#but surely there will be one. they gotta. for the reed girlies out there (me)

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

btw guys my final semester is starting so i'm going to go quiet again :') esp since the webtoon just went on hiatus

i'll be back again in may/june!

[thegayagenda-forkids]

Hand Drawn Sleeves- Chapter 1

The first time T.J remembers seeing the designs was on the first day of second grade. He was sitting while the teacher was teaching math, and he wasn’t paying attention. He hated math anyways. He felt a tickle on his arm and looked down, seeing flowers and swirls sprawling about. He stared at his arm puzzled, rubbing at it, but the designs wouldn’t smear or fade. He put on his jacket and kept his sleeves rolled down all day.

[[MORE]]

When he went back home, he was trying not to cry, freaking out and showing his mom. She smiled and stroked back his hair.

“Honey, everyone on Earth is born with a soulmate, the person that’s perfect for you and who you should be with,” she said. “And the universe decided to help us find them by letting us know what’s drawn on the skin of the other. Look!” She pointed to his arm and the drawings started smearing before disappearing. “Looks like your soulmate is washing them off. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“So whatever they draw I see on my skin?”

“And whatever you draw will show up on their skin.”

So T.J. Kippen moved on with his life, and he kept looking forward to what would show up on his skin. It was highly discouraged for people to use the writing on the skin to reveal their identities because if you met and knew who your soulmate was too early, there was a 99% chance of the relationship not working out and being forever alone, someone dubbed soulless. So he didn’t get his soulmate’s name. He looked for the drawings, and sometimes, he would draw over some of the designs with his own pen and would watch almost all of the drawings fade, wait a good few minutes, and then wait for the trademark frowny face to appear on his forearm. That’s when he would chuckle and wash off his own side. The frowny face would be crossed out with a big X and a smiley face would be drawn next to it, and that always made TJ smile, no matter what was happening in his life.

He loved watching the designs show up on his arm, the way they seemed to swirl. He tried picturing what his soulmate looked like. For several years, he pictured someone like his friend Joshie. Joshie was a cute boy who always had paint on his cheek, but his parents always talked about his soulmate becoming his girlfriend. He always frowned but accepted it. It was probably a girl and he was still growing out of his “girls are icky” phase. His sister Amber acted the same way whenever they referred to her soulmate as her future boyfriend. They were just growing out of it. That’s what they kept saying to each other.

In the meantime, T.J. would just watch the designs every day. He watched it while he was at school, giving up on trying to understand math. He was just stupid with numbers, and he wished people would stop being so hard on him there. He was good at English, Basketball, and even somewhat decent with Spanish since he was able to string together several coherent sentences from Dora the Explorer alone.

He was in the fifth grade when he moved to Shadyside after his dad died. It was just him, his mom, and his sister Amber. When his father died, his mom developed a black band in the middle of her forearm, the sign of a Lost Soul, someone who lost their soulmate.

It was the summer before sixth grade when the drawings stopped. All he would get were pencil smudges or ink stains on his hand from his soulmate. And whenever he helped do some repairs on his mom’s car and got oil stains, the frowny face would reappear, and if he was in the middle of the job, he would take out a pen and write:

-10 minutes-

-O.K. Counting.-

That was the most the two ever wrote to each other as messages. They didn’t want to risk it going any further. When T.J. was about to wash his hands, he’d draw a checkmark, and wait for the smiley face. That was all he got. No more drawings. He was sad, but he moved on. Tons of people would find their soulmates with nothing but ink stains and paint smudges. He moved on.

He joined the basketball team, and eventually, he made captain, and he became the best player on the team. He was forced to allow a girl onto his team, Buffy Driscoll. She was good, but he would never admit that. This was the boy’s basketball team and Driscoll was ruining the vibe. His mom said he had a crush whenever he complained about her. Amber knew Driscoll and the gang, and she knew that T.J. had absolutely no interest in her. He just wanted her off the team so she that the other basketball teams could stop making fun of them.

It was the eighth grade when T.J. looked down at his arms absentmindedly in math class when T.J.’s spirits lifted. It wasn’t him magically understanding the problems on the board. That was never going to happen. It was his arm. On his left arm, the doodles were returning. He smiled and looked over it. There were flowers and leaves, and swirls in the spaces between. He traced them with his finger, looking over it. It felt like his soulmate was back, really back.

