[mexicancharm]

Have you seen ARISTÓTELES “ARI” PINEDA? This TWENTY-SEVEN year old is a PSYCHOLOGIST who resides in STATEN ISLAND. HE has been living in NYC for SIX YEARS, and is known to be CAPTIVATING and PASSIONATE, but can also be COMPULSIVE and SECLUSIVE, if you cross them.  People tend to associate them with AN OUT-OF-TUNE GUITAR and FRAMED CHILD DRAWING. // @codstarters​

hello chickens it is i, the mess behind the three messes that are alexander, jo and yolo and here i am with my very last character, ari. some of you may know him, some may not but here we are, ready to get some more dumb on the tl :) again, nobody asked for this, but i missed playng my child, i am a mexican psych so i HAD to do it, less-a-go!

aristóteles was born in oaxaca, mexico. the product of an illicit affair between a young and poor seamstress and a politician who never claimed his paternity (go figure). however, he and his beloved mom found a way to get through by themselves

growing up, he always had to work to help his mom sustain their little family, he worked as busboy and packing groceries, on his free time between school and work he would sing, which sometimes would get him money.

at the age of eleven, advised by a friend, ari entered a talent show in a big mexican tv network, although he didn’t win, doors opened to him since he made it to the finals. (i might’ve based the talent show part on DIEGO’S REAL LIFE don’t judge that’s how i met him and i’ve been in love with him since).

ari got to star in some novelas and even recorded some albums and ended up buying a better house for him and his mother. he was living the dream, but quickly the boy grew tired of his life in the spotlight, not having any sense of normalcy for a teenager who only wanted to and decided to retire to live a normal life.

when he retired from the spotlight, around the time he turned 13 aris decided he needed a new start somewhere else, that’s when he convinced his mother to move to new york because it was his dream, they had the means to make it happen and of course, she accepted out of love for her child. when ari turned 15, he met a boy who completely changed his life. before meeting him; ari had never felt attracted to anyone in his life, so when this boy showed up in his school, he completely turned his world upside down.

firstly, they became really close friends; this kid was ari’s first real friend, the first person besides his mom that truly cared enough to get to know him, to try and look behind the mask of positivism. things started to get messy when ari realized his feelings for his friend weren’t exactly the friendly type. It took a whole journey of discovery to come to terms with being in love with a guy.

against all odds, those feelings where reciprocated and the two started off a relationship that truly marked ari. they dated until they graduated high school, when ari had to move to start off college and they decided long distance simply wouldn’t work. as much as they loved each other, they had to let go before the relationship became bitter memories. he moved to california and he enrolled in ucla, where he decided to major in music.

that’s where he met the second person who changed his world forever: natalie. she quickly helped him mend his broken heart, she became his best friend, his confidant, his family. he fell in love a second time and the couple eloped after two years of knowing eachother (and despite natalie’s conservative and wealthy family wishes). one night, natalie gave him the most incredible piece of news; they were having a baby.

arabella pineda was born on february, 2013 and completely and utterly changed ari’s life forever. he was in complete awe, besotted by the creature him and natalie had created. the family lived an entire year, happiest as they could be and loving eachother unconditionally

a year after arabella was born, on ari’s birthday and after going out to celebrate with natalie and some of their friends, a chase with an unknown car commenced which ultimately resulted on the car the couple shared crashing and sadly, natalie didn’t made it. ari was left with the guilt of taking his kid’s mom from him before he could learn how to walk.

ari’s mother, kind and loving as always after watching his kid struggle before losing his wife, begged ari to move back to new york with her and help him raise bella. unsure of his skills as a single parent, ari accepted and even started going to therapy.

finding himself fascinated by the field, the young man enrolled in night school, this time to become a psychologist. he graduated a year ago and is now a certified psychologist who specialises in loss and children. ever since natalie’s death, ari has dedicated his entire life to his kid, his mother and his work.

personality wise, he has learned to be less closed off about his past and natalie’s death, but every once in a while, it does become unbearable to him he also is a bit immature since he never got to truly live his childhood (reason why loves being so involved in bella’s life and childhood and would do everything to give him what his daughter wants), can also be hot-headed.

