#valerie smith

[jhsharman]

Odd Girl Out

"Threesome" changes to "trio", which is frankly a better match even besides. But this poses that recurring question of when a word accrues the connotation and meaning in such overwhelming fashion as to see it is to have it stick out enough to change it. Here, it is sometime after 1998.

Deciding not to get cute on "show biz" and decide "madhouse" is one word.

[comicsiswild]

Josie & The Pussycats (2016) #7

[jugheads-choni]

With “Archie: The Decision” coming out this month, I’ve seen a lot of talk about who Archie belongs with. So I just thought I’d talk a bit about my own opinion on some of his past love interests.

Betty:

I’ve always been more of a Barchie fan, personally. She’s textbook good girl, selfless, and is very devoted to Archie. When they’re younger however, I do feel like in the classic Archie stuff, Betty deserves better. He’s so often blowing her off for Veronica or other girls, and yet unlike most of them, she stays devoted. So maybe he doesn’t always DESERVE Betty. But their friends to lovers story is so beautiful, and being friends first imo gives them a better, more stable common ground. They’re two people with giant hearts that try very hard to please and care for others. Riverdale Barchie should’ve been endgame btw…

Veronica:

I feel like Varchie often gets called shallow (thanks, Riverdale!) and people think it’s always Archie just chasing after what he thinks he wants: the rich, pretty girl. But I think there’s much more to them than that. I think they’re so different and come from such different backgrounds that they can balance each other out, even learn things from each other. Maybe it’s the Choni-shipper in me, but I love the idea of the rich-bitch being soft for someone with a heart of gold, who sees the person beyond all that and loves them for them. They may not be my favorite overall, but I do like versions of them (not Riverdale��s…)

Sabrina:

Probably my other favorite, mainly because of how it’s different from the usual Betty or Veronica. Not just because she’s a witch and brings a different kind of fun, but because she’s kind of cross between Betty and Veronica. She’s sweeter like Betty, but like Veronica, she comes from a different world than Archie, which creates delicious conflict that makes their connection that much more meaningful. I loved the brief little stint we got with them, I would absolutely LOVE to see more. Super underrated imo.

Cheryl:

I can never get behind this pairing tbh, and this particular page from the Waid run is a great, very blatant example of why.

Most of the time, Cheryl’s interest in Archie is only a tool for her to get back at Veronica or Betty. Or to “have” something that others want. Even just because she likes the attention, since their “relationship” is always so surface level. This pairing is what people THINK Archie/Veronica is. Just two hot people. Even in “Love Showdown” where he “chooses�� her, it’s only because he’s tired of Betty & Veronica fighting. As for Riverdale, Cheryl is a LESBIAN. So I’m not even entertaining the idea of that one.

Valerie:

I don’t have too much to say, because we haven’t seen much of them in general, but I WANT to see more. I think they were very cute and it would be something new and different to explore more. Get out of the love triangle for a while, idk.

ANYWAYS. I think I’m team Sabrina overall. But if I’m choosing between Betty and Veronica, it’s Betty. But I’m not a Varchie hater by any means.

[moonlight-maiden]

the girls !!!!

[ghoststudios]

Midvale Riverdale Yearbook Part 17!! Part 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16

This was some powerfull file, I couldn't send it through discord, but it turned out I had made it like x20 the regular size lmao. This one was fun because the main six have their colour pallets from the josie cartoon, also because they're adults. On this page. Josie Mccoy, Valerie Brown Smith, Melody Valentine, Alexandera Cabot, Alexander Cabot, Alan M Mayberry, Pepper Smith, Albert, Socks, Fiona, Dan Didit, Richard "Dick" Didit, Dippy Didit, Clyde Didit, Fran Frazer and Rod Roman. (yes there are a few Josie characters, I'm not including, but who cares about Sheldon? Also noteworthy that Trev got drawn ages ago)

[e-22912]

I saw that stupid meme and had to draw this. )

Biohacker biohacks lanky AI ) didn't even let him remove the make up lul )

[tani-b-art]

Black and Missing, Inc. socials:

BAMFI — official website

Linktree

[x1633chefrick]

Showrunner morty and Valerie belongs to @e-22912 Found this song really fit them so I made this!!))