He had so many questions. Who were they? Where did they learn how to draw? And why did they stop for so long. He wanted to go rushing out the school hallways and look at everyone’s arm, but he stopped himself. Did he want to know? Was he ready to know?

He decided to shake it off and go to basketball practice, thankful that Buffy was in meetings with the principal to create a new girls basketball team. Not that he would ever tell her, but he supported that. The sooner she got her girls team, the sooner she was off of his. He quickly got changed and went to the gym to go practice some layups.

“Whoa, Timothy Jimothy!” a voice behind him said. T.J. rolled his eyes.

“Not my name, Reed.”

“Dude, I’m running out of T and J names.”

“Yup. You’ll never figure it out. And I’m not telling,” he said, shooting another basket.

“Dude, why did you draw all this crap on your arm?” he took his arm and started looking over it. “Flowers, squiggles, turing fag on me, bro.”

“Dude, shut up,” he said, giving him a shove back. “It’s my soulmate you idiot, see?” he licked his thumb and rubbed it on the doodles. “No smudge. Not me.”

“Damn, you really got some girly girl to draw all over you?” he said.

“I don’t even know who my soulmate is yet,” T.J. said. “All I know is that there’s this drawing on my soulmate’s arm, and it won’t come off until they decide to wash it off.”

“You know,” Randy said, jogging into the room. “The amount that you two argue, nobody would think you guys are best friends. Honestly, even for me sometimes it’s more believable that you two are soulmates.”

“Gross,” Reed said. “T.J's dude!”

“Yeah, gross,” he said, shooting more baskets. “As if I’d want to spend the rest of my life with this dickhead.”

“Oh you’re so sure,” Randy teased.

“Randy, Reed’s arm is clean, mine has doodles all over it. My soulmate is active. Unlike yours...Randy?” T.J. let the ball drop and he rushed to his friend’s side, who fell to his knees and started breathing heavily.

Reed looked at his arm. There were swirling black lines all over it and then it settled on a black band on his forearm.

“Shit,” T.J. looked. “Man I’m sorry…”

“Just... just leave it,” he said. “I gotta go home…Maybe it’s good I didn’t meet them yet. Maybe I’ll meet another lost soul and just...see if we have fun.” He grabbed his stuff and left.

“Okay, I won’t say another word about soulmates...I swear...”

T.J. watched Randy walk away. He knew that sort of thing happened and opened his phone to see if there were any news stories that could have explained that. The good news is that there were no national tragedies to report, but that didn’t change the black band on Randy’s arm.

He remembered the car crash like it was yesterday. They weren’t in the car, but he remembered his mom screamed in pain and dropped the salad bowl she was holding. He remembered looking around confused while Amber rushed over to help her, and he remembered her breaking down crying when the band solidified. He looked up what happened later that night because his mom didn’t want to talk, and he and Amber just held each other and cried.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. He didn’t want to remember the funeral, and he didn’t want to think about how his mom said that it feels like there’s a hole in her heart and that she’ll never be warm enough again.

“Whatever man…” T.J. said. “I’m gonna go study for English…” He put on his hoodie and froze when, as soon as she walked into the gym looking annoyed, he saw Buffy’s right arm. The patterns looked way to similar. He grabbed a blue pen and drew a small slash on his wrist. Thankfully, nothing happened, and he quickly cleaned the mark off before he left. Maybe Driscoll just drew on his soulmate’s arm, or maybe his soulmate was the artist. Either way, one important thought remained in his head.

“Not Her.”

[displacedprincess]

Elena Flores/Ximena Delejos Big-Ass Character Sheet

sometimes I'm so carefree/ with a joy that's hard to hide / and sometimes it seems that /all I have to do is worry / and then you're bound to see my other side / i'm just a soul whose intentions are good / oh lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

mira bien / todo va mal y todo está al revés / y tal vez no haya una segunda vez / para mirar las rosas rojas del edén

original sin / genetic fate / revolutions, spinning plates / it's important to stay informed / the commentary to comment on / oh, and no one ever really knows you, and life is brief / so I've heard, but what's that gotta do with this black hole in me?

i could feel myself falling from an aeroplane / i hear static when I close my eyes / i imagine one day things settling / and i think about what that might be like

