The Hungry Violinist

I had forgotten that I had given Valen the Idiot Savant perk, which (I’ve read) is an outdated term for the Autistic Savant. And, tbqh, sounds kind of insensitive? That could just be me. It’s obviously a very old term.

There was a moment when I wanted to capitalize on this perk and adjust it to be better applied to Valen and his life story. The alternative would have to be Acquired Savant- a syndrome that’s developed after brain trauma/ brain damage. 

I want to write about this because it would involve a story about adversity, prejudice, and assault. It would also explain how music became more important in his life in the later years and why Valen is so devout to his brand of religious beliefs. These are things I’ve thought very deeply about but felt hesitant to explain because I typically keep a lot of Valen’s story to myself. Much of it is not pleasant.

One thing I hadn’t thoroughly plotted out for Valen is what route he had traveled from New Vegas to Boston. It’s very important because this trek produced many experiences and all of those he had with Hank. Strange encounters and new towns and villages he would have seen helped to shape who he is today and that’s so important. 

Valentine Hart

[1] The Shoop Shoop Song - Betty Everett

[2] Summer Love - Trevor Something

[3] Down to the River to Pray - Alison Krauss

[4] Summer of ‘69 - Bryan Adams

[5]  Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Bonus:

American Girl - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 

The Chain - Fleetwood Mac

The Town Where I Was Born - Gabriel Knight Hancock

All You Need is Love - The Beatles

It was a small square sepia photo that Valen kept tucked inside one of his journals. It had been a long time since he went digging for it to have a look, maybe too long. In the photograph where two young men leaned against a wooden fence in front of a building, a general store. The landscape behind them was dry and bright, their faces were slightly squinted from the sun. One of these men was Valen, dressed in slacks, a button shirt, suspenders, and a smile across his face. Beside him stood a slightly taller figure dressed in a long dark poncho and a gambler hat. This man looked grittier than his companion but managed to quirk a grin for a photograph. The two embraced with an arm draped over each other’s shoulder.

Felt like ages since Valen last spoke to Dickie, even though he’d known him for so many years there was a small fear in his heart that he’d forget his face. This photo was all he had left to remember him and to remember Hank- he was the one holding the camera box. Looking back at the photo, Valen might wonder why there was something uncanny about Dickie’s face- how it was more familiar but in a different way. He’d never really piece it together.

Going to work on that memory meme I’ve had sitting in my drafts for ages (I’ve been procrastinating :3c ). But I think I’ll do one a day and post the actual memory in a regular post because i don’t want to cram it all into the actual ask...

[ a meme ]

❤ : coincidentally, this prompt’s icon is a heart because I plan to talk about the relationship that’s transpiring between Valen and Skye. 

There have been many threads (mostly on discord) and all of them have been very interesting and development heavy, which has been great. What I find funny is that their relationship actually started with a sexual encounter then slowly inched toward a more involved relationship due to repeat encounters and events that tested each character’s positive traits. Basically, it wasn’t a ‘wham bam, thank you ma’am’ type of rp and ya skip off to other things. 

boooring.

 Trying to plot out how to integrate Rick has its own set of challenges which will be very fun to write with and explore in the near future. In these instances, even with Skye alone, Valen’s patience and humble nature have acted as a good foundation for those who might be less well off regarding their own insecurities. Good boy is reassuring and optimistic who will bring out positive changes in these two people. 

[ a meme ]

☯ :  One of the greatest challenges with writing Valen is balancing his pious nature with his carnal desires and making sure that he’s living up to the ‘destiny’ mentality. 

Combining these three things requires a lot of organizing ideas and beliefs that ultimately looks like a very whimsical and unstructured map of spirituality. 

Long ago, Valen wasn’t a spiritual character (but he was raised in a monastery) and didn’t believe in fate or the preordained while this version of Valen absolutely trusts that all acts are of God’s will… which can lead to dark loopholes and contradictions that if another muse chose to point out to him could cause conflict and fracture possible relationships.