[skierisa]

Ninjago 90 AU headcanons - part 1(?)

Yeah idk, just an important detail: this would be like the og series, but they're regular teens in the 90s. Dragons Rising would be around early to mid 2000s in this AU, so the ninja are teens

OC'S ARE INCLUDED! 100% IGNORABLE IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM

-------

Lloyd

- 2nd year of high school (to Americans it would be junior year, i guess)

- works part time in Doomsday Comix store

- plays electric guitar

- hides when seeing Harumi in public

- got arrested TWICE (first at 15, second time a few days before turning 16)

- the first time was because he stole something from Hot Topic, did community service and then was free. Never told anyone (besides Morro and of course his family) about the second time

- reads comics all the time while working

- favourite place to hang out is the skatepark, but also likes the arcade

- can skateboard, just doesn't do it as much anymore

- Starfarer collector

- spends too much money with this comics and the merch and the collector's stuff

- sometimes skip school with Jay and Kai just to play videogames

- has a crush on my OC, Valerie, but only knows her as "the girl from the music store on the other side of the road"

- randomly makes desserts at night

- is in the top 10 best students in school

Kai

- 3rd year of highschool (to Americans it would be senior year)

- tutor's kids after school, mostly history tutoring

- can not and refuses to use or learn how to use a computer

- likes Britney Spears, but hides it at all costs

- in a situationship with Skylor

- has a bunch of nirvana shirts

- knows Lloyd was arrested the first time because he was there too, but for drunk driving

- "party guy"

- drinks. a. lot.

- favourite food is Kahlua pig

- part of school's basketball team

- cuts his own hair (sometimes makes a bit extra cash by cutting his friends hair as well)

Nya

- 2nd year of highschool

- works as a lifeguard at a public pool

- robotics club member

- knows about Kai's love for Britney Spears, constantly blackmails him with it if he doesn't do what she wants

- favourite places to hang out are the skatepark and the theater

- favourite music genres are late 70s to late 80s pop and riot grrrl

- joan jett's biggest fan

- still prefers to listen to indie bands

- knows Lloyd was arrested because Kai told her

- of course she scolded him, like "i'm mad that you did this but im glad you're okay", like some sort of older sister

- LOVES bracelets, has both the beads bracelets and the slap bracelets

- has a yang necklace (to match Jay's yin necklace)

- has a bead bracelet done with all her friends' favourite colour (red for Kai, dark blue for Jay, navy blue with glitter for Valerie (OC), pink for Vanessa (OC), purple for Pixal, orange for Skylor, black for Cole, green for Lloyd, white for Zane and light blue for her)

- regrets her bob-cut phase, but wants to cut it short again

Jay

- 2nd year of highschool

- the unemployed friend that seems to be unable to find work (because no one hires him)

- at least once a day complains about not having a job, and knows he'd definitely still complain if he had one

- robotics club member

- listens Spice Girls, and is no longer afraid of demonstrating his love for the group once everyone made fun of him for liking it for two weeks straight

- knows Lloyd was arrested because Nya told him

- "how was it like?" first question he asked right after discovering it because he just doesn't know what to say

- spends too much of his free time in the arcades and sometimes brings Lloyd and Kai with him

- has dates at home with Nya, where they usually watch trashy horror movies and old dramas (sometimes anime)

- also collects Starfare merch and comics

- constantly visits Lloyd at his job just so he can read comic's while he works and for free

- has a yin necklace (to match Nya's yang necklace)

- wants to pierce his ear, but it's too afraid to do so

- his knees are always scratched due to skating, so he does have a few scars because of this

Cole

- 3rd year of highschool

- works at a vynil store

- when they can't go to watch movies at Lloyd's house, Cole's house is the second best place for their Friday movie nights that turn into sleepovers

- is dating Geo, but doesn't tell his name to his friends just to mess with them, so they're always trying to guess "who the hell" he's dating

- openly bisexual (preference for guys)

- knows Lloyd was arrested because Jay told him

- also scolded him, being mostly glad Lloyd was okay

- has been playing the drums since he was a kid, because his dad wanted him to play the piano and drums aren't piano

