the German community managers joined for a little introduction and walkthrough of the schedule, as well as all the devs and CDPR team members present for the night came on stage to kick off the event officially with a big selfie. Shame on me for not really knowing who exactly everyone was, I’m too new and not as well versed in the who-is-who yet, but there were some very big names that people got super excited about so o.o

Img: Left, Björn Schalla aka German voice of male V, giving a little introduction speech reading out loud some randomly picked names from the guest list; right, the CDPR team and devs at the venue on stage together

Pretty much immediately afterwards, Miles Tost came back on stage, and we got to experience about an hour of gameplay of Phantom Liberty! If you don’t want spoilers for the expansion, skip the next section until the “Spoilers end here” line! I will try not to take too much away, but I want to give an honest and thorough review of what I’ve seen!

SPOILERS START HERE

The Game Showcase – Public Demo

The way this worked was, Miles stood on the front stage and narrated through the gameplay shown on the big screen, while the German community manager (iirc) Ryan played the game following a predetermined route I assume. He very strictly showed specific features, locations, and took a few very specific dialogue choices, always omitting the blue optional ones and just going with one of the generic yellow ones. The V in the demo was a male corpo, and Ryan never chose any of the plentily available Corpo dialogue options (and I’m very thankful for that, so we as players get to explore those ourselves somewhere further down the line :3).

Miles mentioned that the build shown to us was around three months old, and the first half hour of the game we saw revolved around Songbird guiding V through Dogtown prior to Myers’ plane crashing. They showed some minor NPCs running shops, the new Ripperdoc interface, and so on and so forth. I liked the new Ripperdoc animation but would’ve loved it to be even more expansive than it was in that build XD It was more a “sits down, selects cyberware to buy, then sits back up again after a short black screen, wiggles briefly then ventures forth” moment. Not comparable to the first scene with Viktor, when V gets their optics installed in the main game, but it still adds a little immersion!

V was also wearing very funky purple tights (the same level of tightness as a netrunner suit, but textured sort of like crocodile leather? I have a mighty need for them), and very sporty white sneakers that I also didn’t recognize from the main game. Everyone in the room very much loved his extravagant fashion sense XDD

So far so good, V walks through Dogtown a bit more and has some fun banter with Songbird who is not there physically, but also not quite on the phone… Then the president crashes into Dogtown kind of how it was shown in one of the trailers, and V has to go and save her, obviously, fighting Kurt Hansens forces! Up until this point of getting to and saving Myers from the wreckage was part of the publicly available demo that could also be tested at Gamescom and that I think was also showcased in recent dev streams.

The Game Showcase – Extended Demo

BUT THEN we got to a screen that said “extended demo unlocked” and got to experience some more, so far unseen content!

There was a bit of a time skip, V now traveling with President Myers and trying to get her to safety. Then we quickly got to a scene I had been kind of anxious about: V having to take an oath to become a special agent working for the NUSA. Thankfully though: you didn’t actually have to take the oath as shown in the trailer, and I was relieved, because being forced to do that that would’ve ended the expansion for my V then and there XD You still get to work for Myers though, and then V actually ventured out to find Solomon Reed! :O

We got to see quite a bit more of Dogtown, which is much bigger than I had assumed o.o Like, big buildings, proper streets, etc. etc. - not massive, but also not small! It seemed to sort of seamlessly blend into Pacifica, maybe… But in the showcase we didn’t venture far enough to the limits of the area to really be able to tell how exactly it is integrated into the world. Also, no visuals on the new Badlands areas or anything beyond this little story mission, but I think for a showcase like this that would’ve been too much! Mr. Hands called about a gig though that he maybe shouldn’t have, interrupting Miles' speech a little XD I don’t recall the exact details, but it sounded like a "SOS: Merc needed" type gig. I’m super excited about that, too, there's tons to do in this area!

They also showed the new phone interface, as well as the completely reworked skill trees, which is something @darcidarlin asked me about!

For the phone interface I’m so so thankful! It was so much bigger and organized, much easier to handle and read.

