STATUS:
"Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow"
7 mos ago
Last Seen:
6 hrs ago
Joined:
7 mos ago
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7 mos ago
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"Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow"
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Bio
Heyo!
(I've probably rewritten this ten times now lmao)
I've been role playing passively since I was a pre-teen but I've only gotten heavily back into it at the end of 2025. As someone in my 30s I prefer to RP with those 21+. I would say my average style of writing is about 3+ paragraph posts (I'm new to collabs but they are growing on me!). I am partial to more mature themes (as far as smut goes, I'm perfectly fine fading to black) and I love when angst/drama/fluff finds its way into the plot.
I don't personally have any triggers but I will say, as a trans masc individual, playing feminine characters isn't my forte (but I'm working on that!).
Some fandoms I enjoy (be aware I'm rusty playing any canon characters):
- Harry Potter - Star Trek - Avengers/Spiderman - Hunger Games - Teen Wolf - Glee - Avatar: The Last Airbender - Maximum Ride - The Host (Stephanie Meyer... And fine, Twilight can be mentioned here in brackets) - The Vampire Diaries - Dragon Ball Z
& In general, I like:
- Slice of life (including high school/college) - Sci-fi/fantasy - Adventure
Side note: I live on Discord if you ever want to consistently chat with me đź––
Active Character(s):
Faceclaim: Bob Morley // Color Code: #75779c Haunted House by Noah Gundersen
Valen, Val (will only respond to a few who call him this), V
Age:
34 (Sept-10)
Gender:
Male
Sexuality:
Heterosexual (he’s never considered it deeper)
Occupation:
Law Enforcement
Place of Residence:
#226 Miners Street
Family and Close Connections:
Parents: Giovanni (57) & Aleda (deceased)
Late Wife: Emily (deceased)
Ex-Girlfriend: Dallas King
Appearance:
Height: 5’11”
Hair: Naturally wavy, black hair that reaches his neck, usually rather unkempt even when styled. He also has a beard—which refuses to grow fully on the sides, not for a lack of trying—and a moustache.
Eyes: Hazel
Body Type: Lean, muscular frame with broad shoulders
Clothing Style: Casual shirts and jeans are his go-to, often paired with some variety of jacket. While he does own a pair of sneakers from when he used to jog in the mornings, he’s more likely to be seen wearing his tactical boots. Valen does have some dress attire as well that has a reserved spot deep in his closet, squashed in the corner next to his work uniforms.
Body Markings: Valen has a scar on his left shoulder from a vehicle collision. He doesn’t have any tattoos or piercings, viewing body modifications negatively from his job experience and considers them to be unprofessional in most cases; there are a few people, however, he appreciates the artistry on despite his views.
Personality:
Not unlike most people, Valen can be complicated—more so when he’s under the influence of alcohol. Typically, he presents a pretty standard front: charming, easygoing, and sociable in most situations. However, the opposite can be true as well—he can be sullen and broody, although he usually restricts where he goes when he’s in a foul mood. In the latter case, he’ll usually pull up a barstool at Huskers or make a detour to Smokers Paradise before a long night in.
With his occupation, Valen is prone to judging books by their covers—which means there are a lot of folks in town he’s wary of. He’s definitely more of a hard ass towards other men, not at all opposed to intimidation tactics whether he’s in uniform or not. That being said, he has started to loosen-up a bit around some of the locals… others, not so much.
History:
Valen was raised in New York City, having moved to the rural town of Pines Holler only four years ago to get away from the reminders that covered the city like weeds.
Back in New York, Valen grew up an only child with the burden his father’s expectations heavy on his shoulders. They had a fairly traditional family dynamic—stay-at-home mother with a breadwinner father. The blemish on their homelife, had anyone found out, was his father’s abusive disposition behind closed doors.
As soon as Valen graduated, he set his sights on pursuing a career in Law Enforcement. He moved out of his family’s house to start a life with his high school sweetheart, the two marrying early in their twenties. After joining the force, Valen started down a slippery slope with drinking, which only got worse as time went on. When they finally decided to try for a child, Valen was spending the majority of his nights getting wasted with his work buddies, causing a lot of friction between them.
