Circus Darkrai App- Gale Valentine

My character for the Circus Darkrai Group. It's a cool group so I thought I might try to get in.

Edit 4/27/14: Revised her family's species. Someone pointed it out to me and then I realized I had a memory lapse in terms of Pokemon genetics.

Edit 8/17/14: Finished my edits for her app. I would also like to thank thegrumpyturtle.deviantart.com… for giving me the idea on what would be a good idea for her 'if she leaves the circus' part. Thanks, GrumpyTurtle! :waves:

And of course, when I shrunk down her picture you can't see her scar. Oh well, too late now. You can't see it but trust me. She does have a heart shaped scar on her left cheek.

Edit 6/4/15: With the conclusion of Event 6, it's time I added in the changes in her personality thanks to character development.

Edit 7/8/15: Made all the necessary edits according to the new rules to the best of my ability.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Gale Valentine

Pokemon: Sylveon

Age: 21

Gender: Female

Ability: Cute Charm

Hometown: Nacrene City

Job: Her act is a combination of acro dancing (dancing with acrobatic elements) and an acrobatic act called the water bowl (m.youtube.com/?rdm=126xti3ka&c…)

Faction: Etolie 

Wish: "I just wish that he could somehow prove he really loves me."

A stupid heartbroken, love sick girl... That's what she was when she made her wish and she knew it. She didn't know the dark man who owned the circus would actually grant it nor did she know it would be her worst mistake. Murdering her family and carving that damn mark on her face... That was her old boyfriend's act of love. There had been signs of a darker nature to him before but nothing violent and brutal such as this. She couldn't help but feel partially responsible. She was too wrapped up in what she thought was love that she couldn't see the cost of such a wish. Now, trapped in this nightmare, she's working to pay the price.

If she was to leave the circus, she will immediately feel the urge to return to her old boyfriend, Maxwell, much to her own horror. She still knows that he's crazy, she still remembers what he did, and she knows what he could do to her should she actually go to him. But the urge to be with him again is so great that her body will move on it's own despite what her mind wants. That's why she prefers to remain in the circus for her own safety.

She and Mr. Dark made a deal. If she finds and falls in love with a man that makes her feel safer than she does at the circus, he’ll take away her urge to return to Maxwell and allow her to leave the circus forever. Given how she feels about her chances of finding love, this task is easier said than done…

Personality:
After everything that happened to her, Gale has hardened herself emotionally. Although she would love nothing more than to make friends, she keeps on a stoic and emotionless mask when in public to keep others distant from her. She does this because she feels that anyone who comes to love and care for her only end up getting hurt because of her and she, in turn, is afraid of getting hurt again. This does not mean, however, that she has become emotionally void. When emotions become too hard for her to contain, she will have no trouble expressing them. This is the key to getting her to be friends with anyone. Getting her to feel truly happy will return her to the sweet and happy girl she used to be and will earn those responsible a good and loyal friend.

Since the war against the Familia, Gale has begun to let go of the past and has come out a little stronger because of it. The once stoic Sylveon now shows her emotions and what she's truly feeling a little more and is smiling a lot more than when she first came to the Circus. Her stoic mask does still appear occasionally but it's not as present as it used to be and really only comes up out of habit.

History (Pretty long so please bare with me. ) :

Gale Valentine was born into an upper middle class family. They weren’t rich but they always had enough to eat and lived in comfort. They were a happy and loving family, her parents holding enough love for her, her older brother James, and older sister Clara who also loved her very much.

Life was good until her 18^th birthday when a friend introduced her to Maxwell Kingsly. Charming, handsome, worldly… anyone who met him swore that he was going places. It was love at first sight or so she believed. Her mind was still where ideas of love could only be compared to fairy tales. She was still too young to know what real love was and jumped at the chance to be with him.

The first two years they were together everything was fine. They had a wonderful courtship. He was a little overprotective and did act a little jealous at times but she simply wrote it off as him showing that he loved her. When it was time for her 21^st birthday, however, things had slowly began to change for the worst.

Maxwell started to become more possessive and wanted her to spend almost every day with him. Being the gentle girl she was, she put up with it for a time. She was still convinced that he was just showing her how much he loved her. Her family warned her how dangerous this behavior was and she knew they meant well but she still didn’t listen. That was until he wanted her to cancel the plans her friends had made to celebrate her birthday with her to spend it with him instead despite the fact that he promised her she could be with them.