- his favourite music genre, surprisingly, is bossa nova (followed by metal and punk)

- he's a painter and participates in art competitions, meeting my OC, Vanessa, in one of those. They are friends with a healthy and friendly artistic rivalry, encouraging each other to try new things with their art

- smokes pot (mostly at parties and also with Kai and Lloyd)

- trying to get into art school after high school

Zane

- 3rd year of highschool

- volunteers in a animal rescue center

- into a one year relationship with Pixal

- knows Lloyd was arrested because Lloyd told him

- his pet falcon is a rescue, since it damaged it's wing so hard that it barely functions well, making it impossible for it to survive in nature again. Zane then took it with him after his shift;

- he really just calls it Falcon, like Marie Antoinette naming her pug Pug

- since Pixal is some sort of "celebrity" she was his celebrity crush

- 15 year old Zane: "so... we're dating her?"

18 year old Zane: "yes, she fell in love with you at first sight!"

15 year old Zane: *Zane.exe has stopped working, please, restart*

- quite too much of a fan of noir movies and noir books

- (once on college in the 2000s he'd 100% collect the Blacksad comics, I mean, it's his two favourite things together, animals and noir!)

- likes to wear a slightly more vintage style, but at school wears regular clothing as he recognizes that vintage clothing is somewhat more fragile and needs to be taken care of, and school isn't the best place to wear those

- was in the robotics club in middle school and changed to computer science club in highschool

- wants to be a veterinarian

Morro

- second year of college

- nobody knows his major and gets comically interrupted every time he tries telling someone what he does

- got fired from his previous work as a bartender

- now works with Wu in his tea shop

- adopted by Wu, btw

- taught Lloyd how to play guitar (he can play bass and mostly plays it, but borrowed a guitar from a friend as a teen)

- knows about Lloyd's second time in jail and helps him to hide it from everyone else

- constantly exchanging insults with Lloyd, but in a rather playful way

- alcoholic, but trying to quit

- best student in his class, surprisingly

- likes pachinko games and other gambling games, but not addicted to it. Sometimes brings Lloyd with him to play a bit, and sometimes Lloyd brings his friends, making Morro look like a babysitter sometimes

- likes hanging out with Lloyd, but usually they hang out in the middle of the night

Harumi

- second year of highschool

- part time Hot Topic cashier

- 100% stole a bracelet or two WHILE WORKING THERE

- knows Lloyd hides from her in public

- hangs out with the other girls just fine, but constantly complains about whatever they're doing (secretly loves to be with them and refuses to admit it out loud)

- she has a bunch of journals under her bed and they all read very entertaining reads

- the reason why Lloyd was arrested the first time (was stealing from hot topic, asked him to help her, but unlike him, she managed to escape from security)

- had a super crush on Morro when she was 15

- actually likes Friends TV show

- thinks Chandler is a mood, but her favorite character would be Phoebe in the later seasons

- goth clubs are her second home

- can't stand cigarette's smell

Skylor

- third year of highschool

- works as a part time waitress at Chen's Noodle House

- constantly gives her friends discounts

- lab partners with Kai

- almost exploded the lab with him once

- they still laugh about it

- knows about Kai's love for Brittney Spears, but pretends she doesn't

- loves karaoke hangouts

- still has an anacondrai tattoo (slightly angsty fact)

- heiress to Chen's mafia

- considers Nya a little sister, so they're basically BFF's and hang out together the most among the girls

- likes thrifting, usually looks for anything 70s related

- usually goes to roller discos to skate or goes to the skatepark with headphones

- sometimes meets there with Nya so they can chat while skating

- that's also where she likes to celebrate her birthdays

- knows about Lloyd being arrested because Kai told her

- treats Lloyd like some sort of little brother so actually got worried when she heard about him getting arrested

- "if you ever need it, i know a lawyer who helps my dad's gang member to get out of jail" Skylor to Lloyd once she meets him after hearing about his arrest

- only invites Harumi to the girls hangouts because she knows she will be upset if she's not at least invited

Pixal

- second year of high school

- part time job as her father's (aka Cyrus Borg) assistant

- goes to the same school as my OC's (see below) so she wears a school uniform

- Skylor's childhood friend, since they went to the same elementary school

- there's a conspiracy theory going around that Pixal is actually a robot and she knows very well about these rumors

- likes to scare people making a very impressive impersonation of a robot just for the funsies

- was in love with Zane at first sight (they met at Skylor's birthday party)

- her idea of a "perfect date" with him is both watching noir movies and studying together

- once threw a noir themed Halloween (or day of the departed?) party because of him

- loves to go thrifting with Skylor, and knows where to find the best pieces

- robotics club leader

OCs!

