#nogly sequel thoughts

[wanderingaldecaldo]

One of the earliest pieces I ever commissioned was this one with Jackie's Arch. I'd always wanted to get a companion to it, a night time ride on Scorpion's bike.

Over the last couple of years, I was lucky enough to work with @okayolek several times (here, here, here), and when they opened commissions in the fall, I knew I wanted them to do it.

They delivered.

For background on the piece, it's set between the end of No One's Gonna Love You and the sequel I have dreams of writing. Val is dying and they're running out of hope for a cure.

Olek captured their emotions perfectly: love and hope and a hint of sorrow on Mitch's face; the hopelessness on Val's. And that's just them! The detail Driss's bike! The Badlands moon casting that gorgeous glow across the scene! Night City and the wind farms in the distance! Literally everything.

I'm sorry that I can't recommend that you comm them as they've retired. Olek was my first experience commissioning fanart and a joy to work with on every other occasion. Thank you for everything, Olek! 😭

[wanderingaldecaldo]

Word Search Tag Game

Getting caught up on some old tags and I love the word search game! I was tagged by a few people in the last few months:

@morganlefaye79 - cake, occupied, outside, staring, heart @merge-conflict - gold, bright, laugh, impatient @chevvy-yates - gazing/gazed, rain, black, lovingly, phone

The fics I'm searching:

The Corpo!Val longfic

NOGLY sequel (which only has 500 words)

Corpo!Val PW(ithout)P based on "Spread your legs" prompt from DustyMagpie

Streetkid!Val PW(ith)P based on "Rough or gentle?" prompt from Bunny

Panzerboys PW(ithout)P based on a prompt from Chevvy

Considering the Corpo!Val longfic has 62K words and the others range from 500-3000, I imagine it will get most of the hits, but I'm hoping to spread the love!

Cake

From the unnamed Corpo!Val longfic:

He leans back against the counter and watches as she prepares the tea. She starts with water, dispensing it from the special faucet by the sink into the kettle then places the kettle on the electric burner. While the water heats she turns to the paper packages and he watches mesmerized as her golden fingers flip and sort through them. She settles on a variety and turns to him with a triumphant smile. She opens the packet and takes a whiff then offers her hand, holding it up toward his face. 

“Think you’ll like this one.” 

He hesitates then leans in and takes a deep breath. It smells floral with a faint sweetness, reminding him of a fancy cake his aunt made once for her birthday. He didn’t like it at the time and had complained about it, but she ignored him and happily ate his portion.

Occupied

From the unnamed Corpo!Val longfic:

The second floor overlooks the lower level, and the bedroom is no exception. His hand grasps the railing as he follows behind, the cool metal beneath his hand helping to ground him. The bed is unmade, and a few articles of clothing are strewn about—practically the only signs that the place is occupied. He wonders how much time she spends here, or if she lives in that bar of hers. She opens the locker at the foot of the bed and withdraws a folded sheet and a thin blanket, deposits them in his outstretched arms then grabs a pillow from the bed and places it on top.

Outside

From the unnamed SK oneshot from Bunny's prompt "Rough or gentle?":

Val watches out the window fascinated. She hadn’t been outside of Night City, much less California, before she joined the Aldecaldos, and the mountains are truly a new experience. She knows these aren’t even the big ones, that it’s just the tail end of the Rocky Mountains, but it’s still breathtaking. 

“Does it snow up here?”

“Sometimes. Not as often as it used to, of course, but it’s too early in the season now, at least down here. Doesn’t get going until late December.”

Staring

From the unnamed Corpo!Val longfic:

Val drops to the ground, stretching out her long legs and leaning back on the heels of her hands. Again he hesitates only a moment before joining her.

“Didn’t expect to be lying on grass staring up at the moon tonight.”

Val hums. “‘’S Night City. Anything can happen.”

Heart

From the unnamed Corpo!Val longfic:

“Shit, shit, fuck, I’m sorry, Mitch—” she sputters as she backpedals from the bathroom.

His heart pounds as he quickly lathers his hair and rinses, then kills the water and grabs his towel. He dries quickly, avoids looking at his reflection in the mirror as he dresses. 

Why should he be so bothered by her walking in on him? He's been showering around others for most of his life so why should this be any different? Between his head and stomach he doesn't have the energy for this now; something to keep his mind occupied on the drive home.

Gold

LMAO I really thought I would have more choices with this one, given Val's gold cyberware. I was wrong. From the unnamed Corpo!Val longfic, and part of the same scene with "cake":

“Normally I would prefer loose leaf but I do like this particular variety.”

“What’s the difference?” 

Her lips quirk up slightly, and she turns back to grab a glass jar, opening the lid and holding it out for his inspection. He takes the jar and holds it close, appreciating the depth of the aroma compared to the packet she’d offered previously. He can also see the tea leaves, long twisted and dried, each leaf worth more than its weight in gold.

Bright

From the unnamed SK oneshot from Bunny's prompt "Rough or gentle?":

Though the sun is bright outside, it’s dim in the cabin and she can barely make out the fixtures. It’s simple—a small kitchen with table; a couch and a screen; and bedroom and bathroom—but Val doesn’t need much more to be happy. Privacy is such a rare commodity these days that she will take whatever moments she can get with Mitch.

Laugh

Yes!! So glad I got to drop this one here! I love, love, love writing Carol and Cass. From the NOGLY sequel :

Mitch crosses his eyes and glares. “Nope, you’re not coming with us, can’t afford it.”

Panam glares back. “If you think I’m not going with you to save my best friend, you’re even stupider than I thought.”

"He's right," Cassidy chimes in across the table, and Carol on the end nods in agreement. "We can't risk losing you. Who's gonna take over if something happens to both of you? Us clowns?"

Carol laughs and smacks his arm. "Us clowns sounds like a satire band."

"We'd be just about as useless in an Us Cracks band as we would be running this family."

Impatient

From the unnamed Corpo!Val longfic:

“My aunt had ties to an Aldecaldo family and the rest is history.”

“And then you met Saul. From what you said, seems like he’s changed over the years.”

“But who hasn’t? I used to be hot-headed and impatient, but now?” He shrugs. “People change, sometimes for the better. Saul lost a lot of his tolerance for risk.”

Gazing/Gazed

Gotta admit, I was surprised by the results from this one. I use "gaze" (or "gazes") 36 times in the Corpo!Val fic, and 34 of those were as nouns. (0 times in the other fics, which I find astounding.) The two verb usages? They're both in the payoff. Here's a non-smutty one. From the unnamed Corpo!Val longfic:

Back in the bedroom she finds Mitch propped up against pillows, his hands linked behind his head. He watches with a smile as she returns and reaches for her as she sits on the bed beside him, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her over him, back to her side of the bed.

She giggles as she flails, then she settles into his arms and gazes up at him. She can feel the love pouring from his eyes and the warmth washes over her, enveloping her, as he caresses her cheek with his organic hand. Before she can think too much he leans down and presses his lips against hers and threads his hand through her hair.

Rain

From the unnamed SK oneshot from Bunny's prompt "Rough or gentle?":

She drains the cup and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand then grins. “Can’t believe people used to drink this from the tap.”

“Well, that was before the Red. Some places weren’t affected but most were because of the blood rains. Only been in the last twenty years that things have been cleaned up and well water is safe again.”

“Forget you lived through that.”

“You saying I’m old?” He narrows his eyes but his lips twitch with a repressed smirk.

“Do I gotta?”

“Gonna start callin’ you kid again, you don’t behave.”

Black

From the unnamed Corpo!Val longfic:

“I’ll email the full findings but the identities are solid and clean. Took the liberty of digging up some photos of your man Mitch. Cleaned him up and ran him through the deaging filter, slapped a suit on him. Not too shabby for an old Nomad.”

At that Nix turns to look at her and she steps into the office, joining him at the desk and peering over his shoulder. Young Mitch stares back—full head of mussed black hair, twinkling blue eyes, unlined and unscarred face. Handsome.

“Huh. Nice work."

Lovingly

Nothing! Clearly no love in my fics. 😂

Phone

TBH I'm surprised to find this one! I tend to use "agent" instead of phone, as that's the term from the TTRPG, but of course it was in the unnamed Corpo!Val longfic:

She grabs a large, woven bag she uses for outings like this, and loads it up with all the accessories a bored housewife at the beach would want—tablet, phone, sunglasses, water bottle. The door to Mitch’s room is closed when she emerges to the living room, so she proceeds to the elevator. 

The outdoor pool level is only a few floors beneath theirs and a quick elevator ride away. The sun blazes above the portico and she pulls on her shades before striding through the white deck chairs to an open one between the edge of the pool and the railing that provides little safety from the dizzying heights of the city.

Final Score

Corpo!Val longfic: 9 hits SK!Val "Rough or gentle" prompt: 3 hits NOGLY sequel: 1 hit Corpo!Val "Spread your legs" prompt: 0 hits Panzerboys prompt: 0 hits

13/14 words found!

Can't say I'm surprised that the Corpo!Val fic won. I'm sure I could have found the other words there as well, but like I said, I wanted to share the love amongst all my WIPs.

Tagging with zero pressure to play: @luvwich, @fly-amanitaa, @neon-pink-witch, @banukaihelpme, @impishbiscuit, @genocidalfetus, @medtech-mara, @themightiestpotato, @cinnamon-mey. Also retagging @chevvy-yates, @merge-conflict, and @morganlefaye79 to play again, as well as any other writer who wants to play! Tag me if you do!

Your words, should you choose to accept: privacy, claim, suspicion, flush, chords

[wanderingaldecaldo]

NOGLY SEQUEL!!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE !!!!!

Thank you for the ask, @theviridianbunny, and esp for asking after the sequel! 😭😭😭 From the WIP Game Ask

NOGLY Sequel

No One's Gonna Love You (aka NOGLY) is my Mitch/Val longfic that is set during, and just after, The Star ending. So far the sequel WIP file is just mostly vibes with a couple of snippets of scenes, though there is an outline: 1. The Setup 2. The Plan, or the Start of One 3. The Training Montage? 4. The Heist 5. The Immediate Post-Heist 6. The Repercussions 7. The End? Is that an outline or is it just a modified 5 Act structure? I think it's the latter, as chapters 2-3 and 5-6 can be considered the second and fourth acts respectively, but I do have a general idea of what happens in each section so there's that! Enough talk, here's the opening paragraphs:

Aside from the Arasaka incident, the days since leaving Night City pass quietly, and with no indication of any lingering effects from the relic. Rumors of the incident moved faster than news about the blackmail payout Dakota negotiated, and instead of disappointment as V feared, most of the family respond with admiration for how she handled the situation. The others, she follows Mitch’s advice and ignores the assholes.

Things have been going so well that the first major malfunction takes her by surprise. It’s a cool evening. The weather hasn’t turned enough that V has started wearing a jacket but enough that she appreciates the chill against her skin after a day in the sun. Two longnecks clink together as she walks, sweating between her knuckles and growing more slippery with each bead of perspiration that slides down the glass. 

Mitch looks up from his conversation with [someone] and the corner of his mouth slides up just as she stumbles, her right foot moving slower than it should but before she can compensate, pain sears through the left side of her head, her eyes flutter shut, and everything goes dark.

[wanderingaldecaldo]

Going absolutely feral about Travis being inspired by Spike. I keep thinking about Spike's redemption arc and how I could use that for the sequel to No One's Gonna Love You.

I've made no secret that Val is still dying, but maybe stop reading if you care about spoilers lol

I strongly believe that Alt still has a copy of V (and Johnny) because of the nature of data. What would prevent her from keeping a copy of such a powerful netrunner like Val?

So Mitch and co (Travis and Hillary, not sure who else yet) go off to find a way to get her back. But the copy's memories will end at Mikoshi. Her relationship with Mitch ends what was effectively the night before for her, so she has some fondness for him. While she's figuring shit out again, ironically she will trust Travis, who will help her readjust and also help her see Mitch in a new light. After everything to get her back, Travis realizes how special she is and how much Mitch loves her, and he wants to help Val get that back.

[wanderingaldecaldo]

Auld Lang Syne

Some sentimental thoughts after the cut.

Two months ago I thought Rosalind Myers would be "just" a one night stand during Val's journey to find a cure; instead they celebrated the holidays together (1, 2). Rosalind reignited my passion for the game, and made me truly understand superlatives like "screaming crying throwing up" and wanting to eat glass.

I'll forever love Mitch. He helped pull me from the worst depression of my life, led me to Discord and Tumblr, and ultimately people who have become dear friends. My love for him prompted me to write a novel-length drama/romance smut about guilt and loss when I hadn't written in years. No one can ever supplant him or the place he holds in my heart.

All that said... Rosalind upended my world. She rewired my brain, I don't know how else to put it. Perhaps she's the result of a lifetime of latent lesbian attraction, perhaps it's being closer to that age myself and seeing such representation. She offers something that Mitch never can — a reflection of a woman of a "certain age". More shocking to me that I'm exploring a ship with someone other than Mitch is the subject herself. Ros is quite the opposite of Mitch, in nearly every way, but that allows me to explore different sides of Val through her.

2024 will be filled with Val & Ros, but that doesn't mean the end for Mitch & Val. Val's canon is still The Star ending, riding off into the sunset with Mitch and the Aldecaldos, plus there's the NOGLY sequel in the simmering stage; plus corpo Val's story is still being written. They'll still be around, just off doing their own thing in the corners of my subconscious, waiting for me to get back to their stories.

If you made it this far, thank you. If you've been a supporter of Mitch & Val, you have my undying love. If you've just joined for my brainrot-induced meltdown, welcome and I hope you enjoy my disaster bisexual. Whatever the case may be, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

May 2024 be filled with light and love for all of us.

[wanderingaldecaldo]

3, 9, 12, 15, 21, 25 27 and 43 for street kid Val and Travis please and A B and F for you💚💚

Thank you so much for the asks, @faepunkprince! 💚💚💚 From the Uncommon Questions for OCs & their creators ask:

3. How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

Val burrows under the covers and looks at her phone until her eyes droop and she finally puts it away.

Travis usually drinks until he passes out.

9. Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?

Abso-fucking-lutely for both of them. Val doesn't remember. Travis was 5 the first time he remembers swearing intentionally; he said "give me a fucking break" to his grandma and that's when he learned to never swear in front of her again. She died thinking he was an angel.

12. How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

Val will ignore it; eventually it will go away.

Travis will rub up against furniture or fixtures like a cat.

15. How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

Val is so self-conscious that she rehearses everything she says and she still feels like an idiot when she opens her mouth.

Travis is the opposite -- so self-important that he thinks everything he says is gold, even when he knows that he's spinning bullshit.

21. Why do they get up in the morning?

Before canon, Val does it because she loved the challenge of netrunning and creating her own quickhacks. After the events of the game, it's to redeem herself to the Aldecaldos (and to find a cure).

Travis wakes up every morning because he's always got some scheme running, usually involving making eddies fast and cheap and/or seducing his latest target.

25. What are their thoughts on marriage?

Val is skeptical. She hasn't seen a successful marriage, and she doubts she will find someone who she will want to spend all her time with. (Spoiler: she does, and yes, she does want to get married.)

You can hear Travis's laughter all the way out in The Badlands.

27. What causes them to feel dread?

Val fears leaving Mitch alone if when she dies. She still carries the burden of Driss's death, and she doesn't want to put him through that again, especially so soon.

Travis fears having to account for all his sins (and they are multitude). Though he isn't religious, his devout Catholic grandmother who raised him was, and she really did a number on him. Good thing he never stops for long enough to think about that.

43. If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so?

Val: "Like, who would I date? Anyone. More about the connection. Helps if we're friends first."

Travis: "If it's got a hole, I'll fuck it."

A) Why are you excited about this character?

Gonna answer this for Val. She is the first OC I've actually developed. In the past when I wrote about an OC, they were primarily the vehicle for the romance I didn't get story I wanted to tell. As they weren't the real subject of my story, I never felt the need to develop them beyond what canon provided, other than to add a few details as necessary. Val is the first OC who took on a life of their own. When I started my longfic No One's Gonna Love You (aka NOGLY), I didn't know a thing about Val other than the canon events. Somewhere along the line, she became more than just a way for me to romance Mitch. She became real.

I've also really enjoyed thinking about alternate lifepaths. Her Corpo lifepath still starts the same, but diverges at 14. I'd like to create a Nomad version as well, though I have enough writing on my plate as it is with the corpo longfic and the eventual NOGLY sequel. 😅

B) What inspired you to create them?

The previous answer also kinda covers Val, so I'll go with Travis here. Honestly, I wanted a poor little meow meow. A babygirl. I didn't have any real ideas for him other than I wanted to use the 6th Street tattoos, and that he would be Val's ex. His creation helped me further develop Val's teenage years when she joined 6th Street briefly because of him.

F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)?

Pride and excitement! I'm proud of her as a character that I've written, and I'm legit excited that people like her, even if it's only because she's fucking cute. 😏