Cypher - Blog Posts

We make incredible flyers if you didn't know, click the above files to see them in hi-resolution 😉

This was for a client by the name of Shuicide Holla, do you need a flyer made for any occasion?

📧 hi@ctkvi.com

Email just above or message on our chat messenger bottom right of the official website below.

We will be in touch within 24 hours❗

Have budget in mind 💳

CTKVI.STORE INSTAGRAM

I saw someone draw this and immediately thought of cysova lmfao.

OG/TEMPLATE BY @sillyandquiteawkward!!! Here! This is not my art i just added sovas hair & cyphers hat

100% agree dude

I feel like after a life on the streets and as a spy, hes gotten really really really good at hiding anxiety, mh issues, panic, etc.

Like. If someone held a gun to ur head, ud panic, but Cyphers prob been in situations where panicking could end deadly. I think more fics need to portray him as dissociated as fuck, bc hiding away has been natural for him for so long, he doesn't even do it consciously anymore.

Like, its gotten to a point where even in the quiet privacy of his own room, Cypher automatically hides all signs of panic, anxiety, grief, etc. Just bc its become natural atp. I feel like hed be a bit in denial/unaware of his emotions, or would simply try to ignore them yk

i like to think that he did it before Nora and she helped him unlearn it. But after she died, it got worse than ever before, both purposefully out of fear and partially on accident bc yk trauma of ur wife dying and shit

Also! Agree on the fics point. Yall write whatever ya want, ooc fics can be great and i love to read a "Cypher has a public mental breakdown" fic from time to time, bc its fun, idc if it feels ooc! Fics r for ur own self indulgence first and foremost!

My biggest fear is falling for the fanonised version of characters that I don’t see the in depth personalities they have anymore

Cypher’s mental state is such an easy thing to get wrong it’s hard to find fics that characterise it right, or at least in my opinion

That’s not to say I think all ooc fics are bad! No! What’s the point of fanfics if you don’t make your lil guys do shit they aren’t supposed to??

But back on topic, I think Cypher’s grief is another thing that’s handled so broadly from fic to fic

Sometimes he doesn’t seem to be weighed by it at all, sometimes it causes him to fear things and drown in self loathing because of it, sometimes he’s so mentally separated from his trauma that ‘Cypher’ and ‘Amir’ are two wholly different people. It’s interesting to see how sensitive or insensitive they make Cypher himself with this

Is there a right way to portray it? Honestly hard to say, but there are fics that I read that instead of feeling right they just don’t feel wrong— Y’know what I mean???

In my analysis of him, he’s clearly still not past Nora and his family (I have thoughts about the possible world they’re alive but that’s for a different post). I know grief doesn’t go away, not his type at least, but it does get easier with time. This leads me to believe that Cypher’s wife hasn’t been dead for too many years at this point— I’ve always imagined Cypher having been part of current day protocol for a couple of years after getting himself together, so I want to say she hasn’t been dead for over 10 years yet.

I think that Cypher, or rather, Amir was a lover. Like heart and soul he loved. It’s not that uncommon of a belief that when someone dies, the person their spouse was dies with them. Is this the case with Cypher? I think he believes that.

I think Cypher believes the man Amir was is long dead. But I also think he’s wrong. I think that for as much as he is a cruel man with all he has said and done, he is still a lover. Why else would seeing Bind make him so angry? It’s because he still loves it.

Amir may be dead to him, but ‘he’s’ still alive. Which person does that ‘he’ belong to? I don’t think that matters.

Whether Cypher is (still?) depressed, or only silently grieving, or maybe even healing, he’s alive. No matter his state I believe he knows his family wants him to continue living. He can’t break a final promise to them.

My only wish is for fanfic writers to not write him like some shaken up teenager because he is in fact a grown ass man that has lived through the streets and wouldn’t break down the same way normal people would. I’d imagine he’s much more gruff than that.

Related, there’s a single action that was portrayed in a fic I saw about him that feels very not wrong. In it he’s sitting at a bar with the other agents all celebrating a well done mission. In it he is being consumed by paranoia. Does his breathing spike? Does he sweat? Does he feel like throwing up? No. Instead, he simply drums his fingers and disguises the anxiety as boredom.

Because that’s what he does.

He hides.