Valerie

- works at a CD and music store

- second year of highschool

- attends a different school than the main cast

- never wears school uniforms appropriately (always customizes it)

- constantly in the principal's office for arguing with teachers

- was part of school choral until highschool where she just didn't want to do it anymore

- wants to become a music teacher

- has a band named The Pin-Punks and does concerts in a music venue called Supernova Apex every weekend

-Valerie cut bangs after Vanessa was accidentally sent to detention in her place

- Kai and Nya's childhood friend and neighbor

- eventually would meet Lloyd when buying a comic

- doesn't dislike him, but thinks he's a dork

Vanessa

- second year of highschool

- also customizes her uniform, adding lots of chains to it

- trying to become a model

- has a massive crush on Harumi

- not only is a goth, but has a thing for goth girls

- art club member

- goes to Hot Topic quite often just to chat with Harumi

- won a few art competitions she was in

- knows Cole from a few of those competitions and is actually friends with him

- always goes to goth clubs on the weekend

-also always yelling at the DJ asking "what band is this?"

- once was sent to detention in Valerie's place because they were wearing the same hairstyle

- works as a nanny

- was the "responsible" kid in her childhood friend group (Kai, her, Valerie and Nya)

- not exactly openly lesbian, but doesn't exactly hide it

[theos-corner]

valerie reference sheet

[jhsharman]

high jinx

For a second you might think they have replaced a band member. But then the next panel fixed the problem.

Until...

How does this happen?

[tommylover]

final destination but the wheel choose their fate 🤡

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Billy and Tod survived, I'm glad the rose made them survive 🤩🤩💖💖 Terry survived too, I'm happy for her 🤩

Their trio calls themselves "the trio of survivors" Why? I have no idea. The fact that Billy is the protagonist who has the premonition already makes me scared since he's not one of the most intelligent, but he survived thanks to the wheel 🤡

[vintagetvstars]

Valerie Harper Vs. Jaclyn Smith

Propaganda

Valerie Harper - (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda) - Valerie Harper was cast to play that tired old trope, the shlubby, frumpy, dowdy, less pretty best friend to Mary Tyler Moore. But that casting was never convincing. Not only was Harper a whipcrack comedian and master of sarcasm in her own right, she was gorgeous with her big hazel eyes and wide smile.

Jaclyn Smith - (Charlie's Angels) - No text propaganda

Master Poll List of the Hot Vintage TV Ladies Bracket

Additional propaganda below the cut

Valerie Harper:

Jaclyn Smith:

[corpocyborg]

Secure Your Soul: A Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfiction

This fic was previously published under the title “Before the Event Horizon.”

Summary: Six months ago, V’s boss at Arasaka ordered her to assassinate his rival. Instead, with the reluctant but invaluable help of her old friend Jackie Welles, she pushed them both off their thrones and claimed one for herself. Now the new Director of Arasaka Counter Intel has a problem. She’s uncovered information that indicates that Yorinobu Arasaka, the heir apparent to the Arasaka dynasty, is a traitor. But without solid proof, she’s forced to take matters into her own hands.

An AU in which Corpo!V never leaves Arasaka.

CHAPTER SIX: LIKE A MILITARY COUP

[read on ao3]

PRESENT DAY

“Get up, you backstabbing bitch.”

V’s mind crossed the threshold into consciousness, and she jolted awake. Her neck ached from sleeping at a desk, but it was a familiar ache. She’d pulled all-nighters at a desk her whole life, staring at a pile of paperwork or a computer monitor until the lead she needed jumped out at her. She looked up at Abernathy. “Morning, m’am. Do you have more questions for me?”

Abernathy slammed her head into the desk. 