On the night she went into labor, Valen had been chasing the bottom of the bottle, leaving the responsibility on his wife to drive to the hospital. That ill-fated night cost him his wife and unborn child, Valen being the sole survivor in the collision that took their lives.
He quickly spiraled after that—losing his job, his home, and even his mother suddenly from an undiagnosed health issue. He ended up staying with his father for a while, both of them consumed in their grief until Valen was able to find a low-end job and get an apartment on the shady side of town. Eventually, however, the city began to feel suffocating after all he’d lost, and even seeing familiar faces became an almost unbearable reminder of the life he used to have.
Before his 30th birthday, Valen made the impulsive decision to pack-up and leave. He’d simply driven until he found himself in the small town, the taped hiring sign on the run-down building too serendipitous to pass up.
Valen dated Dallas King for a little over a year, their time together tumultuous with a messy ending that came about approximately eight months ago – not that he was keeping track.
Valen never planned to date someone so much younger than him, but Dallas’ radiant energy and positive outlook had been a breath of fresh air that drew him in immediately. It hadn’t taken long for them to officially begin dating, Valen even jumping at the chance to invite her to move in with him—which she’d happily accepted.
At the beginning, it had almost seemed too good to be true—in hindsight, because it was. It had been easy to pretend their relationship wasn’t doomed from the start when it was still new and the overwhelming desire for her company left little space for anything else.
Once they started living together, however, the weight of it all began to set in and his demons came crawling out of the woodwork. Guilt pounded at his door, old memories resurfacing like wallpaper beneath peeling paint. His grasp on drinking began to deteriorate, desperate to drown out the torment that now accompanied his life with Dallas.
Looking back on it, Valen was ashamed of the trajectory their relationship took. His anger had gotten the better of him often—he’d woken up too many times to find broken glass or a new hole in the drywall that hadn’t been there before. That wasn’t even including the incidents that had nothing to do with alcohol at all—their short-lived time together filled with shouting matches, often one-sided, and slamming doors that never stayed closed.
What eventually drove Dallas off was a poorly timed intervention attempt on her part. Perhaps if it had happened before he’d started drinking—not that she knew he usually got started long before he’d arrive home—or better yet, not at all, he might never have laid hands on her. He wanted to believe that—was desperate to, in fact—even if everything laid out had shown it was nothing short of an inevitability. The bruises that remained for weeks after were enough for him to let her go, at least until he finally started to tamp down on his alcohol consumption again.
Unfortunately, the damage was done and there was no erasing that fact. Valen knew better than to think re-starting something with Dallas wouldn’t have history repeating itself—he had two too-many skeletons in his closet to be so delusional again, but he couldn’t quite get himself to give her up entirely. He still tried to talk her into coming over, still overstayed his welcome at her place of employment, and still came knocking even under Mollie’s pressure on him to stop.
He couldn’t help it; he really missed Dallas, even if he came with more damage than she should have to carry.
Extra Facts // Headcannons:
Valen doesn’t have a personal attachment to Pines Holler that affects his view on the town’s potential expansion. He’s used to bigger city living and wouldn’t be entirely opposed, however he’s grown fonder than he thinks of the quieter lifestyle and would undoubtedly miss aspects of it were the town to change.
Drives a silver Ford Explorer he's had since his late wife was expecting; doesn't have the heart to trade it in.
He has tried multiple times to quit drinking but can’t seem to steer clear of it for longer than a couple of months. He can, and often does, handle his liquor well enough if he doesn’t get carried away.
While he doesn’t consider himself a smoker, Valen is known to buy a pack here or there when he does plan to drink a lot.
Despite Valen’s history with Dallas, he’s normally not aggressive, most of the hostility stemming from his unresolved trauma.
He's still holding onto hope that he can have a future with Dallas, even as she moves on.
Valen still wears his wedding ring, regardless of anyone he may be actively dating.
Heyo!
(I've probably rewritten this ten times now lmao)
I've been role playing passively since I was a pre-teen but I've only gotten heavily back into it at the end of 2025. As someone in my 30s I prefer to RP with those [b][color=f7976a]21+[/color][/b]. I would say my average style of writing is about 3+ paragraph posts (I'm new to collabs but they are growing on me!). I am partial to more mature themes (as far as smut goes, I'm perfectly fine fading to black) and I love when angst/drama/fluff finds its way into the plot.