YESSS EXACTLY

Like. Ur telling me he HASN'T hacked everyone's device by now??? Be fr. He got access to all their shit wkdhkqhe

Godddd i wish we'd know his like thoughts and reactions to their dossiers. He knows their biggest fears!!! That's so powerful!!! Will he use it against the other's agents? Will he use it to find out even more about them?

God i hope he does reference the dossiers at some point.

Im rly curious about sth.

My opinion below:

I genuinely don't understand why ppl see Fade's blackmail incident as this horrible unforgivable thing?

All she did was blackmail them, bc she thought they had someone dear to her. Sure, she turned out to be wrong, but i dont think that affects her intentions.

Also, besides the murder and terrorism, isn't it cannon that Reyna starts the Apocalypse in another timeline just bc her sister dies??? And most of the radiant agents help her??? I feel like. That's worse. Just a little bit (its a revolution against an oppressive society so like, you go girlboss, overthrow that anti-radiant company. But like, she def still killed a bunch of innocent ppl)

However, i do think the other agents were probably pissed. Bc A. They are hypocrites and B. Its kind of a fair reaction since she purposefully exposed secrets thatd scare/piss them off lol

Lmk what u think in the tags! Im not trying to start an argument LMFAO i think anyone can think what they want and im curious to see what yall thoughts on this are.

Ive just been sitting there, staring at my phone, refreshing the Cysova ao3 tag over and over again...

I think Cypher is a wine mom

Why are there so few cysova / cyberowl longfics :(

VALO ANGST TIME HUHVOIHJVHPUH

Wrote most of these on my notes app whilst being tossed round a boat omw home

Bitemark (viper x chamber):

Viper being closed off and wary of Chamber only for him to gradually work his way into her heart.

The moment Viper starts to truly trust Chamber she finds out the things he's done and the friends he's taken from her.

Enemies to lover??? no. Enemies and lovers.

Most of my headcannons about them stem from my belief that Viper has issues w/ depression and her mental health (this can be seen in a lot of her voicelines)

Reyge (Reyna x Sage):

wrong time and wrong place. (also immovable object x unstoppable force)

Reyna's long since accepted that her life isn't her own anymore, any humanity she once had slowly being chipped away by the things she's had to do just to survive ("I have lied, beaten, killed to survive. I will kill again and again if it means one more day.").

Hates the part of herself that wants Sage, she feels so guilty about it viewing anything she does for herself as inherently selfish.

Sage wants to help Reyna but she doesn't know how to get through to her.

Cyberowl (Cypher x Sova):

Would sacrifice the world for someone they love x Would sacrifice the one they love for the world

Sova would do whatever it takes to save his earth even if that meant having to let someone he loves be taken from him

Cypher refuses to go through the pain he went through after loosing his family before

Rivals to lovers

Sova see's the worst parts of himself in Cypher (they are incredibly similar imo even though Sova would rather die then admit that)

Sage x Omen:

"it's rotten work" x "not if it's you"

Sage who's willing to do anything to help take away some of Omens pain and Omen who wouldn't wish his suffering onto anyone

Fadeshock (Fade x Neon):

If you show me your hands covered in thorns I will show you my palms ready to bleed.

two people with incredibly destructive abilities trying to find any semblance of control despite knowing that's an impossible ask (control. the gift so many yearn to give you. the one thing you will never have. - neons dossier)

Firewalker (Yoru x Phoenix):

(A lot of my thoughts about them are fully just from how I interpret the characters from the minimal info we're given as well as cultural backgrounds)

SO SO much internalised homophobia, mostly from Yoru but a little bit from Phoenix too.

With Yoru it's more so a cultural thing with Japan being a very conservative country and despite skinship being more accepted thats more so between two women rather then two men.

(Also w/ my headcannon of Yoru being trans being with another man even if it's what makes him happy makes him feel like 'less of a man')

He loves Phoenix but feels wrong about it, like it's something wrong that he's doing.

