first things first, breathe.

class of 2006. pr strategist. mother of elliot ann.

[valesays]

have you seen ( valentina vale, she/her)? They look a lot like ( shay mitchell ). The ( 35 ) year old ( pr strategist ) is so ( composed, perceptive, and devoted) but I heard they can also be really ( controlling, prideful, and vindicative ). Can you believe they’ve been in town for ( a couple of days )?! They live in the ( fairweather hotel ) and kind of remind me of ( red-bottom heels clicking through airport terminals, pageant crowns boxed in tissue paper, smudged lipstick in a hotel mirror, designer sunglasses hiding a sleepless night, a baby balanced on one hip with a crisis call on speaker). If I was asked, I’d guess that they were ( most glamorous ) in their yearbook for the class of ( 2006 )

FULL NAME: Valentina Vale (Pangilinan) AGE: 35 DATE OF BIRTH: October 8 GENDER IDENTITY: cis female NEIGHBORHOOD: Fairweather Hotel OCCUPATION: PR Strategist POSITIVE TRAITS: composed, perceptive, and devoted NEGATIVE TRAITS: controlling, prideful, and vindicative LENGTH OF TIME IN CARROLL: she was born here, but travels frequently and comes back to visit her parents. FACE CLAIM: shay mitchell

BIOGRAPHY

Valentina Pangilinan was born and raised in Carroll, California, the only daughter of respected attorney Gabriel Pangilinan and former beauty queen Elena Vale-Pangilinan. Growing up, she was surrounded by polished appearances, high expectations, and the quiet understanding that grace mattered just as much as ambition. With a mother who knew how to command a room and a father whose name carried weight in town, Valentina learned early how to carry herself with poise, charm, and careful control. She spent much of her youth in the pageant world, earning crowns, titles, and a reputation for being the kind of girl who always seemed composed, even when she wasn’t.

As she got older, Carroll started to feel too small for everything she wanted. Valentina left home determined to build something bigger for herself, eventually carving out a successful career in celebrity public relations under the professional name Valentina Vale. Now working with high-profile clients, she spends much of her life on planes, in luxury hotels, and behind the scenes managing image, reputation, and crisis with the same polished ease she was taught as a girl. She still returns to the pageant circuit as a judge whenever she can, a role that keeps one foot in the world that shaped her and reminds everyone back home exactly who she became after leaving.

For all of her beauty, confidence, and careful presentation, Valentina’s life has never been as tidy as it looks from the outside. Beneath the glamour is a woman shaped by complicated friendships, quiet resentments, and the kind of heartbreak that taught her how to make anger look elegant. Now back in Carroll with her nine-month-old daughter, Elliott, Valentina is carrying more uncertainty than she lets anyone see. She’s spent most of her life knowing how to control a narrative, but motherhood, old history, and the question of Elliott’s father have left her facing the one thing she’s never been able to manage quite so neatly: the truth.

[mademoiseellllee]

[valesays]

@thexcarrollxtimes

[unaliveish]

pavel nechaev

[thexcarrollxtimes]

@valesays

[dailygilmores]

GILMORE GIRLS

4.21 | Last Week Fights, This Week Tights

[valesays]

@thexcarrollxtimes

[igotcursed]

GILMORE GIRLS 1x15: Christopher Returns

[vertigoartgore]

Gilmore Girls 25th Anniversary Rewatch : Gilmore Girls 1x15 - Christopher Returns (air date : March 1, 2001).

[thexcarrollxtimes]

@valesays

[angstfactory]

People were always so surprising, so interesting. Valentina may look the part of relaxed beach goer today, but even still, Grayson wouldn't have pegged her as someone who had ever been on a board before. She just had that vibe, like she was too polished to get her nails dirty. Again, that was why he enjoyed meeting people so much. They were full of surprises in all walks of life, and there was never a dull moment in studying where the similarities were and the differences began.

"So you've surfed before," Grayson nodded, cataloguing the information away. "Doesn't hurt to have a refreshener, which I'm happy to provide," a hand rested on his chest as he said this. More than willing to take time out of his day and give it over to her, just to see where the two ended up. He wondered how her night went, after she left him to seek out her safe option and do whatever. Grayson planned to ask about it, but not yet. Maybe when they were on the water, with nothing but time between them. "Alright, first... I'd suggest some sun tan lotion, because it's a blazer out there and you can never have too much," he advised, reaching towards the nearest rack to pluck some SPF50 off, saluting with it.