I don't personally have any triggers but I will say, as a trans masc individual, playing feminine characters isn't my forte (but I'm working on that!).
[hr]
Some fandoms I enjoy ([s]be aware I'm rusty playing any canon characters[/s]):
[indent]- Harry Potter
- Star Trek
- Avengers/Spiderman
- Hunger Games
- Teen Wolf
- Glee
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Maximum Ride
- The Host (Stephanie Meyer... And [i]fine[/i], Twilight can be mentioned here in brackets)
- The Vampire Diaries
- Dragon Ball Z[/indent]
& In general, I like:
[indent]- Slice of life (including high school/college)
- Sci-fi/fantasy
- Adventure[/indent]
[b]Side note[/b]: I live on [color=0072bc][b]Discord[/b][/color] if you ever want to consistently chat with me đź––
[hr]
Active Character(s):
[hider=Valen Lockwood || TW: Alcoholism/DV/Mentions of death]
[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/260117/ceb83a85.png[/img]
[img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/a3a6fba289a4b586fe88e06d8952840b/c65fa6146aaf1962-c2/s500x750/f09bfc992cd93cd2130d9ddba8d975755b72a8ae.gifv[/img]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Faceclaim: Bob Morley // Color Code: #75779c[/b][/color][/sub]
[sub][color=#75779c][b][url=https://open.spotify.com/track/4CVsZnqjElgFRw5kst2vyd?si=foMeW_WiSSO3ZoEiFGLEAQ]Haunted House[/url][/b] by Noah Gundersen[/color][/sub]
[color=#75779c]_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________[/color][/center]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Full Name:[/b][/color][/sub]
[indent]Valentino Lockwood[/indent]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Nickname(s):[/b][/color][/sub]
[indent]Valen, Val (will only respond to a few who call him this), V[/indent]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Age:[/b][/color][/sub]
[indent]34 (Sept-10)[/indent]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Gender:[/b][/color][/sub]
[indent]Male[/indent]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Sexuality:[/b][/color][/sub]
[indent]Heterosexual (he’s never considered it deeper)[/indent]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Occupation:[/b][/color][/sub]
[indent]Law Enforcement[/indent]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Place of Residence:[/b][/color][/sub]
[indent]#226 Miners Street[/indent]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Family and Close Connections:[/b][/color][/sub]
[list][*][color=#75779c][b]Parents[/b][/color]: Giovanni (57) & Aleda ([i]deceased[/i])
[*][color=#75779c][b]Late Wife:[/b][/color] Emily ([i]deceased[/i])
[*][color=#75779c][b]Ex-Girlfriend:[/b][/color] [color=#4998be]Dallas King[/color][/list]
[center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/fdeddb4e03394bdc3573838337a9e9a1/c65fa6146aaf1962-34/s500x750/2e64a8ebd2fbd9e5cd99ac9bbb80005db1440a6e.gifv[/img][/center]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Appearance:[/b][/color][/sub]
[list][*][color=#75779c]Height:[/color] 5’11”
[*][color=#75779c]Hair:[/color] Naturally wavy, black hair that reaches his neck, usually rather unkempt even when styled. He also has a beard—which refuses to grow fully on the sides, not for a lack of trying—and a moustache.
[*][color=#75779c]Eyes:[/color] Hazel
[*][color=#75779c]Body Type:[/color] Lean, muscular frame with broad shoulders
[*][color=#75779c]Clothing Style:[/color] Casual shirts and jeans are his go-to, often paired with some variety of jacket. While he does own a pair of sneakers from when he used to jog in the mornings, he’s more likely to be seen wearing his tactical boots. Valen does have some dress attire as well that has a reserved spot deep in his closet, squashed in the corner next to his work uniforms.
[*][color=#75779c]Body Markings:[/color] Valen has a scar on his left shoulder from a vehicle collision. He doesn’t have any tattoos or piercings, viewing body modifications negatively from his job experience and considers them to be unprofessional in most cases; there are a few people, however, he appreciates the artistry on despite his views.
