#valerie ‘v’ x judy alvarez

[acecroft]

And before you ask - no, you weren't wearing any clothes.

[aggravateddurian]

The absolute SHOCK on Val's face and the sound loud enough that Wilson could probably hear it over the sound of gunfire from the other side of the megabuilding.

[rektfordays]

[nncc77]

"We saw you from across the bar..." "...And we fuckin' hate your vibe."

[gothambunny]

accurate couple cuddles.

she's on my arm and there's a cat's butt inches from my face.

[mirandaputsherbestbuttforward]

V & Judy, at long last.

[saintemarvel]

Judy & Valerie

[cyberpunkaddict]

2022 Letter.

So, I haven't been part of the Cyberpunk 2077 community for very long, but I'd like to say a few words. I'm adding a bunch of unreleased pics I dunno what to do with.

Read the "letter" below:

The year is coming to an end and I've been reminiscing. This is my last post for 2022. Here's to many more in 2023!

I've been doing art (drawing and photography mainly) since I can remember. It's always been an outlet for me. It's therapeutic. It's fun. However, I never really shared my work with anyone because I made stuff for me you know, until Tumblr.

I used to think that if I showed people my work they wouldn't care and I'd feel...selfish for sharing...for some weird reason...

But sharing stuff is about making people think, feel, laugh, smile, be inspired. That's what I feel about other peoples work, so why would I feel that way about my own stuff? Some people say you have to be a little crazy to be creative, so maybe that's why lol.

I wouldn't be into VP and gif making if it wasn't for you guys. You're the reason I keep doing this. Tumblr is toxic sometimes, sure, but the people in this community make it worth staying.

So, Dear Everyone ❤️,

To the lurkers, people I've gotten to know and everyone in between,

Your humor is funny as h*ll, your art is inspiring, amazing and beautiful, your likes, reblogs, messages and reblog tags make my day, your ocs are as incredible as you and it feels like they're alive. And...you help people escape a reality that is perhaps too difficult to handle... Thank you ❤️

Love,

Victoria

And now you know my name lol. Yes, the game gets awkward for me sometimes, especially since people in real life call me "V" lol.

I'll leave you with these BFFs:

Good Bye 2022! Hello 2023!

[okami-draws]

Sketches of Cyberpunk 2077 with my 2 Vs.

Left is Nomad V with Judy

Werewolf because I was inspired by Death from puss.

Right is Street Kid V with Panam

And bonus Johnny

[delulu-with-wandanat]

Me to Judy: *gently holds*

THEY ARE SO SOFT PLS

[anthurak]

Edgerunners and 2077: Breaking Cycles and Finding Happiness Together

So I just finished watching Cyberpunk Edgerunners, which is a seriously AMAZING show that I super recommend, even if you haven’t actually played Cyberpunk 2077 or even know the first thing about the franchise. However, the one thing I really want to talk about right now is how the story of Edgerunners relates/reflects the story of Cyberpunk 2077, and more specifically how the story of David Martinez and Lucyna “Lucy” Kushinada makes for an especially interesting foil to what most people will agree is the ‘best’ or at least most hopeful/optimistic ending option available to CP77 protagonist V, and one specific version of that ending in particular.

(WARNING: I will be massively spoiling both the ending for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and at least one of the endings for Cyberpunk 2077.)

Now as you can probably guess if you’ve played the game, the ending I am referring to is the Nomad-focused ‘The Star’ ending of CP77, wherein V leaves Night City for good with the Aldecaldos Nomad Clan after successfully extracting Johnny Silverhand’s personality construct, hoping to find some solution to their condition, or at the very least live out what few months of life they have left with their new family. More specifically, I am referring to a Fem!V (whom I will be referring to with their full name; Valerie) who has romanced Judy Alvarez.

The thing is, I think Valerie’s and Judy’s relationship makes for a very interesting parallel or FOIL to the one between David and Lucy, depending on which ending of the game the player chooses.

To start, I think it’s pretty easy to see the parallels between David’s story and the ‘Street Kid’ Life Path leading to ‘The Sun’ ending for V. Both have our protagonists as natives of Night City growing up in the shadows of legendary mercenaries and dreaming of greatness and eventually growing into a legend of their own who ultimately dies in a blaze of glory. Assaulting Arasaka tower and battling Adam Smasher for David, and raiding the Crystal Palace orbital hotel for V. David’s story also has some notable nods to V’s ‘Corpo’ Life Path and ‘The Devil’ ending, with his enrollment in an Arasaka academy at the start of the series and when Adam Smasher offers to preserve David’s mind with Soulkiller at the end of his story.