Now, he backed up, towards the row of surf boards laying against the wall. "And next, you've got to choose your ride.. find the one that calls to you." Grayson got out of her way, so she had a clearer look of all the colors and designs. Watching Val, curious to see which she'd prefer.

[valesays]

she nodded when he caught on that she’d surfed before. “yes, in high school,” valentina said. “my best friend and i used to go all the time.” her smile widened when he offered to help. “oh, a refresher would be amazing. it’s been... far too long.” too long since she’d been on a board, and too long since she’d stayed in one place long enough to even think about returning to the parts of herself she used to enjoy.

when he handed her the sunscreen, she took it with a small nod. valentina had never been especially good about using it on herself, but motherhood had made her a little more aware of things like that. if ellie was going to spend the summer coated in sunscreen, valentina supposed it was time she started being an adult about it too.

then his attention shifted toward the boards, and hers followed. there were sleek little shortboards in bright, glossy colors that looked better suited for someone young, reckless, and showing off. a few heavier longboards leaned nearby, sun-faded and easy, the kind that made her think of lazy afternoons and people who never seemed in a hurry. one board had a soft blush stripe down the middle that felt almost too on the nose, while another was a clean seafoam green with a polished finish that looked expensive enough for her to trust.

but it was the cream-colored longboard with the pale coral detailing along the edge that finally caught her eye — classic, pretty, a little glamorous, and forgiving enough for someone who hadn’t done this in years. “that one,” she said, smiling as she pointed to it. “it looks like the sort of board that would be patient with me while i pretend i still know what i’m doing.”

[thexcarrollxtimes]

He squeezed her back just as tightly, lifting her up off the ground and burrowing a bit into the crook of her neck. God he'd fucking missed her. Two years had been entirely too long to go without each other. "I ain't ever leavin' ya behind again Vally," he promised, giving one more squeeze just before they finally released one another. Although if he was being honest, he could have held on a lot longer just to make up for lost time.

As he looked at her, he couldn't help but think how grateful he was that she would always be there. Holden was known around town, mostly because of the Reynolds name and the constant spotlight on the family, so popularity had never been an issue for the heir apparent. But so few held the honor of actually knowing him. And even fewer were considered a constant in his life. Valentina was even rarer, having managed both.

He laughed when she squished his face, playing it up just a bit until she let go. Meet Ellie. His heart skipped a beat. His nerves spiked. "M'nervous as Hell, but I don' want to wait another minute ta see her," he told her honestly as he stepped inside.

[valesays]

he was kind to say it, but valentina knew she had been the one to leave him behind. when her gaze met his, though, she smiled. “i promise to do the same.” she couldn’t rewind time, couldn’t undo the choices that had already been made, but she could do better going forward. and there would never be anyone else in her life worth choosing over him again. there was no choice, not really. holden was her best friend, and even now it still hurt to think about daveed forcing that line between them when she got pregnant. at least he was gone now.

she gave his arm a reassuring squeeze when he admitted he was nervous. “she’s just a baby,” valentina said softly. “and trust me, that feeling will disappear the second you meet her.” then she led him into the living room and bent down beside the playpen, lifting ellie into her arms as the baby immediately started babbling at the sight of her mother. valentina smiled and turned her gently so she was facing holden. “holden,” she said, warmth slipping into her voice as she looked between them, “meet elliott.” then she held the baby out toward him with a small, encouraging smile.

[angstfactory]

This was certainly a woman that could lead him around on a string, if he'd let her. Like some caught animal trained to follow its new owner. Grayson could sense it, her having the potential of being some bad habit he just couldn't quite kick. Going back for more every time. He wanted that now, to slip into the easy way they seemed to meet and answer and converse with each other simply through their bodies on the dancefloor. The chemistry was there, it was natural and easy and it flowed. That wasn't the kind of thing that could be faked.

Crazy, yet thrilling, to consider a perfect stranger could already hint to so much. This was what Grayson enjoyed when meeting other people. The pieces and ways they fit and suited together, or didn't, and how they navigated that complicated threshold.