NAME

Full Name: Elena Débora Nayaraq Viridana Maite Paqui Castillo Flores Origin: Most of Elena’s name is Spanish in origin, with Maite being a name Spanish has borrowed from Basque origin, Paqui being a name from the Nahuatl verb ‘to be happy’, and Nayaraq being a Quechua name meaning “one who has many desires.” Quechua is the most common language of the indigenous Avaloran population, and the Avaloran people have a strong connection with the Nahuatl speakers of Mexico and Central America (not to mention the small but considerable diaspora population inside of Avalor). Meaning: 

Elena - light

Débora - Spanish form of Deborah, biblical, bee

Nayaraq - Quechua origin, one who has many desires

Viridana - from the Latin word "viridis", meaning "green"

Maite - Basque origin, love

Paqui - Nahuatl origin, to be happy

Nickname/Alias: In Swynlake, she goes by Ximena Delejos. Title: Her Majesty Crown Princess of Avalor Pet Name: Gabe and other close friends call her Elenita. Signature: Elena’s print is neat and a little tight but not difficult to read. Her cursive is painfully fancy, even she rolls her eyes.

STATS

Gender: Cisfemale Gender Presentation: Elena presents in a stereotypical feminine way most of the time. She’s comfortable in dresses, with makeup, all the stereotypical “girly” things.  Orientation: Non-heterosexual, but exactly what is still up in the air. Real Age: 22 Age Appearance: Elena does look a little mature for her age and is often assumed to be around 25. Birthday: November 16, 1994 Birthplace: Avalor City, Avalor  Astrological Sign: Scorpio Zodiac Sign: Dog Primal Zodiac Sign: Octopus Celtic Tree Zodiac: Reed Hogwarts House: Huffledor Divergent Faction: Divergent - Amity + Dauntless  Moral Alignment: Chaotic good MBTI Personality Type: ESTP Temperament: Sanguine Enneagram: Type 4, The Romantic Vice: Envy Virtue: Kindness

FAMILY

Immediate Family: Elena was raised by her parents until their murders when she was 15. Her father was King Raul (fc: Ricky Martin) and her mother was Queen Luisa (fc: Gaby Moreno).  When they were killed, her grandparents took over the role. She has a little sister Isabel, and they are close with their older cousin Chancellor Esteban, aged 30, (fc: Oscar Isaac), whose mother was Queen Luisa’s older sister who gave up her claim to the throne to marry a common man of Cuban descent. Part of Esteban is jealous, and wishes his mother didn’t give up her right to the throne so he would be the king instead of just the Chancellor, but Esteban cares for his younger cousins and supports Elena’s claim to the throne since it is what it is; he’s more content with it knowing that Elena trusts him and values his advice, even if she doesn’t always follow it. He acts as Elena’s main point of information regarding goings on in Avalor. Distant Family: Many cousins and second cousins, like a lot. Parenting: Elena’s parents were strict to an extent, like as royals there were certain expectations, but they tried to make sure their daughters had a childhood. Upbringing: Elena was taught that being royal didn’t make her better than anybody else. She was taught that the responsibility of the monarchy was to rule with compassion and to look out for their people. Elena’s expanded this to care about everybody.

PERSON

Species: Human, Magick

Ethnicity: Latinx, Avaloran wih Guatemalan and Puerto Rican roots

Blood Type: O-

Preferred Hand: Left-handed

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color:  Brown-black

Hairstyle:  Elena typically wears her long, thick, curly hair like

this. 

 Lightly groomed with messy pieces tied back for convenience. Sometimes in an

updo

Skin Tone: Light brown

Makeup: Elena does her eyebrows up real nice every day, but other than that prefers light makeup for most days. 

Build: Slim and toned, proportional 

Height:  5′4

Cup Size: C

Shoe Size: 7 1/2 US

HEALTH

General Health: Elena is typically slow to fall ill, but she’s a baby when she’s sick. She haaaaates being ill. Energy: Too! Damn! Much! Memory: She remembers just about everything and really, really wishes she didn’t. Senses: Elena requires corrective lenses, usually she just wears contacts. Allergies: Elena is allergic to wasps and carries an epipen on her person. Medication: She’s currently not on medication, but she was on effexor for a while after her parents’ were killed. Phobias: Wasps, claustrophobia, the dark Addictions: None Mental Disorders: was diagnosed with depression after she failed to cope after her parents’ deaths, but she was taken off of her medication a year and a half after starting it and it seems she’s herself again

Occupation: Crown Princess of Avalor / Unemployed and seeking Work Ethic: Elena takes everything she works for seriously, be it leading her country or mixing drinks. Rank: Crown Princess / ?? Income: Right now, none Wealth Status: Aristocracy, royalty. 

