monster

diego silva 40 ranch hand - silver spur ranch. father, brother, sinner.

[diego-silva]

The deviant and the conformist are inventions of the same imagination.

Name: Diego Silva Age & Birthday: 40, December 26th, 1982 Gender & Pronouns: cismale, he/him Hometown: Bradford Springs, Colorado Time in Bradford Springs: 30 years, back for 1 week Occupation: Ranch Hand @ Silver Spur Ranch / Ex-Criminal Positive traits: Driven, Family-Orientated, Strong-Willed Negative traits: Impulsive, Deviant, Short-Fused

tw: murder, underage pregnancy, terminal illness, death and drugs

Diego was born and raised in Bradford Springs and has always been devoted to his family. He was very much the “coast along” and do well type of kid at school, never made many waves and was a typical kid.

When he was seventeen he became a father and went on to marry his high school sweetheart when they were eighteen to ‘prove’ he wasn’t irresponsible. They remained together until he was twenty-five and went on to have two more children together. 

Diego continued to devote his time and money to the family ranch and his ex-wife and kids, who had moved to Denver and he frequently traveled back and forth. Everything seemed picture perfect, apart from the brushes with the law that Diego began experiencing. He was keeping “bad company” and taking on dangerous jobs involving drugs to get extra cash.

When he was 30, he was caught in a job that went wrong and resulted in him killing another man. Thanks to Sofia’s connections with Roman Mendez and Quinlan Kelly, they were able to pull some dirty tactics which resulted in Diego only charged with attempted murder. (Long story as to how but inquire within!) 

Diego has been in prison for the previous 9 years and has only just returned to Bradford Springs. His father passed away while he was inside and Diego, against his better judgement, is returning to help his younger sisters Sofia and Lola with the ranch. 

Diego certainly suffers with a form of PTSD, as a result he can have quick outbursts or changes in his reactions. He prefers to remain reserved and calm but things can trigger his fight or flight easily and he’s a fighter. 

He’s worried about falling back into his old ways and old circle of friends, despite missing them. 

Trying to adjust back to normal life, still puts his sheets on the floor to sleep on because a comfortable bed is strange for him right now.

Don’t mess with his family and you’ll be alright, I guess.

Don’t look at him the wrong way and you’ll be okay too.

Best not to breathe too loud near him either but other than that, here he is!

[diego-silva]

xavier & diego​:

Xav’s head dropped, forgetting himself around his father made him eat a nice slice of humble pie quickly. “Sorry.” he muttered but he couldn’t help the way his shoulders slumped as Diego continued to say no to him. “That’s so different and you know it, they’re still teens!” he didn’t mean to yell but why was he getting thrown together with his younger brother and sister. It made no sense, he had legally been an adult for a while now. He could legally drink! “But when will be the right time? Like, I get it, it must suck thinking I could get into trouble or whatever but it doesn’t stop you saying no to anyone else!? I don’t get why it has to be me that’s looked out for? I can handle it, I swear.”

diego’s temper doesn’t grow like it used to. his impulsiveness is quieter now along with scathing anger. but in the face of his son wanting to give his life over to the club, well diego finds it difficult to see it as admirable. and he finds it difficult to keep his cool. once xavier yells, diego cuts through the nonsense with his own booming voice. ‘this right here is why you’re not ready, xavier!’ he points, gesturing to the attitude his son is showing. ‘you wanna prospect? you need to learn how to listen to people higher than you, and there’ll be a lot of people higher than you, xav. if hunter needed you for something, cruz needed you. you’d have to listen to them. hell, even the members that have been around for longer. and what i say goes, so if you’re already telling me to go fuck myself for saying no, then you’re not ready. you’re nowhere near.’ he doesn’t wish to be the father that shouts and diego forces his tone into a clear and direct one. ‘i said not now. and after i said that the first time, should’ve been the end of discussion.’