As she twisted, turned to face him, his touch was as fluid. One hand easily coursing from her throat to the side of her neck, fingers gently wrapping the nape of it, thumb tracing the line of her jaw. The other traveling to rest nicely on the swell of her ass, because that's just where it naturally came to land when she turned around, and he simply didn't bother to move it. "Look who's talking," he returned the sentiment, voice just as low and intimate, knowing they were on her chessboard and yet, he knew how to play. To others, meeting someone and finding themselves in a position where they were liplocked and draped on each other like some old, reunited lovers, might be a little fast or strange. For Grayson, it was par for the course. He had always been the type of man that found himself in these kinds of situations, with people who matched his vibe like Valentina, when they were all just a little more willing to simply go with it for the experience. He was his own little storm that blew in to cause a little chaos and then always left things smelling a little nicer, shining a little brighter, a little more fresh start.

Grayson sought more from the kiss, while the moment presented itself, drinking her in and committing that taste of her shade to memory automatically. But he'd known the second she had chosen to kiss him, it was only a tease of what more he wouldn't get, and that only caused him to smile into it. Damn, did he love that. There was always something so satisfying to be left wanting, even as much as it was frustrating. Sometimes the imagination was all one needed.

Still, knowing she was scheduled, planned for someone else, understanding that kiss was just a free sample of something he couldn't afford, Grayson put in the try. Not a hearty one, not a true fight, but enough to show the interest was there, if she wanted it. "You could always cancel them," he suggested lightly, thumb now tracing the shape to her bottom lip as his brain was still processing how nice they'd felt on his. Valentina already knew that, though. She'd known before she decided to dance with him, knew when she'd kissed him, that she had no plans to cancel anything with the other man waiting on her. Grayson didn't consider anything by it— she didn't know him, had no idea if he was worth the cancelled plans and this other guy, he was the safer option. The safer options always won out, in the end. Usually. Even with daring, sexy women like her. They always wanted something stable and sure, and Grayson knew he wasn't that. Wasn't sure if he could ever be, either. "Maybe another time then," his smile answered hers, no bother there to let her slip out of his arms to go and find some other man's.

She took the heat of everything with her. Grayson lingered, just to enjoy the sight of her walking off, wondering if that'd be the last time he would see her. He didn't think so, though.

END<3

[sophsun1]

The Parent Trap (1998) dir. Nancy Meyers

[valesays]

@theodore-robshaw

[valesays]

who: @thexcarrollxtimes ( oscar ) where: oscar's house

valentina was curled up on oscar’s couch, actively fighting the urge to get up and go back to her place. it wasn’t that she wasn’t enjoying herself — she was. she just missed ellie. she knew she hovered, knew she was probably more anxious than most mothers, but until coming back to carroll she had barely spent any real time away from her daughter. letting go, even for a night, still felt unnatural. when her phone buzzed, she reached for it without thinking. a text from holden. apologizing.

valentina read it once, then again, her expression shifting in that small, quiet way it always did when something hit a little deeper than she wanted it to. she typed back before she could overthink it, then looked over at oscar. “i think i’m going to go home,” she said softly, sitting up from where she’d been tucked against the couch. guilt flickered across her face as she glanced toward the television, then back at him. “i’m sorry. we can finish the movie another time.”

[oblivion-crackships]

CRACKSHIP→ Dan Stevens x Shay Mitchell

requested by @thekingkillerwillreign

[theodore-robshaw]

@valesays

[wells-hannah]

CASSIE HOWARD AND MADDY PEREZ EUPHORIA | 3.07 “'Rain or Shine"

[valesays]

@autumnonheels

[movie-gifs]

Clueless (1995) dir. Amy Heckerling

[autumnonheels]

@valesays

[04k96]

[angstfactory]

"Yep, just take your first left, we're the last shop. Sign is made out of bamboo sticks, you can't miss us." Grayson said goodbye to the caller, a pair of sunglasses dangling from the side of his mouth, as he jotted something down. Someone had entered, he'd noticed in his peripheral, but had yet to offer full attention yet with a quick, "Be with you in a min."

