{ Fear Themed Headcanons }

“I don’t like to talk about it.” Theodore tended not to get angry – there were men who had known him for an entire decade who if asked the very same question about him, would be hard pressed to provide an answer. Much like undead pirates, the temper of Theodore Groves was a rather fantastical thing that very few would believe existed at all. 

In truth, Theodore’s anger tended to show itself in small and subtle fashions – often shockingly passive in nature for a man who could be so bold in all other aspects of his life. This is due to several factors.

The first of course being that Theodore is incredibly difficult to anger to begin with. He has no sense of patriotism whatsoever, and nationalism has also failed to cleave to him – so many of the insults and insinuations that could rile another officer are more often than not, water off the duck’s back. He is not goaded – he attacks only when he is ordered to do so – battle is, after all, a necessary evil to a life of adventure. 

Threats to him get very little response, and threats to his family result in the logical and mild reminder that there is no benefit to threatening them. His family is poor and his own inclinations make him an inadequate and unlikely candidate for captaincy – meaning it is very unlikely he will ever hold much value to the admiralty. Attacking the Groves nets nothing but a good deal of effort for no true payoff. 

Threats to his friends net you a very fond good luck as they are all rather better at fighting than he is, and he has never once chosen a lover without some capacity for self defense. So attempting to yield a response out of him through interpersonal blackmail is – more often than not – a disappointing venture.

Theodore is not involved with politics. He has no ambitions beyond “adventure” he has nothing that can be wielded against him that will force him to act in any way he is not comfortable with – and as an inherently hedonistic individual that is quite terrifying in and of itself. He tends to respond to criticism with gratitude, and more often than not when he is confronted on his choices he opts to learn and carry forth without any fuss. ( And as someone once wisely noted, this Forward Thinking / “Well I learned! Won’t do that again” attitude of Theodore’s is not healthy, because it actually avoids addressing having been hurt at all. ) 

Which means that Theodore’s anger stems from something else entirely, when it does deign to draw itself forward. Because for as unhealthy as his look forward mentality can be, he does not forget the lessons he learned. And there are times when people cross lines – when people do things he knows are unacceptable – and if he weren’t himself they would never dare.

Theodore knows when he is being taken advantage of, when his kindness is being exploited, and when his ability to mitigate situations have shifted from a skillset to a necessity for survival. 

In all of these scenarios, Theodore is likely to be angry in ways he feels impotent to express. How does one express vexation over people taking advantage of a good nature that has no intentions of darkening just so they cannot? How does one say how dare you when it is so out of character to do so? 

In truth, Theodore doesn’t know how to express his anger in these moments because he is so rarely truly hurt enough to be angry. But there are ways to tell.

• When he begins agreeing with everything you say, and ( to quote a comedian ) essentially makes you the King of Right and he is just over here, the Czar of Wrong – you’ve entered dangerous territory. This is not to be mistaken with him conceding a point and agreeing to learn from it – there is a difference between him agreeing that his perspective needed shifting, and him saying you’re right, of course, I have no idea what I was thinking – Yes, of course, I am quite ignorant on the topic – Naturally, you know better than I. This is generally a sign you have, some fucking how, managed to offend him and he can no longer be bothered to grant you sound advice or insights into his thoughts.

• When he seems very determined to ‘give you space’ – or alternatively, just leaves you alone without explanation frequently, this is a sign that he is feeling taken advantage of, and is his most frequent signal that he does not appreciate it. This is especially notable when he feels as though someone is using him as their anger outlet / their excuse to emote a bad day on someone who will not retaliate for it.
  
  
• When he refuses to touch you. He is a tactile person – he touches the people he likes. When Theodore withdraws that entirely, you have not only made him angry, you may well have hurt him in some manner he cannot express.  

• When the small things Theodore does every day to make your life easier suddenly stop, you’ve fucked up somewhere. 

{ Unusual Questions } 

🎐- Does your muse like to collect/hoard anything? 

Theodore is not a materialistic person. In fact, he sends the majority of his earnings back to his sisters, keeping only that which he needs to eat and maintain his uniform when ships are docked. His only indulgences come in his hygienic products and in hair ties, so materially speaking, he owns almost nothing – he has his uniform, replacement pieces in the event of damage, standard issue weapons and gear. Everything else he may have need of, he finds ways to borrow or rent. If he hoards anything, it will be the immaterial matters listed in the next point. 

🕹- What does your muse do to occupy themselves when bored?

Theodore loves listening to people talk about their lives and experiences. If he collects anything at all, it is stories and adventures – whether the latter be lived by himself or vicariously through another person. He also takes what free time he may have to pen letters to his sisters. Otherwise, his time is occupied either by his duties ( as dictated by the ship ) and responsibilities ( as dictated by himself; namely, being mother to his men )   

🎖- Does your muse enjoy praise? 

It depends – for the most part yes, though there are times when he may be confused by it. Theodore is a fairly humble person – it is not that he thinks lowly of himself in any way, so much as he prefers credit be granted where it is due, and when he finds himself being praised on account of something his men happen to be responsible for he tends to be quick to point out their contributions as well. He doesn’t stand by the idea of a superior gaining all the credit for hard work and a job well done. 

{ Learn To Make A Heart Flutter }

1. Acts of pure selflessness. Theodore is an observant man – and he knows that kindness in this world is something that is seen as unfashionable the higher one gets in society. He notices, therefore, every time someone in a position of power acts in a manner that does not befit their station.

   For example, a lieutenant who purchased his commission and yet, wraps his perfectly pressed uniform coat around the shoulders of a shaking midshipman and goes about his duties is far more likely to melt Theodore’s heart than one who passes that same midshipman with nothing more than an order, or complete indifference. 

2. Softness toward animals. Theodore loves animals and is of the belief that anyone who sneaks their victuals to a ship cat, or goes above and beyond to help a stray dog, is absolutely incapable of being a wholly terrible person. He has been known to stand rather staunchly beside people many would consider monstrous, simply due to the fact their care toward animals has shown him there is more to them – and by looking toward that more, has come to find in them reasons for loyalty.

   ( See, his perfect contentment toward loyalty for Barbossa despite knowing full well the man is a pirate, and an undead one once, at that! ) 

3. A nice smile. Theodore is – not a picky person, exactly, but he does have a thing about smiles. Certain kinds of smiles can turn him off quickly – generally speaking the more false the smile the less likely it is Theodore will trust you, let alone grow attracted to you. 

   The unfortunate drawback to this one is that often times, he is attracted to wilder smiles because he is so pained by the painted ones so common in upper crust society. This often leads him to being attracted to rakish and boisterous men, and more often than not, that doesn’t end well for him. 

   Sometimes though, it is the complete opposite. A small almost hidden smile, fleeting and shy, can also tug at his heartstrings real good. Or repressed ones – those hints of pure joy swiftly shuttered – can attract him like a moth to the flame, eager to coax that smile into the light.