— event #18 / i can break through my design

[theidlemaiden]

BASICS

PATRON OF THE PERFORMER

" don't let them see anything they don't want to know! "

FULL NAME

valentine

ALIAS

hilda, hils

BIRTH DATE

02/03

AGE

826

PRONOUNS

she/her/hers

ARCANA

the lovers

DOMAIN

performance, success & the arts

HOMETOWN

free cities, the feywilds

PATRON INFO

✨ BLESSING - TALENT
boldness leading to success; earning admiration; reflection of self-confidence and talent

💔 AFFLICATION - BLUNDER
fear of failure leading to retreat; inflicting ridicule on others; reflection of mistakes and ineptitude

🪞 ASSOCIATED IMAGERY / SOUNDS
much of valentine's imagery comes in pairs or three's:

• a white swan and a black swan with their necks intertwined
• a brightly lit stage
• mirrors both whole and broken
• three masks; one of joy, sorrow and rage
• an anvil and a hammer
• the sound of applause
• the sound of deafening silence



valentine is the patron performers not just on the stage but in life too. valentine's warm spotlight will shine on anyone in need of a boost of confidence, bolstering their self-esteem and letting their talent's shine. but be careful what you wish for; masks can be ripped off, make-up can be removed, and lies and secrets will always be brought into the light. but why would she have any reason to doubt her beloved followers? it's not like they have anything to hide - right?

shrines to valentine are often depicted as vanities with assortments of masks, jewelry, flowers or make up adorning them. candles that are lit in her name will either glow a soft, pleasant pink if the prayer has been well received. if she's displeased mirrors or masks in the vicinity will crack and splinter or sometimes shatter altogether. it isn't uncommon for other "artists" to pray to her as well; blacksmiths and metalsmiths are sometimes known to seek her hand in guiding their projects to success as they work, designers pray to her for inspiration and treat her akin to a muse, while politicians ask for her to dip their words in honey so they may not falter. it's often said that those that donate and support the old public hall are often in her good graces because of her work there.

she is also a part of a three-fold god with claude and sylvain; their powers are often invoked as one.



domain info. her meadow flanked by fodlan's throat stills remains mostly in tact. visitors will notice that masks float in and around the space, each of a different animal or symbol similar to these; each person in her life past or present is represented there as an homage of sorts ensuring that she will never forget them as who they are or as they were. this is a quiet respite for her to go and take off the adornments of her godhood. most notably several wyverns now reside here watching dutifully over her domain or slumbering peacefully in the lush grass and wildflowers. rumour has it that a pesky moogle still lives there too.

ABILITIES

THE PATRON WITH A THOUSAND FACES

much like a performer takes the stage and dons costumes, masks and make up, valentine has since mastered the art of shapeshifting. she still loves make-up and dressing up, but there's just as much fun to be had in physically changing her appearance with ease.

THAT'S SHOW BIZ, BABY

as much as she enjoys sparkling and shining, hilda has always loved turning the spotlight on others and helping them shine and feel their best. much like a mirror, she can show the best qualities of a person - or completely alter their perception of what they see, revealing the ugly truths that people attempt to hide.

WHY DO YOU BUILD ME UP, BUTTERCUP?

the right words can really bolster someone - and who doesn't like a little encouragement? an audible blessing from valentine will bestow those within range of it a boost to their abilities similar to bardic inspiration. the effects can last for anywhere up to an hour, the duration of a performance, or even months at a time if valentine is willing. those that receive this blessing are often heralded as stars or visionaries of their time. or at least until they fall out of grace with their goddess.

because remember, words cut both ways. if she so wishes, valentine is also capable of bestowing a verbal curse on the asker or target similar to vicious mockery. the difference here is that her target doesn't have to be able to hear her because words can so often pierce the heart and linger in the mind long after they've been said.

(ALMOST) SWEET MUSIC

similar to a siren's song, valentine is able to convince or manipulate people into doing something that she or another god wants with a couple of words (or even sometimes a kiss). in the same breath, she's able to coax truths from lies; looking into her eyes is a surefire way for all of your secrets to come spilling right out. after a lifetime with two of the greatest pretenders as her lovers she's learned a thing or two about knowing when someone is trying to pull a fast one on her - and she normally doesn't take very kindly to it.

ALL YOU EVER WANTED WAS THE WORLD

her habit of gift-giving has not waned over the centuries. valentine's talents and penchant for offering boons in the form of objects is considered one of the highest forms of her praise and care for those in her domain or around her. she has the ability to craft and create transformative clothing, armour, accessories or weapons that will bestow some sort of blessing or protection on the person using it.

while she is capable of crafting these from magic, it's often said that she still enjoys sculpting her works by hand. just remember that gifts can always be taken or broken by the hands from which they came.