“Fuck,” V muttered. She had cranial armor implants, but they’d been taking a serious beating lately. Abernathy must have gotten the same holiday bonus that she had. No one without gorilla arms could exert that much force so effortlessly. “That's the second time in 24 hours someone’s done that to me.”

“It won't be the last,” Abernathy promised. She lifted V’s head and slammed it back down again. Then she lifted it once more, but this time she held it so that V’s eyes were looking into her own. “What did you say to him to get him to squeal?”

“I've been locked in here for hours,” V said through clenched teeth. Despite the armor implants, her head was pounding viciously. “I haven't had any communication with anyone since you were last here. You can check your surveillance footage if you don't believe me.”

“Then you planned it together.”

“Jenkins and I? What would be the point of that? Just to fuck with you?” V’s words were muffled by Abernathy’s hold on her face. “I came to you because I was trying to switch sides. I wanted to work for someone more level-headed. Although this display is making me doubt whether I was right about you.” 

“How dare you?” Abernathy spat, but V was pleased to hear a slight catch in her voice. She’d guessed that line would work on Abernathy primarily because it would have worked on her.

“Look,” V began, wincing as Abernathy squeezed her head. “You can waste your time here, tormenting someone who isn’t even in on Jenkins’ plans, or you can go after your actual enemy. One option is far more productive than the other.” 

Abernathy paused, her grip never lessening, for a few seconds that felt much longer to V. Her vision was just starting to swim when Abernathy abruptly released her head. Inertia slammed it back into the desk one final time. When V looked up again, Abernathy was gone. 

She crossed her arms on the desk and rested her head on them, struggling for air at first, then progressively slowing and deepening her breaths. It was a technique she’d learned from her life coach at Quantified Satori. It helped, but only to a degree. The pounding in her head had not subsided, and V wasn’t sure how long it would be before she’d have the strength to lift her head again. She supposed there’d be no point to now, anyway. Whatever happened next was outside her control. And, despite their differences, she trusted Jackie. He’d know what he had to do. 

Continuing to breathe deeply, she began a new neuromotor relaxation exercise—one targeted at releasing tension in various muscle groups, one at a time, in a particular pattern. It seemed like a good choice because it occupied her mind as well as her body. With this welcome distraction to guide her, V gradually found her way back into unconsciousness.

—

When she woke up again, a different coworker was standing over her.

“Nostra,” she said groggily, “Abernathy sent you?”

“No, V,” Nostra replied. “Abernathy’s offed herself.”

That snapped her awake. Ever since Jenkins had first given her the order to go after Abernathy, V had been anticipating every potential resolution to the situation that she could come up with. She thought she’d become especially effective at predicting Abernathy’s reactions, largely because she so often reacted the same way that V herself would have. But she hadn’t seen this coming.

“You look so shocked,” Nostra commented. There was a slight twitch at the right corner of his mouth. “Weren’t expecting it, huh?”

“Were you?” 

Nostra sighed quietly. “In a manner of speaking. She wasn’t depressed, if that’s what you’re assuming. Wasn’t a quitter either. Hell, I’ve seen the woman dodge shit thrown at her from every angle and still walk away clean. She wasn’t weak, V.”

He paused, looking directly at her. Gauging her reaction, V knew. She didn’t try to hide her confusion. A poker face was a decent enough tactic for certain types of lies, but generally the superior strategy was to react the way you would have reacted if you were innocent. 

“Then why-” she began.

“Why did she kill herself?” Nostara finished her sentence for her. “Because she didn’t have any interest in life after Arasaka.” 

A sudden sense of understanding dawned in V’s mind. Nostra nodded at her. “Now you get it,” he said. “Anyway, that’s the internal factors. As for the external factors, your man Jenkins got too trigger-happy. He was blackmailing her, as you know. Hadn’t released anything, was just making demands at first… then, suddenly, he uploads it all, every bit of dirt he’s got on her, to Arasaka’s intranet.” 

Well done, Jackie, V thought instinctively. She forced that thought into the back of her mind. Her face showed nothing but doubt. “But why?” she demanded. “And how do you know it was him?”

“Fair question. He deleted any metadata or other digital trails that could lead to him. He tried to, anyway. It was a tech specialist from your department who caught him, actually. Carter Smith. I believe you know him.”