[/list]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Personality:[/b][/color][/sub]
[indent]Not unlike most people, Valen can be complicated—more so when he’s under the influence of alcohol. Typically, he presents a pretty standard front: charming, easygoing, and sociable in most situations. However, the opposite can be true as well—he can be sullen and broody, although he usually restricts where he goes when he’s in a foul mood. In the latter case, he’ll usually pull up a barstool at Huskers or make a detour to Smokers Paradise before a long night in.
With his occupation, Valen is prone to judging books by their covers—which means there are a lot of folks in town he’s wary of. He’s definitely more of a hard ass towards other men, not at all opposed to intimidation tactics whether he’s in uniform or not. That being said, he has started to loosen-up a bit around some of the locals… [i]others[/i], not so much.[/indent]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]History:[/b][/color][/sub]
[indent]Valen was raised in New York City, having moved to the rural town of Pines Holler only four years ago to get away from the reminders that covered the city like weeds.
Back in New York, Valen grew up an only child with the burden his father’s expectations heavy on his shoulders. They had a fairly traditional family dynamic—stay-at-home mother with a breadwinner father. The blemish on their homelife, had anyone found out, was his father’s abusive disposition behind closed doors.
As soon as Valen graduated, he set his sights on pursuing a career in Law Enforcement. He moved out of his family’s house to start a life with his high school sweetheart, the two marrying early in their twenties. After joining the force, Valen started down a slippery slope with drinking, which only got worse as time went on. When they finally decided to try for a child, Valen was spending the majority of his nights getting wasted with his work buddies, causing a lot of friction between them.
On the night she went into labor, Valen had been chasing the bottom of the bottle, leaving the responsibility on his wife to drive to the hospital. That ill-fated night cost him his wife and unborn child, Valen being the sole survivor in the collision that took their lives.
He quickly spiraled after that—losing his job, his home, and even his mother suddenly from an undiagnosed health issue. He ended up staying with his father for a while, both of them consumed in their grief until Valen was able to find a low-end job and get an apartment on the shady side of town. Eventually, however, the city began to feel suffocating after all he’d lost, and even seeing familiar faces became an almost unbearable reminder of the life he used to have.
Before his 30th birthday, Valen made the impulsive decision to pack-up and leave. He’d simply driven until he found himself in the small town, the taped hiring sign on the run-down building too serendipitous to pass up.[/indent]
[hider=Dallas King History (TW: Domestic Violence)]
Valen dated [color=#4998be]Dallas King[/color] for a little over a year, their time together tumultuous with a messy ending that came about approximately eight months ago – not that he was keeping track.
Valen never planned to date someone so much younger than him, but Dallas’ radiant energy and positive outlook had been a breath of fresh air that drew him in immediately. It hadn’t taken long for them to officially begin dating, Valen even jumping at the chance to invite her to move in with him—which she’d happily accepted.
At the beginning, it had almost seemed too good to be true—in hindsight, because it was. It had been easy to pretend their relationship wasn’t doomed from the start when it was still new and the overwhelming desire for her company left little space for anything else.
Once they started living together, however, the weight of it all began to set in and his demons came crawling out of the woodwork. Guilt pounded at his door, old memories resurfacing like wallpaper beneath peeling paint. His grasp on drinking began to deteriorate, desperate to drown out the torment that now accompanied his life with Dallas.
Looking back on it, Valen was ashamed of the trajectory their relationship took. His anger had gotten the better of him often—he’d woken up too many times to find broken glass or a new hole in the drywall that hadn’t been there before. That wasn’t even including the incidents that had nothing to do with alcohol at all—their short-lived time together filled with shouting matches, often one-sided, and slamming doors that never stayed closed.
What eventually drove Dallas off was a poorly timed intervention attempt on her part. Perhaps if it had happened before he’d started drinking—not that she knew he usually got started long before he’d arrive home—or better yet, not at all, he might never have laid hands on her. He wanted to believe that—was desperate to, in fact—even if everything laid out had shown it was nothing short of an inevitability. The bruises that remained for weeks after were enough for him to let her go, at least until he finally started to tamp down on his alcohol consumption again.
Unfortunately, the damage was done and there was no erasing that fact. Valen knew better than to think re-starting something with Dallas wouldn’t have history repeating itself—he had two too-many skeletons in his closet to be so delusional again, but he couldn’t quite get himself to give her up entirely. He still tried to talk her into coming over, still overstayed his welcome at her place of employment, and still came knocking even under Mollie’s pressure on him to stop.
