Johnny Silverhand

What is an abrasive exterior belies not necessarily a warm and gooey center, but at least one that gives a shit. After a lifetime of living under hypercapitalism, corrupt government power, international and suborbital war, countless epidemics and food shortages, Johnny finds very little reason to handle anyone with warmth, including himself, yet his actions speak louder than his words.

Upon his death in 2023, he left a legacy of "fighting against the man" that most would only preach, but rarely do. Not only did he become a rockstar of legend with a discography that spoke to the everyday person's struggle in a hyperviolent world, he also took on the fight himself, branded as a terrorist for his persistent attacks against megacorporations with murder, arson, inciting riots, and other large-scale crimes.

Historically branded as a raging narcissist, his perspective has shifted during the events of Cyberpunk 2077, resulting in a mellowing-out of his previously overblown self-importance. He's had to watch how the world moved on without him through the eyes of someone else. Communities made of people he'd never met still valued his music, fifty years after the fact. Old friends trudged ahead to make new lives for themselves, but never forgot him. Some never managed to move on at all without him reaching out for closure.

While his tongue may never soften or warm, he is still just as quick to pick up a weapon to strike back at abuses of power. But this time, he reminds himself to show or say that he cares...without taking the reciprocal for granted.

Per the Rockerboy's Role Ability in Cyberpunk RED:

The Rockerboy has the Role ability Charismatic Impact. They can influence others by sheer presence of personality. They need not be a musical performer; they can influence others through poetry, art, dance, or simply their physical presence. They could be a rocker—or a cult leader.

Combined with the effects of the Artificer's voice of authority, Johnny can impart a motivational influence on your character, once per week. If you need your character to be incited to do something they wouldn't usually do, or are too fearful to do, consider this a dice-tipping buff. This can go beyond mere motivation, as well. It can inspire creativity, help break "writer's block", soothing anxiety/worries, or initiate a way to solve a problem that they had been struggling with before.

This is absolutely NOT a form of mind control. This cannot influence a character to do something they aren't already willing to do. This is simply a form of infectious hype that you'd get from a good show, creeping into other facets of your life.

Initial Tethering - Initializing a Tether with Johnny is a painful process. It will pull forth what you fear the worst, such as (including but not limited to) a phobia, physical pain, or an agonizing memory. It's as if you're paying a toll for the cost of the connection. Johnny resists the pull of passive tethering because of it.

Active Tethering - Having Johnny as a tether feels a lot like being stuck with an earworm: a song that keeps playing in your head, except without the repeating loop. Regardless of a character's familiarity with music theory, the combination of melody and rhythm will convey his emotional state, and get louder with the intensity of the emotion. It can be (but not always) overstimulating.