Graves + Shadows Headcanons Part 3
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Words: 766
Praise for DAYS. Did Shadow 5-8 get a good shot on the target? Punch in the shoulder at the end of the mission and a bright grin “That’s what I’m talkin’ about, 5-8!”,
“Atta’girl, 6-12, I couldn’t’ve done that better myself.”
“Keep it up, 10-4!” Reaches over and brings them into a side hug and ruffles their hair like a proud dad.
Coming back to Graves having a lot of respect for his soldiers, remember that scene in SWCW where it's like
"We're clones, sir, we're meant to be expendable..."
"Not to me."
Yeah that's Graves.
He has kept every set of dog tags that belonged to Shadows that died during missions. They’re kept locked away in a box, safely tucked away.
A lot of Shadows were previously mercenaries, even criminals, but they are good at what they do which is why they get hired in the first place. Not to mention that Graves sees hiring them as a way to give them a second chance at life.
Shepherd has learnt that the way to make Graves do what he wants is by threatening his Shadows. He could very easily dissolve the entire company in a day and expose Graves for technically harbouring wanted criminals.
Yes, Shepherd called him a ‘dog with a bone’, but he’s more like a Dragon with a hoard. His hoard being his soldiers.
Some rando who was visiting the base once snapped at a Shadow, calling them a ‘stupid fucking mercenary’. That was his mistake when Graves had to be restrained by 3 of his own men.
“What the fuck did you just say to them? You’d best walk outta my base before I make you leave in a goddamn body bag!”
As shown above, he goes absolutely feral if someone ever insults any of his soldiers.
“Be quiet, sergeant, your betters are talking.” Said some hoity Commander who hasn’t stepped foot in a battlefield in over a decade. Suddenly, it feels like all the air in the room has been sucked out like a vacuum. All eyes go to Graves as he glares long and hard at the man.
“Apologise. Now.”
“What–”
“I said: apologise, ‘fore I show you my own version of ‘southern hospitality’.”
Compulsory language lessons. Every Shadow has to know at least 2 languages, English and another language of their choosing. Missions sometimes rely heavily on communication, so fluency in different languages is important.
Graves knows several languages himself, but his pronunciation is downright awful. Sometimes he makes his accent worse because it’s funny watching the horror in people’s eyes when he speaks.
One of his Shadows has a tendency of crawling around in the vents in the base and because he’s not really harming anyone, Graves lets him do as he pleases. Because of the habit, however, and the fact he’s somehow able to go around almost silently through the metal vents, he’s earned an affectionate nickname amongst the Shadows; Roach.
Graves doesn’t get along with family. Don’t get him wrong, he has some semblance of respect for his Momma cause she taught him good manners and other things like how to cut hair and how to cook a hearty meal for 12 people, but she was a narcissistic bitch when it came down to it and he took a lot of pleasure cutting her out of his life the second he was able to.
He never met his father, and doesn’t much care for him, either.
Paid leave/Holidays? Check. Paternity/Maternity leave? Check. Bed ed and board? Check. Medical and dental plan? You know it. Any possible benefit that can come with a job, being a Shadow has.
No matter what they’re doing, if Graves does a run up to them, they will always catch their Commander.
Is the first or last port of call when a fight/argument breaks out. It depends on how out of hand it's gotten in the space of about 15 minutes. Usually people don’t want to interrupt whatever the Commander’s doing and invoke his wrath.
“They started it!”
“Well I’m endin’ it!”
Has the type of authority that if he were to suddenly yell at a recruit “Drop it. Now!” Everyone in earshot would absolutely drop whatever they were holding even if the comment wasn’t directed at them.
There’s a Shadow that’s the largest of the entire company– but he is the biggest scaredy cat and coward anyone has ever met, which makes people wonder why he’s even in Shadow Company. The reality is that, despite being a coward, he’s damn intimidating. Perfect for him to shadow hover behind Graves during mission briefs and so forth.
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FFXIV Write 2023: A Journey of Remembrance
Day 6: "Ring" ♫
"I thought we were headed to Ishgard today"
"We are, I just needed to make a stop to see Tataru about a few things. Then I figured we could make our way through Coerthas. It's my birthplace after all, I know all the shortcuts" Ki'to explained, making his way through to the Rising Stones. G'raha trailed behind him, curiosity piqued.
"Good morning~" Ki'to sang, looking around for their lalafellin friend. He heard clambering and a few boxes topple before the pink visage of Tataru rounded the corner.
"Well hello, you two! I wasn't expecting you so early!"
"It's nearly midday, is your chronometer off?"
"Apparently!" she said, glaring at the timekeeper on her desk, "Anyway, early or not, I just finished up your orders so no need to worry"
"Ever reliable! Whatever would we do without you, Tataru my dear?" Ki'to said with a laugh, making his way over to her workspace.
"Freeze to death, most likely" she remarked, handing him a neatly-folded coat. "If you're Ishgard-bound, you need to be prepared!" She trotted over to G'raha to hand him a coat as well.
"I already have a winter coat, though. You needn't have gone through the trouble-"
"That is your coat!" Tataru replied, "I just sewed in some warmer inserts and a softer inside that will retain heat well"
"Oh! Well then, thank you Tataru. Much appreciated" G'raha gave her a smile, putting the jacket on himself to check the fit.
"And for you," she made her way back over to Ki'to, who had made himself right at home in the new coat, "I worked with your mother on this, it should be perfectly done to your description" She handed him a small box which he placed within the pocket of his new coat.
"Thank you, dear. I'm certain he'll love it"
"Oh, I know he will. It suits him well" she said, giving him a smile before patting him on the back of the thigh, "Now, off you go. You've got a long trek before you today, and only so much daylight!"
Ki'to gave her a nod, clasping his hand in his husband's and heading towards the door. "We'll be back once we're done with our journey! Thank you again!"
"You better be! I'll be waiting with tea and sweets to hear the whole story!"
---
After exiting Mor Dhona, the two mounted up on horseback. Seeing as they had plenty of ground to cover, it seemed the better approach.
As they approached the Observatory gates, G'raha spoke up.
"I had figured you'd make mention of the box and its contents after we left, I can't help but be curious"
Ki'to patted his coat pocket where the box resided, "You'll see, I promise" he told him, "It's related to one of our stops as we approach Ishgard"
G'raha looked on at his husband with a quizzical tilt of the head, but did not ask further. Though his curiosity held tight in his mind, eyes flicking to the pocket on Ki'to's coat often as they journeyed through Coerthas.
---
"Dragonhead was the stage from which we sheltered from the storm, and from which we entered into Ishgard proper" Ki'to explained, poising himself by the northern gate, "with no small bit of help from Ser Haurchefant and Aymeric. For it was their voices that carried weight and gave us the leverage needed. Ser Haurchefant even went so far as to implore his family take us in as wards. An act I will forever be grateful for. For I regard them all as family now"
He lowered his head in remembrance, warm breath encircling his head in clouds backlit by the setting sun.
"It's little wonder why you're regarded so warmly here, then. They'd have kept us till dawn had we let them" G'raha mused, letting out a laugh.
"Of that you're not wrong" Ki'to grinned, "But we've one more stop before we can go bother Aymeric. Come"
He steered his horse towards the gate, urging it forward towards the northern path. G'raha followed behind, and the two made their way up towards the ruins of the old Vigil.
"My family made this journey quite a lot in our time here. Menphina's cairns are nearby" he mentioned, "It was after my first journey that I received this earring from my mother, much like my siblings before me" He flicked his ear, causing the jewelry hanging from it to jingle softly.
"She overlooks Ishgard, then?" Raha asked, "You would think it would be dedicated to Halone"
Ki'to chuckled, "They're both goddesses of ice, but Halone has dedications all over the city. I think it's fair Menphina at least gets an overlook"
He hopped off his horse, tying it to a tree as G'raha did the same.
