[female & she/her] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [MARIANA VELASCO]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [EMERAUDE TOUBIA]. You must be the [THIRTY-TWO] year old [REALITY TV STAR]. Word is you’re [PASSIONATE] but can also be a bit [RUTHLESS] and your favorite song is [HELADITO BY KALI UCHIS]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [FISHERS COVE]. I’m sure you’ll love it! [kim, 28, MST, she/her, triggers (NA)]
STATS (underco) | PLAYLIST | PINTEREST | CONNECTIONS
tw: arranged marriage (i am not sure if there is something else i need to tag but lmk)
How long they've lived in Aurora Bay: 23 years (4 college years spent in SF)
Current residence: Fisher's Cove / @aurorabayaesthetic
You may recognize Mariana if you’re a fan of reality dating shows. She was only 25 when her casting video for a reality dating show similar to Are You the One was chosen out of the thousands the network received. She never admitted it while she was on tv, but it was more of an escape for her than anything else. It was the only escape out of the situation she was in that she could think of.
Mari was only 7 years old when she moved to Aurora Bay, California with her mom from Mexico. Her mother had told her that her dad would follow behind – only to be told that he was caught at the border and sent back home before he could reach them. This broke her heart as the two were close and it broke every day that passed once communication had ceased between the two. It was hard on her because she found it difficult adapting to new town and language. Not only did she have to teach herself English, but she had to teach her mother too. She did not start speaking full English until she was 10 years old.
When she turned 16, her mother introduced her to Augosto Valverde, a boy that was a year older than her. Mari didn’t think much of it as her mom had been a friend to his family through the years that they lived in Aurora Bay. The two got along extremely well and somewhere along the way they started to date. All during this, her mother convinced her that he would be the one she’d marry when they were both done with college.
By the time Mari had graduated college at 23 – she had fallen in love and it was not with Augosto. It didn’t help that he went to London for college, and she went up to San Francisco. She felt it become less serious for them both as there wasn’t constant communication. This man she fell in love with worshipped her and vice versa. The two were inseparable from the moment they met as sophomores in college up until they graduated. It was safe to say that Mari was not thinking about marrying Augosto.
She had gotten back to Aurora Bay when her mom sprung the news that Augosto would be back in town too and had already asked for approval to marry her. She was shocked. Again, she hadn’t thought about that conversation she had with her mom when she was a teenager. Augosto made it back and he caught Mari with the man she was in love with. She tried to explain that she didn’t know that they were going to get married and that the two hadn’t been serious in so long, why would she even think marriage was still on the books? Augosto was mad, revengeful even, so he revealed to Mari that their engagement had been arranged since they were kids. Her mother had made a deal, ‘sold’ her to say, to Augosto’s family in exchange for money.
When Mari confronted her mom – she confirmed everything. She did indeed “sell” her daughter to the Valverdes because they needed to pay off her moms debts. They were the reason they moved to Aurora Bay. It was the reason why she never saw her father again. Since the engagement was no more, the Valverdes turned their backs on them. Her mom was furious. So much so, that her mom tried to find another rich family to get her married into even if she had to force her daughter down the aisle. Mari was terrified. She felt that she had grown up with a stranger. She couldn’t believe that her mom wanted money so much that she could give her own daughter away.
Her mom did not stop. It was two years that she had to deal with mom showing up to her house or calling her phone about a new potential match. It had become all too overwhelming. Mari had distanced herself from the man she loved and the two broke up a few months before she turned 25. It was amicable and she wished him nothing but the best. After the breakup, she could feel herself falling into a depression, and she needed to avoid that. Most of all, she needed to get away from her mom.
So, she did what she thought was best, and didn’t think it would happen in a million years… She applied to be on are you the one and was accepted. She went on and she flourished. She was known to be the one who spoke her mind and stood up for herself. She was called every name in the book by castmates and viewers yet somehow came out being loved by a lot of people. She did leave the show with a partner in hand – however it didn’t last long because of the distance.
Once she settled back in Aurora Bay, she got a call from her father who had learned that she was on reality TV, tracked her down and found her. He let her know that all contact was cut off and that her mother never told him that they were leaving. They were just gone one day. The two reunited in Aurora Bay and he was able to stop her mom from trying to get her to marry some random man. This left Mariana happy and free as she finally had the courage to cut her mom off.
It wasn’t long until Mariana found herself on another reality dating show. This time, she was on a show similar to Love Island at 27, and she enjoyed herself, but she got screwed over and sent home by the 6th week. This appearance made her even more popular and she was able to get into modeling, and would be asked to help at events through interviewing others such as music festivals, the MTV movie awards, and things like that. She’s had a couple of public flings and not so public flings, but has not had the urge to be tied down yet.
She loves her life and what she does. She feels closer to herself, but now she’s facing the trauma that her mother had given her. It hasn’t been easy, but she’s trying. It was something she was able to avoid by going on reality tv instead of dealing with head on. She's living her life day by day, mommy issues at a high, while learning to be okay with who she has become and what she's been through.
HEADCANNONS:
Her only dating profiles are Tinder and RAYA. Any profile you see on any other platform is not her.
She was one of those on are you the one contestants that did NOT try to be with the one the computer matched her with.
She is still bitter about being sent home early from her last stint.
She graduated with her bachelors a year later than her peers because she took a year break.
She used to live in Seabrook Quarter when she was 23-27
WANTED CONNECTIONS:
a best friend that has been there for her for years since before her first reality show and even one from after pls <3
friends she's met because of her fame
tinder/RAYA matches
ex flings/ex situationships, give her some hurt tbh. i honestly want an ex situationship/fling that she kept hidden from the public which could be plotted as to why she did it or why it ended
friend(s) she has fallen out with maybe due to her fame or other stuff, etc.
ex-boyfriend who she did love but ended amicably - it's giving "cool" by gwen stefani
a fellow reality tv star (could be from same show or different show, might send in a wanted connection)
neighbors from fishers cove
old neighbors from seabrook quarter
literally anything!! im open to all types of plotting and connections
CURRENT CONNECTIONS:
Used to be best friends with @connievanderbilt before she slipped and had sex with her brother
Was hooking up with @sebitorres but not currently as the two haven’t contacted each other in awhile
has known @tylerxhale since kids and has been attracted to him since but the timing for the two had always been off
loves @lonelyhcart because she's like a little sister she never had