About the skill trees I’m super torn in a way… they’re different and simpler now, but sometimes simpler isn’t necessarily better imo. I’m used to my current build and skills, I like the attributes, and I don’t really see yet how my old playstyle is gonna translate into this new version. Basically, what they did (or at least how it seemed to me) was replace the attributes with "Skills". There is a "Relic" skill, an "Edgerunner" skill, and so forth, at least I saw nothing labelled "Cool", "Strength", "Tech" in the way I'm used to, but the glimpse we got was too short and superficial to really get a good idea of the new menu layout and contents.

The combat they showcased looked very fun, but it was all very centered around hands-on fighting, guns, swords, heavy cyberware. They showed very little stealth and no hacking/tech, and me being a predominantly stealth/hacking/tech player I was a bit “meh” and beginning to wonder if I’ll still have fun with what’s to come in the same way I do now. They kinda quickly flicked through the skill trees and I almost had the impression they completely remodelled Tech into a Cyberware skillset now, with armor fully tied to cyberware as well… I really don’t know XD Right now I can do a tech-heavy build without getting chromed up to my teeth, and I’d like to keep it that way… But I’m not sure if it’ll still work out like this in 2.0. Not much info on Cyberpsychosis either, only that again, with Tech perks, you can increase your threshold in terms of how much chrome V can stuff into their body before suffering an "overload". My low-on-chrome but otherwise tech-loving V is crying a little bit about this change XD

But yeah, this build was 3 months old. And my impression of the skills way waaaay to brief, so it's likely I'm getting upset about nothing XD Specifically for getting a closer look at combat and skills I would’ve needed to test the game out myself, so take everything about this with a big grain of salt!

Next up Ryan made a savegame and they showed the reworked police system a bit. Calling his vehicle in the middle of Dogtown was hilariously difficult, as it kept glitching and crashing into some parked cars the AI just didn’t seem to recognize, always ending up lying on its roof xD Miles joked “Oh no, some glitches just persist no matter what we do… but I bet your car can’t do this!”

Once Ryan had finally managed to get into his car though he started shooting. When you commit crimes in Dogtown, the NCPD will actually not come after your ass, but instead Kurt Hansen’s Barghest, which is neat! They are similarly equipped and will put up a bit of a fight for sure. There is now basically a 5-star system like I know it from GTA, and as soon as you reach 5, MaxTac will show up and whoop your ass. And man, they did not mess around XD MaxTac is not unbeatable, V put up quite the fight and managed to take down a couple of them, but in the end he got overwhelmed and taken down xD It did take a considerable amount of effort and destruction and killing though to even get to five stars, so much so that both Miles and Ryan were getting a bit desperate about it taking so long. So yeah, you really kinda have to put some actual effort into even getting MaxTac’s attention was my impression, and I do like that a lot to keep it balanced!

After this little demonstration of the police system, V went on to find Solomon Reed and damn, the first encounter with him is so fucking cool… I will not spoiler it here, because yeah. Wait and see! I really loved it, Spy-Thriller vibes over 9000, they definitely hit the mark on that XD

There is also so so so so much lovely new banter with Johnny. He was very present throughout this second part of the demo and had a lot to say on his past as a soldier, which I was really hoping for!! So, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how deep it’s gonna get and even more so how it’s gonna end o.o

So much though to the gameplay I saw and my impression on it! There are more details I can share on request, so hmu via DM or ask if you wanna know more! There definitely were a lot of little choices in dialogues, and there seem to be a lot of choices that you can mess up that then have consequences, too :o High risk, high reward vibes, fitting for the high stakes this story seems to have.

One other random sidenote: the music is insanely beautiful o.o There was a new sort of action-packed background track for finding President Myers in Dogtown. And at the end of the demo there was another new song playing that was sort of… “dreamy, but in a dreadful way” sounding? A female vocalist, no actual lyrics, electronic music with similar vibes to the “V” main menu song, but quieter and calmer and sadder. My sibling found it annoying after a while XD But I really enjoyed it, and I kind feel like it could’ve been Songbird’s theme!

I got a question by @cheapcheapfaker about updated character models and animations that kinda fit into this section of the post! So… sadly I cannot answer it for sure because we only got to see the expansion characters and never ventured out of Dogtown (and I didn’t get to play the game myself to test out if it would’ve been possible to go and meet somebody else). What I can say is, I personally didn’t notice much of an update of Johnny’s appearance or facial animations at all actually. I know others did in regard to the same build of the game I got to see. There was no opportunity to ask, and a lot of questions that went sort of deeper into the territory of technical or story stuff, Miles wasn’t allowed to answer at that point. I think they played the game on the highest graphics settings, too, with path tracing on, which was also was something I’m not used to seeing with my rig. Johnny looked somewhat different to me actually, but not in an improved or updated way, more in a higher/different settings way.