LOOKS

additional aesthetics can be found here.

while she's known for wearing various "masks" and shape shifts often and frequently, it seems that 800 years has not seen her tire of the colour pink or her love of bright colours. most of her personas will feature some bright splash of colour whether it's featured in her hair or her clothes.

her god form still looks quite human by all accounts and fluctuates on any given day much like her wardrobe. while most forms will still feature her shock of pink hair and eyes (that now sport several ringed irises that seem to sparkle) she's noticeably sprouted pink-tinged feathers that drape off her shoulders as if they're a winged cape. similar feathers will also sprout on either side of her head. valentine invoked will have pink, light blue and gold-tinged wings that explode from her back; the small wings on the sides of her heads arrange in a crown atop her head and cover her face and eyes giving her a distinctly bird-like shape. soft pink light radiates from her. she will be able to fly in this form. it's often said that she'll carry a sinisteraxe made of bone with a glimmering red crystal embedded in it into battle. those that are graced with seeing her and live to tell the tale often describe it as watching a dancer gracefully leaping and bounding through the battlefield with reckless, joyful abandon. the axe looks and feels like an extension of her.

there is of course a dark side to performance. in the heat of extreme emotions (e.g. despair, jealousy, anger, possessiveness), valentine's form will flush with dark blue or red feathers and her features will recede becoming more wyvern-like. her teeth elongate into sharp fangs, her nails will end in sharp taloned points and her eyes will glow a bright red. they often have a bit of a manic air to them and her usually sweet voice takes on a distorted quality.

she adjusts her height accordingly but is still somehow always the smallest god in the room.

HEIGHT

5'0" - 8'0"

BUILD

lithe

EYES

pink

HAIR

pink

PERSONA

she's sweet but a psycho, baby!!!

valentine, for the most part, remains exactly the sweet, charming and sometimes lazy hilda - just in god form, which naturally comes with some extremes. early on in the ascent into godhood, hilda's already cheerful nature could be described as borderline manic. with so much feeling and creativity bursting at the seams, she had to find outlets and ends up giving it away in spades. she supported those with good intent and drive to pursue their dreams while casually staying on the sidelines working on her passion projects. to this day, boredom is still one of the worst ailments that could befall her and she'll do most everything in her power to prevent feeling that way.

around the time that claude and sylvain had a fight of epic proportions is when her emotions begin to tip to the other end of the scale rapidly. she felt her heart wrenched in two with the distance between them. unable to understand the instability that she felt inside of her, her personality became even more jagged and erratic making her dramatic lows, low and her dramatic highs, high.

being adored and fawned over by her makes people feel on top of the world while being scorned would unleash an oddly cruel coldness that isn't characteristic of those who remembered her from before. if she's bored of someone she won't have a problem being dismissive and making it obvious that she is. her pettiness cuts sharp like a knife and her once mischievous jokes and gossip might have an odd edge like glass that wasn't there before. there's a recklessness and cunning to her as she indulges in all of the ugly things she disliked about herself which means it can be difficult to tell what's really hiding behind her sweet, cloying mask.

valentine still cares deeply. between she, sylvain and claude, she's the one that recalls everything from fodlan until now. she's fiercely protective of those dearest to her to the point where disagreements cut to the bone. if she realizes she's in the wrong, her apologies are grandiose, but if she feels betrayed the person who slighted her may as well never have existed.

LORE

🌸 PRE-500 YEARS AGO:

• an ascent into godhood; participates in the rebellion of nott and creates a name for herself alongside claude and sylvain
• where claude and sylvain begin to forget their pasts in fodlan, hilda retains them all
• gets into the middle of a century long fight between sylvain and claude where her behaviour starts to become erratic as she's left unbalanced by the two; the arts in particular during this time takes a hit where fashion becomes dull and art becomes bland
• hilda emerges from her descent into chaos and begins to rebuild the arts which begins to flourish under her guidance and influence, putting considerable distance between herself and her fodlan lovers
• eventually she parent traps claude and sylvain into making up

🎭 600 - 700 YEARS AGO

• opens up her fashion business again with jesper ushering in a new golden age of fashion and art; begins to indulge in other forms of art - specifically ballet

🦢 700 YEARS TO PRESENT

RELATIONSHIPS

→ claude, soulmate/bonded, lover | "without trying, we find the same page"
→ sylvain, soulmate/bonded, lover | "i'm certain by design, inherently you feel divine"
→ alucard, lover, confidante
→ jill, friend
→ haelva, girl's night girlie, wine and dined back into their friendship
→ dan heng, friend
→ claire, adopted mother, role model
→ ed, friend
→ jaskier, toxic bestie, fellow patron of the arts | "we're all part of the same sick little games"
→ himeka, girl's night girlie
→ jesper, good friend, occasional fwb, business partner
→ julia, the not-toxic bestie
→ ciri, lover
→ geralt, friend
→ astarion, frenemy & hookup

terra . pst . plurk @ timescars . discord @ cardialloyed (CODE)