app for Golden Peacock

[rebelsamurai]

APPLICATION

OOC

NAME: Ariel.
AGE: 30+
CONTACT: devillady
CHARACTER(S): N/A

INVITED BY: NoL (rubberspaceducky @ plurk)

IC

NAME: Johnny Silverhand
AGE: At the time of his death, Johnny was only 34 years old but he's technically 89.
CANON: Cyberpunk 2077
CANON POINT: Act 3 — The Rebel Path
CRAU: N/A
OTHER: The fans widely accept that Johnny suffers from 'cyberpsychos,' a disorder exacerbated by the combination of cyberware, traumatic experiences, and potential drug misuse. This was corroborated by Mike Pondsmith, the creator of Cyberpunk, who noted that Johnny frequently says that his "HAND" takes over anytime he performs violent acts. Johnny seems to believe that his cybernetic right hand has its own will.

SUITABILITY: Johnny meets the minimum age criteria for a character to apply for this game. While Cyberpunk 2077's overall theme is the fight for survival and the massive contrasts between the 'haves and have-nots' clashing violently, as well as the blurring of the barrier between man and machine, it also primarily focuses on your relationships with characters in the story. With this theme in mind, you learn about Johnny Silverhand and how his relationships with his castmates influenced both him and them. Johnny is a fundamentally flawed man who presents such righteous fury while confronting megacorporations like Arasaka, but is known to be a jerk to those he cares about. He is a complicated and multifaceted guy who has been traumatized for decades as a result of his military service and budding cyberpsychosis. While he struggles to maintain a stable relationship, he is a canonically bisexual character who had a healthy sex life. It will be interesting to see how he will grow characterwise while forced to play the 52 Game. He won't be able to sweet talk his way out of it, or rely on his fame to get him through.


HISTORY: Robert John Linder was born in College Station, Texas, on November 16, 1988. Growing up, he became a big fan of Wendy O. Williams and regarded her as the toughest rocker girl ever in an age of budding rebellion. John entered the military as a teenager after lying about his true age, and it wasn't long before he saw combat. He was dispatched to Nicaragua to assist in the Second Central American War in 2003. During the struggle, John's life was allegedly saved by a friend who died protecting him.

The conflict was catastrophic, perpetrated by the dishonest and deceptive practices of the US government. When the government's truths were revealed, many American troops rebelled by deserting the army. In response, the government waged a tremendous propaganda effort against these former troops, convincing the American people that they were deserters. John was one of those alleged deserters. The poor man lost his best friend and his left arm during the war. He left for Night City and stayed at the Hotel Pistis Sophia for a month following his arrival, undoubtedly suffering from severe PTSD. His life was forever altered.

Now going by the name Johnny Silverhand, which is a reference to the bionic limb, he launched his rebellion against the government by forming the rock band Samurai. He formed this band with his friend, Kerry Eurodyne, and initially performed primarily in backstreet clubs. While they were performing at Rainbow Cadenza, a producer named Jack Masters noticed them and signed them to Universal Recording. Samurai was made up of the co-founders, Johnny and Kerry, as well as Nancy Hartley, Denny, and Henry.

Johnny's songs revolutionized the rockerboy movement and catapulted him to instant fame. He and Samurai soared to the top of the US music charts in record time. Despite their success, Samurai failed to sustain it as personal conflicts surfaced. Nancy, the keyboardist for Samurai, was in a domestic dispute at the time. When Nancy shoved her lover out of a window, she was quickly arrested by NCPD.

Nancy’s arrest was a devastating blow for Samurai.

Samurai struggled to stay together and ultimately split. Regardless, Johnny remained one of the most popular performers at the time, and he intended to leverage his celebrity to begin a solo career in which he could continue to spread his anti-corporation and anti-government message.

Later in Johnny’s career, Kerry and he decided to buy the Grand Illusion nightclub in Night City. Around this period, Johnny reconnected with his former flame, Alt Cunningham who was working for ITS Corporation on Soul Killer, which is a biochip that could trap and house rogue AI from beyond the Net. While Johnny and Alt were talking outside one evening, they were attacked by a group of thugs posing as Silverhand’s fans. They kidnapped Alt and almost killed Silverhand.

This begins the cycle of violence that is to follow.

As Johnny got patched up by his ripperdoc, word on the street said that Alt was kidnapped not by just some random thugs but by Arasaka agents lead by Toshiro Harada, a prominent Arasaka exceutive. This infuriated Johnny into a blind rage. He quickly called up his ex-girlfriend, Rogue, and put together a strike team alongside a famous solo merc named Santiago and a media reporter named Lyle Thompson.

As a diversion, he requested a favor from all of his former bandmates to perform a completely free show in front of the Arasaka compound, giving the strike team the cover they needed to raid the facilities. Their performance led to a riot aimed at the tower, causing Arasaka’s main security force to focus on them.