however, despite all the hurt he’s endure, ari is a hard-working, caring, passionate and easy-going young man who really just wants his little boy to be happy and wants to see everybody happy. also a bit flirty? he hasn’t had a stable relationship since natalie because it’s hard for him bc he is a dad, but he definitely loves to flirt.

oh yeah he is v mexican and v proud, js

if you managed to read this whole mess… god bless you my friend, really. i love y’all and i am sorry for this but if y’all wanna plot with this giant mess hmu or like this and i’ll come to you soon PROMISE ily all sm tho u have no idea

[gaelgarcia]

Diego Boneta as Luis Miguel in Luis Miguel: La Serie (2018)

[mexicancharm]

With his old guitar resting on a side of the couch idly nearby, the former musician shifted his position to face his friend, a bright grin plastered on his features. He wasn’t used to play or make music anymore, not after his wive’s death. Playing guitar had turned more into an activity to bond with Isabella, who at least once a week demanded a lullaby to be able to sleep to which her father happily complied. The love and passion Ari had once felt for music that led him to making a career out of it at twelve years old  had vanished out of nowhere. 

Alas, when he met someone who clearly had the same passion for music he once had felt, Ari couldn’t help but befriend the good-looking man promptly in the hopes to get back some of that spark he could so easily see in the other. Reason why he had invited the curly-haired man to his home, promising drinks and take-out in exchange of some down time tinkling with their instruments while his daughter was in a sleepover. Some time away from work and the monotonous life of a single father. “Man, I haven’t played in like, seven years, thank you for coming. For how long have you been playing?” the psychologist inquired with a grin, taking a sip from his beer. // @edgarmendoza​

[mexicancharm]

𝖫𝗎𝖼𝗒 𝖵𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗌𝖼𝗈:

lucy wasn’t ready to find her… brother in law? ex-brother in law? funny how she had never stopped to think about what her relationship with aristóteles would be now, especially before attempting to show up at his doorstep. the thought got an unintentional scoff from her — at herself, sure, but he didn’t know that. the moment she caught herself, she placed her hand on her lips as an attempt to stop any more of her often unintentional attacks towards anyone, in her odd attempts to feel better. funny how she thought she was ready to deal with it — it wasn’t even about ari. it was about nat, about how much she missed her, about how bad she had treated her sister and her partner. it was about guilt and shame and a lot of unprocessed grief, which unfortunately often translated into anger. ah fuck, she should’ve stayed home! 

the tone in his voice was not unreasonable. if anything, it was well deserved. but still, even though she knew this, lucy’s eyes welled up: all of those emotions piling up and that tone he gave her were what tipped her over the edge. but she refused to let the tears fall; she used her thumb to wipe any trace of water off her face, before anything would roll down her cheeks. “larga historia,” she half-admitted, as it really was something to discuss at another time. despite every single emotion going through the velasco woman right that moment, she knew where her priorities were. and again, aristóteles’ skepticism was something she had to respect — as painful as it was. “¿dónde está?” she asked, not as concerned as her tone would’ve implied, but curious and impatient. her heart thumped in her chest, so hard she wondered if it would stay there for much longer. her eyes darted around the man’s proximity, but once it was clear bella wasn’t with him, her hazel eyes tinted red by the tears she refused to let fall, settled on him. and his question, again, made sense. lucy’s heart ached so much for how things had happened that she couldn’t get herself to explain everything in that moment, in the middle of a staten island sidewalk. “no, no — mi papá… se regresaron a méxico… ya tiene rato. y pues… por eso mismo. ¿no se acercaron nunca?” she asked, her eyes welling up again. “¿nunca te preguntaron por ella?” her voice cracked mid-question. they never asked her about nat, or about her. by process of elimination, she figured ari wouldn’t have received any questions either. after a hard sniff and a quick fix to her hair, lucy looked back at the young man. “¿te puedo invitar un café, o algo? necesito… necesito pedirte una disculpa.”

