Tyger Claws killed one girl too many, so people took matters into their own hands...
The Mox, also known as the Moxes, are a gang operating in Night City.
Overview[]
During the 2070s, the Mox were a small gang based out of Lizzie's Bar in Kabuki. They were made up of outcasts of different backgrounds in Night City, mostly sex workers, anarchists, punks, and sexual minorities. Formed in the interest of mutual self-defense purposes, their name came from the old slang term "moxie," denoting their determination to stand up against their oppressors. One of their emblems was "Moxes" written in calligraphy.
The Mox liked to wear outfits that were a mix of the punk aesthetic and the inexpensive fashion worn typically by prostitutes, however they usually did not wear clothes that would restrain their movements in any way, leaving them looking more like gangers than your typical sex workers. Some members, especially those who focued on combat, had heavily modified bodies that sometimes evoked a "plastic doll" style, but could also be disguised with RealSkinn. One of their gang symbols was a labrys, a double-headed axe, displayed on their walls, clothes, tattoos, or jewelry.[1]
The Moxes had their own clothing brand that went by the name BITCH V.13. While most Mox gangers carried bats and clubs, Mox Cleavers and Inciters generally carried weaponry similarly used by the Tyger Claws gang, likely pilfered from their fallen opponents in the ongoing conflict between the rival factions.
Philosophy and Structure[]
The Mox did not have strict hierarchy. Nevertheless they were a gang, and regardless of the fact that its members referred to themselves as "those who protect working girls and guys" from violence and abuse, they demanded substantial fee from their charges. They also run several smaller brothels where they profit from prostitution, as well as clinics.[1]
Source of Income[]
Most of the Moxes' income was generated by Lizzie's Bar, which was an exclusive braindance club. They did not control any contiguous portion of Night City, focusing instead on protecting their facilities, members, and sex workers who operated in the vicinity of Lizzie's Bar and their other establishments. As long as they were left to their business, they did not actively seek confrontation with other gangs, although they mantained tense relations with the Tyger Claws, who continued to test their patience and combat capabilities.[1]
History[]
2067 - 2075[]
The Moxes formed during the riots that occurred after the death of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Borden, a strip club owner and former prostitute who was known for treating her workers fairly and defending them from violent clients.[1] This occurred on May 13 2067,[2] when one of Lizzie's girls was brutally raped and murdered by members of the Tyger Claws gang. Lizzie avenged her by killing three of the assailants with an axe and displayed their bodies in front of her club, proclaiming that the same would happen to anyone else who hurt a prostitute. That same night, Tyger Claws raided and demolished her bar before killing Elizabeth.[1][3]
These actions created an uproar that the Claws could not have foreseen, with Lizzie's death setting off a wave of protracted riots all over Night City, with Tyger Claws' members and businesses becoming the main targets of the violence. Those events cemented Elizabeth Borden as a symbol of defiance against gangers' lawlessness and brutality. Her ideological successors commemorated her by rebuilding her place, naming it "Lizzie's Bar," and forming the Mox, a gang that brought together those who felt threatened and oppressed, especially among sex workers and sexual minorities.[1][3]
Over the following years, the Moxes established themselves as "those who protect working girls and guys" from violence and abuse, but they sill needed an income. The Mox begun to demand substantial fee from their help, and also run several smaller brothels where they profited from prostitution. The managed to transform Lizzie's Bar into an exclusive braindance club, becoming a major portion of their income,[1] and also released their own clothing brand, BITCH V.13.[4] Their territory wasn't so much a patch of land as it was a profession.[3]
2076 - 2077[]
By 2077, the the Moxes leadership under Susie "Q" hardened as they realized they were not able to protect every sex worker in Night City, but just the ones who worked directly for them. As the gang grew more cynical, some begun to worry they were becoming the oppressors they were formed to fight.[3]
Database Entry[]
THE MOX
The youngest established gang in Night City. Its beginnings date back to 2067 when the murder of a sex worker sparked riots that lasted days. The gang formed out of the protesters attracted many others to its ranks for years after. The Mox is a motley crew of current and former sex workers, punks, freaks and all kinds of outcasts. The gang's main headquarters is Lizzie's Bar, a braindance club that serves as the Mox's main source of income. The gang's aesthetic is characterized by aggressive kitsch, loud colors, plastic and latex.[4]
Notable Members[]
- Main article: Moxes Members
Leadership[]
Main Leaders[]
- Susie "Q" (unknown)
Behind the Scenes[]
Everybody loved Lizzie's, the strip club run by ex-prostitute Elizabeth "Lizzie" Borden. Lizzie was known for treating her employees fairly and defending them from violent clients—and thus for having the most attractive and skilled dolls in the business. When she took an axe to a Tyger Claw for having raped one of her girls, his gang took revenge, killing her and demolishing her club. Lizzie's was no more, but the riots and protests that followed the club's demise gave birth to The Mox, a gang of sex workers, sexual minorities, punks and anarchists who found the "moxie" to fight back. The Mox's attire and iconography combine elements associated with prostitution and a fetishized form of femininity with skulls, axes, spikes and other death-and-violence paraphernalia. As their mottos proudly proclaim, sex and killing are at the core of who they are. When you cross them, they transform from sweet angels of pleasure to cold-blooded, long-legged killers in the blink of a perfectly mascara'd eye. The cyberware that appears on the surface designed to service client fantasies actually serves to overclock their bodies into fast-moving, bulletproof killing machines. The Mox have revived Lizzie's Bar and turned it into an exclusive braindance club that generates a great deal of revenue. The few blocks around this establishment is the only "turf" they control beyond their dollhouses and clinics. They don't actively seek confrontation with other gangs, though they do still harbor a special hatred for the Tyger Claws.[5]
Formed in 2067 after the death of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Borden, a strip club owner & ex-prostitute who treated her workers fairly and defended them from violent clients, The Mox refer to themselves as "those who protect working girls and guys" from violence and abuse.[6]
— Cyberpunk 2077 on X
Trivia[]
- The gang was originally known as "The Lizzies" in promotional material, and it was thought to be a group obsessed with the singer Lizzy Wizzy prior to the release of Cyberpunk 2077.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 BATYLDA, M. The World of Cyberpunk 2077. 1st ed. Milwaukie, OR, Dark Horse Books, 2020. (pp.95,168–169)
- ↑ I miss you
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit - Edgerunner's Handbook. Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2024. (pp.21,26)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 CD Projekt RED. Cyberpunk 2077. Video Game, Multi-Platform. Poland, CD Projekt S.A., 2020.
- ↑ CURRIT, T. The Official Digital Artbook of Cyberpunk 2077. Digital, Online. CD Projekt RED, 2020. (p.45)
- ↑ Cyberpunk 2077 on X: "Formed in 2076 after the death of Elizabeth “Lizzie” Borden, a strip club owner & ex-prostitute who treated her workers fairly and defended them from violent clients, The Mox refer to themselves as “those who protect working girls and guys” from violence and abuse. #Cyberpunk2077"