We go to back to the UK for this in depth interview with VP and role player Nightmercisms! We discuss his background, how he got into this craft and his take on AI art and where this hobby is going. Take a read below;
First can you tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up and what attracted or inspired you to get into this art form?
Hey there! Just wanted to say first of all, thanks for having me here!
I guess I’ll start by saying that I’ve been heavily into fandom art since around 2010, I then found myself in a few writing/roleplay communities where it quickly turned into a much-loved hobby, before delving into the digital art side of things. Over the next few years, I taught myself to make fandom graphic banners, character posters and even HTML to keep fueling my pastime. This helped me to actually develop my skills enough so I was able to find a full-time job in web design, where I then moved from the outskirts of London, down South, to a coastal town. I’m still pretty much spending my downtime writing in various communities, but Cyberpunk is definitely my longest (best) roleplay stint so far, which has motivated me to start learning more about virtual photography. After coming across game photography and the amazing creators in this community, I’m always in awe of their work and it inspires me to throw myself into a new learning curve to help me be more creative.
How did you learn this form of digital art?
I touched on graphic design in school, but it was nothing serious, I’m mostly self-taught. Thankfully, there have been a lot of people who have pointed me in the right direction and helped me with tips and tricks. Most of what I have learnt has been through tutorials and just trying things for myself to see what works best.
What drew you to Cyberpunk 2077 or/and the Cyberpunk genre as a whole?
I think this genre is definitely my favourite as I’ve always loved the aesthetic feel of a dystopian world, especially after watching films like Blade Runner, Total Recall and Fifth Element. So when I finally got my hands on the game, I was immediately hooked and able to, in some way, dismiss the launch flaws as I saw a world that was full of depth and characters I wanted to know more about. I had searched for ages for a similar roleplay group in this genre, so when I found out there’s an active community for this game, I couldn’t resist creating my own version of V and being able to interact with much-loved characters and even putting a spin on stories.
What in your view is the best aspect of the cyberpunk genre CDPR got right with 2077 and what do you feel they missed the mark on?
CDPR definitely got the dystopian world right. The whole injustice of a system along with a city that’s undesirable and frightening, it really makes you feel part of the world around you especially with small details like the news reports on the environment and the crimes related to cyberware. Even taking the time to walk around the city, it makes you feel like you’re actually there as you get embraced by the sounds and that’s the kind of immersion which I love and I feel like they captured that perfectly,
As for what they missed, I think a lot of that is down to the story itself and the characters, I guess I just wanted more. To me, the story feels short and a lot of that comes down to being introduced to characters for only a short period of time, which seems crazy as some of them play an important part in the story. Take Jackie for instance, he’s your bro. I feel like they could have expanded on that friendship a lot more at the beginning before s*** went down. It probably would have made the heist even more heartbreaking than it already is as well. I feel the same with a lot of characters in this game, like Dex, Evelyn and Yorinobu, it just seems like things were cut from their stories that we could have seen more of.
What message, to you, does the cyberpunk genre imply or relay as a viewer, fan of that aesthetic?
Oh wow, I'm gonna have a bit of a depressing answer but, the future doesn’t look great! I mean, everyone’s story pretty much ends badly especially V’s, so I guess that is rather fitting for a dystopian future really. Doesn’t mean you should stop fighting though!
What photo/GFX tools that are not in 2077 would you like to see in the sequel Project Orion?
I guess a lot of the amazing tools from modders that we have now? (Thank you modders!)
At the beginning we weren’t able to pose npcs or really expand on the lighting aspect of things, so having that in Project Orion as a base would be cool!
What drew you to the 2077 game specifically? What keeps driving you to keep making content for it?
For me, it’s the love of the genre mostly. But I feel so invested in this game and the characters now, that I can’t see myself coming away from it anytime soon. I have made some amazing friends in the roleplay community and now I’m venturing into the VP side of things, I think I’ll be sticking around for a lot longer.
I’m also so excited to see this game continue to grow and get a following, especially once the DLC drops. CP is something that I have invested a lot of time into and it continues to get better. It drives me to be more creative in every way, which I lost eventually with other fandoms, but here, everyone is so friendly, encouraging and welcoming. Why would I want to leave?
What about the 2077 characters specifically got your interest? All time favorite NPC in 2077 and why?
Omg… don’t even get me started.
Evelyn Parker. Her.
I first saw her in the trailer and to me, she is depicted as how the future looks or how that world is meant to look (if that makes sense?), so I was captivated from the beginning. Admittedly, I did love Jackie and even Rogue at the start, so Evelyn was at the back of my mind for a short while, until I came across her at Lizzie’s. Although, my blind a** failed to see her or Judy waiting at the bar already, so it wasn’t until I started talking to Mateo that I realized, wow…
In all honesty though, Evelyn’s story hit me the hardest. You barely know anything about her, but somehow she manages to stay with you the entire time, just as one of those people who got done hard by Night City. But she had dreams, like everyone else and still chose to risk her life to get out of the city. She managed to organise a heist and yes, it went badly, but to me, it showed there was a lot more to this character than we originally knew, which makes her one of the more complex characters in my eyes. I only wish we could have saved her at Clouds somehow before being taken to the Scavs, maybe that could have opened up a whole new avenue to be part of, so being given that choice would have sat better with me.
