what’s up, beautifuls ！ this is mickey again, she / her, twenty-six, yada yada ！ i bring to you ricardo, mapleview’s local drug dealer who also is a mechanic at the auto shop. unlike my other character, i don’t have this guy’s stats, wanted connections, or pinterest up and running yet, but please feel free to check out the bio down below ！this is also a sideblog, so follows will be from @linkoln.
『 manny montana. thirty-four. cis male. he/him. 』 oh heavens, is that RICARDO ‘RICKY’ DEL RIO from CHESTNUT DRIVE i see roaming around mapleview? minnie may’s always calling them -SECRETIVE & -FRAUDULENT. i happen to think they’re not that bad! they’re a pretty cool MECHANIC at FIX-IT-ALL REPAIR SHOP while also a DRUG DEALER on the side, and every time i’ve seen them, they’ve always been +LOYAL & +SELF-SUFFICIENT. i hope i see them around again!
BIOGRAPHY
his story originated in albuquerque, new mexico, where the sun was ablaze and the bad often mixed with the good, those friendly smiles he saw on street corners just a clever way of hiding a loaded gun. the fear on the other end of the trigger something ricardo learned to mask with a sharp gaze and a clenched jaw.
he grew up on a whirlwind of credit card debt and social workers, his father unable to hold a job due to his inability to stay out of prison, habitually leaving ricky’s mother to raise two boys on her own. not a dime in her name and not enough food stamps to put food on the table. but even so, like any other family in their neighborhood, the del rio’s still managed to get by.
ricardo being the oldest of him and his brother, took it upon himself to help with their financial woes. thirteen years old, jeans buckled way below his waist. drifting through the grapevine until he came across a friend of a friend at school who sold prescription drugs. hesitant of the risky business at first, but after seeing the pocket money this side hustle could offer, ricky bit the bullet and soon climbed his way to the top of the dealer’s pool.
the thing about the drug trade, however, was once you were in it, there was no getting out of it. a fact ricky had to accept the hard way when he tried dipping out at seventeen, his efforts resulting in a threat and a knife to his throat. that fear he once had after seeing a gun for the first time returning, swallowing him whole, chaining him to a hustle he didn’t want a part of anymore.
senior year, and ricky’s secret revealed itself before he could stop it, his brother witnessing one of ricky’s trade offs on his way home from baseball practice. this bomb dropping as soon as they were behind closed doors, where an argument and an ‘ i want in ‘ quickly turned into his brother following in ricky’s footsteps and joining in on the buying and selling — he looked up to ricky, after all, and it only made sense to take after him despite ricky’s protests against being anything like him or their father.
they became respected business partners, learning the ways of the street and adapting to the different clientele, bringing home the dough in fat stacks. both of them in too deep. wasting their opportunities for a higher education and instead focused on moving up the ranks, diving into seedier business by the time they hit their twenties.
one bullet was all it took. a drug deal gone wrong. that loud bang once the trigger was pulled forever stained in ricky’s memory, the shootout lasting three seconds before everyone was dispersing and his brother was left bleeding out on the alleyway floor.
ricardo knew then that he needed to get out of dodge, escape the mess he dug for himself — not only for his deceased brother, but for his mother’s innocence too. so packing a bag at the height of his adrenaline, he left his mother a note along with a good chunk of cash. maintaining a bit of anonymity of where he was headed before he hopped in the car and drove far east.
mapleview, north carolina. ironically the place his car decided to breakdown, and he hated it. at first. everything seemingly too picture perfect for his rugged past, his stomach twisting at the fresh smell of fallen leaves everywhere he turned. unsure of the smiles that didn’t have a loaded gun underneath.
though his views changed when he slowly began to settle. altering himself to this peculiar way of life as he got a job at the auto repair shop where his own car needed fixing. keeping his past well hidden from those who wanted to know too much, sustaining a low profile. well, until...
like it was stated above, the drug trade wasn’t something he could simply walk away from. no. he should’ve known he’d be found, and the packages delivered to his front doorstep were just the starting point of albuquerque coming back to bite him. and the product inside? pills upon pills upon his brother’s thumb.
jump to today, and you have ricardo selling what continues to show up on his porch, wearing his brother’s dog tags as a reminder of why he had to and why he couldn’t stop. managing to squash the rumors of this hustle to prevent himself from getting fired from his auto repair job — besides, what his boss doesn’t know won’t hurt him, and that was that most of their customers were there for the pills and not just a simple tune up.
AESTHETICS
missed calls at two in the morning, burnt matchsticks, loose dollar bills hidden inside shoeboxes, knowing what you want & how you’ll get it, grease stained jeans, the smell of gasoline, don’t ask & don’t tell, dog tags hanging around the neck, a cigarette propped atop the ear
HEADCANONS
ricky knows how to serve his lies on a plate, okay. he’s good at building a facade without letting his armor crack, and if that means being a schmooze with the old ladies and hardass to someone’s husband, he’ll do it.
though he sells drugs, he does not partake in them. the only thing he indulges in on occasion is a cigarette and some cold beer. but other than that, he’s straight, and will refuse someone trying to mess him up in that sense.
he lives out in the farmlands, and probably has never invited anyone back to his house. one, because of the packages that keep arriving, and two, well, he’s never been vulnerable enough to let anyone become that close to him. he’s super guarded, and with good reason!
i don’t think he’s ever properly grieved his brother’s death, and honestly, he wouldn’t even know how. but it’s something i would love to explore!
he’s got plenty of tattoos and will gladly tell you the stories behind them over a glass of whiskey and a nice cigar, so don’t be afraid to ask even if he can come across as intimidating at first.