“I do,” V replied cautiously. She was unsure how Smith factored into the situation and that made her nervous. He knew about her deal with Jackie, but he didn’t know exactly what was on the datashard she’d left him, and he certainly didn’t know about the dirt she’d added to it over the past six years. But it was hardly an impossible intuitive leap. If he'd connected the dots… “We’ve worked together in the past.”

“Apparently, he’d been keeping an eye on Jenkins since he overheard him telling you to ‘make sure Abernathy won’t be a problem anymore.’”

“Jenkins did tell me that. And as you know, I didn’t listen.” 

“Didn’t you?” Nostra asked. “Abernathy won’t be a problem for Jenkins anymore, will she?” Before V could say anything in her defense, Nostra added, “Of course, Jenkins will hardly be able to benefit from that, seeing as he’s dead.”

“Jenkins is dead?” V was intrigued to find that she was actually a little sad about that. She’d barely known Abernathy, but Jenkins had been a constant presence in her life for several years. She wouldn’t have called him a friend, but then she spent more time with her coworkers than she did with her friends.

“Yes. Apparently, Smith didn’t like the sound of Jenkins’ plan either. Went directly to Abernathy and reported everything he’d heard. Then offered to keep an eye out for her regarding any further developments. Interestingly enough, he said he didn’t think you’d go through with it. He seems to like you.”

V looked down at the table, smiling slightly. Well, well. You never did know which allies could turn out to be valuable in the long run. “That’s kind of him,” she mused, momentarily lost in the private joke. “But you still haven’t told me how Jenkins ended up dead.”

“Smith kept his word. He was monitoring Jenkins’ online presence. After the blackmail data leaked, he was able to trace a pattern of suspicious activity that indicated that Jenkins was the source. Abernathy had just gotten back from your last interrogation. He showed her what he’d found. She decided if she was going down anyway, Jenkins was coming with her.”

“So she killed him?”

“Yes. Personally, in fact. A first for her.”

V didn’t miss the implication. Abernathy had killed coworkers before, but never by her own hand. V knew that, of course. It made up the bulk of the info that “Jenkins” had revealed. Still, it was interesting that Nostra was comfortable speaking about it so openly. She wondered how much of that reveal had not actually been a surprise to him.   

“What about his security team?” she asked.

“He had one, of course. But they primarily look out for threats in disguise, assassination attempts. Not a known coworker who simply walks directly into his office with a weapon. That’s the danger of an enemy with nothing left to lose.”

V stayed silent for a moment, allowing her mind to mull over this new information. It was hard to be certain how much of this story Nostra actually believed, but she suspected it wasn’t all of it. “So what happens now?” she asked finally.

“Now Arasaka has two high-ranking positions to fill on rather short notice. I’m acting Director of Spec Ops, naturally. The acting Director of Counter Intel, by the typical order of succession, should be you.”

V looked up at Nostra. A deep and familiar hunger roared to life in the center of her chest.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Nostra warned her. “It’s temporary. A full investigation of the incident is pending, then Arasaka will decide if you can keep the position. But, yes. It’s you. For now.”

V released a deep breath. She inhaled another one, held it for four counts, then released that one too. “Okay,” she said. “Then I’m free to go?”

In answer, Nostra walked over to the door and opened it. 

—

V sat behind the desk in her new office. For the last eleven hours, she'd been suppressing her sense of awe in order to allow herself to focus on the seemingly endless stream of meetings and holoconferences she'd been hosting. There had been much to do. The Frankfurt incident had still needed resolving. As soon as she'd gotten to the office, she'd put her extensive collection of international contacts to work, trading favors and information in exchange for influence over the appointments of the new heads of the European Space Council. 

By now, she felt secure that she'd managed to position a majority of figureheads who would either be loyal to or manipulatable by Arasaka. It had been easier than she'd expected. The job wasn't desirable lately, and she could offer a level of protection and security that had skyrocketed in value. She mentally thanked Jenkins for that. 

Jenkins… 

Now that she had a second to breathe, it hit her again. She was sitting in Jenkins' chair. Behind Jenkins’ desk. In Jenkins' office.