That was the last straw. She cancelled plans for him before and she lost many friends because of it. She wasn’t about to lose the ones she had left and decided that it would be best for them to be apart for awhile. Maxwell, of course, objected and tried to convince her once more but she wouldn’t listen. She left him standing there to meet up with her friends at the place they had chosen to be the special entertainment for that night.

Circus Darkrai. She saw the flyers posted around town and thought it might be interesting but she could never convince Maxwell to go. And now, here she was with her friends but without him which saddened her a little.

She did her best to enjoy herself. The side show attractions were intriguing, the games and rides were fun, and the big top events were breathtaking but she just couldn’t work up the energy to feel truly happy. It is, after all, hard to feel happy when it feels like ones heart is breaking. Her friends noticed this and decided to get her something to cheer her up. They decided to get her a present from the circus’ shop and told her to stay put so it would be a surprise. It was then that a certain Darkrai appeared next to her.

“Hello there, my dear.” He said in order to make his presence known. She jumped a little in surprise and turned to meet him.

“Oh, good evening to you, sir.” She responded as she swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.

“Forgive me for startling you.” The man apologized although the smile on his face gave her the feeling that he was anything but sorry.

“That’s quite alright, mister…”

“Dark.” He finished for her as he gave her a low bow. “Owner and ringmaster of this delightful little circus.”

“Oh yes.” She wiped her hands on the skirt of her dress when she felt them start to sweat. “I remember seeing you in the big top.”

“And I you.” He stated as he came up from his bow. “It’s rare to see someone who wasn’t as awed by my performers as the other patrons.” This comment made her blush and bow her head in shame.

“I apologize, Mr. Dark. I meant no disrespect by it. I just… had something on my mind.” She froze when she felt the imposing man tilt her head back up to meet his eyes and the sinister air his smile seemed to give off made her shiver.

“Well, I hate to see anyone attending my circus in such a sorry state. Tell me dear, what troubles you so?”

She wasn’t sure what it was about Mr. Dark that compelled her to tell him. She just knew that lying to this man or trivializing the matter somehow became physically impossible for her to do.

“It’s… my former lover.” She admitted before swallowing that lump in her throat again. “You see, today is my birthday and even though he promised I could spend it with my friends tonight, he went back on his word and tried to make me stay with him.”

Mr. Dark chuckled and clicked his tongue at this.

“You poor thing.” That smile on his face only seemed to get bigger. “And from the way you talk about it, this isn’t the first time it’s happened. Am I wrong in my assumptions?”

Gale shook her head. “No, sir. You’re correct.” She sighed. “He has done it before and I’ve cancelled plans for him before too. My family warned me how unhealthy this kind of behavior was but… I always thought he just wanted to be with me all the time because he loved me. Now, I’m not so sure anymore.”

She felt herself shiver again when his already large grin now took up at least half of his face.

“Well, since it’s your birthday today, I do believe that entitles you to a wish.” He leaned in and whispered into her ear, “So tell me dearie, if you could wish for anything at all tonight, what would it be?”

It took Gale a while to find her voice when she tried to answer him due to how uncomfortable and scared she felt at this moment.

“I just wish that he could somehow prove that he really loves me.” Her eyes widened when he gave another dark laugh in her ear before pulling away.

“Is that all?” He sounded amused by this. “Well, that should be no trouble.” That grin was still plastered on his face as he bowed once more. “If you’ll excuse me. I have some work to do. See you again soon, birthday girl.” And with that, he walked away, leaving her stunned.

She felt a sense of dread forming in her stomach. Something was going to happen when she got home and whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good.

She was right. As soon as her friends dropped her off and she stepped into the house, she couldn’t hold back her scream. There was Maxwell in the living room, a bloody knife in his hand and her family on the floor dead. He turned towards her and it finally struck her to run. She tried but he was quicker and she soon found herself trapped in his hold.

“Why?” She managed to ask, tears forming in her eyes.

“They were in the way.” It was the only reply he gave before putting the knife to her face.

She let out a cry of pain when she felt the tip break through the surface of her skin and he began to carve a heart into her left cheek.

"Your hand in marriage..." he growled out as he continued to move the knife, "A chance to make you happy for the rest of your life... That's all I asked for but no. They had to tell me that I didn't deserve you. That you deserved to be happy, but that it was never going to be with me. Well, that's not a problem anymore, is it?"

Her struggling didn’t help matters as it only seemed to help him along and cause her more pain in the process.

“There.” He removed the knife and she shivered when she felt him slide it slowly down her neck. “That should prove to everyone, including you, that you’re my girl.”