However, that also leaves one Life Path/Ending for V that David doesn’t have any connections or nods to.

The Nomads.

Now in context, this makes perfect sense. David spent his whole life in Night City and never had anything meaningful interactions with any Nomad Clans during his time at an Edgerunner. The closest is his friendship with Falco, who only has a Nomad background and is no longer part of a clan. There’s no reason David’s story would have any parallels or nods to V’s potential Nomad story.

But I think that entire lack of parallels from David serves to highlight the significance of ‘The Star’ ending being the most hopeful/optimistic one, and why it’s the proverbial and literal ‘Third Option’ for V.

A big theme of Edgerunners that runs through to 2077 is that the whole ‘Edgerunner’ lifestyle is one long cycle of violence, pain and trauma. Of mercenaries chasing the glory of their predecessors, only to destroy themselves in the process. We saw it with Maine’s descent into cyberpsychosis in the first half of the show, and saw David repeating the cycle in the second half. And a ‘Street Kid’ V who follows ‘The Sun’ ending is simply continuing that cycle. And the worst part is that David’s alternatives really weren’t any better, as shown by the nods to the ‘Corpo’ Life Path and ‘The Devil’ ending. At the end of the day, David really only had two options: Become a slave to the corporations or destroy himself fighting them, representing the dichotomy between ‘The Sun’ and ‘The Devil’ endings.

And THAT is what makes ‘The Star’ ending so important for V. It’s the Third Option that David never had. It shows V doing what David couldn’t. It shows V breaking the cycle that destroyed David, Maine and so many others before them. Or at the very least, escaping the cycle. Instead of becoming a slave or destroying themself, V simply LEAVES Night City behind with genuine hope for a longer life. Even if they’re unable to find a cure for their deteriorating health, it’s clear they will be genuinely happy with whatever time they have left with their new family.

Now, with the broad significance of V’s Nomad path in contrast to David’s story established, let’s talk about Lucy and Judy, and their respective relationships with David and Valerie.

Out of the prospective love-interests in CP77, I’d argue Lucy has the most in common with Judy Alvarez. Admittedly, a good chunk of this is simply due to process of elimination. I think we can agree Lucy has more in common with Judy than she does with an estranged nomad, an aging rockstar or a cop. If nothing else, while she may not be a top-tier Netrunner like Lucy, Judy does clearly have some skill with breaching and hacking, notably the only LI in the game to do so.

Where the parallels become a lot more noticeable is when we start looking at Judy’s actual prospective relationship with Valerie. If we’re looking for the version of V’s story that most closely parallels that of David Martinez, then I’d argue that would be a ‘Street Kid’ Valerie who romances Judy and ultimately follows ‘The Sun’ ending. Just compare Valerie and Judy in this version of events to how David and Lucy turned out:

We have two people who clearly mean the world to each other but whose relationship ultimately ends on a tragic note due to one partner’s failing health and drive to push themselves past their limits and achieve greatness. Both David and Valerie go out in a blaze of glory while Lucy and Judy leave Night City for good, mourning the loss of the partner they loved.

And this is where ‘The Star’ ending representing the ‘third option’ becomes so damn significant. Because if Valerie romances Judy and chooses this ending, then Judy leaves Night City WITH Valerie and the Aldecaldos! In fact, ‘The Star’ is the only ending wherein Valerie and Judy are able to stay together.

In short; a romance between Valerie and Judy wherein Valerie follows ‘The Sun’ ending effectively represents the tragic story of David and Lucy repeating itself. While a romance between Valerine and Judy wherein Valerie follows ‘The Star’ ending represents these two actually finding the life happy together that David and Lucy were never able to reach.

[acecroft]

[Cute attack from a girlfriend]

[aggravateddurian]

Shippy Saturday | Val x Judy

Unique Date Locations only Nomads know about: A Basilisk suspended half a kilometre up in the air.

Judy and Val are definitely an experimental couple...

Also, any Aldecaldo brothers and sisters in the subnet: DON'T TELL SAUL HE'S ALREADY MAD ABOUT THE COFFEE MACHINE!!!

[rektfordays]

just realized i tend to draw Judy on the left and V on the right haha

[nncc77]

~oh no she cute~

[gothambunny]

imagine your ex and her new girl are chillin right outside your office, crazy.