In the last few years, she’d spent more time in the Tower than she had in her own apartment, and as she'd risen through the ranks in Counter Intel, she'd spent more and more time in this office in particular. It was such a familiar place. 

Still, she gazed around, sponging in the sights as if she'd never seen them before. Memorizing every detail. The giant Arasaka logo on the floor. The couch in one corner with the liquor cabinet beside it, the full length dining table in the other. The plants displayed behind the glass built into the walls. And finally, the windows and the view outside. Her gaze lingered there the longest, her chair angled to face the window.

Someone knocked softly on her door. 

“Come in,” she called out. She swiveled her chair back towards the door. 

Carter Smith was poking his head through the crack. “Hey, V,” he said nervously. “Are you still busy? I didn't want to interrupt.”

“It's fine. You can come in.” 

He walked across the room and sat in the same seat she'd occupied yesterday. Had it been yesterday? It felt like a lifetime ago. She cleared some papers off her desk and closed her laptop. “What do you need, Carter?”

“I wanted to see how you're doing.”

“Well, we've made good progress in mitigating potential future issues with the Space Council. Our lunar base licenses—”

“No, V. I meant I wanted to see how you’re doing. Personally.”

V paused. “Oh.”

Carter’s cheeks turned a telling shade of pink. “I just… I know Abernathy had you locked up, and… after learning what she’s capable of, I wasn't sure…”

“I’m fine,” V reassured him quickly. “She didn't do anything to me that I can't recover from.” 

“Okay.” Carter looked relieved. “Good. I couldn't stand it if anyone else got hurt.” V had the sense that he wanted to say something more. He rubbed the back of his neck, then sighed. “Can you believe what happened? Abernathy… I wanted to protect her… I never thought…”

It was rather sad. Abernathy would've wiped him out without a thought if she'd deemed it necessary, and yet here he was, lamenting his part in her demise. Some people just refused to look out for their own best interests. “There’s no point in blaming yourself,” she said. “Abernathy made her own decision.”

“I know. I know that. But V… you didn't see it…” His eyes scanned the room warily, and V wondered if he was considering revealing some sort of secret information. 

“Didn't see what?” she pressed.

“This office. Afterwards.” For a moment, his eyes glazed over and V knew his mind was reliving the memory.

“Carter?” she said, trying to anchor him to the present. “It's all right. Just breathe.”

He took a deep breath. He shivered, but seemed to come back to himself. “Anyway,” he said, looking abashed again. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'm gonna go now. I've wasted enough of your time. Just needed someone to talk to, I guess.”

“That's fine,” V said cautiously. She didn't want to alienate Carter. He'd proven valuable lately. But she didn't have time to become his regular shoulder to cry on. “Maybe try focusing on your work?” she suggested. “I know you like working with tech.”

“Yeah,” Carter said. He smiled, but it was obviously forced. “Thanks, V. I'll try that.” He left the office.

Well, either he didn't suspect V’s involvement in Jenkins and Abernathy's downfall, or he was the absolute damn best liar she'd ever met. She almost hoped it was the latter. That would make him much more interesting. 

She rotated her chair back towards the window. The sun was setting, and the city was coming to life. It lived up to its name, she thought. Its neon colors looked more beautiful against a backdrop of black. And the sky in City Center was always a deep, pure black at night. Night City—the city so bright, it blotted out the stars.  

The clock on her optics started flashing, an indication that it was time for her to go home. She dismissed the alarm, but made no moves to leave. As acting Director of Arasaka Counter Intel, it was her right to sleep in her office if she deemed it necessary. She pulled a cigarette out of a desk drawer and lit it. It was Jenkins’, but he wouldn't be needing it anymore. She reclined her chair, took a deep drag from the cigarette, and exhaled slowly. 

Night City, she decided, looked its absolute best from out the windows of Arasaka Tower. 

[agmagazinescans]

Samantha's Surprising Birthday: A Play, by Valerie Tripp

American Girl Magazine, May/June 1994

[Ko-Fi Donations]

[e-22912]

From a server Prompt involving drawing your oc wearing the rose pattern suit, there was a lilac next to it so i had to add Valerie too

bonus: