Not everyone can say they’ve been to the Big Apple, but [ Charles Valmont ], a [ 53 ] year-old [ cisgender man ] has lived in [ Tribeca, Manhattan ] for [ thirty years ]. This is the city of dreams and [ he ] knows it, because they came to NYC to be a [ philanthropist ]. Well, that and as a [ father ] to [ Serena Valmont ] and [ husband ] to [ Vivienne Valmont ] Living in the city means they meet all kinds of people, but everyone always seems to think they look like [ Dermot Mulroney ]. They even got away with free cab fare once because of it! [Amy, 27, she/her, EST, n/a]
Name: Charles Valmont
Age: 53
He/Him, Cisgender man, Heterosexual
Enneagram 9
Cancer Sun, Taurus Moon, Libra Rising
When Charles Valmont was 19 years old, with a whole lot less grey hair and a whole lot more flexibility in his joints, he couldn't take his eyes off of Vivi Klein. He'd grown used to the prim and proper of New York's social elite, the Valmonts as old money as they come, but there was something different about the way she carried herself. How she held her shoulders back and chin up and still could turn at any moment with a mischievous little smile.
He's said it many times over thirty-something years: Charles knew he was going to marry Vivi from the moment they met. And with their families' enthusiasm for the match, it seemed like a fairytale. A fairytale without all the complicated stuff, just the happy ending and the riding off into the sunset with everyone cheering them on. He adored her: how she surprised him, how she supported him and others around her, how she worried about everyone but herself. Charles felt like sometimes he couldn't get enough of her, especially not in those first few years. It wasn't a surprise when the children came at all, beautiful and lovely.
While Charles worked hard, it's the kind of working hard that a certain class does: keep doing the same things to keep the same kind of money flowing, no more no less. He much preferred the time he spent with his family, all the vacations and holidays and peaceful mornings during the weekend.
And life was perfect. So, so incredibly perfect. And it still is! Oh, how happy is he, to be growing old with the only love of his life, the--
Well. There is this one...tiny thing. It's really very small. Microscopic, really, in the grand scheme of things. Maybe he's just imagining it. It's just...
When the kids moved out, after the empty nest emotions had settled, things became different. Different, that's all. (Is that all?) Charles is trying so hard not to overreact, really, but it's difficult when the person he's relied on for over thirty years to share her mind with him is suddenly seeming very far away. The hands he always wanted to hold feel a little colder, flit away from his a little quicker. The soft skin of her neck, her chest, her stomach...her body is curled away from him when he tries to sleep, distant memories plaguing him of when he could hold her so easily.
But it's going to have to be fine. It has to be. Because when he's built his life on being a husband, a father, the boss who just really loves his wife...he doesn't know how such a distance could affect his identity. He doesn't know where to start.
Character Traits
+++ Family-oriented: While Charles Valmont can have a poker face when he gets to work, that all drops as soon as he walks through the door at home. His happiest memories are those of his children running down the hallway to greet him, Vi not far behind. He ties his strength to the strength of the family; the inverse is also true. If his family is struggling, so is he. He's only as happy as the least happy member of his family.
+++ Reliable: He's been teased for his habits, some calling it a lack of adventure, but Charles would prefer reliable. He has his routine, carved into stone, and he sticks to it. If he says he's going to be somewhere, he'll be there.
+++ Persistent: Maybe it's optimism, maybe it's drive. Either way, he doesn't give up when he feels he has to do something.
--- Rigid: Charles has an idea of what makes him happy and what's best for him, and he does not want to mess with it. Or let anyone else mess with it. If there's a problem, it means he just needs to get back to a baseline of peace, rather than really change.
--- Clingy: If Charles likes a person, let alone if he loves a person, he doesn't let go. It means that old friends stay friends, even if they've grown apart and can't find much in common anymore. It means that he keeps reaching for affection where there isn't any, too, hoping for something different.
--- Conflict-avoidant: He likes to think he's gotten better at this, and he's able to think back to some pretty major fights that he and Vi have hashed out...but the truth is that he much prefers to smooth over rough patches rather than digging up the roots. He'd much prefer a band-aid than a huge amount of change. With his kids, friends, and neighbors, Charles would much prefer to let things sit on the surface and seek out at least a superficial peace.