[diego-silva]

carina & diego​:

“it does, you blink and you miss it.” carina laughs sadly and doesn’t need reminding the years that diego has missed, through his own bad choices or not she still wishes he had been there. “you’re here now, that’s what counts. there’s plenty more time to make memories.” she says to him softly and laughs as she remembers when they were age of their son. “i think we thought we knew what we were doing.” she lets out a sentimental chuckle. “but no wonder why everybody thought we were in over our heads.” carina adds tilting her head. she shrugs off abril’s little grump with her father, knowing the next time she sees strip lights they’ll be added to the cart for her so there was no harm done. “maybe come and help her put them up to say sorry?” she teases before the mention of xavier makes her quieter. it’s never easy for a mother to admit fault, like a bad mother sign hanging over her head. “we’ll be fine, diego. i know you probably will be over here more than the children.” she throws in a joke to lighten the conversation. “don’t put any pressure on xav, he has to do it in his own time. it’s for me to fix, anyways. has he been doing okay?”

carina’s words are comforting to a point, allowing diego to feel hopeful for whatever the future holds and knowing that he can reinstate his importance of family in his life. it doesn’t make the years missed any easier so he nods to carina appreciatively. ‘i’ll make sure i’m here for everything. whatever any of you need, always.’ he promises easily because there’s no doubt in his mind that he will keep it. laughter follows as he remembers carina and his very premature venture into parenthood and he shrugs because hindsight always clarifies a lot of things. ‘we did good, i think. we got three good kids, which is the proof, right? makes all the worry worth it.’ he sings their praises with a warm smile. ‘well, you did most of it and i’m sorry.’ diego then adds, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder comfortingly. he doesn’t like to think of himself as a failure but where their children are concerned, it’s hard not to. carina held down that fort much more than he did. ‘oh i don’t think there’s telling xav anything. he got the strong silva mindset for sure.’ diego laughs slightly, not wanting to dive into the matters of prospecting their eldest suggested. ‘he’ll come around though, cari. it was just a year back on the ranch, it wasn’t like you kicked him to the streets to fend for himself.’ 

[diego-silva]

rigo & diego:

-

“I know everyone thinks I’m stupid but I’m not that stupid, Diego.” Rigo laughed but there was an intensity behind it and his eyes widened slightly. He knew the reputation he had both beyond his family and within it. If he was going to be judged, he preferred it to be by people with the same blood but it didn’t make it less annoying. Then again, the smallest of things could annoy him and set his bad mood into motion. His laugh became more genuine at Diego’s slip up, and he slapped his older cousin’s shoulder lightly. “Eyyy, I know exactly what you’re saying, Dieg. You wanna get the pretty lady and the babies all in one place. Play happy families and shit. I got you.” he smiled at Diego, teeth biting to the tip of his tongue. “I’ll watch ‘em, don’t worry. No one’s getting in that house without Rodrigo Silva knowing what they’re doing.”

‘why do you think they think that?’ diego’s brow raises and he wears a spirited grin to his cousin. he pretends to not listen too closely to rigo’s return because it has been expected. it’s easy to assume diego is as happy as can be now that carina and the rest of the family are returned to lockwood. of course he is, but he doesn’t quite like the gloating that seems to follow rigo’s words so he gives the other silva a little tap against the cheek with the back of his hand. ‘shut the fuck up, rigo. it’s not like that. you’d know what i mean if you had a family.’ he decides to fight with and then falls into a light sigh. ‘i didn’t mean a fucking military operation about what she’s doing, i just wanna know she’s alright.’ diego states again, chopping the air with the side of his hand down to his palm. ‘the kids are alright.’ he corrects.

[diego-silva]

sofia & diego:

“Don’t blame me,” she put her hands up in defense. “Blame the kid who pretended to be forty-two on Tinder and ended up being twenty-one when I showed up for the date.” She mumbled a string of angry Spanish. Sofia was still mad about that night, both the horrifying introduction to a date younger than her nephew and seeing Roman out with another woman. “Mmmhmm, we’ll see about that.” She hadn’t even brought up the part about how much he’s been lingering around the clubhouse. “I think she thinks we’re going to judge her for being back and forth with him.” Sofia laughed at the idea. While she knows they both want the best for Lola, neither of them had any place to judge an on and off again relationship. Or anything involving relationships for that matter. “That hippie is a better choice than one of the criminals littering the city.” She muttered as if she wasn’t both part of them and had a child with the last name of another. “That’s gross, but,” she thought of the blonde and a quick smile graced her lips. “True. Very true.” Just as quickly she shook it off. “So, how is it having your ex around again?”