"That said, she's not who we're here to see"
"Is she not? I thought she was your lady"
"She is, and I regard her with every breath that leaves my body, for I live for love", he spoke, "And love is the reason I know she will pardon me for passing by"
As the two walked through the cairns, Raha spied a headstone, a shield propped against it and fresh flowers at its base. Reading the name upon it, he understood.
Ki'to knelt before it, pulling out the box within his coat pocket. "Do you remember when I had asked all of your blessings for something? A ring for a lost love? That I might make my intent known even if it's never regarded?"
G'raha knelt next to him, seeing within the open box sat a ring, carefully crafted by the hands of expert goldsmiths.
"You loved him"
"I still do" Ki'to said, staring down at the ring, "Grief is simply the word we give love after death. It is when love becomes 'I wish they were here', or 'they would have loved this'; It is when love cannot be expressed directly, but it is no less love"
Raha placed a hand on his lover's back, rubbing a small circle in comfort.
"I will love you all the same, if you pass before I do" Ki'to spoke up, catching his husband off-guard, "I hope not. But, know you will always be loved, even if you are not here to feel it"
Not knowing the words to express himself, G'raha gave him a hug, lingering a while before pulling back.
"I know you will..."
Ki'to leaned his head till it made contact with Raha's chest, "Allow me to bury this beside him, then we can head inside the city"
"Take all the time you need, love"
That's about all the self-inflicted feels I can take for today. ;v;
It's been in the back of Ki'to's mind that he wanted to leave a ring with Haurchefant to communicate what he could not before his death, so I wanted to give him the opportunity to do that through this story. And the prompt came at the perfect time to do so.
Gonna be taking a couple days to chill, then we'll head to Ishgard proper! (Unless a prompt really speaks to me, of course!) Until then, enjoy this and the other write ups I've done so far! They're all tagged with #A Journey of Remembrance for easy reading! o/
Also, if you noticed Ki'to with the wrong haircut in today's picture no you didn't
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🌙 s𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬.
Tagged by: @smokes-and-bullets
Tagging (with no pressure to any of y’all of course--you absolutely don’t have to fill this out if you’re not feeling up to it!): @paleontaxi @perceiivent @fathertofatality @finalgrrrls @sliding-into-space @sunnysidedeviledorscrambled and anybody else who might want to steal it! Feel free to tag me if you do :’>
Gonna be The Worst™ and answer all of these questions for all six muses here <3 But since this got so long I will put it under a cut
1. what does your muse smell like?
Jack - Jack probably usually smells a lot like the gas station (a strange mix of honeysuckle and ammonia), considering how much time he spends there. Aside from that, he probably smells like his shampoo--he uses a pretty cheap, generic shampoo, one that doesn’t have any particularly exciting or interesting scent.
Jerry - Jerry smells like mostly like smoke, considering he’s made no effort to give up his smoking habit. He also, weirdly enough, smells distinctly like bubblegum, though he claims he doesn’t wear any perfumes or colognes. According to him, that’s his natural scent.
Rosa - Rosa absolutely smells sweet! She loves to wear perfume (not too much, though)--her favorite scent is vanilla. Aside from that, she smells a bit like the gas station, though in general she smells more pleasant than some of her coworkers.
Amelia - Amelia smells a bit like coconut, though she also has the smell of gunpowder on her much of the time. She isn’t really one to wear perfume most of the time, but she will occasionally--she prefers earthier smells rather than more flowery ones.
Tony - Tony, like the others who spend a lot of time at the gas station, smells a bit like it, but he smells much more like the cologne he wears. He doesn’t wear a lot of it, but he wears some. Generally, he prefers scents like sandalwood and other woodsy smells.
Spencer - Spencer probably smells pretty nice much of the time. He invests in his appearance and cares about his image, and so he does wear cologne sometimes. However, wearing too much is distracting, so he goes without. Spencer usually prefers citrusy smells, if anything. More notable, though, is the fact that Spencer always has the smell of death clinging to him, even if it isn’t always super noticeable.
2. what do your muse’s hands feel like?
