#Diego Strex

[mr-atomicrain]

So I have a question, Does anyone know who Diego Strex is from Welcome to NightVale cause I couldn't really find anything on him on Google and he's commonly shipped with Kevin so I'm just curious on who he is?

[palmtree-art]

....so.. you're telling me that it WASN'T dana singing roar by katy perry!?!?! IT WAS FEY!!?!!!!!!?!?!?!??!

I SPENT 4 YEARS THINKING IT WAS DANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M NOT CRYING WHAT??

[weepylucifer]

Hmmm okay. I think we can theorize why, on a characterization level, Kid Kevin wants to kill Adult Kevin until the cows come home, but as someone who has witnessed these things, I reckon we should also maybe consider what's going on at the meta level

I'll explain through a little retrospective, for those who haven't invested any thought in Kevinology. From Triptych onward (at the latest) Kevin has been a widely beloved character, subject of many fanfics. When the Mudstone Abyss dropped, it was highly controversial to the crowd who had become very attached to various fanons: A) one where Kevin already had an OC boyfriend (Diego, or similar) and B) one where Cecil and Carlos take pity on Kevin, take him into Night Vale, unbrainwash and "adopt" him. A) is not important right now. It is to B) that we shall turn our attention.

I think Finknor noticed, since obviously they're on social media, that the Mudstone Abyss was unpopular at the time for not giving Kevin an unbrainwashing arc where he becomes nice, soft, sad, adorable and childlike and/or turns back into Pre-Strex Kevin. Instead, they portrayed Kevin as a complex adult man who is trying to reckon with a traumatic past but frequently does so in unhealthy and harmful (to himself and others, especially others) ways, and who is struggling to consolidate said harmful coping mechanisms with new adult responsibilities (a partner and step-son). People did not know what to do with this. They had existed in a fanon where trauma survivors are expected to turn back into their Before Selves at the snap of a finger, where trauma makes you sad, and soft, and uwu, and unambiguously better, for years at that point. I think that's why we didn't get any new Kevin episodes for a long, very long time. (Charles and Donnie have gained a handful of fans since. But I cannot overstate how hated they were initially.) I think now, with The Boy, the writers have decided it is time to address the issue.

Things can go several ways now:

Kid Kevin kills Adult Kevin and "make[s] a fresh start". The people finally get what they wanted: Kevin as a cute little kiddo who gets raised in Night Vale and gets doted on by Cecil and Carlos (and bonus Tamika!). The unpopular adult version from Mudstone Abyss onward is erased. Charles and Donovan, idk, are never heard from again. We have set right what once went wrong.

Kid Kevin and Adult Kevin reach some sort of agreement and part ways without a fight. The outcome can be the same: Kid Kevin returns to Night Vale, Adult Kevin is just never really relevant again. The fandom can forget all about him. We have set right what once went wrong.

Adult Kevin kills Kid Kevin. Unlikely, also a bit anticlimactic.

They manage to resolve the conflict in a poignant way that doesn't pander to thee most annoying subsection of the Desert Bluffs fans, showing that they stick to how they chose to develop Kevin in Mudstone Abyss and that he has a right to exist even though Cecil and parts of the fandom do not really like him. Holding out hope for that one personally, but who knows 😬

[thevoiceofdesertbluffs]

early night vale fandom made diego to be in charge of kevin because they didn't like yhe fact that lauren, a woman, was kevin's supervisor/basically in charge of him back in the strex days.

[videntefernandez]

Definitely keep going, onwards with general infos on the Creel family!

You got it boss

So like they're obviously very inspired by the strex family because I loved that whole thing and I'm sad it's over. I'm going on a nostalgia trip.

The dad, Richard Creel, is mexican but was born in america and has always been wealthy. He was an exchange student in germany where he met Karsten in High school and they've been best friends since then. He had a small loan of 10 million dollars from his parents and founded Creelcore which was initially just a robotics company (they made Babsy, who was the first nurse at the hospital). He had a boy with his first wife (José Luis, Joe for friends) but then divorced and married Diana. They had Diego and Diva who are 5 years apart in age.