Ari would be lying if he said there wasn’t anger and pure, unadulterated hatred clinging to his chest reserved only for the Velasco. In the years he shared with his wife, the psychologist had worked to make them the happiest he could; a task the family made almost impossible. The Velasco had been a tight-knit family before in-laws appeared, according to his wife. Her and Lucy had been the closest to best friends any sisters could be, not to mention Nat had been a daddy’s girl through and through. Breaking free from the Velasco family had been, in Nat’s own words as freeing as it had been heartbreaking. They, from all people, had caused more heart ache than any other person in his wive’s lifetime and that was something he couldn’t simply forget. 

Still, as a psychologist, it had become somewhat easy for him to read people. It was easy for him to notice when someone’s walls were up, when they were being uncollaborative or even defiant. He had seen it before, on the woman standing in front of him, for one, when he and Natalie first became a couple. Defiance was an usual look on Lucy, as far as Ari knew; so it became quickly evident to him that this was anything but and her responses let him know he was right. Certainly there was still doubt in him, cautioness and built-up anger, but it occurred to him, he hadn’t been the only one who had lost Natalie. He still had Bella, but from what he could notice from the short interaction— the one knit-tight family wasn’t so anymore. “Está en casa de mi mamá” he shared Bella’s whereabouts, adjusting one of the bags he had been holding, eyes focused on the other intently, wondering if she was truthful about being oblivious about her father’s disdain for anything that had to do with him or if it was simply a tactic. It wasn’t only his peace of mind at stake here, everything he did, he did it for his daughter; being paranoid about the family who had rejected her before included. “No es como que he tenido mucha comunicación con tu padre desde la última vez que lo ví” he mumbled in response. The last time his and the Velasco patriarch’s paths had crossed. A few days after Natalie’s death, once Ari had woken up and was living in his personal hell, the older man and his wife had payed him a visit that ended on Nat’s mom dragging her husband away from Ari’s hospital room as the older man kept calling Ari a murderer and threatening to get him behind bars. Nothing had come after that and he highly suspected Nat’s mother involvement the principal reason why he could still walk freely and take care of his daughter. Yet, the look on the face of the woman before him, made him slightly confused, a sentiment that settled on his stomach once she offered a coffee and to apologize. In his mind, Ari wasn’t the one who needed an apology. Although he had been set apart from the Velascos upon meeting them, alienated and looked down to, he had never felt the need for an apology, he had dealt with worse throughout his life. Something he couldn’t forget, however, was the way the family had treated his wife and how much suffering Nat had gone through because of her family, yet he knew pointing this out wouldn’t do any good. Eyes fixed on the grocery bags on his arms, he sighed. “¿Quieres entrar? Creo que tendremos un poco más de privacidad si hablamos en mi casa. Puedo hacerte un té, parece que lo necesitas.”

[mexicancharm]

👀 + what is the best part of your job?

“Helping people. When I needed help from everything I had going on when we lost Bella’s mom, therapy was the one constant helping hand in my life. I hope I can do the same for the people who trust me with their hardships. And I get sweets and stuff every once in a while, so tha’s a bonus.”

[mexicancharm]

@frankiestanfords​:

You can blame my college roommate, she was obsessed with it last year. Me? Sansa? I’m lacking the gingerness, but maybe I could pull off a wig? Hi, I’m Frankie.

I definitely will. I grew up a fan of his music so I’m glad the world is catching up. Sounds like your college roommate and I could get drunk and listen to some of his songs. And hey, a wig is easy to get and I think you’d definitely pull it off. Then all you’ll need is some fur, faux of course. Try lacking a gap between your front teeth. Frankie, pleasure to meet you. I’m Aristóteles, but you can call me Ari.