Jack - Jack’s hands are small and bony, with some small callouses developed over the years. The skin isn’t very soft, but it also isn’t super rough or dry--it’s definitely somewhere in-between. Depending on the ‘verse, he’s also missing his left pinkie finger, with rough scar tissue where it once was.
Jerry - Jerry has warm, strong hands with long fingers and thick, hard callouses. Aside from the callouses, though, his hands are INCREDIBLY soft. He takes his skincare routine seriously. Aside from that, Jerry also has a deceptively strong grip, and if you go in for a handshake he will commit.
Rosa - Rosa has the softest hands of the group, unsurprisingly. Her hands are also very warm and, like Jack’s, rather small. She has a skincare routine that she sticks to and keeps her hands clean and manicured to the best of her ability. Also, her hands are very warm.
Amelia - Amelia’s hands are usually pretty cold to the touch, and though she doesn’t have a strict routine she keeps up, they’re still not particularly rough or dry. Similarly to Tony, Amelia has a strong grip, though her strength isn’t as obvious at first glance.
Tony - Tony’s hands are warm and broad, with prominent veins on the back. He does have some callouses, but they’re not super prominent, and while his hands aren’t necessarily soft they’re also not unpleasant to touch. He has a strong grip, too.
Spencer - Spencer’s hands are always cold, always dry, and his skin is always just on this side of unpleasant to the touch. He has hard, rough callouses from years of hard work, and though he cares about his appearance, he doesn’t waste time trying to keep his skin soft. Holding Spencer’s hand wouldn’t be a very pleasant experience.
3. what does your muse usually eat in a day?
Jack - Very little. Jack is the type to often forget to eat if he’s not reminded, and at most he will occasionally snack on some of the foods at the gas station. It’s incredibly rare that Jack sits down to eat a full meal. In the main ‘verse, he’s getting better about this, but it’s still certainly a process.
Jerry - Jerry, like Jack, doesn’t usually eat much in a day. However, he is much better about taking care of himself, and when he can he tries to make sure that Jack is eating, too. He likes to cook his own food, and he can make some pretty creative dishes. How good are they? Well.
Rosa - Rosa usually tries to keep her meals relatively light, though she does have a big sweet tooth. Unlike Jack and Jerry, Rosa is much better at taking care of herself and eating three meals a day when she can.
Amelia - Usually, Amelia eats breakfast and dinner and that’s it. She may eat something light as well during her lunch break, but for the most part she doesn’t have the time. She’s a busy lady, after all!
Tony - Similarly to Amelia, Tony doesn’t usually eat a full three meals a day. However, he does make an effort to take care of himself when he can, and he much prefers home-cooked meals to going out. And he’s actually a good cook, so you know he’s doing well for himself.
Spencer - So this question really made me ask myself, “Does Spencer eat??” The answer to that is yes, of course, but I think he’s similar to Jack in that he eats very little and often forgets to. However, he does eat better food than just whatever’s at the gas station, so he has that going for him.
4. does your muse have a good singing voice?
Jack - Nope, and he doesn’t particularly care either way. Jack isn’t one to sing regardless, though he may try humming to himself now and then.
Jerry - No, and that’s something he’s proud of. He will sing along to music at the top of his lungs, and he doesn’t care that he can’t carry a tune or that his voice is always incredibly off-key. He’s having fun and that’s all that matters.
Rosa - Kinda? I think Rosa doesn’t think her singing voice is any good, but it’s not like it’s outstandingly bad or anything. It’s also not like... incredibly amazing or anything. I’d say it’s pretty average--she can carry a tune decently and it sounds nice.
Amelia - Yes!! It’s not something she particularly likes to advertise, but she has a very nice singing voice and often sings to herself when she’s alone.
Tony - Yes! Though he’s more inclined towards playing music than singing it, he has a pretty decent singing voice and it’s something he’s very aware of. Do I think sometimes about him serenading someone? You can’t prove anything (I do).