Phoenix doesn't have as much of a problem with internalised homophobia (mans went to drama school and has two mums come on now) but where he was raised there was a generally toxically masculine environment (fuckin peckham)

Rating Val ships simply because i can

I stared at my laptop for like 10 mins figuring out how i was gonna order this

Glalaxsea (Astra x Harbor)

A solid 9/10 overall

10/10 ship name

Very simple and very sweet

Nothing too interesting

forget the moon and the sun its moon and sea no i will not be told otherwise

(the moon and the sea fell in love but were separated and now the sea tries to reach for the moon and thats why we have waves is the story behind it btw)

Reyge (Reyna x Sage)

An easy 10/10

7/10 ship name

its good but theres better ya know

The fluff and angst potential is so good

Bitemark (Viper x Chamber)

7/10 ship

oh my god 10/10 ship name

the amount of angst that drips from this ship is delicious

viper falling hard only to find out abt everett lind nd what chambers done

fuck buddies but viper falls in love only to get her heart broken

i like them sad

Fadeshock (Fade x Neon)

10/10 ship imo

ship name is mid im so sorry 2/10

gf's who are afraid of their radiance learning control and acceptance from each other

yes pls

i think they take naps together

Yorunix (Yoru x Pheonix)

a healthy 9/10 ship

yorunix is 1/10 riftfire is 6/10 firewalker (which is what i call them) 10/10

Yoru is so in love with Phoenix and he is very mad about it

Phoenix is oblivious

I just think they love each other

Cyberowl (Sova/Cypher)

7/10 imo but its also one of my favs

8/10 ship name since i think it's pretty dope

*quietly chants in your ear* rivals to lovers rivals to lover rivals to-

Cypher had a wife but still has negative rizz and Sova is a useless homosexual

you know im right

Yokye (Yoru x Skye)

pls don't hurt me for this but 2/10

pretty good ship name tho 8/10

yeahhhhhhhhhhhh i just don't really like it at all as a ship

i can see why it's just....

MOVING SWIFTLY ON

Nanobomb (Raze x Killjoy)

10/10 and i will not be taking critism

10/10 ship name

adhd x autism

both of them aggressively pined for ages

useless lesbians fr

nothin more to say rlly

Viper x Reyna (I have no idea what their ship name is i'm sorry)

8/10 overall

i dont know what they're ship name is but i'm assuming it's good

THE ANGST MMMMMMMMMMM

get outa here with your enemies to lovers they're enemies and lovers

A lot of hatefucking im not gonna lie to you

Valorant sexuality nd gender hc’s

I’ve have so many thoughts abt val characters gender istg

(also maybe don’t take this too seriously)

Astra:

Straight but the biggest ally you’ll ever meet

(She/Her)

Breach:

Angry gay

Very cis

Kind of the cool gay uncle

Raze came out to him and he just sat there like??

Breach: Lesbian? I thought you were Portuguese 

Raze: ...Breach I’m Brazilian 

Brimstone:

KJ came out to him and it went smth like:

KJ: Brim i’m gay

Brimstone: Hi gay im brimstone

Straight but he’s for the gays

His pronouns are U/S/A (eagle screech plays in background)

Chamber:

Queer and homophobic in a way only Europeans can be

Cypher:

Bisexual perhaps with a side of genderqueer

Deadlock:

Women lover

A she/they

Would cry over beautiful women

Fade:

They are so nonbinary 

They/She/He Fade is so real to me

Also a women enjoyer just isn’t a fan of labels

Ace spec fr

Gekko:

Green hair nd pronouns

Bisexual

Harbor:

No one really knows???

He’s either very supportive of his bros or is somewhat fruity

Him nd Astra kinda goals ngl

Jett:

Bisexual

Women?

Kay/o:

My boy is made of 1′s nd 0′s i do not think he could care less

Killjoy:

Lesbian

Her gender is science

Neon:

Pansexual

Blue hair nd pronouns fr

My little silly

Omen:

The voices

Phoenix:

I told a friend of mine (who doesnt play val) that phoenix has two mums and she just looked at him and said “he looks like the type” ????

Bisexual but scared of women

Raze:

The biggest women lover 

gender is whats in your pants??? alright *pulls out several explosives*

Reyna:

Lesbian

Men anti 

Sage:

Trans, cottagecore lesbian

Mother???

