1. Other than admiring himself in the mirror, El Matador's favorite hobby is actually sewing. Even though he never expressed it verbally to his teammates, they eventually found out after noticing how he'd eye the stitching on clothing they'd buy whenever they'd go places.
Now they run to him whenever they have a rip in their clothes. He isn't pleased to be their human sewing machine, but he agrees to stitch their clothes up nonetheless; mainly because he can add his own flare to them to "better their fashion" (and also because he can boast about it after).
(The writer does not concern herself with any other way as to how they found out about his hobby, the team is just very Einstein)
2. On the topic of sewing, he has his own sewing room! But unfortunately for the Strikas, no one is allowed inside except he, himself, and him. It's the biggest room in his house (yes, bigger than his shoe closet), with outfit drafts and concepts pinned to bulletin boards on the walls, mannequins in every corner, yards and yards of different fabric of all colors and textures stored on shelves... You get the gist.
Originally, he wanted to show the room off and let all his teammates in, but he learned the hard way how big of a mistake that can be after letting Shakes and Klaus in one time....
3. Has a travel bag filled with sewing supplies that he treats like a treasure chest. Contains thread colors that, nine times out of ten, aren't needed and are just there because El Matador said they were a must; like the three rolls of golden thread that glow in his face whenever he opens it. Not a single centimeter of them have been used (the golden thread, I mean).
4. Goes on shopping sprees regularly with CJ — and most times Shakes gets dragged along because he "needs a new wardrobe". Joe's the only person El Matador would willingly go shopping with, and it's because the guy knows just as much about fashion as he does, so he doesn't get a headache as he would if he went out with, say, Northshaw.
Usually it's El Matador asking to bring Shakes along, because he cannot stand the thought of his strike partner staying home all day playing video games. Nanny Garcia forbade him from buying more clothes after his two-story closet filled to the brim for the fifth time in a row, and seeing Shakes in skinny jeans during his first holiday with the Strikas nearly made his heart stop, so now the boy's become his very uncooperative dress-up mannequin.
5. If you made a list of the younger and older Strikas, El Matador would be on the latter side of it. Definitely in his late twenties–early thirties alongside Rasta, Big Bo, and Cool Joe, and has always played for the men in red (meaning he doesn't have history with any other team, unlike how Tiger does with Nakama). I don't know why, but whenever I look at him, he doesn't seem like he's around Shakes' age. And I'm making him older because I want him to be like the "sassy aunt" of the group that shit talks everyone. It just suits him better, I'm sorry.
(The writer does not concern herself with the show)
6. He goes through phases faster than fast fashion changes. One season he's obsessed with minimalism, next season he's obsessed with whimsy, and the next he's obsessed with royalcore. Every year when the team goes to his house to chill at his pool, they don't know what to expect of the interior of his house. They don't even know where he puts all his furniture from past seasons; whether he sells them, throws them away, or stores them somewhere no one can see.
7. The same applies for his clothing style. His walk-in closet is filled with pieces of different styles, and each time he's out, he's in something different. His house robes have stayed the same, though: maroon silk with black fur at the cuffs. "Oh, officer, I don't know what you're talking about. My husband was out the night of his murder, I would never kill him!"
Here's some outfit concepts I made for him, please forgive the bad proportions :') (I didn't know where to put these so I'll just place them here)
8. Is a bit (lot) blind. That visor isn't just to keep up appearances, it actually has a purpose. He doesn't wear it at home, though. The visor is always triple locked behind a safe — he wears a pair of black glasses instead ("I want to give... Office siren").
9. Can and will seduce people to get his way. He may be with the good guys, but that doesn't make him a saint.
(Do what you will with this information)
10. He'll never admit it, but he's obsessed with Ninja. Obsessed to the point where he'll dig through the internet to find every interview with him in it, to the point where he'll go through every fan website to collect information on him. He knows his real name, the name of his pets, the name of his parents, any famous people he might be related to, everything.
Shakes caught him scrolling through interviews on his phone one time, he said it was just to get to know Ninja better, find his weak spots... But the truth is something even he doesn't want to accept.
11. He and Ninja can't go one game without fighting midway through, it's tradition at this point.
12. Sees Shakes as a son. The first time he met the boy and found out he was an El Matador fan, he was practically jumping with joy; it's not every day you find out your teammate's also your fan. Sixteen-year-old Shakes' poor face wasn't getting a break from cheek pinches.
"Let the rookie dude go, El Matador. You're killin' him."
"But just look at him, he's adorable!"
(I imagine Shakes to have had a tooth gap back when he was younger, FYI)
13. Is like, one-fourth Mexican and shows it off any chance he gets. But he says it in the kind of way where it's subtle, so he's ten times more annoying than usual. ("Abuela wouldn't approve...")
14. Is 5'11 ("six feet!") And is more on the slim-lean side rather than just lean.
(I hate how similar everyone's body types are, okay? Let me make him look like a bratty bottom)
15. Pauses with an "er" when talking. He's also a pretty slow (calm) talker and doesn't abbreviate words like "are", "not", and "is" (except maybe if he's talking really fast).
16. Has had an argument with Cool Joe where they snapped at each other in their native languages. Portuguese and Spanish are different but alike at the same time, so I can imagine them only understanding fragments of each other's words and getting even more frustrated with one another.
17. Huge neat freak, will always have things arranged in a certain way for it to be tolerable and showers four times a day. Misplace something, and he'll be at your throat for the week after. Better keep your closet locked, cause your clothes won't be safe from his seam ripper.
Okay, with all these headcanons associated with sewing, it's like you're just making him a copy of Rarity. He's supposed to be a self-centerd himbo that eats like a child...
Maybe I am, maybe I'm not... Stay tuned for the next headcanon post ;)
(that is, if I ever get in the mood to write it.)
I'll probably edit this to add more if they come to mind, but for now that's all
