[ pedro pascal, male, he/him/his ] — spotted in the streets of brooklyn, it’s DARIO ESPINOZA. they have lived in the city for 26 YEARS, working as a CHEF AT LA VITA VINO. the FORTY SIX year old will probably be seen around CARROLL GARDENS a lot, seeing as that’s where they live. people say they can be a bit AWKWARD and DEFEATED, but friends know them to be DEDICATED and CURIOUS. you know for sure you’ve found them when you’ve come across THE NOISE OF A BUSY KITCHEN TRYING TO GET ORDERS READY, AN EMPTY APARTMENT WITH NO SENTIMENTAL OR PERSONAL EFFECTS, AND THE SENSATION OF STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN. welcome to brooklyn, it’s been waiting for you! — [ tomlor, 27, GMT, he/they, sexual assault ]
tw: homophobia Basics.
full name: dario espinoza.
nicknames: "rio", "da".
hometown: new mexico, albuquerque
current location: new york, ny
age: 46.
birthday: april 21st.
star sign: taurus.
pronouns: he/his/him
sexuality: homosexual.
personality: To call Dario a late-bloomer would be both cruel and, well, half-true. The man has always been kind and giving, but he's also been living most of his life repressed and subdued, for a multitude for reasons. It's like he's been living life with a filter, and though he's always seemed happy, it's now dawning on him that was a sad kind of happiness - forced and hollow. Now, though, the smoke has cleared, and he's seizing the day like it's his very first. Sure, he won't get a do-over on childhood, or his teens, but he's more than excited to get a second go at life, even with the turmoil of still finding sentiment and joy in what has already passed.
likes: food (obviously, all kinds), trying new things, a coffee with a good book on a rainy weekday evening, wine (specifically red), swimming, mornings, travelling
dislikes: lies, judgement before understanding, ice cream, cereal, prejudice, silence
fears: slowing down and smelling the roses, death, obscurity, being "exposed"
trivia: makes the best crème brûlée.
Bio.
Dario is a second-generation immigrant, and the oldest sibling within his Chilean-Mexican family.
His family had very firm, rigid beliefs and from a young age, it was expected that Dario would become very successful, and be able to financially provide for whoever his wife would be and their inevitable children.
As a result, Dario focused hard at school, and was the family's expected golden child. It was there that he discovered he had a specific knack at culinary. It was in part because he was great at Home Ec at school, but also because his mother took cooking very seriously, and it was one of the main ways he and his mother connected when they were both home.
So, during a rather uneventful life in mainstream education, nothing pivotal happened within Dario's life (despite the family expectations) until he'd reached college. Out of direct eyesight from his family, he moved to New York to begin culinary school, with a lot of the costs subsidized by his mother and father's savings, and a scholarship.
From then, Dario worked his way up from the bottom. After studying, he then started his craft by washing dishes, occasionally volunteering to help entrées, waiting tables, and doing anything he could to get his foot in the door. Twenty-six years well-spent.
It was during his time between restaurants that he met Yasmin, a music student, and from the moment they met it was indisputable that they had a strong connection.
It was with Yasmin that Dario wanted to lay down his roots. After courting, Dario sealed the deal, proposed, and they were married around adoring family - who were elated that Dario had finally secured a future for his family.
Dario and Yasmin lived a happy life, and stayed together throughout both of their career and life journeys, especially with Dario's rise to "fame" in the culinary circles.
It wasn't until recently that Dario realised something wasn't quite right. It was hard to describe, hard to explain, and there was no catalyst that brought the revelation on. It just kind of happened.
At forty-five years of age, Dario realised he might be attracted to men.
With his career and his marriage, it wasn't something he could easily navigate and quickly understand. To potentially upheave everything he knew so far into an established life was terrifying, and though his family were older now, the pressure never left.
And when Dario finally broke the news to his beloved wife, Yasmin, and to respective families, it, unfortunately, was not taken well.
Though Yasmin's family's frustrations were their own (no children, a "waste of a marriage", and a waste of Yasmin's time), Dario's family were a bit more hostile with their grievances. Their children were precious to them, as long as they were abiding by the word of God, which meant that, in their eyes, the Espinozas could be anything but gay.
The disconnect was harsh. Dario's family used to visit often, eat in his restaurant, but upon Dario's coming out and subsequent divorce, he lost all contact. They threatened to call the police whenever he would try to visit, and changed their contact details wherever they could.
And so, just like that, upon an instance of self-discovery, Dario was entirely alone.
Wanted Connections!
The Espinoza family! - Don't think it's super appealing to play a toxic/hostile/homophobic family, but I'm happy for "exceptions" within reason, especially in extended family, etc, or even just family friends!
Culinary Cohorts - He's been in the world of cooking for most of his adult life. It'd be obvious that he's met people that are either within or surrounding the world of food; whether they be regular clients at his restaurant or within the industry itself.
Lovers/FWBs - Though the realisation is very fresh, and he's learning how to walk in gay world, I think it'd be fun to see him fumbling about when it comes to romance/sex all over again.