He couldn’t help it; he really missed Dallas, even if he came with more damage than she should have to carry.
[/hider]
[sub][color=#75779c][b]Extra Facts // Headcannons:[/b][/color][/sub]
[list][*]Valen doesn’t have a personal attachment to Pines Holler that affects his view on the town’s potential expansion. He’s used to bigger city living and wouldn’t be entirely opposed, however he’s grown fonder than he thinks of the quieter lifestyle and would undoubtedly miss aspects of it were the town to change.
[*] Drives a silver Ford Explorer he's had since his late wife was expecting; doesn't have the heart to trade it in.
[*]He has tried multiple times to quit drinking but can’t seem to steer clear of it for longer than a couple of months. He can, and often does, handle his liquor well enough if he doesn’t get carried away.
[*]While he doesn’t consider himself a smoker, Valen is known to buy a pack here or there when he does plan to drink a lot.
[*]Despite Valen’s history with Dallas, he’s normally not aggressive, most of the hostility stemming from his unresolved trauma.
[*]He's still holding onto hope that he can have a future with Dallas, even as she moves on.
[*]Valen still wears his wedding ring, regardless of anyone he may be actively dating.
[/list][/hider]
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Heyo! <br><br>(I've probably rewritten this ten times now lmao)<br><br>I've been role playing passively since I was a pre-teen but I've only gotten heavily back into it at the end of 2025. As someone in my 30s I prefer to RP with those <span class="bb-b"><font color="#f7976a">21+</font></span>. I would say my average style of writing is about 3+ paragraph posts (I'm new to collabs but they are growing on me!). I am partial to more mature themes (as far as smut goes, I'm perfectly fine fading to black) and I love when angst/drama/fluff finds its way into the plot.<br><br>I don't personally have any triggers but I will say, as a trans masc individual, playing feminine characters isn't my forte (but I'm working on that!).<br><br><hr class="bb-hr"><br>Some fandoms I enjoy (<span class="bb-s">be aware I'm rusty playing any canon characters</span>):<br><div class="bb-indent">- Harry Potter <br>- Star Trek<br>- Avengers/Spiderman<br>- Hunger Games<br>- Teen Wolf<br>- Glee<br>- Avatar: The Last Airbender<br>- Maximum Ride<br>- The Host (Stephanie Meyer... And <span class="bb-i">fine</span>, Twilight can be mentioned here in brackets)<br>- The Vampire Diaries<br>- Dragon Ball Z</div><br>& In general, I like:<br><div class="bb-indent">- Slice of life (including high school/college)<br>- Sci-fi/fantasy<br>- Adventure</div><br><span class="bb-b">Side note</span>: I live on <font color="#0072bc"><span class="bb-b">Discord</span></font> if you ever want to consistently chat with me 🖖<br><br><hr class="bb-hr"><br>Active Character(s):<br><div class="hider-panel"><div class="hider-heading"><button type="button" class="btn btn-default btn-xs hider-button" data-name="Valen Lockwood || TW: Alcoholism/DV/Mentions of death">Valen Lockwood || TW: Alcoholism/DV/Mentions of death [+]</button></div><div class="hider-body" style="display: none"><div class="bb-center"><img src="https://fontmeme.com/permalink/260117/ceb83a85.png" /><br><br><img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/a3a6fba289a4b586fe88e06d8952840b/c65fa6146aaf1962-c2/s500x750/f09bfc992cd93cd2130d9ddba8d975755b72a8ae.gifv" /><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Faceclaim: Bob Morley // Color Code: #75779c</span></font></sub><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b"><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://open.spotify.com/track/4CVsZnqjElgFRw5kst2vyd?si=foMeW_WiSSO3ZoEiFGLEAQ">Haunted House</a></span> by Noah Gundersen</font></sub><br><br><font color="#75779c">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________<br>_____________________________________________________________________________________________________</font></div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Full Name:</span></font></sub><br><div class="bb-indent">Valentino Lockwood</div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Nickname(s):</span></font></sub><br><div class="bb-indent">Valen, Val (will only respond to a few who call him this), V</div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Age:</span></font></sub><br><div class="bb-indent">34 (Sept-10)</div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Gender:</span></font></sub><br><div class="bb-indent">Male</div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Sexuality:</span></font></sub><br><div class="bb-indent">Heterosexual (he’s never considered it deeper)</div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Occupation:</span></font></sub><br><div class="bb-indent">Law