I need to know more about your glass sanctuary ship with hanako👀
jkdljg;sdjsàl *giggle kicking my feet twirling my hair*
okay sorry bout that not every day i get ask about my 0 braincell ship so
I seriously don't know where to start...? Because this ship is tied to Valerie's backstory and explaining all of that would make me look like I'm infodumping so 😭😭😭
Tldr version would be that Valerie was kidnapped and sold to Japan. The gang bought a bunch of kids (including Val) to make them do petty crimes. Eventually Valerie was picked for a job of stealing weapon blueprint from an Arasaka facility in Tokyo. She succeeded but got captured by Shintaro Takayama (Saburo's bodyguard) as Saburo visited the facility unexpectedly. Instead of being killed, Valerie was taken in to become Shintaro's protegee, and that was how she ended up becoming Hanako's bodyguard, plus part time executioner for those who plotted against Arasaka, until 2072 when she "left" Arasaka to got back to NC.
The main themes for this couple are contrast and gap.
There is the class gap, which is obvious because Valerie was simply a bodyguard, while Hanako was the treasured daughter of the Emperor
The age gap: Valerie was 14 when she officially became Hanako's personal bodyguard, so there was this 54 years gap between them. It contradicts to their roles, which leads us to the next point
The role contrast: Valerie was Hanako's protector; however, because of their difference in ages, most of the time Hanako treated Valerie as if she was a child, which was technically not wrong. But Valerie had been taught that she should never concern Hanako with such things, so she felt guilty, and all at the same time, because of her fucked up time in the gang and harsh training by Shintaro, she somewhat craved having someone cares for her the way Hanako did.
Expanding on the role contrast and age gap, Valerie was young, but she had to coat her hands with blood in order to serve the Arasaka; at the age where she should able to keep her innocence, killing instead became a familiar act with her. Hanako, on the other hand, was still in a glided cage at that age, having everything handed to her if her father allowed so. The young was not treated as young and the old was not treated as old; the young who had already lost everything and the old who still had everything. Valerie had to fight tooth and nail, risking her life to gain nothing for herself, while Hanako didn't even have to face the ugliness of the world to have power and wealth.
Ethereal and otherworldly, she has never had grime from the street besmirch her clothes or the imperfections of age or illness pock her body-the latest and greatest marvels of cosmetic engineering have always been at her back and call. Her entire essence is one of dissonance: age without aging, power without agency, family without real intimacy or trust.
The Official Artbook of Cyberpunk 2077, about Hanako Arasaka
Valerie was aware of how she was contributing in building Hanako's glass cage. She realized she had a hand in taking away the older woman's freedom, but she was blinded by duty and responsibility: she knew Hanako was capable of changing the whole world, but she was also scared that the cruel world, the very much same world that had broken Valerie would break her too.
They formed a translucent barrier around her, forcing her to stay in this suffocating bubble in the name of protection, all while she could thrive more and more and more if only she was given the chance.
our sanctuary in this broken world, chapter 3
In the current time of 2077, Valerie and Hanako's relationship has shifted to this complex stage of "we are both fucked right now but we are also busy pining each other": Valerie is dying, just lost her best friend, and prior to that was pushed off the corporate ladder which forced her to stay away from her family so that they wouldn't get mixed in her new life; Hanako just lost her father, and from their point of view at that time, her brother was very much planning to kill her. (Fun fact, Hanako died in every route except the Devil; however, Yorinobu never intended her death in all of those endings, but it happened either way.)
I chose glass sanctuary because I was impulsive it represents what Valerie and Hanako try to find in each other: a sanctuary amidst of this storm brewing out there. However, it was fragile, for that they were of two different worlds - their differences are what draw them together, but also what break them.
So yeah, that's what I can say for now...? I say I won't infodump but damn this is pretty much it either way lolol.
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