What was confirmed during the Q&A though that followed on a different topic later (I made a post about it here already), was that they did go back and fix some voice lines in the main game that turned out weird in the German dub. And I read somewhere else before that “no system was untouched” for making Update 2.0, so maybe the other characters also received some minor updates and final polish. But nothing concrete sadly that was said or came up during my experience of the evening!

SPOILERS END HERE

Meet and Greet with German V

After the showcase of the game was over and some people had received mystery tickets to test Phantom Liberty on their own time, the crowd dispersed across the venue for a variety of activities. I tried to get into the “leave a message to the devs” booth, but it was occupied quite permanently, so I went back and then sat and waited for the Q&A, because that was super-duper down my alley, and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it. In the podcast room next door some devs had come together to talk a bit more about the expansion as such, too, including Miles.

I had to gather all the fucking courage in my body, and I think being sorta sleep deprived and pumped full of adrenaline helped, but before the Q&A started, I went up to Björn to ask for an autograph and we very briefly talked. I got to tell him that I loved the way he played V so so much, lol XD I wasn’t very coherent, but he was very kind and funny, super chill guy!

Img: My ticket now signed "Für Elven, von 'V'" and Björn Schalla's autograph - need to get a fancy frame for it asap xD

I’m so glad that after the Q&A, of which you can find the detailed content in this separate post I made already, I went up again to get a pic done with him and Localization Director Mikolaj! :D So yes, this was definitely my personal highlight of the evening’s program, maybe even more so than seeing the new exclusive gameplay!

Img: Left, the Q&A with Björn and Mikolaj, right, Mikolaj and me and Björn XD

Raffle and Goodies

Towards the end of the night the live band that had been playing outside joined us in the main room (because, of course, the neighbors had complained about the noise… the peak Germany experience, the organizers got threatened with “we’re gonna call the cops if you continue playing music outside after 10 pm” x’D). But like this those of us who had been mostly inside watching the show at this point also got to experience the music a bit, which was very nice!

We were getting close to the end of the night already, and then people with goodie bags started walking in from all corners :O So I ventured forth once more to score one, but I think there definitely was enough for all, and at the end of this post I’m gonna show you what was inside :3

Img: Me holding my roughly letter-format sized Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty paper goodie bag :3

The last item on the agenda was called “Quiz and Raffle”, due to the delayed start of the night though they decided to skip the quiz, or rather, do a quick run of some of the questions they had prepared. It was all something like “What was the name of the character that X called to take over his shift?” or “What was the sign above the location V had to go to during X section of the gig?”, so nothing super hard. You just had to pay a little bit of attention during the game showcase. But yeah, the quiz was skipped and instead the raffle prizes were handed out a bit more freely and damn… there was a lot o.o Displate had gifted a super limited edition illuminated poster, as well as several of their tarot card metal posters. There were gaming keyboards, custom Cyberpunk themed PC cases, some leftovers from the Gear store, figurines, and so on and so forth. Some of the bigger prices were given out via random number generator, where our individual ticket numbers were important again, others were just handed out a bit more freely.

Ryan: “Damn, I have so many gaming mice left, what am I gonna do now…” Random Audience member: “Can I have one?” Ryan: “Sure! :D” *hands them a mouse*

Img: Ryan and Carolin of the German Community Management team at the end of the event with some closing words on stage

This part of the night was honestly just very lighthearted and funny, and I really felt entertained from start to finish XD There were no boring moments or situations where I was like “urgh, I wish we could just continue now” because even during the breaks I talked to people or was still recovering from a previous encounter or experience XD

The End of the Event

The event then ended pretty much on time a short while after midnight, some people had left a bit early to catch their trains, some lingered a little while longer. Lemme tell you, I didn’t wanna leave, I just wanted to move in and live with all these people forever in an amazing little Cyberpunk bubble. But I was also running on like 3 hours of sleep at that point, was extremely overwhelmed with so many positive experiences and impressions, and so we then left after taking some final snaps here and there and walking through the venue once more.