Skye:

Aro Ace as fuck bro

Sex?? Romance?? nah mate the forest

Her nd dealock r in a queer platonic relationship 

Sova:

*Rubs my hands together evily*

Trans, gay Sova

You can pry this hc from my cold body

Viper:

Transfem

Straight but still anti men

Yoru:

Trans

Homophobic homosexual ngl

Phoenix tries to show any affection nd hes just like >:0 thats gay

Bonus:

Ruben pontes nd Oran McEneff:

Both gay

My actual OTP

I get sad when I think abt them

I love cyberowl as a ship sm!!! Like Sova has such a deep resentment for cypher and his methods and cypher is just like k lol. Also Cypher calling Sova out for having lied on record abt his eye and Sova being all >:/  yOur FiLE iS miSSInG aMiR

Also Cypher being probably servely traumatised to the point where he wont let ppl see his face for fear of them getting hurt and Sova’s just all >:( he’s a sketchy dude i hate him 

they’re so rivals to reluctant friends to lovers

Morpheus: This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

big fan of when a character is a vengeful ghost but they're not even dead

Cypher, Wing, or Sky's Fall mayhaps,,,,,,,,,

Ooooo yes!

Cypher:

(Does this song fit Wing? Yes- but vibes-wise it’s screaming in anguish, very Cyphercore)

Wing:

(Sounds like something an angry kid could jam out to guitar and sing along to in their room, the kind of therapy Wing needs tbh.)

Sky’s Fall (AKA Evil Kitty)

(I knew it was going to be Saint Motel, it was a tie between this and To My Enemies. Just delightful energetic villainy vibes without being an overt villain song.)

Thanks for the ask, Cooper!

Cyphnero for the bingo

Dumpster, meet fire! (Look how else can you explain the knife scene)

Cypher: hi my name is Cypher and I will be kidnapping you today Shelby: DIE YOU MOTHERFUCKER Cypher: oh my god. Love the energy. Do you want a job? You're hired

I wonder if Darkdoom ever protested against Number One before his disappearance or spoke out about him. After the Overlord Incident, Cypher didn’t seem to want anything to do with villainy, but he still told Wing all about Diabolus’ exploits? So he must have still been keeping an eye on G.L.O.V.E.’s dealings for a while.

That Scene In OP:

Nero: I don’t understand- what madness inspired you to do this? Money? Power? Revenge?!

Cypher, high on at least two painkillers and severely concussed: I miss my wife :(

H.I.V.E. Birthday Bundle 2024:

With the best worst father with too many names, Cypher!

(And the color gold.) Buckle up folks, it's a long one!

Playlist- Not Afraid (You Should Be)

The Lab Era Mad IQs- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME GUY.exe- Superfruit On The Run E.V.O.L.- Marina and the Diamonds Pork Soda- Glass Animals Lent- Autoheart Paranoia in B Major- The Avett Brothers Family Man Clusterhug- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME C Sections And Railway Trestles- The Avett Brothers The Loss Paper Scars- Lovedrug Black Light- My Epic Cypher Is Born So Called Life- Three Days Grace Look Away- The Dear Hunter Me Against You- Three Days Grace Rumors- NEFFEX The Siege Absinthe- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME Yin Yang- USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) NFWMB- Hozier All Alone Leopard- Jack Stauber Paul Newman vs. The Demons- The Avett Brothers Gone Rogue P.O.L.I.T.I.C.S.- MISSIO Wolf In Sheep's Clothing- Set It Off Bleeding White- The Avett Brothers Gone Forest Whitaker- Bad Books, etc.

Art:

I got a rabbit as my animal, which honestly fits- lots of cool symbolism there. Something, something, snares and escaping and prey animal vs predators, etc. I honestly think this man is motivated more by fear than he lets on. Fic: A Temporary Alliance (A negotiation leads to an effective, if begrudging partnership between Cypher, three girls… and a pilot in deep over his head.) Headcanons:

Extremely paranoid ever since he began working in the villain industry, and this only became exacerbated after Xiu Mei’s death. Also misanthropic and believed most people are more bad than good, though he recognized a few exceptions like his family.

Instead of a plain oval of glass, his mask was a modified helmet resembling a motorcyclist’s. Alongside gloves, it allowed him to cover every inch of skin to prevent anyone getting hair or fingerprints for DNA testing.

Had long hair ever since he entered G.L.O.V.E., as he became paranoid that someone would assassinate him while cutting it. As Wu Zhang, he cut it himself and kept it up in a high ponytail (when down, it was a little past his shoulders). After losing Xiu Mei, he didn’t keep up with caring for it as often and let it grow a few inches longer, tucking it into his helmet as Cypher and tying it up otherwise.

