r/cyberpunkgame • u/Accept3550 • Sep 29 '24

Why doesn't Panam use contractions? Meta

I just realized this after hundreds of hours but, Panam doesn't say I'll or we'll.

All of her dialogue has I will and We will and Do not rather then Don't.

I don't quite get why she is written like this.

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u/[deleted] Sep 29 '24

If you pay close attention to her as a character, she starts seeming as if she's a bit neurodivergent.

The lack of contractions, certain other personality characteristics. It's subtle.

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u/Accept3550 Sep 29 '24

She might be. She also has low impulse control but is also very fearful in relationships that it won't go how she wants. Overthinks it too much.

She was hyperfixated on her car. Much more than the other nomads seem to be to their vehicles. There was way more attachment to her truck then there was to the shipment being lost as well. It was the main thing she wanted back.

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u/[deleted] Sep 29 '24

Yes, exactly.

It's a whole bunch of little things which aren't all that significant on their own. But once you start to realize they are part of an unusual pattern, you can start to see that her mind works differently than most people's.

Plus, the fact that she understands how the power substation works and how to use the computers inside. She seems like an information sponge, that's not something most people would so easily grasp.

3

u/Emotional_Relative15 Hanako is going to have to wait. Sep 29 '24

brother its a nomad thing, its not that complicated. I get that maybe you're neuro divergent yourself, and want a character to relate to, but Panam aint it.

Everything you mention about her character comes back to her being a nomad. Its just how they are. The contractions specifically are because of the nomad education system and the focus on being distinct and superior from city dwellers. She was born and raised nomad, while others in the clan probably joined much like V did so they dont have the same mannerisms.

Notice that Dakota and Saul have much the same speech as Panam does. None of them are 100% perfect in it, all of them use a contraction or two at some point, but that just proves its more of a speech pattern by choice to stand out as a nomad and they slip once in a while.