Img: The exit of the venue late at night with the Phantom Liberty Tour Banner now glowing

10/10 would go again, it was a blast, and I wouldn’t have minded for it to go on another six hours xD Not that I managed to sleep much anyway that night, because my brain was still going BRRR from all the impressions and conversations and encounters (still is to a degree right now, but I’m slowly getting calmer again xDD)

The Goodie Bag

Finally back at the hotel I got a proper look at the goodie bag!! All of this was also included in us just *being* there, like, whaaat...

Img: an overview of a variety of items featured in the goodie bag!

The goodies everyone got: a t-shirt with the Barghest logo in front and the Phantom Liberty Tour locations on the back. It was available in a lot of different sizes that you could ask for quite easily, and I hope there was one available for everyone and every body!

Img: A bright red, VERY WRINKLED t-shirt with a graffiti-style Barghest logo on its front in orange, and a white and orange print with the Phantom Liberty Tour locations on the back

The shirt is 100% cotton and made in Poland, but it smelled really really bad, coming out of a plastic bag XDD Not gonna put that on before it goes through the wash. But the quality seems very decent, and the color and print are really nice ;A; Could wear this casually under a shirt or zipper hoodie without anyone even being able to tell it’s gaming merch, and I love me a versatile piece like that!!

Then there was a Phantom Liberty themed sticker sheet with a nice rainbow holo effect :3 Some factions, some people and places, some more generic stickers. It’s very pretty and I think I might actually just frame it together with my signed ticket XD

Img: A holographic Phantom Liberty themed sticker sheet including faction and Night City logos amongst others

What I really really really loved though were these two Cologne-unique pieces: another sticker and a patch :O These seem to be 100% exclusives to the Cologne event, and I figure you can get something similar at the other events as well! Will treasure these like hell <3

Img: A blue and orange fabric patch and a holographic black and white sticker showing the same design: Phantom Tour Cologne below a stylized moth

And finally, everyone got a little mystery bag within their mystery bag, containing one of 6 keyboard cap thingies (don’t even know wtf they’re called but they’re cute XD). They were modelled after the various ingame factions, even including Barghest I believe! :O You can swap them out with any key on a mechanical gaming keyboard. I got Maelstrom, my sibling had the Mox :D So you could’ve definitely swapped with someone else for your fave faction, but I was actually quite pleased with Maelstrom :3

Img: Two small keyboard key replacer thingies... I don't know what to call them. One is red, featuring the head of a maelstromer on top, the other is blue, featuring the pink skull-head with bob haircut and bow of the Mox

So yes… that was my Phantom Liberty Tour experience! I apologize for the insanely long post, but I do hope you enjoyed reading it!

I tried to keep it somewhat concise and coherent and could definitely go more into detail about the gameplay elements we saw, the venue, the people there, and so on and so forth. So, don’t hesitate to hit me up with your questions :D And obviously, thanks so much for reading to the very end <3

#cyberpunk 2077 #cp2077 #cyberpunk phantom liberty #phantom liberty #phantom liberty tour #phantom liberty spoilers #elven attends phantom liberty tour posting

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happyocelot · 11 months

Text

The Same Sky and Moon and Stars

Happy Inukag Week!

I didn't realize it was InuKag week until now 😅

Not sure if this fits exactly with the prompts as it's more focused on Kagome's friends and family dealing with her returning to the past to be with Inuyasha, but I think it goes well with Day 1: Love Languages.

If it doesn't fit the prompts too well, please forgive me and ignore this 🙈 (Too nervous about tagging haha, what if it doesn't match the prompts well?)

I always wondered what Kagome's friends and family thought of her vanishing into the well, and how they dealt with her absence after years and years. This is my interpretation of how that might have been. I haven't seen more than a few clips of the sequel series yet and I am not too familiar with the storyline, but I saw a clip of Moroha hugging grandpa and maxing out Sota's credit card and I thought that was so cute. Please tell me what you think! :)

Summary:

"His family had gotten on well enough, knowing that his sweet, beautiful granddaughter was safe and happy in her new home, but even so, he could detect longing and anguish for her phantom presence. He knew better, though. She hadn't gone anywhere. She was right there with him, under the same blue sky."