Dick is the diplomat in the family, he's extremely social and could make friends with anyone. He's the first one to try the peaceful approach before resorting to violence, but he's also the first one to say "Fuck the rules". He's a party guy like Karsten and the backyard barbecue gets absolutely wild. This happens weekly. He also goes golfing weekly and they have family dinner and church on sundays (they say they're catholic for public image but their true patron is La Santa Muerte).

This is already super long so I won't get too deep into it. The mom, Diana Contreras is from Sonora Mexico which is a state that has a huge problem with drug cartels. Her family was killed and she was trafficked during her youth, until she executed the leader and took over the gang. She went through several people like that using her feminine wiles, which earned her a ton of enemies so she had to flee to the US where she met Dick and they fell in love. She already had a background in drugs, so she and Joe started the pharma branch of the company (running both the legal and illegal side) And they created the happy pill which makes employees like Kevin stay content and compliant at their jobs.

She's the ice queen, hates social gatherings and is having an affair with her robot assistant.

Joe is first in line to inherit the company, he's married with 3 kids and has a robotic eye prosthetic after losing his while playing as kids (he was the kind of problem child who stole cars and freed animals from the zoo only to hunt them down himself, and when Diego arrived it was double trouble). But the eyepatch is more intimidating so he also wears that. There's maybe more but this is already so long lmao

[alexalmonds]

Who knows how Diego from the Strex was created? I just asking, 'cause i saw a lot of some old drawings and fics of him

[lady-marianela]

Kevin & his partners.

1. Kevin and Vanessa: during #48 ‘Renovations’ while Kevin talks about what begin employed by Strex Corp is like, he mentions a girlfriend. The fandom decided that said girlfriend is none other than Intern Vanessa from episode #19B 'The Sandstorm’. I think it had the potential to be a really cute ship, but I feel like she either died during the takeover or they were forced to break-up, because romance in the workplace is unprofessional.

2. Kevin and Diego: I found this fandom super late, like I remember that when I started listening and was around episode #5 'The Shape on Mission Grove Park’ they uploaded the first episode of the Mudstone Abyss arc, so I didn’t get to be part of the #CreateYourOwnDesertBluffs!Carlos fun, but I do like all the differents DB!Carlos our fandom has come up with. And while I liked the idea that Evil!Carlos and Kevin loved each other, I feel like my 'Diego’ would have had a different relationship with Kevin, like, unlike Cecil and Carlos who love each other and all that, Kevin wouldn’t reciprocate his affections, because he would know in the bottom of his heart (despite any re-education he may have went through) that Diego represents everything that Kevin hates and I don’t think he could have loved him.

3. Kevin and Charles (+ Donovan): Finkor made us really wait for it, but yeah, Charles the theologist a.k.a Canon DesertBluffs!Carlos. I mean, everybody jumped at his throat for the Donovan thing (even me) but let’s leave Kevin to be happy for once and give Charles the benefit of the doubt, okay? To be honest, I wonder if Donovan is a foreshadowing for something that has yet to happen in Night Vale?

Anyways, I hope you guys liked this thing ❤

[fallow-horn]

I highkey love Diego and Kevin more than I love myself whoops

Anyway I headcanon that Diego was raised Catholic and still celebrates Christmas along side of All Smiles Day. Kevin doesn’t really get Christmas but damn if he isn’t enjoying it. Kevin totally made that scarf by the way

[ask-fandomstuck-nightvale]

Mun!, i'm a little curious, could you prepads tell me a little about you backstory for Kevin and Diego? (only if this doesn't upset you in some way)

//Hi! No, telling the story doesn’t make me upset, I’m actually very happy with it. I’ve never actually shared this outside of like, three friends. However it’s l o n g and could be pretty triggering to some people so I’m gonna put it undercut! Specifics are probably are like, gore, cannibalism, manipulation, uhhh I’m guessing I should warn for the amputation too….

(Also I’ve got the like. Biggest feeling I’m gonna get judged for it, especially because Wow! Henry is an edgelord apparently!! Angst Galore!!! Someone stop me good lord)

The revolution was at it’s peak. A newfound confidence was found in the town of Desert Bluffs after a voice from the future confirmed they would win.