In a moment of panic, Harada used Soulkiller on Alt during the attack, thereby keeping her inside the Arasaka mainframe as a hostage. When challenged by Silverhand, Harada barely had time to gloat before the rocker boy killed him in cold blood. Johnny raced to Alt's side and accidently severed the connection between her corporeal and the Arasaka Mainframe, essentially murdering her. Johnny's hatred for Arasaka grew stronger after Alt's death, and he joined the famed loner Morgan Blackhand in bombing the Arasaka Tower a year later.

Silverhand died during the attack on Arasaka Tower after being shot by Adam Smasher and then flatlined by Soulkiller, which was used on Johnny by their netrunner, Spider Murphy, in the hopes of rescuing his subconsciousness. However, Spider Murphy and the others failed to retrieve SoulKiller from Arasaka's clutches. Silverhand's personality construct was kept in Arasaka's labs for decades before being transferred to a prototype biochip known as the Relic, which ended up in V's brain due to a series of unexpected events. Johnny, now trapped in the mind of an unknown person, finds himself embroiled in the struggles of Cyberpunk 2077 forty years after his death.

ABILITIES: What Johnny lacks in supernatural abilities, he compensates for with the numerous skills he possesses and unexpectedly takes from his previous host, V. While he is nowhere near as powerful as Cyberpunk 2077's main character, he is well-versed in fighting and weaponry. It should also be noted that Johnny is a veteran of the Second South American War, meaning he does have a lengthy combat history.

Weapon Handling: Firearms (pistols, shotguns, rifles)

Basic Self-Defense: Boxing & basic Judo

Basic Hacking Skills

Enhanced Strength (More like ripping open metal doors)

Enhanced Stamnia

Outside of combat, Johnny is an accomplished artist recognized for his voice, songwriting, and guitar skills. His band, SAMURAI, was quite popular back in the day and was well-liked by Night City. Johnny knows how to put on a show. It's always great to see him on stage in his environment, but what really stands out is his passion for writing. He's a darn good songwriter, as evidenced by his beloved classics "Never Fade Away" and "Black Dog." Johnny was not the brains behind SAMURAI, but he was the soul of the group. Without Johnny Silverhand, there would be no SAMURAI.

Vocalist

Bassist

Songwriting/Lyricist

VICES:

IRRATIONAL. Sometimes dealing with Johnny is a bit of a struggle. A full-fledged conflict, if you will, particularly when he has made up his mind about something. He can be pleasant and thoughtful one moment and absolutely insane the next, hellfire flashing in his eyes. Johnny occasionally becomes outright hostile, almost to the verge of lunacy. His irrational nature makes him extremely unpredictable, almost as if you were walking through a minefield. Johnny can go from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye. This is most likely because he is a cyberpsycho. His irrational behavior is pretty much why Johnny's relationship with Kerry (his former bandmate) was so strained. When Johnny decided to leave SAMURAI, this decision came out of the blue without any of his bandmates knowing. This crushed Kerry's spirits. Johnny and him had an off-and-on relationship throughout their time in the band, and Johnny's sudden decision to leave them ruined everything. While Kerry was eventually able to move on from the band as a solo act, he always lived in both the shadow of SAMURAI and Johnny Silverhand. Johnny's irrational decision to leave everything behind sparked so much drama, so much of which he needed to set right decades later.

IMPLUSIVE. Johnny's impulsive tendency has resulted in the literal deaths of several of his closest friends, including his own demise. He is not the type of man who seeks permission; he prefers to storm into a meeting without an invitation and expect to be treated like a king. In all honesty, he can be rather bratty at times, nearly to the point of ridiculousness. Johnny just blithely does whatever he wants until someone yells at him or gets in his face. While he frequently allows his impulsive desires to get the best of him, Johnny understands when to stop. Johnny's impulsiveness shows up several times in the game, such as him weaseling his way into Rogue's meeting with the nomad/merc Santiago, or his reckless decision in the "Never Fade Away" questline to save Alt (his former girlfriend) from Arasaka. His impulsiveness comes with consequences and they usually hurt those he loves. Hell, you could even use Johnny's sudden departure from the band as a show of his implusiveness. Johnny sometimes doesn't think about anyone else other than himself. He's horribly selfish like that.