he laughs louder to his sister’s misfortune, their sibling relationship becoming childish in that exact moment. diego has to stop himself from pointing at sofia while his laugh gloats. ‘you know that’s becoming a silva memory story for the bonfires, huh? sofia got so stressed she became the lockwood cougar.’ he cackles before diving into a story telling tone. ‘it was a dark night, the streets empty, with nothing but a wild she-cat roaming for her next prey.’ he laughs again, and diego tries to not eat any more from the pot but his finger does do it’s third dip and this time he’s brazen with it, perhaps because he forgets himself from laughing too much. ‘like we’d even be able to tell? there’s so many people in this house i keep forgetting who’s who anyways. i mean the blond hair makes it easier but even then, he could be one of those hunter’s kids nobody knows about. or another blond one. or another.’ he grins before returning more serious at the mention of carina. he shrugs, to play it cool even though sofia will see right through it. she’s more of a witch than a she-cat. ‘it’s nice, you know? i always thought she was better off staying with the kids in lockwood. but it’ll be easier to see abril and isaac now.’

[diego-silva]

ethan & diego:

“Is that you offering to let all four of them move over to your ranch for a while?” Ethan laughed but he would hate how silent Blue River got without them all. It’d be horrible, actually. He took hold of his beer and nodded to agree with Diego about the storm, thinking how it wouldn’t have been so bad if it didn’t result in his brother’s life being taken. “Yeah, well, luckily summer is here next so we don’t have to worry. Just better plan for Christmas, I guess.” he chuckled. He knew Arthur Callahan was not a favorite name to utter but he appreciated Diego being careful. “Oh I know, but we go way back. Best way to win Callahan over is to be the highest bidder, so. Plus I know he’s close to me and Blaze, we can sweeten him up sometimes.” he laughed. “You thought of a move yet? I’m fine with hanging back, now that I’ve thought about it. If we did anything, it’d just be adding fuel to a fire right now. Probably expecting it too.”

‘well we got the feeding of the five thousand over at ours at any given time. i can’t tell if sofia invites everyone because she wants to or people just turn up anyways.’ diego laughs, shrugging because the offer is always there but he knows ethan would never pack his family up and ship them down the road. ‘don’t speak too kind, don’t want colorado to randomly spit up a summer storm that would fuck us all over.’ he adds bleakly despite joking about their temperamental weather. ‘oh i know, don’t think i remember the last time i talked to the sheriff. always send you and blaze if it’s important.’ he smiles and enjoys his drink, happy to hear ethan is supportive of the slower moving plans. ‘i’m not saying much because one spark can ignite, y’know? but things will happen, i promise. i don’t make ones i can’t keep, ethan.’

[diego-silva]

cruz & diego

-

“Man, I don’t wanna be the one to tell Sofia all this.” Cruz said honestly, and Diego was just as level-headed as he was. Both of them knew their cousin saw young Xavier like another son, especially in the recent year with him being back at Lockwood. But, fairness was also part of their duty and Cruz gave a reluctant shrug. “We got the right to say no to whoever we want, Dieg. If you don’t think he’d be the right fit for us, then it’s a no and he’s gotta deal with that until it’s a yes.” Cruz tried to be as neutral as he could knowing that there were egg shells dotted all around their conversation. “If he finds a sponsor though, then yeah, it’s special treatment to say no just because he’s Xavier.”

‘we can’t tell her.’ diego says abruptly, hating lying or keeping things from his sister but he knows it’s for the best...just until things settle. ‘not yet, not until we know for sure if he is or isn’t.’ diego wants to say no and leave the conversation at that, but he also wants to do the right thing. the fair thing by their own rules. ‘i don’t think he’s ready. he’s young, but he’s not the only young one...it sometimes does them good, you know?’ it’s clear diego is in a dilemma with his own thoughts. wanting his son to be safe but will he be? even without a patch, he’s a silva. ‘that’s why no one needs to know this right now. i don’t want anyone to jump at the chance to be his sponsor and make this harder. and definitely don’t tell carina.’ 