Education: The highest level of education Elena has so far is university. Instead of going to university at Oxford or Ivy League like most of Avalor’s aristocracy, Elena chose to attend uni at one of Avalor’s public universities, University of Avalor - Avalor City. She was primarily castle-schooled for her primary and secondary education and she completed it and went onto university when she was 16.  School: UAAC or U doble-A C said aloud, is the largest university in Avalor. It has degree programs taught in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, and attracts students from all over the Americas and Europe. Students from the US come here because it is cheaper than a US school. Grades: Elena was a mostly A students with Bs in subjects she struggled with. Special Information: Elena graduated summa cum laude from UAAC. UAAC also has a small Greek life community, one of the few universities outside of the US participating in Greek Life. Elena joined the [fictional] Lamba Mu Theta social sorority. She was also active in numerous clubs, a choral music and show choir student org, and participated in student senate.   Social Stereotype: At first glance people thought the princess would be a spoiled brat, but the turned out to be the biggest nerd and cupcake. Degrees: Elena double majored from the get-go, took summer classes, and studied some more to get another degree so she holds three bachelors’ degrees; one is a B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in Global Governance, Human Rights, and Law, another is a B.S. in Bioengineering with a concentration in immunoengineering, and the third is a B.A. in Linguistics with a concentration in sociolinguistics . 

[empress-otome]

Jack Rabbit (A Dva76 playlist. Link)

“They say I'm too young to love you. You say I'm too dumb to see. They judge me like a picture book. By the colors, like they forgot to read.” --Brooklyn Baby (Lana Del Rey)

Art credits: @phk1205exe and @healthdrlnk

Read more for song explanations...

1. Arigato- Julie Bergan

“Oh, what you trying to protect me from? I'm just 'tryna have some fun.”

This reminds me of D.Va’s crazy, girly, do-whatever-I-want personality. I think Jack would try to tell her to slow down or even baby her a bit at first. He might have to learn that Hana can look out for herself and is not quite the baby he thinks she is.

2. Bubblegum Bitch- Marina and the Diamonds

“Got a figure like a pin-up Got a figure like a doll Don't care if you think I'm dumb I don't care at all.”

This also captures Hana’s I-do-what-I-want personality, but also sings a lot about sugary pink things--a staple in Hana’s life. I think any D.Va ship playlist could use this song, or even “Primadonna” by the same artist. I didn’t put “Primadonna” on this playlist, though, because I didn’t want it to be too D.Va-centric.

3. Brooklyn Baby- Lana Del Rey

This song actually inspired me to make this playlist. I already had some good JackRabbit songs picked out, but this one really made me decide to put them all together!

“They say I'm too young to love you You say I'm too dumb to see They judge me like a picture book By the colors, like they forgot to read.”

First of all, a lot of her fans would think Hana’s too young to love Jack. And yeah, there’s a huge age gap and love like this isn’t common. But I think many of D.Va’s fans “judge her like a picture book” just like the song says. There’s a lot more to D.Va than her fans might think.

“Well, my boyfriend's in the band He plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed I've got feathers in my hair I get down to Beat poetry And my jazz collection's rare I can play most anything.”

This just reminded me of the popular BunnyRibbit (Lucio x D.Va) ship. I imagine that in this song, she’s dating Lucio but secretly has a thing for 76. Although Hana may not “sing Lou Reed,” I’m sure she’s still often on stage doing some kind of performance--video games or theatrical. Then her “jazz collection” being able to “play most anything” made me think of her giant video game collection she has!

“You never liked the way I said it If you don't get it, then forget it So I don't have to fucking explain it.”

I feel like she’d get a lot of nagging from both her fans and the media for dating someone so much older than her. But this line really describes how a primadonna like D.Va would handle that drama. Also, it sounds like a nice nod to people who ship D.Va76. Nobody gets why we like it, but we can’t really explain why we like it.