Wore his mask anytime he was around others during his Cypher era, including his own henchmen. If he ever needed to sleep– such as on long flights– he would sleep with it on and hold a gun the whole time.

Based his Cypher look on some of the Power Rangers-esque shows Wing would watch as a child; he would watch them with him sometimes as a form of easy bonding time.

Adored Darkdoom’s exploits and would tell Wing bedtime stories about him; took inspiration for the Kraken from Darkdoom’s vehicles.

Despised Xiu Mei at first after the Overlord incident, but acknowledged they were stuck together. Their escape from China was full of violence, running from enemies, assassination attempts, and the usual actiony antics. This is when they first learned to appreciate each other as they both saved each other a few times. 

As a husband, Mao was less physically affectionate. He showed love through gift giving, usually by making Xiu Mei small robots or trinkets or buying her nice things. He was very aloof as a person in general, so she valued being one of the few people he would willingly be close to. They enjoyed having movie or tv nights at home more than any other kind of date, which they’d usually end with a cuddle on the couch.

As a father, he was distant, but hardworking and comparatively loving. He knew from his teen years that he wasn’t cut out for family life, but did his best once avoiding it was no longer an option. He preferred to do the “maintenance work” of the family (house work, handling paperwork, planning stuff, etc) behind the scenes while his wife handled the face-to-face parenting. After Xiu Mei’s death, he was emotionally negligent and occasionally verbally abusive whenever he and Wing would argue, but never lashed out physically. He feared how angry he could be as he grieved and would separate himself early to avoid outbursts, but the absences only made things worse.

After Xiu Mei’s death and a small depressive period, vengeance became his primary goal and he began training himself in combat. This is where some of his absences in Wing’s life came from and where Wing’s early fitness started, as he tried a few times to work out with his father to bond with him. Considering that Wu was always very upset when doing so, it never worked out. Cypher was roughly at Nero’s level in combat by the end and had some training with most weapons; he’s not a boxer and wouldn’t do well in a fist fight, but if he was armed or given the chance to strategize, he could be very dangerous.

Did not build his criminal empire from the ground up– he instead infiltrated and worked under another villain for a year or two before assassinating him and stealing his holdings, using a few robots he’d made to bolster his defenses until he was powerful enough to use his reputation.

Genuinely believed Nero stole Wing for hostage purposes, as he received a letter that appeared to be written by him threatening Wing after his disappearance. In reality, this letter was crafted and sent by Overlord to encourage Nero and Cypher to go to war.

Needed glasses or contacts; his vision wasn’t horrible and he could function without them, but he was prone to bad migraines without them. As Wu Zhang, he preferred contacts, but switched to glasses as Mao Fanchu. During his time at H.I.V.E., he would become very uncooperative if not provided with glasses and an occasional exam. Also had high blood pressure and other chronic stress issues, but knew how to manage them. 

After the fall, he had to do daily physical therapy. Nero ensured he had equipment to do so (which was stored under his bed), but he struggled with chronic pain for the rest of his life. Also occasionally had chronic pain from Overlord’s blast, but this was less frequent. One of the closest relationships to amicable he had as Cypher did come from this though, as he developed an acquaintanceship with Dr. Scott.

After Overlord, he was a brontophobe (feared lightning in particular) and had a strong distaste for the color red despite using it as one of his cardinal colors. Also feared A.I.s and almost threw up at the sight of H.I.V.E.mind in Rogue.

Resented most supervillains’ “they’re disposable” attitude towards their technicians or low-ranking staff, especially as Cypher. He also preferred to avoid killing enemies’ staff, but did so to fit in and get closer to Number One, seeing it as genuinely necessary in his mission to save the world. 

And finally, Prompts! (AKA my rejected fic ideas for this...) - Darkdoom the pirate finding siren Wu after the latter got in a scuffle with the infamous Captain Nero. - A student finds Cypher's cell and talks to him through the door. - In an AU where he survives, Cypher playing Battleship with Laura. - Wu Zhang and Xiu Mei fleeing from G.L.O.V.E. after the Incident. - Cypher arguing with Nero in his cell about bringing Overlord online too early.

Anyways, hope y'all had fun! Can't wait to see what you've all created!

i am n,ormal and CAN be Trusted  with masked men . :)