[diego-silva]

closed with @rigo-silva​ rigo’s southside home -

‘when i say keep an eye on her i mean just your eyes, primo.’ if diego doesn’t have enough work, rigo will always find a way to give him more problems. he has to prevent cruz and ghost being in the same room at any given time, not sure why arguments can erupt so easily between the two but rigo is an acquired taste. but he’s useful, the outward craziness he exudes is a beautiful trick to pull on an enemy at times. and having rigo watch over carina in southside puts diego’s mind at ease, knowing nobody will be getting in that house. ‘until xav and her and whatever all sorts itself out, she can’t come to the ranch but that’s my goal.’ he speaks freely, noticing the small choice in his words. ‘for abril and isaac, you know? i don’t want them cooped up here for longer than i can help it.’

[diego-silva]

carina & diego​:

behind the news headlines of a murderer is the real diego silva. he’s caring and loyal and everyone who knows him knows it too. the divorce never made them hate one another, nor did her leaving for denver. even when she learned he’d face nine years in prison, carina didn’t hate him but cursed the choices that caused it all. they’re not strangers but there’s a rift, a cautiousness. the fact she could no longer cope with xavier she’s sure plays a part in it too. “he does that these days. the little nerd who’d chew your ear off about star wars now grunts and leaves dishes in his bedroom for weeks.” she laughs while cleaning down the counters of the kitchen. “strip…” she laughs louder, turning to him. “they’re…these things you stick around the edge of a room. strip…you know…strip lights? she probably thought you were being strict for no reason.”

‘it goes by fast.’ diego hums as he looks to the stairs. even faster when the last time he saw isaac, the boy was just ten years old. now, almost a man. ‘nineteen was a weird age, right? we definitely didn’t know if we were kids or adults.’ he laughs, thankful isaac didn’t have a two year old to be responsible for like they did at his age. diego’s head tilts, laughing at his own misunderstanding as carina explains. ‘no wonder why she looked at me like i was the devil. thought i was being a good dad the whole time.’ he circles for a moment in the living space before deciding to get comfortable on the couch. ‘think you’re all gonna be okay here? there’s plenty of room at the ranch if you ever need it.’ diego mentions but he’s not sure how sofia would feel about that, or xavier. there’s not exactly bad blood between anybody but it’s tense...fractured. ‘i’m sure xav would get his head around it, i’d talk to him anyways.’ diego adds, even though xavier isn’t exactly happy with him either recently. but that reason can’t be talked about to carina. not yet.

[diego-silva]

xavier & diego:

Xavier didn’t know what his father wanted him to say. When a Silva had something in their mind it was difficult for it to go away, and Xavier had been thinking about it for the whole time he was living on the ranch. Watching the camaraderie, the sense of purpose. Pretty much the two main things he always wanted. “Okay?” he shrugged widely. “I’m not them, though? I don’t want people having my back if the only way I can have theirs is saying, oh I’ll get my dad to help.” he scoffed because it sounded so dumb and weak even just quoting it. “I can do anything I want except join you? I’ve always thought you were the coolest fucking person, dad. I don’t give a fuck what the newspapers said, or what you’re trying to scare me from. I feel ready, like I was made for it.”

diego wants to allow xavier’s words to sink in but the passionate energy emitted from his son instead makes him raise a finger. ‘watch your language, xav.’ he points and reminds him firmly and quietly. there’s guilt there too, making him wonder if he has accidentally glorified the life to his son. made it look easy, or something to be proud of. ‘i just think nows not the time, xavier. a lot is happening, a lot has happened. what would you say if isaac or abril were asking right now? you’d laugh at them, right?’ diego uses the younger two as an example, hoping to show xavier his own reasoning. ‘i’m not saying no, i’m saying not now. let’s think on it.’