4. Starlight- TAEYON, Dean

“혼자가 익숙했던 회색 빛의 나의 하루에 사뿐히 다가와선 날 두드린 그 날을 기억해 빛처럼 날 비춰 어둠에서 나를 깨우곤 닫힌 맘의 창을 열어 줬어”

Gotta have that obligatory K-pop song! It’s not any kind of D.Va playlist without it~ This was just a cute love song and one of my favorite k-pop songs, so I just had to add it.

5. Liability- Lorde

“They say, ‘You're a little much for me You're a liability You're a little much for me’ So they pull back, make other plans I understand, I'm a liability.”

Lorde’s newest song! I love this one! It’s about how Lorde often feels like a burden to her friends and family for being a celebrity, and I couldn’t help but think of D.Va. Not only is she a liability to friends who don’t want to be around her paparazzi, but she may feel like a liability to her comrades. She’s very young to be in action, just a year above the minimum age. So some may feel like they need to babysit her on the battlefield, and when she messes up in a fight, people may blame her age or status--even Jack.

“The truth is I am a toy That people enjoy 'Til all of the tricks don't work anymore And then they are bored of me.”

I think every star has felt this way sometime in their life.

6. History Has Its Eyes On You- Cast of Hamilton

“Let me tell you what I wish I’d known When I was young and dreamed of glory You have no control  Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.”

Some words of wisdom from 76 to D.Va. Whether you ship them or not, this is a good song for the two.

7. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)- Florence + The Machine

“Here I am a rabbit-hearted girl Frozen in the headlights.”

When Hana first starting serving her country, I’m sure she was scared on her first few missions. Besides, gotta have a bunny song for a D.Va ship playlist!

“This is a gift it comes with a price Who is the lamb and who is the knife.”

Think of D.Va’s MEKA and how that was a pretty neat addition to her life! But it comes with a price of war and death...and seeing all that close up.

“I must become a lion hearted girl Ready for a fight Before I make the final sacrifice.”

Hana looking up to Jack as she finds her courage for battle.

8. Lolita- Lana Del Rey

“I don't care what they say about me, what they say about me Because I know that it's L.O.V.E. You make me happy, you make me happy And I never listen to anyone Let them all say Hey Lolita, hey.”

A lot of people think of the infamous book “Lolita” by Vladmir Nabokov  when they think of age gap romances. Thus, I think D.Va would be nicknamed “lolita” just for dating Jack. But this song has this sort of flippant nature; like, “yeah, call me lolita, I don’t care what they say, I still love you.”

9. MONEY & FAME- NEEDTOBREATHE

“I was sleeping with a loaded gun I was scared of all things I'd done Yeah, I know I'm not the only one.”

Jack looking back on all the fame he had in his glory days, but how it was a double-edge sword. And he knows he’s not the only one, D.Va’s living in the limelight herself and I think these two could sympathize to an extent.

10. Too Old To Fall In Love- The Poor Relations

Pretty self-explanatory. It’s how Jack might feel while falling for D.Va.

11. Girls- The 1975

“17 and a half years old I'm worrying about my brother finding out What’s the fun in doing what you're told?”

This song mentions an age gap romance, although D.Va isn’t quite as young as 17. This line makes me think of Jack worrying a bit about people finding out, but getting more in touch with his wild side and being like, “oh well, where’s the fun in following the rules?”

“They're just girls breaking hearts Eyes bright, uptight, just girls But she can't be what you need if she's 17.”

Jack having doubts both from himself and his peers about dating someone so much younger than him.

“I said ‘Yo, I think I better go, I can't take you You just sit and get stoned with 30 year olds and you think you've made it’ 'Well, shouldn't you be fucking with somebody your age instead of making changes?'”

Hana and Jack bickering a bit. He pointing out that she shouldn’t be around people his age, and her retorting right back that she doesn’t care.

12. Daddy Issues- The Neighborhood

“Go ahead and cry little girl Nobody does it like you do I know how much it matters to you I know that you got daddy issues.”

It’s not a Soldier: 76 ship playlist without a daddy kink song~ But I didn’t want an overly aggressive one that was super explicit--that just wouldn’t seem right. So I went with this one that’s more laid back. And the song still has a sense of love and care for the girl it’s singing about. Although Jack may know D.Va has some daddy problems, he still loves her regardless.