Enforcement</div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Place of Residence:</span></font></sub><br><div class="bb-indent">#226 Miners Street</div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Family and Close Connections:</span></font></sub><br><ul class="bb-list" style="white-space: normal;"><li><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Parents</span></font>: Giovanni (57) & Aleda (<span class="bb-i">deceased</span>)</li><li><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Late Wife:</span></font> Emily (<span class="bb-i">deceased</span>)</li><li><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Ex-Girlfriend:</span></font> <font color="#4998be">Dallas King</font></li></ul><br><br><div class="bb-center"><img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/fdeddb4e03394bdc3573838337a9e9a1/c65fa6146aaf1962-34/s500x750/2e64a8ebd2fbd9e5cd99ac9bbb80005db1440a6e.gifv" /></div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Appearance:</span></font></sub><br><ul class="bb-list" style="white-space: normal;"><li><font color="#75779c">Height:</font> 5’11”</li><li><font color="#75779c">Hair:</font> Naturally wavy, black hair that reaches his neck, usually rather unkempt even when styled. He also has a beard—which refuses to grow fully on the sides, not for a lack of trying—and a moustache.</li><li><font color="#75779c">Eyes:</font> Hazel</li><li><font color="#75779c">Body Type:</font> Lean, muscular frame with broad shoulders</li><li><font color="#75779c">Clothing Style:</font> Casual shirts and jeans are his go-to, often paired with some variety of jacket. While he does own a pair of sneakers from when he used to jog in the mornings, he’s more likely to be seen wearing his tactical boots. Valen does have some dress attire as well that has a reserved spot deep in his closet, squashed in the corner next to his work uniforms.</li><li><font color="#75779c">Body Markings:</font> Valen has a scar on his left shoulder from a vehicle collision. He doesn’t have any tattoos or piercings, viewing body modifications negatively from his job experience and considers them to be unprofessional in most cases; there are a few people, however, he appreciates the artistry on despite his views.</li></ul><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Personality:</span></font></sub><br><div class="bb-indent">Not unlike most people, Valen can be complicated—more so when he’s under the influence of alcohol. Typically, he presents a pretty standard front: charming, easygoing, and sociable in most situations. However, the opposite can be true as well—he can be sullen and broody, although he usually restricts where he goes when he’s in a foul mood. In the latter case, he’ll usually pull up a barstool at Huskers or make a detour to Smokers Paradise before a long night in. <br><br>With his occupation, Valen is prone to judging books by their covers—which means there are a lot of folks in town he’s wary of. He’s definitely more of a hard ass towards other men, not at all opposed to intimidation tactics whether he’s in uniform or not. That being said, he has started to loosen-up a bit around some of the locals… <span class="bb-i">others</span>, not so much.</div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">History:</span></font></sub><br><div class="bb-indent">Valen was raised in New York City, having moved to the rural town of Pines Holler only four years ago to get away from the reminders that covered the city like weeds. <br><br>Back in New York, Valen grew up an only child with the burden his father’s expectations heavy on his shoulders. They had a fairly traditional family dynamic—stay-at-home mother with a breadwinner father. The blemish on their homelife, had anyone found out, was his father’s abusive disposition behind closed doors. <br><br>As soon as Valen graduated, he set his sights on pursuing a career in Law Enforcement. He moved out of his family’s house to start a life with his high school sweetheart, the two marrying early in their twenties. After joining the force, Valen started down a slippery slope with drinking, which only got worse as time went on. When they finally decided to try for a child, Valen was spending the majority of his nights getting wasted with his work buddies, causing a lot of friction between them. <br><br>On the night she went into labor, Valen had been chasing the bottom of the bottle, leaving the responsibility on his wife to drive to the hospital. That ill-fated night cost him his wife and unborn child, Valen being the sole survivor in the collision that took their lives.