Valerica Schindler (Madoka Magica)

A seemingly happy-go-lucky magical girl who seeks self-satisfaction and excitement out of life. The clown-like Valerica, however, seems to carry a lot more burdens than she lets on.

Personality

First impressions of Valerica show that she is a bright and bubbly gal with a passion for making others smile. She enjoys cracking terrible jokes, as well as performing the strangest moves if it coaxed a laugh out of her peers. She dislikes a sad crowd the most, which usually manifests in her forcing herself to be the life of the party or even the center of attention. Valerica possesses a maternal attitude at times due to her time raising her brother. Her antics tend to get her into ludicrous situations, making her seem like a fool at times; however, she is skilled at turning any problem around to her benefit.

Despite all of this, Valerica hides the weight of the world on her shoulders. She is a mentally and physically tired person hiding underneath the mask she puts on for the public. Her childhood conditioned the girl into believing she needs to assist anyone and everyone in order to keep the overall peace in the community at the cost of her own needs. Valerica slowly lost her dreams, desires, and wants across the years due to focusing on the needs of other people; this has resulted in her mind being emptied only for the thoughts of her loved ones. She struggles to care for herself and believes that putting on the mask would benefit the greater good.

History

Valerica was the resulted of frisky college kids, way too young and stupid to be raising a child. They shared a socially pressured marriage, and the resentment for the parents grew with each day as they were forced to drop out of university to start their lukewarm family. The family weren't the closest they could have been due to all of this unspoken (yet most of the time spoken) pettiness, leaving Valerica with poor role models to look up to. Despite all of this, the young girl still managed to see glimpses of the love from her parents and the three would occasionally meet eye-to-eye.

It all changed once her little brother, Ryder, was born- just when Valerica turned seven. Apparently, her parents had gotten drunk and risky that one night, and his conception completely shattered the family. The young daughter was forced into a new role: therapist. Her mother and father would take turns venting their problems and poisonous hatred for each other, and even left Ryder under the care of their daughter. Valerica had to learn how to take care of her infant sibling as well as her incapable parents, crippling her ability to consider her own needs. This continued well into her adolescence where she's nearly abandoned all hope of a life outside of her family; she hated her household for the life they forced onto her shoulders, yet she didn't have the heart to deny them. They were her family after all...

One fateful day, Kyubey appeared before her to grant her one wish in exchange of becoming a magical girl. Valerica accepted the deal and wished for "just one peaceful day without any worry", resulting in her sleeping away for an entire day. Now, full of regret, she struggles her double lives: motherly teenager and a magical girl.