[lucyvelasco]

she’d had the address for over a month now, but each time she’d thought of going over, lucía somehow talked herself out of it. regardless of her thoughts or her feelings about everything, something told her she ought to stay away — like the devil on her shoulder. she wanted to, though… so bad, she wanted to know what the girl looked like; if she was okay, if she was happy. each time she attempted to make the trip, she got a bit closer. the first time she made it all the way to the subway station, the next time she made it to the ferry, the next time she made it to the other side of the ferry. this time she made it all the way to the street name, frighteningly close to the building number. her heart raced to the point where lucy felt she would faint if she took a step further… but it was also one of those times where, she was so close… even though her brain begged her legs to stop, they wouldn’t. they had a mind of their own, and they made it all the way to the outside of the building… that was when she stopped.

her heart. it was so loud, and her breath was too — like she had just ran a marathon. so many thoughts raced through her mind that she couldn’t focus on just one… and that was just as terrifying. so again, she decided to turn around and leave — maybe next time she’d be brave enough and she’d walk all the way to the entrance. maybe, maybe, maybe. but not this time. she turned and walked, her gaze on the sidewalk underneath her feet, her hands attempting to keep the hair away from her face. her walk came to an abrupt stop when she, unsurprisingly, walked into another pair of feet. she stopped and gasped before there’d be a collision. “oh my god, i’m so—” she began, turning her attention towards the person she almost ran into. every notion of a word left her brain, and she felt her blood run cold. but she sighed at the sight of the familiar face she had been avoiding for so many years. so many. “ay, dios — eres tú.” her tone was more relieved than she thought it would be.  funny how, after running for so long, it would be the running itself that brought lucy to ari. “oye, no te vayas, espera. no sé como decirlo, pero te he estado buscando, y… pues…” she faltered. “y… ¿la niña?” | @mexicancharm​

[mexicancharm]

Ari didn’t have many regrets or fears. The ones he did were poignant, a silent yet persisting reminder in the form of the only person who had single-handedly gotten him out of the roughest patch in his lifetime, but there weren’t many. In the years that followed Nat’s death, Aristóteles had learned to deal with losing the love of his life while raising a little girl all by himself; something he was quite proud of. Bella had easily become his greatest reason to exist and become the best version of himself he could be. Not only because she was his daughter, but because she reminded him so much of his late wife. It was safe to say, Ari tried his best to be the father Isabella deserved, the father he wanted to give to the one source of light in his life.

Going back to New York without telling the Velascos, had been an urged decision, one guided by fear and one that haunted him on a daily basis. No one other than Natalie had ever shown any interest in making him a part of the family, nor Bella, yet every once in a while he couldn’t help but wonder if one day, they’d come and use all he power and money he didn’t have to try and take his daughter from him, to turn her into a Velasco instead of a Pineda. That thought, haunted him every night before bed. 

Reason why, as he was returning home from going grocery shopping one morning, Bella at home with her grandmother the sight of Lucy made his stomach drop. Last he ever heard from the Velasco family, they were all in California living the luxurious life they were so used to— what was Natalie’s sister doing at his door? How had she found them and most importantly; What were her intentions. Panic began to set in the moment she questioned about his daughter. “¿Qué haces aquí? ¿Cómo nos encontraste?” he questioned, brown eyes looking at the home that he had been trying for years to make it feel like home. It was nerve-wracking, not only feeling afraid of losing his little girl, but being reminded of what he had already lost. “¿Qué necesitas saber de Isabella? Ella está bien” a pause. “Viene tu padre contigo? ¿Para que quieren a mi hija?”

[mexicancharm]

Has anybody ever told you you look a lot like Luis Miguel? Fascinating.

“El sol de México himself? I’ll take that as a compliment, I have to work on my kick when singing. Has anyone ever told you you look like Sansa Stark? Remarkable.”

[mexicancharm]

Which reality show would you be on, and why?

“I was in a reality show already, actually? When I was a kid. It was one of the ones that had singing contests, and they had a bunch of ten-to-fifteen-year-olds staying together in some big house, learning about music? It was actually pretty fun. I came top three and no, you cannot google it to find any videos, sorry. Anyway, my desire to be on screen kinda died down after I turned fifteen, already had my shot.”

honesty hour 👀 anon or not I have to answer

[mexicancharm]

Do you have anyone you want to spend more time with in NYC?