Spencer - Not really--before his first death, he probably had a pretty average singing voice, but now it’s kind of terrible and that is something he’s painfully aware of. Is he a bit insecure about it? Perhaps!
5. does your muse have any bad habits or nervous tics?
Jack - I’ve talked pretty extensively about Jack’s bad habits and nervous tics, so I won’t go on and on about those. I will say, though, that he really has a bad habit of skin picking and biting his nails when he’s anxious, which is part of why he paints them. He’s less likely to bite them when they’re painted.
Jerry - Jerry doesn’t really have any nervous tics, but I’d definitely say his smoking is a bad habit. It’s not one he’s looking to kick, either. In general, Jerry has a bit of an addictive personality and develops bad habits very easily.
Rosa - When Rosa is feeling REALLY nervous, she messes with her hair and clothes a lot. She is very much a fidgeter, and her clothes are frequently a little messy as a result. Another thing is that Rosa tends to reach out to others when she’s nervous, grabbing their arms, hands, etc.
Amelia - Amelia doesn’t have much in the way of obvious bad habits or nervous tics, as she’s spent a long time perfecting her poker face and ability to stay calm under duress. However, she does have a bad habit of biting her lip, especially when stressed.
Tony - Tony tends to tap his fingers against nearby surfaces when he’s nervous, which doesn’t happen often. He’s usually only ever nervous if he doesn’t feel like he’s in complete control of a situation or otherwise at a disadvantage.
Spencer - Spencer would gladly insist that he doesn’t have any nervous tics, which is true for the most part! Because Spencer’s worst habit is that when he feels threatened he almost always immediately jumps to violence to take care of the problem.
6. what does your muse usually look like / wear?
Jack - Jack usually looks exhausted and a bit disheveled. The regulars at the gas station are used to that, though, so it’s never really worth commenting. When not wearing his work clothes, he tends towards baggy hoodies and jeans. However, when going somewhere nice or trying to impress someone, he WILL dress up and try to look a bit nicer.
Jerry - Jerry loves to dress in outrageous or, for lack of a better word, loud clothing. He loves to stand out and wears just whatever he thinks is fun. Does he look ridiculous? Yes. Yes he does. But he’s having a good time.
Rosa - Rosa usually looks nice and cute--she invests quite a bit in her appearance and loves dressing in shades of pink and yellow. Not to say she’s vain or anything, but she likes to look cute. Outside of her work clothes, Rosa most likes to wear sundresses (especially ones with pockets).
Amelia - Above all else, when on the job, Amelia wants to look professional. She already faces a lot of discrimination from the locals for her gender and skin color, and she knows to be taken seriously she has to appear as well-put together as she possibly can. As a result, she very rarely dresses down, even when off the clock.
Tony - Tony usually prefers to dress pretty casually, but he still wears nice clothes when he can. He isn’t really one for wearing a suit and tie casually, but he’ll wear a nice button-up and slacks. In general, his biggest concern is to dress for comfort and practicality while still making a good impression.
Spencer - Spencer usually tries to dress nice and does enjoy a good suit, but in his line of work, it’s not worth it to wear something super fine that will very likely be ruined almost immediately. Most of the time, he just dresses in all black, sometimes in tactical gear, and tries to appear as intimidating as possible.
7. is your muse affectionate? how much? how so?
Jack - He definitely can be, in his own awkward way. Jack isn’t super outwardly affectionate, even to those he’s very close to, but he shows affection in little ways when he can. Oftentimes, the best way Jack knows how to show affection is by just being there for a person or sharing something with them that he doesn’t normally share with others.
Jerry - He definitely is. Jerry is an incredibly affectionate person, and he’s also a very tactile person. While he’s usually good about respecting boundaries when it comes to touch, Jerry is absolutely the type to show affection by ruffling someone’s hair or patting them on the back unexpectedly.
Rosa - Oh, absolutely! Rosa is a very outwardly affectionate person, especially with those she is super close with. She’s a big fan of hugs, and sometimes she’ll even give her friends kisses on the cheek (if they’re comfortable with it, of course).