<br><br>He quickly spiraled after that—losing his job, his home, and even his mother suddenly from an undiagnosed health issue. He ended up staying with his father for a while, both of them consumed in their grief until Valen was able to find a low-end job and get an apartment on the shady side of town. Eventually, however, the city began to feel suffocating after all he’d lost, and even seeing familiar faces became an almost unbearable reminder of the life he used to have. <br><br>Before his 30th birthday, Valen made the impulsive decision to pack-up and leave. He’d simply driven until he found himself in the small town, the taped hiring sign on the run-down building too serendipitous to pass up.</div><br><br><div class="hider-panel"><div class="hider-heading"><button type="button" class="btn btn-default btn-xs hider-button" data-name="Dallas King History (TW: Domestic Violence)">Dallas King History (TW: Domestic Violence) [+]</button></div><div class="hider-body" style="display: none">Valen dated <font color="#4998be">Dallas King</font> for a little over a year, their time together tumultuous with a messy ending that came about approximately eight months ago – not that he was keeping track.<br><br>Valen never planned to date someone so much younger than him, but Dallas’ radiant energy and positive outlook had been a breath of fresh air that drew him in immediately. It hadn’t taken long for them to officially begin dating, Valen even jumping at the chance to invite her to move in with him—which she’d happily accepted.<br><br>At the beginning, it had almost seemed too good to be true—in hindsight, because it was. It had been easy to pretend their relationship wasn’t doomed from the start when it was still new and the overwhelming desire for her company left little space for anything else. <br><br>Once they started living together, however, the weight of it all began to set in and his demons came crawling out of the woodwork. Guilt pounded at his door, old memories resurfacing like wallpaper beneath peeling paint. His grasp on drinking began to deteriorate, desperate to drown out the torment that now accompanied his life with Dallas.<br><br>Looking back on it, Valen was ashamed of the trajectory their relationship took. His anger had gotten the better of him often—he’d woken up too many times to find broken glass or a new hole in the drywall that hadn’t been there before. That wasn’t even including the incidents that had nothing to do with alcohol at all—their short-lived time together filled with shouting matches, often one-sided, and slamming doors that never stayed closed. <br><br>What eventually drove Dallas off was a poorly timed intervention attempt on her part. Perhaps if it had happened before he’d started drinking—not that she knew he usually got started long before he’d arrive home—or better yet, not at all, he might never have laid hands on her. He wanted to believe that—was desperate to, in fact—even if everything laid out had shown it was nothing short of an inevitability. The bruises that remained for weeks after were enough for him to let her go, at least until he finally started to tamp down on his alcohol consumption again.<br><br>Unfortunately, the damage was done and there was no erasing that fact. Valen knew better than to think re-starting something with Dallas wouldn’t have history repeating itself—he had two too-many skeletons in his closet to be so delusional again, but he couldn’t quite get himself to give her up entirely. He still tried to talk her into coming over, still overstayed his welcome at her place of employment, and still came knocking even under Mollie’s pressure on him to stop. <br><br>He couldn’t help it; he really missed Dallas, even if he came with more damage than she should have to carry.</div></div><br><br><sub><font color="#75779c"><span class="bb-b">Extra Facts // Headcannons:</span></font></sub><br><ul class="bb-list" style="white-space: normal;"><li>Valen doesn’t have a personal attachment to Pines Holler that affects his view on the town’s potential expansion. He’s used to bigger city living and wouldn’t be entirely opposed, however he’s grown fonder than he thinks of the quieter lifestyle and would undoubtedly miss aspects of it were the town to change.</li><li>Drives a silver Ford Explorer he's had since his late wife was expecting; doesn't have the heart to trade it in.</li><li>He has tried multiple times to quit drinking but can’t seem to steer clear of it for longer than a couple of months. He can, and often does, handle his liquor well enough if he doesn’t get carried away.</li><li>While he doesn’t consider himself a smoker, Valen is known to buy a pack here or there when he does plan to drink a lot.</li><li>Despite Valen’s history with Dallas, he’s normally not aggressive, most of the hostility stemming from his unresolved trauma.</li><li>He's still holding onto hope that he can have a future with Dallas, even as she moves on.</li><li>Valen still wears his wedding ring, regardless of anyone he may be actively dating.</li></ul></div></div></div>