“I guess my daughter is a very lame answer huh? Yeah, there are many people I’d like to spend more time with, people I’d like to get to know better. Friends, others...”

honesty hour 👀 anon or not I have to answer

[littleinspires]

[mexicancharm]

[mexicancharm]

𝖷𝗒𝗅𝖺 𝖵𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗎𝖾𝗏𝖺:

“I’m willing to bet money that I feel worse. If you weren’t hogging all the sheets, I’d probably still be buried underneath a mountain of pillows,” Xyla responded in an equally raspy voice before pulling the plush duvet blankets closer around her naked chest. Despite her reckless college years filled with shameless hookups and waking up on the other side of town , it had been years since Xyla had woken up to a nameless stranger in her bed. She blamed that on being in failed relationships for the greater part of the last five years, but regardless, most people were up and out before sunrise. 

After a quick sip from the bottle in her hand, she handed it to him as a peace offering. “Here. You need to hydrate so you can tell me everything you do remember about last night,” Xy said with a small smile, hoping to ease awkwardness in the room help piece together the last twelve hours.

“If my head wasn’t killing me I’d make a very lame joke about the sheets I can’t quite land right now” he offered helplessly caressing his forehead before untangling himself from the duvet and pulling himself up, searching for a piece of clothing as he tried to yet again make himself panic less about the ordeal. He knew Bella, his daughter, was with her grandma so there was no real reason to feel guilty about it other than not remembering anything about the night and knowing the other didn’t either, but it didn’t stop him.

Taking his shirt from some part of the floor, he offered it back as a response from the beautiful girl’s offering, a small smile present on his features while taking the bottle and giving it a small sip “Well, none of us woke up handcuffed to the bed so we’re off to a good start at least” Ari tried to joke, taking a deep breath. “I am having flashbacks of someone dancing on a table and something tells me it wasn’t you... Xyla, right? I remember that, it was too pretty so I committed that to memory.”

[mexicancharm]

𝖠𝗌𝖺 𝖧𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖽​:

Asa shot him a rueful smile. He’d never been good with this sort of thing. He was already a bit awkward- it didn’t help that he’d ghosted this poor man who’d literally done nothing wrong. He was as handsome as he’d always been sitting there, and Asa just kept feeling the guilt building in his gut. He sighed, brushing fingers through his pushed back hair gently. “Work. Yeah, it’s… fantastic, actually. A lot of projects upcoming and… there’s whisperings of a possible award nomination for best illustrator for a YA novel series? Which I don’t think I ever considered was a… thing?” 

He sipped his coffee gently, setting it back down. “I know, I know… it’s…” He gestured vaguely to his head. “…maybe it would be better not to speak of it.” Asa looked over at him, and he couldn’t help laughing. “I look good? I don’t believe that. I’m sleep deprived and I don’t think I’ve left my apartment in days. You’re the one who looks somewhat presentable. How’s Bella?”

Aristóteles wore his heart on his sleeve on the day-to-day. He had learned to separate his work self, a more poised, attentive Ari who tried his best to conceal from his normal, expressive and open self. Alas the bright grin and rush of excitement upon hearing about his handsome friend’s news wasn’t a surprise. “That’s amazing, congratulations man, that’s really cool. I need to get my hand on that series, what’s it called? Look at you, all up and ready to kick ass of all illustrators. Despain will be proud” he grinned.  

The young man nodded, shifting in his seat. Maybe not speaking of it would be a good decision, against his better judgement. Maybe they could leave whatever happened behind if none addressed the relationship they once had. A chuckle. “Please, you know you’re hot even if you are a hermit. I’ve seen the comments of fans online” Ari hinted, arching a brow playfully. At the mention of Bella, he couldn’t help but beam. “She’s great, thanks. A force to be reckoned. I got called from her school the other day because she talked back to a teacher who was being a dick to a boy. I’m gonna have a field trip once she hits puberty.”

[mexicancharm]

𝖦𝗎𝗌 𝖠𝗆𝖺𝖽𝗈:

“Chelle wears sweaters all the time- it’s the only consistent thing my mom buys for me at Christmas time.” Gus laughed. The tiny chihuahua got cold very easily and was known to shake at the drop of a hat. “She’s just too small. Needs something to keep her warm. I’ll have to get a purple sparkly sweater for her, surprise Bella with it.” He was sure the little girl would love seeing her furry friend all ‘bedazzled’.