What tools do you use to make your art? How long does it take to go from idea to posting a pic? What's the process?
I use many mods. I mainly use Appearance Menu Mod, Photomode Unlocker, Reshade, Otis Tools. Then for post, I’ll use Photoshop.
It can usually take me around 1-2 hours to create just one shot in the actual game as I’m not that experienced when it comes to lighting etc, so it’s mostly trial and error or trying to position the camera just right before the game crashes. As I’m learning more about VP, I’ve found I’m taking more time when it comes to composition and depth, however, making the whole process more enjoyable as I’m always learning something new. It’s then another hour or so editing that particular series in photoshop. I like a lot of contrast and brightness in my pictures, so I’ll usually enhance that quite a bit.
How long have you been doing this art form?
With VP, I’d say only around a year or so. It’s only in the last few months that I’ve taken the time to really experiment with different mods and understand VP a little more, before then I would just take photos on the whim and give them some crazy filter to be done with it, haha! I still only class myself as a beginner, but I hope that I’ll continue to learn and create better art than when I started.
What are your thoughts about AI art, cyberpunk or otherwise? Is it really 'art' in your view or just several 'stolen' images mushed together? What is your take?
I think that’s the future, isn’t it? We’re moving into more of an AI way of life. Apparently, stories and games can be created from AI now too? Or it’ll be like that soon? Art is art, right? I guess it’s great, if it’s seen as inspiration and it’s not stolen.
Fav couple (not necessarily official couple) you have done or would like to do VP for and why?
Haha! I’ve taken a lot of shots of Evelyn and V, so maybe give them a rest for a while. I would love to do more Misty and Jackie, they’re adorable and I haven’t seen much couple-like art for them. But contrast to that, Alt and Johnny, just because of the craziness that comes with them gives me a lot of ideas.
Do you think these are skills you'd like to make a career of on some level or you prefer it as a hobby?
The graphics side of things, I kind of have it as a job now. But I don’t think I would want it to go any further as it’s a hobby I really enjoy and at the end of the day, it gives me a chance to unwind. I can boot up the game, take a few shots, edit and write. For me, I think it’ll lose that fun side of things if I were to really commit to having a job like that. I’ve never done it as an actual job before, so who knows!
I've seen a lot of memes from artists that imply if you do vanilla art you will hardly get any notice, but if you do spicy art you'll get tons of attention. Do you feel those memes are accurate for better or worse? What are your thoughts on that?
Definitely accurate.
It’s the same with the roleplay side of things too. If you’re portraying a Cyberpunk character that has a spicy lifestyle in general, you’ll get a lot of attention and most of the time, it’s unwanted and creepy. It happens when posting a spicy shot for your account too and I think it’s just one of those things that just happens and it’s annoying in a way because vanilla art has to try much harder. Not saying spicy is bad though… we all love a bit of spice.
Fav 3 mods you use in the game and why do they make this list?
Appearance Menu Mod -
https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/790
This is one of the most powerful mods out there. You can spawn npcs, position them, spawn props and create whole damn scenes. I could go on, so it’s really one that you have to try for yourself to really appreciate. It’s a favourite of mine and I love how it continues to develop and have support even after all this time.
Reshade -
https://reshade.me/
For me, Reshade definitely helps when it comes to taking shots and I don’t think I could ever go back. You have a vast array of tools to work with as well as the ability to have presets that you can adjust. It’s another one of those tools that is so powerful, you really have to try it for yourself.
Otis Tools -
https://www.patreon.com/Otis_Inf/posts?filters[tag]=Cyberpunk
Worth every penny, that’s all I’ll say. Light. You need light. Before I knew about this tool, there were so many times where I wished I had light to brighten my dark scene. I’d say this is a game changer when it comes to taking photos and I really can’t be without it.
And my most controversial question... Which of the following labels would you assign to whom (one each)? ;)
Marry, BFF, FWB(friend with benefits), Casual Friend, Indifferent, Hate, Kill
Evelyn: MARRY 100% ( Thank you for putting her on the list )
Goro: Casual Friend
Johnny: Kill ( He’s a pain in V’s ass )
Judy: FWB
Kerry: BFF
Panam: Hate
River: Indifferent
And finally what are the socials people can find you, and do you do commissions? Any final words to the readers? Thank you for your time!
Just wow, thank you for giving me this opportunity and thank you to those who have taken the time to notice and like my art as I’m just a roleplay account, so I never expected any of this would happen. This community is incredible and I hope I can interact with more people as time goes on and I’m looking forward to seeing more amazing artwork from everyone.
If anyone is ever interested in being part of roleplay and wishes to write, there are loads of active accounts on Twitter and would love to interact/plot with you!
My socials are:
Roleplay account:
https://twitter.com/nightmercisms
Personal ( don’t really use ):
https://twitter.com/Nerdish0_0
Discord: nerdish#2029