MANIPULATIVE. Despite his charming personality, Johnny can be a really manipulative bastard at times. Johnny goes out of his way to get what he wants, even if it means manipulating others. It's a passive skill of his that Johnny isn't always aware he's doing. He knows how to get under people's skin. He's like a snake; once he hooks his teeth into you, it's over. While being deceptive is not always viewed negatively, Johnny understands how to wield his influence as a weapon. It comes with the territory, especially given his status as a well-known rocker boy. The scope of Johnny's manipulation begins the moment V, the player character, meets him. For the most of the game, Johnny is simply toying with V in the hopes of receiving a second chance at life. He advises V to start smoking, drink excessively, and be as reckless as possible in order to reclaim their body. Johnny's manipulation is subtle but consistent. This is even evident in situations in which Johnny attempts to influence Rogue, an old friend turned information broker. He understands that her weakness is him, and because she has always had a thing on Johnny, he knew she would do whatever V requested as long as V said Johnny sent him.


VIRTUES:

CHARMING. Despite all of his flaws, Johnny is an incredibly charming man. Because of his no-holds-barred demeanor, he gets along well with others and is enjoyable to talk to. As the frontman of Samurai, Night City's most iconic rock band, he possesses an irresistible attraction that draws people in. It doesn't hurt that Johnny is rather attractive in his own way. He understands how to take advantage of other people's fascination with him. Despite his pent-up anger and frustration with the world at large, Johnny remains a rather captivating fellow. Johnny is so charming sometimes that he can make others almost forget how much of an asshole he is. This demonstrates how easily he can sweet talk the player if given the opportunity. He's a humorous guy, and as V grows closer to Johnny, his sense of humor becomes more apparent. The rocker boy is quite playful at times, even brotherly. Johnny can be pretty adorable when the mood strikes him, giving hilarious narrations of V's experiences in-game or hinting at satire whenever things go wrong. Johnny is just a funny guy that is addictive and entertaining to be around. By the time Johnny needs to leave, you truly miss him, despite his rough and tumble nature.

INTROSPECTIVE. While Johnny is mostly a selfish and impetuous asshole, there are moments in Cyberpunk 2077 when he understands what a monster he is. For many of the quests that remain following the Chippin In gig, Johnny now understands the significance of his actions and how they effect people in his life. He becomes more introspective about his past and goes out of his way to make amends with people he left behind. This is also seen in the Phantom Liberty story, shortly after V is appointed as an honorary secret agent by President Myers. He speaks openly with V about the shortcomings of the government, frequently telling him not to become another pawn in their game. Johnny seemed to understand all too well the consequences of unquestioning loyalty and the hell that could come from it. He also shows remorse for ever joining the military in the first place, especially since it cost the life of Milt's son (his old ripperdoc's kid). Despite his unnecessary attitude, Johnny is extremely concerned about the world's woes and how late-stage capitalism has damaged everything for humanity as a whole. His animosity for Arasaka stemmed not just from a dislike for the megacorporation, but also from the fact that they represent everything that is wrong with the world.

DEDICATED. Johnny consistently follows through on what he sets out to do. He is dedicated to a fault, whether it is to a person, his principles, or the band itself, and he will accomplish his goals. While the journey might be a little messy in the long run, Johnny is always dedicated to himself and his ideals. We see this multiple times during the game, as Johnny holds firm in his convictions despite the pressure. He is not the type of person to suddenly abandon his convictions for the sake of a paycheck. Johnny goes out of his way to chastise Kerry for selling out by becoming a tool for the record labels, and if you start out as a corpo in your V origins, he will punish you if you make any decisions that contradict his ideals. Johnny is the kind of guy who see things through. Even after dying and coming back as an engram, Johnny still strives to see his goals through. His dedication lines right up with his brutal honesty.

SUIT REQUESTS: For Johnny, I'm leaning towards Hearts merely for the possibility to really screw with his emotions. Silverhand takes pleasure in not being considered "overly emotional." He frequently mocks V and other characters for being emotional, labeling them as "weak" for failing to properly channel their grief into wrath. It's a fairly egocentric thought on his part, especially considering Johnny also loses his cool under stress. As a result, it will be interesting to observe how he handles being the overly emotional one. Despite pretending to be emotionally detached, he already exhibits excessive narcissism and dramatics throughout the game.

As for the next pick, I'm leaning towards Diamonds to be Silverhand's suit. I find it amusing that he has to deal with physical changes like hot flashes, persistent arousal, and the possibility of sickness. Johnny is so accustomed to having complete control that he would despise these abrupt adjustments. While he can be quite passionate when the mood strikes him, the thought of him being sensitive to touch or wanting for touch would be consistent with the fact that he hasn't had any physical experiences since becoming an engram forty years ago. Being a part of the Diamond suit would undoubtedly force Johnny to go along with this game, as the prospect of feeling such torment would push him to act.


RANK REQUESTS: N/A


SAMPLES: Golden Peacock TDM /w Mayou

The First Patient - Synflux Thread /w Ratchet (This takes place shortly after his revival and arrival to the Kyoto base.)

Synflux 9th TDM /w Rico Dredd