[diego-silva]

xavier & diego​:

Xavier didn’t know what he expected when he made the announcement, but somehow being laughed at was worse than his father being angry. He went quiet as they walked together and he listened to Diego, nodding slightly. “I don’t want them to just look out for me when I haven’t given anything to them. I haven’t been any help to anyone.” he replied, trying not to raise his voice but joining his family meant the world to him. “I want to help, dad. I want to actually pull my weight properly, I guess I wanna grow up and just be a man instead of a dumb kid that doesn’t know what to do.”

diego listens, thinking it serves him better to talk less in this moment. to try and hear exactly what his son is feeling. so, the father nods and gives xavier a sympathetic shrug. ‘i appreciate that you don’t want something for nothing but that’s not how that works.’ he schools him quickly with a warm tone. ‘we don’t have each other’s backs because we’re gonna get something out of it, we do it because we give a shit about each other. no one here will just let you struggle just because you haven’t got a title.’ diego walks with him, drawing closer to the main home and pausing. ‘xav, you can do anything you want. we’ll help you get there, all of us pulled together to help little teddy get to college, it’s what we do. you don’t see her coming to the clubhouse asking to prospect. or us not checking in on pheobe because of it.’

[diego-silva]

closed starter @carinaxaraya​ carina’s home southside

love doesn’t go away. like life, it can only change into something that looks different and feels different but unlike life, it doesn’t stop. helping carina settle into her new home is the least diego can do, even if he hates feeling like a stranger after the previous nine years he was inside. being able to be a part of all of their lives again is the reward even if it serves a reminder of his stupidity. ‘ab loves her new room...isaac just kinda grunted which i think means he likes it.’ he sighs, after helping each child unpack the last of their boxes. he returns to carina to see if there’s anything else that needs organizing but he’s certain she’s got it covered. ‘what’s led strip lights? i immediately thought abril wants her room like a strip club so i said no and she told me off. i feel like i missed something.’

[mrsfilipchibstelford]

[diego-silva]

sofia & diego:

“I have no idea what your talking about. I’m a MILF, apparently. You’re the ugly one.” She joked and scooted him aside to pop the tray of Brazilian bread into the oven. Sofia set a timer and went to work pulling down dishes so one of the kids could set the table. “Right because there’s not a million places he could hide a girl on the ranch, right? Pfft,” she blew a raspberry from her lips and looked out toward the stables to see a familiar blonde leaving and their little sister heading back to the house. “Case and point.” She pointed. “I couldn’t know if he was bring them back here even if I had the time to follow him around.” None of them had that sort of time. They were all busy with the ranch and the club and family that it was a wonder they even had time to sleep. “Dios mio, as if you’ve ever had to do much more than smile at them. Just don’t take tips from Hunter. I’m surprised he doesn’t have an army of little blonde bastards running around.”

‘i never wanna hear you say the word milf again.’ diego’s head falls back with laughter. ‘don’t care you calling me ugly but calling yourself a milf is where i draw the line.’ he snickers the words before he sighs gently. then he shifts so he can take a look out of the window, using the new angle to be able to take another taste from the pot as he moves. he acts like he’s surveying the land and it’s only the smack of his lips that gives him away. ‘unless getting a cold ass is suddenly all the new thing the kids are doing, i think he’s fine.’ dieg’s famous last words are uttered as the pink haired sister comes strolling out and he makes a small oop in revelation. ‘does she think we’re stupid or something? that hippie is basically her if she was our brother.’ diego mentions, gesturing to the two love birds. he spins back around to help grab the silverware, counting how many sets they’ll need this time. it’s hard to keep track of who stops by but a full home has always been normal to them. ‘i don’t even wanna know what hunter gets up to, but hey, he works hard which i guess he takes to his personal life too.’