Kagome, and the world she left behind. Post-series.

FFN / AO3

Be sure to come to Wac's at noon! Eri had told Kagome, beaming brilliantly. Then we can go to the arcade, and then we can watch a movie.

Finally.

After months and months of cram school and late nights studying, entrance exam torture and nervous breakdowns.

Finally.

They'd graduated.

Yuka would move all the way down south to Kyushu for college in a few months, and Ayumi would go straight north, north, north, right into the depths of the snowiest mountains. Eri would remain in Tokyo.

Kagome still hadn't said what she was planning to do after high school, but as her grades had somehow drastically improved three years ago soon after starting high school, Eri was certain that Kagome, too, had gotten into a prestigious institution.

She hadn't said where that was, but Eri was sure that she would spill the beans after a couple of burgers and milkshakes.

Truthfully, she was hoping that at least Kagome would stay in Tokyo with her. It would be lonely with Ayumi all the way in Aomori, and Yuka in Fukuoka. Notwithstanding her strange illnesses and absences back in the ninth grade, Kagome had been dependably the next desk over in class, sharing notes and lunches and smiles for years and years and years. Eri didn't want her to go too soon.

Noon became 12:15, and 12:15 became 12:25.

Eri ordered a heaping of fries, and Ayumi an extra-large milkshake.

Yuka had taken the liberty of ordering for Kagome the extra extra extra large burger that she liked, and tapped her foot impatiently. By 12:45, she had crinkled her brow in a blend of irritation and concern.

"You don't think she suddenly got sick again, do you?" Ayumi asked. "Hang on, I'll call her house."

She pulled out her brand-new Nokia flip that Ayumi's parents had gotten her as a graduation gift. (They would all color-coordinate their phones soon. Ayumi had insisted.)

"Yes, ojii-san, this is Ayumi. I'm calling to ask about...oh, really? He's back so suddenly? She's gone to meet him?...Well, tell her to come to Wac's soon, please, her burger is getting soggy."

She hung up, her face clearing, her brow smoothing, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"It's her delinquent boyfriend again! He's back from that three-year trip and he's gone to meet Kagome!"

Their table erupted in squeals and applause.

"So Kagome isn't in a long-distance relationship anymore!"

"Ooooh, this is way more interesting than college plans!"

"Think he's still not as good a match as Hojo-kun?"

"You think she's gonna bring him here? We need to check him out!"

"She better!"

One o'clock came and went.

Kagome still didn't come.

They shrugged their shoulders, not all that concerned. She and her boyfriend were all lovey-dovey. She was constantly getting piggyback rides from him and all. They had probably lost track of time after three years in a long-distance relationship.

Eri wrapped up the burger and dropped it off at the Higurashi house with a friendly, teasing note that Kagome would never read.

***

Five years had passed since high school graduation, and honestly, Ayumi was still a bit miffed at Kagome.

You would think that Kagome's best friends would be invited to her wedding. You would think that they wouldn't suddenly elope out of nowhere right after the last day of high school. Really, what were they thinking?

She'd been meaning to call for years now, hoping to give Kagome a piece of her mind. Kagome's mother had given her a phone number, but whenever Ayumi rang, there would only ever be a beep and a polite, robotic voice, telling her that the number was invalid and to please dial again.

***

"Mama, who's that?" her daughter asked one evening, pointing to a gaggle of smiling schoolgirls in Yuka's old, yellowing photo album.

"Hmm? Those are Eri-san and Ayumi-san. They settled down in Tokyo last year. You met them at that party, dear."

"No, mama, I mean this person."

Yuka rubbed her aging eyes and blinked.

Ah.

It had been decades, but something in her heart lurched even so.

"Well, that's Kagome-san. She was a good friend of mine in high school. Don't know what she's up to now. I haven't been in touch with her for years."

Every once in a while, she would call the Higurashi shrine and ask about Kagome, if she was busy, and if Eri and Ayumi were in town, if she might want to stop by at Wac's and take a selfie and a burger for nostalgia's sake.

Kagome never was home. Her mother would always sigh softly and say that Kagome was "abroad." Whichever country she was in now, the Higurashi family definitely didn't seem keen on telling her.

