Children of Valentine is a web novel by VineLightnote /Scraggle, a sequel to Valentine and Valentine Man and an entry in the greater Neverkind Saga. It can be read here
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In 1980, a pair of immortal warriors are brought into alliance with the body-warping "Valentine Man" and his adopted son. The four of them find themselves contending with a dark plot from the past, headed the sinister Children of Valentine who seek revenge for the death of their mother, Helen Valentine, and to free their eldritch father: the Defiler. Part of the Neverkind Saga.
Tropes:
- Antagonist Title: The children of Valentine are a four being that serve their father the Defiler and seek vengeance for Helen Valentine.
- Avenging the Villain: The children of Valentine plan to kill Henri and Bruno to avenge their mother Helen.
- Bastard Bastard: Given that Helen was "married" to Il Padre, her children with the Defiler count as illegitimate, and they are just as cruel, if not more, as her legitimate ones.
- Berserk Button: Implying what Helen did to Salvatore was abuse makes him lose his composure immensely.
- Big Bad: Y'golonac, the Defiler, once again takes this role in the story. The Children of Valentine are working to unleash their father and unleash him upon the world.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Salvatore lacks his mother Helen's maliciousness, viewing a world without inhibitions ripe for defilement as freedom and happiness.
- Body Horror: Continuing the trend set by its predecessors.
- Henri Barrow warps and deforms his bodies in all sorts of creative ways for combat.
- Exoto is a hulking six armed beast that can possess and devour others from inside out before wearing them like flesh puppets.
- Salvatore has his brothers, Santino and Lorenzo, fuse a floor full of people into a gigantic fleshy wall and use them as a weapon.
- Breaking Speech: Bruno, of all people, delivers one to his sister Vittoria via denouncing their horrific mother and informing her how terribly Helen had ruined Vittoria's life.
- The Brute: Exoto's role with the Valentines is being a savage beast who tears through whatever is in his path.
- Cain and Abel: Like most of Helen's children, the title children of Valentine serve Helen even after her death, as opposed to the heroic Bruno who rebelled against her.
- Co-Dragons: The Children of Valentine serve as this to Y'golonac and carry out most of the conflict directly in his and Helen's name. Most visible are Salvatore Valentine, the eldest and leader of the siblings, and his younger twin Exoto, who's a savage, barely functioning monstrosity.
- Did You Just Romance Cthulhu?: Helen Valentine is the first person to successfully pull this on the god of defilement himself.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones:The Valentine siblings revere and miss their mother, who was also a lover to each of them. Salvatore especially, who speaks of his mother in the most intimate manner.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Salvatore may sees his father's depravity as an expression of freeom, but despises the pedophiles attracted to his business. It's implied to be the reason that Andre Mays, who had a "scandal" while working as a gym teacher, was feed to Exoto.
- Fiction 500: Hardstadt receives billion of dollars from Mammon, and donates most of it. Henri is shocked when he talks about billions of dollars in such a casual tone.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: It takes nearly nothing to set Exoto off. Exoto nearly rapes Santino to death on the spot when Santino accidentally backtalks him and Vittoria is constantly treading on broken glass in interacting with him.
- Mood-Swinger: Exoto's temperament is a volatile thing, swinging from fits of sullen moroseness and childish, petty tantrums to nigh-uncontrollable fits of savage lust and violence. At one point, when Vittoria starts to renege, Exoto breaks down sobbing in front of a picture of his mother and begging Vita not to leave him like Helen did, before winding over a literal second later and promising to "fuck you until the only thing you will ever feel again is my pain!" should Vittoria ever disobey them again.
- One-Hit Kill: Aisling's "annihilation spell" works like this; a single mental command that completely obliterates the minds of whatever it's cast upon. Aisling uses it to take out Lorenzo and Santino, though doing so takes a lot out of her.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Aisling hasn't used her real name in a long time, going by 'Sinead' officially, but more commonly by the nickname 'Red' that Hardestadt gave her.
- Predecessor Villain: Helen Valentine is dead, but still remains a threat through her children with the Defiler.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Exoto is a depraved predator who acts like a spoiled child. Henri even compares him to an eight-year-old and a schoolyard bully. At one point he breaks down weeping and wailing over a picture of his deceased mother.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil:
- The Defiler is considered an especially depraved member of the Great Old Ones for this reason, given that he represents violation.
- When Hardstadt wonders why he "belongs" to the Defiler, Red assures him he would never take advantage of anyone.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: 'Red' is the red to Hardestadt's blue, being vivacious, lively and energetic in contrast to his more laid back personality.
- Red Right Hand: Unlike the monstrous Exoto, Vittoria and Salvatore look normal, but have mouths in the palms of their hands like the Defiler and Helen. This is a trend with their other siblings as well, if Santino and Lorenzo are any indication.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Henri confronts a group of Defiler cultist and one of them claims that "the law can't touch us", fortunately Henri plans to take matters into his own hands.
- Sexual Karma: After two stories where all sex is horrific, body-bending horror and abuse, Hardestadt and Aisling are given a chance to enjoy themselves in a passionately healthy way, which is very normal for them.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Vittoria, Helen's only known surviving daughter, is nearly identical to her mother.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Salvatore presents as a pleasant club owner who just happens to dabble in the porn industry. Not many know he's half-Old One and a cultist intent on unleashing his monstrous father.
- Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: Henri is shocked by the amount of luxury Hardestadt lives in and the things he owns, with Hardestadt having to explain he's provided money by his beloved 'Auntie' Mammon.
