#val lore

Thanks for the ask @aceghosts!

🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often?

Val usually listens to Morro Rock, but she'll listen to anything, really, though she's not especially fond of metal or jazz. She prefers electronic/EDM-style music without lyrics whenever she's netrunning, and rock/rap whenever she's driving or racing.

💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?

She doesn't have many friends, so the ones she does have are very important to her — Misty being top of the list in every universe — but also her comfort and privacy. She's worked her ass off to have a place of her own, and that is incredibly important to her.

😓 DOWNCAST FACE WITH SWEAT — is your oc open-minded or stubborn? are they inquisitive or do they prefer to keep to their bubble of knowledge?

Generally she's open-minded. Being a netrunner means keeping up-to-date on the latest protocol updates and quickhack...hacks, and that has led to being open-minded about other things. She knows that her "bubble" of knowledge is lacking in a lot of areas that a formal education would have provided, so that helps her to accept new information that contradicts something she knew. She's especially inquisitive regarding tech. She always wants to know how things work, and has often bricked new tech by breaking into it. As for other subjects, she's not not inquisitive but she doesn't necessarily seek out new information for the sake of it.

😞 DISAPPOINTED FACE — does your oc attract others, or do they tend to be left alone?

A little of both. She's not so flashy that everyone notices her, but she does catch the eye of some people: Emma, the streetkid whose gang she joins soon after running away; Padre, who she met after leaving Travis and trying to start over; Jackie, who decided to "keep" her after they met trying to steal the same car.

I love your divine visions @blackrevell!!

🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies?

Racing -- Grem turned her on to street racing back when she was a teenager; she helped him klep a ride once and he taught her to drive. She loved it, and eventually he introduced her to NC's underground racing scene. She was thrilled when Claire asked her about racing Hacking/coding -- she's had a physical cyberdeck since she was a kid, and she loves writing her own quickhacks. She's never been as interested in the Blackwall and all that, more how she can use quickhacks to improve her life (and her friends' lives) Tech -- related to the previous hobby, Val loves to tinker with things. She's been doing it since she was a kid and she took apart the radio. One of her most prized possessions is a multi-tool that her mother saved up to buy as a Christmas present soon before she died

💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

Idk the what if of them making val into a mascot basically doeys friend who loves to bake

So my question for you: What is something (fandom or not) that you have stepped back to say “damn I did that” that makes you feel proud

Ohhhh I love this! Thank you for choosing me as a recipient of one of your nice asks 🥰🥹

Oh gosh, I do have a few things.

Personally, when I bought my house at 25 and when I graduated with my master’s degree in 2022 while maintaining a full time job for the 2.5 years I was pursuing it (and another secret thing I can’t quite talk about just yet).

Professionally, when I was a senior in college, I won a national award for a softball video that I made for my school, as a part of my internship. And also, anytime I sit down to produce a show seen by over 75,000 people on a weekly basis in the fall. I don’t know what my professional future looks like, but I’m proud of all that I’ve accomplished.

In the fandom world, I’ll just say…joining and all that came with that. I loved Red, White & Royal Blue after my first read in June so much that I HAD to find others who loved it the same way I did. So taking the leap and joining a fandom, and diving deeper into it than I ever have before in any fandom between fics and edits and FRIENDS (real, genuine, true friends) is something I am so immensely proud of because it’s completely changed my life. My therapist said just yesterday “you’re so much more social now than you were when I met you” and it’s true. Despite the physical distance between me and all of you lovely humans, I feel more loved and more supported now than ever before, and I am proud of past me for taking a chance for herself and her happiness.

Thank you for the ask, @dieselfusion! You get both versions of her. 😁

2. Lt. Mower: What is the worst betrayal your OC has faced?

Streetkid!Val: Travis. He sleezed his way into her pants (and heart) and convinced her to join 6th Street. Later Val found out he targeted her because she was a talented netrunner, and he had been tasked with scouting new talent. He lied with every breath, and cheated on her constantly. She stayed only because she didn't think she could make it on her own. After two years of his bullshit and listening to a bunch of NUSA losers deserters whine about things being better under Myers, she finally had the courage to leave and find work with fixers. Once she made the decision, Travis dropped the truth on her -- that she'd only ever been a job to him.

Corpo!Val: Everything that happened with Arasaka. She worked hard to achieve her position and produced results for the corp. It didn't matter that she was following orders from her superior, who would not hesitate to kill her for disobeying. She gave her youth to the corp and, though she received an education and training, feels they left her with nothing.

6. Bloody Ritual: Does your OC have any pre or post mission rituals or superstitions?

Streetkid!Val: if it's a big job, she'll hit up Vik to tune her cyberdeck, otherwise she will do some basic maintenance, like rebooting it and reinstalling her quickhacks. After, she usually hits up Tom's for a burger and fries.

Corpo!Val: She didn't have any before Jackie, she considered herself too practical for things like that. After his death, she usually ends up at The Afterlife and has a couple of his drinks post-gig.

8. House on a Hill: Is your OC easy to trust or are they paranoid? How vigilant are they?

Streetkid!Val: Very slow to trust now, but once someone has proven themselves, she trusts them completely. She's not very vigilant and she has been burned by trusting the wrong people, especially in her first few years on the streets, and later with Travis.

Corpo!Val: She learned very quickly as a teen at Araska not to trust anyone, and her time in intelligence/counter-intel only increased that lack of trust. She is very vigilant and has very few people she trusts fully.

15. Smoke on the Water: What does your OC actually truly think about the sex industry in Night City?

Val (both): she has no problem with it, though she wishes the street joytoys had a union and protection. Her mother was a joytoy and she knew how hard Victoria worked to keep them afloat. She also has no problem with dolls, given that they don't experience any emotional trauma from their jobs. She gets into it with Johnny every single time he makes a misogynistic comment about dolls or whores.