She wasn’t sure if it was her strong will to survive or fear over what he could do next, but she somehow managed to knock the knife out of his hand before pushing him away. She took that opportunity to run out the door and never once looked back even when she heard him running after her. She kept running and managed to gain some distance from him. It was only when the Sylveon saw the entrance sign when the fairy realized she was back at the Circus. Gale gasped when she felt someone pull her over the Circus' threshold while covering her mouth to keep her silent.

“I did say we would meet again. Did I not, birthday girl?” Gale swore she felt her heart stop when she recognized that voice. It was none other than Mr. Dark himself. “I see Romeo got a little carried away.” He observed as they watched Maxwell stop in front of the entrance and look around a little before deciding to head back to Gale’s house. “I guess I pushed him a little too far.”

“What do you mean?” Gale asked once the Darkrai removed his hand from her mouth, her voice shaking. She turned to look at him, fear evident in her eyes.

“Your wish.” He answered, that same sinister grin making a reappearance. “You wanted him to prove that he really loved you. It was too easy really.”

“I…” Gale took a step back, a helpless look making its way onto her face. “I didn’t want him to… I didn’t think you would actually…”

“It seems to me that you have a choice to make, my dear.” Mr. Dark cut in, that smile still on his face. “You can either go back and risk having Lover Boy carve you like a pumpkin some more,” he paused and held his hand out to her, “or you can come with me and become a performer in my circus where you’ll be safe. I’m sure that your family would agree that the latter option would be better for you.”

Gale felt so helpless. She looked at the man’s cold blue eyes and knew that no matter what she did, her life had now become a nightmare she could never wake up from. At least one way, she would be alive and she had to live for her family now. She took his hand silently and nodded. She began to cry again when Mr. Dark laughed and whispered into her ear again.

“Happy Birthday, birthday girl.”

Likes: Reading, practicing her act, dancing, listening to music, flowers, sweets, children (she finds that their innocent nature makes them easier to trust), polite gentlemen, arts of all kinds, good hearted people, good food, being around water, lemonade, simple things

Dislikes: Very rude people, obsessive behaviors regarding love, people with twisted senses of humor, food being wasted ("Someone spent their time to make sure that food tastes good. It's only good manners to finish it."), people who take advantage of others, burdening others with her problems, those who judge others based on looks alone, lies, broken promises, her scar (a constant reminder of why she's in the circus in the first place), waking up tangled in her feelers, most wines and other bitter tasting drinks

Move set:
-Detect (Fighting)
-Swift (Normal)
-Misty Terrain (Fairy) (She sometimes uses this move to give her act a more mystical feel.)
-Moon Blast (Fairy)

Extras:

- Due to coming from an artistically inclined family, Gale inherited her sister's love and talent for ballet as well as her brother's interest in acrobatics which he eagerly taught her.

-Gale hasn’t completely lost her faith in love despite what’s happened to her but she also feels that the prospect of someone falling in love with her doesn’t look very promising. Those pessimistic thoughts again.

-She knows it might be inevitable but she feels that it would probably be better for her not to fall in love with someone in the circus. How would she be able to choose between them and her freedom from the gilded cage that is the circus?

-She buys and collects hair ribbons as well as hair jewelry which she saves for special occasions.

-She’s never quite sure why Mr. Dark seems to flinch slightly whenever he says her last name.

-Gale has mixed feelings about Mr. Dark. While she resents him for his method of wish granting and his sociopathic tendencies along with holding a great fear of him, she’s also thankful to him for giving her a safe place to be and only puts half the blame of what happened to her on him. (“My case was already a keg of gun powder waiting to catch on fire. The only thing I truly blame Mr. Dark for is lighting the match.”)

-She doesn’t know that the night she made her wish and joined the circus, a neighbor heard the commotion over at Gale’s house and called the police. When they got there, they found Maxwell trying to clean up the murder scene. He was arrested, tried, and convicted for her family’s murder as well as Gale’s disappearance so Gale would have been safe had she decided to go back. The irony, huh?

-Because of her love for water, everyone in the family including her logically assumed that she was destined to become a Vaporeon. Imagine everyone’s surprise when before they were able to get her a Water Stone, she evolved into a Sylveon. Considering how much love that she was given by friends and family as well as knowing the move Baby Doll Eyes when she was young, it wasn't a surprise anymore after awhile and Gale actually came to like being a Sylveon. If only her feelers weren't so much trouble from time to time...

-Gale’s father was an Absol while her mother was a Espeon. Her brother and sister were an Umbreon and a Glaceon respectively.

-Maxwell was a Mightyena so she now views other male Mightyenas with a very cautious and fearful eye.