Things started going sour when Strexcorp attempted to buy the radio station. The citizens of Desert Bluffs couldn’t let them take their only haven. The fight against the business strengthened, but things changed when Strexcorp got what they wanted.

With the radio station under their control, they could do whatever they wanted with people who worked there. Most were easy to get under their control, but the host himself proved himself most uncooperative.

He constantly tried to escape, so much so that the only way for them to keep him in their ‘care’ was to break his legs. One got damaged so terribly that the best option was to just amputate it, just above the knee. The best thing for him, also, was to sew up that third eye of his. He wouldn’t be needing it!

Strexcorp had had in their works an experimental drug, one much more potent than the one it had been giving to the others in town. When Kevin had been resistant to anything Strex tried to do for him, they decided their experiment was ready to be tested on humans. Or humanoids in Kevin’s case, whatever he is.

The drug used on Kevin was too much for any being to take. Sure, he became docile for a few days, but something was changing in him. His bright blonde hair turned pitch black, his nails grew long and sharp. His once brilliant yellow eyes clouded black, and his teeth turned to razors. He refused to eat. Every bit of food he touched made him sick. No one could explain what was happening to him.

His personality changed as well. There was the usual, trademarked Strexcorp smile, of course, but his smile was too wide for his ever-thinning face. He laughed for hours on end, until he physically couldn’t anymore. He wouldn’t sleep for days on end. He paced and paced and paced in his room, having so much energy and nothing to spend it on.

One day, a scientist entered his room, carrying what was supposed to be his lunch and a clipboard, questions over food! He was an important part of the revolution against them after all, and he previously had been too stubborn to tell them anything, surely he would speak about it now.

Kevin stared as the scientist set down the tray of food. Even if he could eat it, it looked disgusting. The scientist tried to talk to Kevin, but every word was meaningless to him. Others watched from the one way window looking into the room.

Then, something very unexpected happened.

Kevin had never been violent in the past, never to anyone else. Sure, he tore at the skin on his arms, presumably because of the moving tattoos that were just too odd, and very wrong, but never to anyone else. Kevin’s sudden outburst came right out of left field. The scientist never suspected a thing, not until Kevin was already on top of him.

When they were finally able to enter Kevin’s room again to remove the scientist’s body, they didn’t like what they had to drag out. His chest cavity was completely torn open, his entrails ripped out and eaten. His throat was torn out, which was his initial cause of death. Kevin watched with bloodstained clothes and fresh blood on his teeth from the corner of the room. He laughed quietly as they exited.

For a long time, no one was allowed into Kevin’s room. He got a change of clothes but that was really it. He eventually started letting people back in. Scientists attempted to ask him questions, but he still refused to answer them. Instead, he would always make them leave through his words, speaking such awful things to them, and in general being passive aggressive.

No one could get a word out of him about what the revolution had been planning in the time before he was captured. Not until the boss himself came down to have a chat with Kevin.

Something was different with this conversation, everyone knew it. Kevin was quiet as rude when Diego entered the room. Of course, there was the first comment about mistaking the boss for scientist swine, but eventually any anger he might of felt was blown away. Kevin talked to Diego with actual interest. He answered some of Diego’s questions with something that resembled an answer.

No one could understand why Kevin would talk with Diego but no one else. Maybe it’s because he wasn’t a scientist? Diego once made a remark about Kevin being deathly thin- After that, Kevin attempted to eat the food they gave him (even though it often made him sick).

They couldn’t let anyone else in there, Kevin would only go back to the way he was before Diego entered his room. Eventually, they had gotten everything they needed out of Kevin. Diego was just perfect at that, using someone to get what he wants. His words had seemed so sweet, but his intentions were only for himself.

Soon, Kevin was cooperative enough to be let go from recovery. He was the perfect worker, constantly working for the benefit of Strexcorp. He was made the voice of Strex, a perfect title for him, seeing as he had already been a radio host. He still seemed to be more willing to talk to Diego than anyone else, however….