He took another long sip of his wine and laughed. “I’ll cook for you then. And Bella. I bet I could find something you both like, even if she’s a picky eater.” Gus leaned his face against his palm, elbow propped up on the counter. He wasn’t expecting Ari to say that he was proud of him. His face flushed and he shot him a glare. “Don’t go gettin’ soft on me, Ari. You’ve had one sip. I need at least two glasses before I start getting mushy.” He tapped his own wine glass, shaking his head sheepishly. He sat back a bit, sighing. “I’m fine. I have my bad days but I’m doing alright.“ He said simply, brushing his dark hair out of his face.

“Wait… a plastic baby Jesus. This sounds familiar. And very religious. Do people eat the baby by accident? And it sounds like it’s not great luck if you have to buy everyone tamales.” He added with a grin.

“Don’t give her ideas man, I’m telling you. She’ll get you one of those purses where you carry your dogs all the time and ask you to bring her wherever you go so she’s never cold or alone. But don’t get the sparkly sweater, we’ll get it for you. Bella will be so happy. If we suddenly come to you with a pet carrier and a thousand sweaters, I am not responsible for that. I can never say no to that girl, it’s the eyes” Bella, who’s face was identical to her mother’s and made Ari’s days torturously beautiful every single day.

The psychologist grinned, shaking his head “Don’t worry, she’s far from a picky eater. She was eating mexican food before turning one so we got her used to a lot of flavors really early in life. She is allergic to shellfish but the rest? We’ll eat anything. She even tried crickets once” he shared. As Gus mocked his words, Ari could only muffled a laugh and roll his eyes playfully. “Shut up, you know what I mean, man. I’m a therapist and shit now, I get payed to say that so I get to do it once for free to a friend who really makes me proud. If you get all mushy I’m taking the wine from you” he warned, guiding his friend to the living room so they could be more comfortable, cheese plate and wine bottle in hand. “Bad days are fine, bad days are human. You’re not letting them control you and that’s more than many can say.”

 A hum. “Very religious. Yet again, all of Mexico is very religious so it’s on brand. But it’s also an excuse to gather around with some friends and just have a good day, you know? And there are many stories of people who have tried to swallow the plastic figures because they don’t wanna pay the price, yes. But it’s hard. This year, there are a lot of baby Yodas taking the place of baby jesus. Weird celebration, I know.”

[mexicancharm]

𝖩𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝖤𝗅𝗋𝗈𝗒​:

“Ah, good to know.” He said with a laugh, grinning over at the man and the little girl which if he had to assume, James would have guessed it was his daughter. “I’ve never been here and all those milkshake options sound incredible.” James added a few seconds later before he glanced back up at the menu with a shake of his head. “I was gonna go with my old standard of mint chocolate chip-” He trailed off with a shrug. “Have you been here before? Is there anything you’d recommend?” James asked as he looked back over to the man, the gentle smile never once leaving from his lips.

At the sound of the word milkshakes, Bella immediately brightened up; tugging at her father’s coat excitedly. “Guess someone got into the milkshake high” he chuckled, taking Bella’s hand before turning his attention to the other at the question. “Well, our go-to normally is the first candy bar we see, right Bell? Sometimes strawberry” he grinned, shrugging lightly. “They have kit-kat flavor, which sounds insane but it’s actually nice. But if you like mint chocolate chip, they may still have candy cane” Ari offered. “Anyway, whatever you choose is on us, right Bell?” the man directed his gaze at his daughter who in response, grinned bashfully at the young man.

[mexicancharm]

Top five hottest men in the city?

“Thomas, James, Llewellyn, Dillon, Asa, I’m gonna throw Sean in the mix. But my list could be ten pages long.” // @thomascoleman, @jamesselroy, @llewellyn-reed, @dillonwolfe, @asaxholland, @sean-oshea