It was life, she supposed. You moved on.

Still, a part of her would close her eyes and drift back to sleepy, golden afternoons and biking back home, happy smiles, and rapid-fire discussions of Kagome's strange, delinquent boyfriend.

***

There used to be a girl he liked, back in high school. Higurashi, wasn't it?

She was quite beautiful, and though he had been happily married for thirty years now, her bright, smiling face crossed Hojo's mind sometimes.

She had fallen quite sick in the ninth grade. All sorts of strange illnesses. Economy class syndrome and swine flu and chicken pox and even a bite from a potentially rabid dog.

Yet through those bizarre and alarming-sounding ailments, Higurashi's face always seemed to glow. She certainly didn't have the look of a sick person. Hojo hoped that meant all the get-well cards and medicines he gave her had worked.

He'd gone to an all-boys school after that and didn't get to see her as much, but every few weeks, he would run into her on the street and she would always greet him with a nod and a smile. They'd even gone to the movies once or twice, but soon enough, Hojo could tell she never saw him as anything other than a classmate. He was dejected for a while, but soon enough recovered his good cheer, and was happy that she still enjoyed his friendship.

She'd vanished after that.

Just one day, out of the blue, he stopped seeing her around on the street. He supposed she had moved away for college and a job.

Was she doing all right now? Hojo hoped that, approaching late middle age as their generation was, that Higurashi was taking care of her fragile health.

He touched the missing button of his shirt and smiled.

It was true, he had been happily married for years and whatever romantic feelings he had for her had long since faded into the breeze. But he hoped that Higurashi would always have a bright, smiling face, wherever she was, enjoying good health long into old age.

She did say that they could be friends forever, and surely it wasn't wrong to wish his friend well.

***

Her scent faded from the house slowly and steadily.

First downstairs, then upstairs, from the kitchen and living room and eventually from the shrine grounds. Her room stopped smelling like her long, long ago.

She used to give him good ear scratches and let him lie on her chest. She filled his food bowl much more copiously than did her brother, and she was always ready with treats from the supermarket for him.

The memory of her face was fading at the edges. Buyo was getting on in years.

He'd never forget her scent, though. Fading though it was, it lingered at the well and at the foot of the huge, old tree.

Lately he would venture down there, down that well, hoping to catch a whiff of her distinctive scent. He'd always get stuck, and her brother would pull him out.

***

It didn't hurt when she wasn't at his high school graduation. It didn't even hurt when she wasn't at his wedding. Once she went into that well, she couldn't come back out.

He knew that. And he knew that nee-chan was happy over there with her new family and friends. He couldn't begrudge her happiness. It wasn't like she was walking home after school one day and vanished without a trace, in potential danger. He knew exactly where she was, on the other side of the well.

Sota knew that she loved him all the same, whether she was here in the present or in the Sengoku Jidai with his new brother-in-law.

But –

He turned to his left and caught a wrinkle on his mother's forehead, and he turned to the right and caught the slow shuffle of his grandfather's feet –

And suddenly his eyes blurred with crystal tears.

New family.

New friends.

They were all getting older and older, and she was already gone, new and ancient all at once, somewhere in the distant past, before any of them were even born.

***

The day she became a mother was the happiest day in her life.

The day she learned she was a grandmother was yet happier.

Her tears wet the earth and soaked into the roots of the Goshinboku, all the way to her daughter.

Thank you, Kagome.

***

Some of Kagome's friends were sad. Others were mad. His family had gotten on well enough, knowing that his sweet, beautiful granddaughter was safe and happy in her new home, but even so, he could detect longing and anguish for her phantom presence at the kitchen table, at the hospital, at the shrine entrance greeting visitors.

He knew better, though.

He rested his aching back against the tree and breathed deeply, sensing her peculiar power.

He wasn't worried. He didn't miss her. Why would he? She hadn't gone anywhere.

She was right there with him, under the same blue sky.

***

Kagome stilled, her palm against the tree.

A light night wind made the branches sway and rustle under the starry sky.

She could feel it.

Feel them.

Old family and new, all at once.

The tree always did have a special power.

She wrapped an arm around her sleeping husband and daughter and smiled.

#inukag #inuyasha #inukag week #inuyasha x kagome

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