Not very long after Kevin started actually working at Strex, he was asked on a date by Diego. But that’s a story for another time with a lot more explaining that I don’t have time for currently.

[thistimebutbetter-aesthetics]

                                            Isn’t it good to be a Bluff?

                              Kevin Free and Diego Strex (WTNV) Aesthetics.

[manynarrators]

Charles, Cecil, Diego - Kevin

Wed: “I would wed C... Ch-Cecil. I almost said Charles, and part of me would. But he’s... he’s not Carlos, and I don’t know if I would be able to not compare them a little. Cecil understands what it’s like to be a Voice- we could be happy.”

Bed: “Charles, of the doubles, it would always be Charles. You sent me two doubles of Carlos, and my own double?”

Behead: “Diego. I knew him, and I knew what he was- is capable of. His hands, his voice, I can still recall him in my dreams. If I could have ever been anything more than this, it was him that let that other path rot.”

[weepylucifer]

there are folks out there intent on living like it's still year 2 of night vale... rip to them but i'm different

[mudstoneabyss]

grr evil capitalist scientist so prim and proper and love gun and Strexcorp. then just hey this is Charles he's a theologist hes poor and he has a 5yo son and he's moving here to become a teacher and raise his family :] he doesn't know what the hell a strex is he's been in a ghost town for the past ??? years

I am thinking about it Charles is so unlike Diego it's comical

[videntefernandez]

Ah yes the Strex family, it is sad that it's over. I still remember seeing the drawings of them that you always did. Tho I don't really remember all of the members, I was a pre-teen back then lmao. ANYWAYS can we get more info on Diana?(she's starting to grow on me)

It's hard to believe how long ago that was!

But yeah, some cool facts about Diana:

She's extremely distrustful of everyone. Her best friend is her daughter in law.

One time they went to a party on a private island and in the middle of it she took the yacht, leaving the rest of the family stranded.

She ruled the cartel with this kind of pink sparkly rifle that somehow made its way into Diego's collection later.

She has survived several assassination attempts, though her kids claim it was just "an accident"

She and Dick met when she was his dealer, she still smokes.

After everything she went through she's very supportive of other women, but with Diva she's extremely demanding. She wants her to be the best she can be, but sometimes it comes off way too strict.

In a way she's Karsten's mirror. While Karsten was the critical parent to Diedrik, Diana is like that For Diva, it's just another way they run parallel lives.

[spellboundcities]

I’m not sure which I hate more; The idea in general, the startling realization that this song fits scarily well, or the fact that I just spent three hours drawing this (per @videntefernandez‘s recent ask)

I’m screaming

Screencap that I referenced under the cut

[kevin--of-desert-bluffs]

I've always seen ships with Kevin as like. Both he and his partner are objectively horrible people but they are very good to each other ("You brought me the still-beating heart of my enemy? BABE, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE! :D :D :D")

That would be absolutely fine! Kevin in an 'Addams Family' style relationship where they're both utterly devoted to each other and equally strange but turned up from 'a bit kooky' to 'actually this is messed up when you really look at it, but in that charming Night Vale way' would be perfect! (Else just keeping the man single). But the canon has Kevin, during his most vulnerable time post-Strex, when he could have been healing, put into an emotionally abusive relationship. Charles repeatedly manipulates Kevin into staying with him and raising a child with him to the point where we actually see Kevin get angry and talk about how he doesn't like what's going on. Kevin's reasons for staying with Charles are shallow, based on not wanting to be alone, finding Charles physically attractive and unhealthy Smiling God related reasons. In fandom people often ship him with his 'boss' from Strex. Ya know, the guy responsible for taking over Desert Bluffs, physically disabling Kevin, mentally breaking him and changing his whole personality, subjecting him into enslavement for years etc and the fandom has him continue this abuse physically, emotionally and psychologically and worse than that, acting like Kevin be ok with it or somehow 'equal' when realistically there is a clear power imbalance not in Kevin's favour. If only more people just had him with someone cutely messed up but good to Kevin. But 'Diego' or equivalent and Charles aren't these people and that's what makes it hard for me to be ship-positive lol