Amelia - Not outwardly, but she shows affection in her own way. When Amelia is close to someone, she usually shows affection by teasing them. She very rarely calls the people she cares about by their actual names unless it’s a serious situation--instead, she opts for nicknames, some of which very easily come off as a bit... patronizing, to say the least.
Tony - Tony is affectionate deep down, but he’s also a very guarded person most of the time. Becoming close to someone is dangerous, especially for the other person, and it’s best for him to keep his distance. However, when he REALLY cares about someone and lets those guards down, he’s an absolute sweetheart and incredibly affectionate.
Spencer - Spencer is less affectionate and more possessive. When it comes to someone he cares about, showing affection doesn’t really come naturally to him, especially in any quote-unquote ‘traditional’ sense. The way this man shows affection is by ensuring that anybody he considers his stays his.
8. what position does your muse sleep in?
Jack - Jack normally tends to curl up a bit when he sleeps, kinda like a little cat. Considering he grew up with so many foster siblings and had to share the space with them most of the time, he’s very used to trying to take up as little space as possible when he sleeps. This is doubly true when he shares the bed with another person.
Jerry - Jerry sprawls out like a starfish when he sleeps alone, but when he’s sharing a bed with someone he absolutely clings to them and cuddles up. He loves to spoon up against his partners, but he tends to cling a bit TOO tight for comfort. Good luck getting out of his hold.
Rosa - Rosa is also a cuddler, though she doesn’t hold on nearly as tightly as Jerry. She actually can’t sleep if she’s not cuddling something or someone, so her cat Ricky usually sleeps in her bed with her. (Yes I headcanon she has a cat <3)
Amelia - Amelia usually sleeps on her side and a bit stiffly. She doesn’t spread out, but she doesn’t necessarily curl up. When sharing the bed with another person, Amelia isn’t really much of a cuddler much of the time, but she usually sleeps facing them at least. Though she’d never say no to a partner wanting to spoon her.
Tony - Tony, when sleeping alone, tends to sleep on his back or on his side, one hand under his pillow. He usually keeps some kind of weapon under there, and he wants to be able to access it in an emergency. When sharing the bed with another person, though, Tony is also a cuddler. He enjoys being able to kinda curl around whoever he’s sleeping with, holding them close and protecting them.
Spencer - Spencer can sleep standing and with his eyes open. It’s kinda terrifying. That aside, though, when he does sleep he just kinda falls asleep anywhere he needs to and in any position. He doesn’t tend towards any specific position.
9. could you hear your muse in the hallway from another room?
Jack - Not unless he’s very stressed or otherwise emotional! Jack tends to speak kinda quietly, and he very rarely raises his voice. Even when he’s trying to talk a bit louder, he can be hard to hear at times.
Jerry - Nearly always. Jerry is a naturally very loud person, and even when he’s trying to be quiet he has the kind of voice that naturally just carries very well. Unless he’s REALLY trying to be quiet (unlikely), you could almost definitely hear him from another room.
Rosa - Probably not unless she’s very excited. Rosa doesn’t tend to talk very loudly most of the time, and she isn’t really the best at projecting her voice. However, when she gets excited, she tends to talk both faster and louder, so you’d likely be able to hear her then!
Amelia - I’d say so. Amelia doesn’t necessarily talk loudly or anything, but she often uses a commanding tone and speaks just loudly enough to be heard. If she wants to be heard, you will hear her, though she doesn’t scream or yell most of the time. She just knows how to project her voice enough for people to hear her.
Tony - Sometimes! Tony tends to talk a bit more quietly, but like Amelia he knows how to project his voice when needed. If he wants to be heard, you’ll hear him--if he doesn’t, though, he knows very well how to be quiet. His natural speaking voice is a bit more on the soft side, though.
Spencer - Spencer talks in a quiet, somewhat raspy voice, almost like a hiss. He can still be loud when he needs to be, but he much prefers to be quiet unless he’s actively trying to intimidate someone. If that’s the case, I’d definitely say you could hear him from another room.
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