[diego-silva]

ethan & diego​:

“Don’t get too used to it, only here to stop my kids from raising any hell.” he laughed but it was true. At least there seemed to be less trouble whenever he was there even if he was partial to joining in when things got too out of hand. “Appreciate it.” Ethan smiled, finishing off his beer and then laughing. “About as good as it can get, we were lucky the storm wasn’t too bad for us but still had a few things we needed to fix up. Only just finished them.” he shrugged but it was all part of their life in Colorado. “Had some words with the Sheriff about Kamikaze, think it was probably someone who knew we’d all be in the school. Which is closer than nothing, right?”

‘ah come on, nothing will stop that. that’s why we love ‘em.’ diego’s laugh is heartfelt as he brings his hand to a brotherly tap onto ethan’s back. the jones live a similar life to the silvas and running parallel to one another, always means they see eye to eye. ‘we weren’t too bad, just hope nothing else comes rolling through that makes us stuck in a damn school again. thought i was gonna go stir crazy.’ it reminded him too much of the previous ten years, and diego once again was thankful to be able to breathe fresh air. ‘yeah closer than nothing, only problem is callahan is out for himself. never know who he’s in the pocket of. sometimes he’s with us, othertimes against us. don’t trust everything he says.’

[diego-silva]

cruz & diego:

-

The news made Cruz do a double take back at Diego, thinking his ears needed checking for a moment until he saw the serious look on his cousin’s face. “I’m sure he’ll come around, Die.” Cruz said at first, but he didn’t know the first thing about being a father. The idea of having more Silvas in the know seemed heartwarming to him but he also knew it was different when it came to Xavier or Lola. Life hadn’t tainted either of them. “Shit man, I don’t think I have a right to an opinion on that. You’re his dad.” he said truthfully, shrugging as they walked together. “I mean, growing up we all said the same, right? We wanted to make Ricardo proud, work along side him. Be a part of something.” he suggested that might be Xavier’s idea too. “Guess he feels like you’re blocking that, doesn’t really understand that it’s for his own good.”

‘i wouldn’t ask if i didn’t wanna hear your thoughts about it.’ diego laughs to his cousin, who’s similar age grants him a place in their lives that’s more brotherly in many ways. the president grunts in response, thinking through xavier prospecting. the dangers that surround his life regardless of if he’s wearing a patch or not. he knew the day was coming but he thought it would be a while yet. ‘guess i’m just worried, y’know? he’s young, but we say there’s no special treatment just because of your name.’ diego reminds cruz, and that goes for anybody not just a silva. prospects or members who have family within the club aren’t granted special access. ‘does this count as special treatment? even though i’m saying no?’

[diego-silva]

sofia & diego:

Sofia let out a giggle that resembled her childhood. “You look exactly like, mami,” she stopped herself from telling Diego how happy she was to have him home and making her laugh for the ten billionth time. “She would have slapped your fingers for that, though, hermano.” Another laugh fell out and her eyes rolled. You would think they would both have the trauma from wood spoons hitting their fingers but it seemed their need to taste whatever was cooking never left their system. “I’m just saying, I love you all but I don’t want to be raising a daycare in this house and I don’t think you do either.” She shook her head making a humming noise of disapproval. “But, you don’t need to talk to him. Please. I got this.” Her eyes looked up and she mumbled something like she was having a small talk with their parents. “We already had a little chat about it, I was just informing you that your son is a little chip off the ol’ block, is all.” She laughed again. “That goes for you though, too, Die. No more babies.” Just in case he had any wild ideas.

diego laughs and wiggles his fingers. ‘oh for sure, i don’t miss her tapping my knuckles with the wooden spoon.’ he grins but truthfully he would love to hear either of their parents reprimanding them from tasting the pot or running through the ranch home too quickly. it feels like yesterday and another lifetime all at once. ‘when did we get so old and ugly, huh?’ he chirps, tearing off some bread to throw into his mouth as he teases his sister. he turns to learn against the counter, smiling at sofia with a half proud smirk about xavier but she’s right that their ranch is bursting at the seams. ‘well, he’s been smart and not bringing them back here, right? so i think we’re good. no daycare yet.’ diego frowns, knowing their vast land houses many opportunities for intimacy. ‘me? oh come on, i don’t even know how to talk to women anymore. i guess xavier might have to teach me something.’