hi chat
i have decided to contribute to the ol:nf ocverse since the update is HOURS away!!!!
Meet Valerie Joyce!
i dont have a drawing nor screenshot of her from step 1 so this is all i got LOL
Valerie (known as Vallie during Step 1), grew up in the city, and constantly had to move because of Opal's job. Because of this, she's never had the chance to properly make real friends and has a wide variety of hobbies. At the start of Step 1, she's kind of aloof and nonchalant, but always jumps at opportunities to get away from the suburbs (she thinks it's a bit stuffy in there) or connect with people.
She immediately takes a liking to Tamarack and Qiu, partly because of her lack of friends and partly because she finds them interesting and fun to hang around. And eventually she develops a 'crush' on Qiu. (Valerie later realizes that she only had a crush on them because she wanted to experience being 'normal.')
In Step 2, she's known as Val, flamboyant but still pretty nonchalant (think of your stereotypical skater), and is well liked outside of the cul-de-sac trio. But! She's loyal to her Day 1's, being Qiu's best friend and a pillar of reliability and realness for Tamarack. She's also overcome their rocky start and became really good friends with Ren!
When Qiu and Tamarack begin to drift apart, Val tries to pretend that they aren't, not knowing what to do and because she doesn't wanna see her two closest friends fight. Add the possibility of Tamarack moving away and the stress of generally being a 14 year old...yeah that's a lot of feelings that Val does not want to unpack. She'd rather just do tricks at the skate park or sing along to karaoke.
By Step 3, Valerie realizes that she's aroace and a demiboy, but uses he/she/they pronouns. They still go by Val, but sometimes Rie or Rejoice (a play on their first and last name). He's toned down on his boldness, but he's perpetually nonchalant to a degree. They're still a thrill seeker, always having something on her schedule. He'll probably be in a QPR with either Qiu, Tamarack, or Ren. Haven't decided yet lol
ok thats all i have rn!!! so excited for the demo update!!!