The shop was decently sized and indeed, legitimate. Gray had a sizable debt on him for it, too. Worth it, to see a dream come to reality. The place was stock full of water sports gear and accessories. One could wander through and find anything from surf boards to your average floaties. There were even two jet skis outside, the only two he could afford yet, that could be rented out by the hour. Everything fit together for a beach shop, including its own. He might as well have been out there on the beach, with that silly Hawaiian shirt half tucked, partially unbuttoned, pair of swim trunks, and some Birkenstock sandals. Hair wild and curly today, not combed back like before.

Grayson looked up, at the dulcet tones that'd already become familiar to his ears. Abandoning whatever he'd been writing immediately, he stood up, with a grin ready and in place. "Mahalo," he greeted, leaving the sunglasses on the counter as he approached her with open arms. Almost like he planned to hug her, but the male stopped short, arms crossing over his chest. "Whoever told you that is absolutely correct," he boasted, as if it hadn't been him himself, "we've got all you could possibly need here, if I do say so myself." He leaned in. "And I do." It was subtle, but he clocked how good she looked. Maybe even preferred her like this, put-together but cute, and relaxed. All of that rolled into a ball of confidence that made it the right amount of sexy. "So what can I do you for?" A certain smirk caught the corner of his mouth. "Surfing, was it?" For now, he continued to pretend as if they hadn't met and shared an erotic dance or an equally as tantalizing kiss not long ago. All in good time, he was in no rush.

[valesays]

valentina had not missed the possibility that he might try to hug her when she stepped into the shop. he wouldn’t have been the first man to think one heated dance and a kiss on a crowded wedding dance floor entitled him to something more casual after the fact. but right before he got too close, grayson dropped his hands and crossed his arms instead, and valentina couldn’t help the private flicker of approval that moved through her. good boy. apparently he knew the difference between a moment and an assumption.

still, seeing him again pulled her right back to that wedding for a beat — the dark dance floor, his hand at her waist, the press of his body behind hers, the heat of him when she’d turned and kissed him just because she could. it had been reckless and fun and exactly the sort of thing valentina was very good at pretending meant less than it did in the moment. now, standing in his shop in the middle of the day, with sunlight coming through the windows and surfboards lining the walls, the memory sat differently on her skin. less dangerous maybe, but no less vivid.

her eyes moved over him as she took him in properly. his hair was wilder now, less controlled than the slicked-back version she’d met that night, and if she was being honest, it suited him better. it made him look more like himself or at least more like the version of himself she imagined when she thought of saltwater, sun, and trouble. then her gaze wandered around the shop, taking in the boards, the gear, the whole easy beach-life setup of it. she hadn’t been this close to the water in any real way in years. not since high school, not since before life had become jobs and image and flights and a baby and a thousand other things that kept women like her too busy to remember what they used to love.

“yes,” she said at last, turning back to him with a bright smile that held a little excitement under the polish. “surfing.” she tipped her head and tucked her sunglasses up a little higher. “it’s been years since i’ve done it, but i’ve been thinking about it ever since you mentioned this place.” a pause, just long enough for the corner of her mouth to turn a touch more playful. “so, tell me, where do we begin?”

[pocblr]

SHAY MITCHELL Instagram

[valesays]

who: @angstfactory (gray) where: cowabunga surf shop!

valentina had kept herself busy since the reception, but she’d been itching to get back on the water. it was summer, after all, and gray had told her more than once she should stop by. so she dressed for it. she’d gone with a fitted white tank that showed off her tan, a pair of worn denim shorts that hugged her in all the right places, and an oversized linen button-down she’d left open and loose over it all, more for the look than anything else. her sunglasses were perched on top of her head, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail that still somehow looked intentional, and a pair of sandals slapped softly against the sidewalk as she made her way toward the surf shop.

when she stepped inside, valentina’s gaze moved slowly around the space, taking it in with quiet surprise. so it was a real business. not some half-baked excuse for a man to look pretty near a board rack. impressive. spotting grayson, she made her way over, a small smile already tugging at her mouth. “i was told this is the best place in town for surfing gear,” she said lightly, stopping in front of him. then her eyes flicked around the shop once more before settling back on his face. “tell me that wasn’t false advertising.”