#⌜⛓⌟Percival Headcanon⌜🦂⌟

[wandchoosesthewizard]

💭 Do they tend to sleep better when in bed with their partner? (Percival)

Relationships || @dangerouslyloyal || Still Accepting

No. 

Percival does not sleep well at the best of times and as I’ve hinted at / blatantly mentioned before - he suffered with, prior to his incarceration in his own home by Grindelwald, a dependency upon dreamless sleep potions. [x] [x] [x]

Post Grindelwald he has been stripped of that dependency - however - sleep does not come easily to him and he will not allow himself a relapse. Sharing a bed with others can prevent him from sleeping entirely - although being alone is equally awful. 

His ideal situation is either a partner who is largely motionless and quiet - no snoring, no tossing and turning, no cold toes and no blanket battles at 3 am - or a literally roommate, rather than a bed made. Two beds, two people - and still no snoring.  

He has ruined his own sleeping patterns - and when stops devoting everything to his job - and allows himself to focus on, well, himself - a bedtime routine helps him dramatically. With time and the right partner, he can share his bed - and while he wouldn’t want to hurt them by admitting it - he does still, sleep better alone. 

[wandchoosesthewizard]

⚔️ Are they protective of their partner? (Percival)

Relationship || @dangerouslyloyal || Still Accepting 

Oh yes.

As I mentioned in your question about his type - Percival is primarily drawn to those he can protect. 

And then, even with those who maybe do not necessarily need it? He is still compelled to do so. It can cause tension when it’s not required because he can’t turn the urge off and even though his partner is capable of holding their own - and can, therefore, step in when it gets hairy - he won’t want them to and this can cause issues when in a fit of... Murky emotions, that he is not quite comfortable with, he will try to force them firmly from harms way, permanently. 

[wandchoosesthewizard]

😘Does their demeanor change when in a relationship?  (Percival)

Relationships || @dangerouslyloyal || Still Accepting

That depends - if you knew him before your relationship - then considerably so, especially in private - and a little in public. He is very different with a romantic partner than his is in his public, professional life. There are, of course, similarities in her personality that bleed over - he doesn’t stop being him but you get the gentler, more loving side to his protection. 

If you’re not in the relationship, however, and say you’re a general colleague - it’s unlikely you’d even know. Intensely private about what he considers private matters - he continues much the way he usually always has in public - respectable, and slightly distant. 

[wandchoosesthewizard]

🎶Do they have a type? (Percival)

Relationships || @dangerouslyloyal || Still Accepting

I don’t think he has a physical type - but he does have what feels like an obvious preference personality wise? Percival has taken the mantle of the legacy holder within his family - and he models his beliefs on his own father - provider, protector, a pillar of strength. 

He is very type A, very alpha - and he is most comfortable providing comfort. Credence is a prime example of this - but even say... Tina, or Adam - perfectly proficient people who do not necessarily need him to protect him - but who, because of their professional positions do not… And I can’t think of another word for it… But threaten his masculinity? Like he can work with them, side by side, but he is in charge, at least by a hair.

He does not do well with displaying his own vulnerabilities - he’d rather fix his focus on you and supporting you than admitting he needs help himself.  

Al throws all that into free fall - there is no hierarchy to dictate the specifics. Al is angry. Al is closed off. Al does not need Percival.  And Al - is a hypocrite - because he can sense issues in Percival - but won’t share his own. Which just leaves them being grumpy at each other a lot of the time. 

[wandchoosesthewizard]

HC + Responsibility (whoever you want)

Give me the chance to write about any muse and I will take the easy option || @dangerouslyloyal || Still Accepting

Percival Graves - the middle son, and well into his adolescence the middle child, of his parents - was not groomed for and held to the same standard of responsibility as his eldest brother. 

Which is possibly why, when his brother abdicated from the position of official reputation bearer, Percival was not crippled by the same sense of expectation and therefore able to shoulder the level of responsibility foisted on his shoulders in the way of two family tragedies in as many years. 

Responsibility is something he has always worn well - while in his youth he was a little less refined and a little more radical and rebellious - time has honed his edges to a razor sharp blade and there are few who can recall his hot-headed reputation - and fewer who can reconcile it with the man who stands now as the director of magical security for the entirety of the USA.  

[wandchoosesthewizard]

HC + darkness (Percival)

I’m so deep. || @dangerouslyloyal || Still Accepting

Percival is so keenly aware of how easily darkness can creep in of one doesn’t remain vigilant against it - like the wolf at your door in winter - that he holds a beacon of light above his own actions, trying to banish any semblance of shadows.

The problem is when one lives in walls of white, one starts to spot shadows where they might not exist and take up a crusade against something that doesn’t exist.

[wandchoosesthewizard]

HC + music (Percival)

Doo-doo-do-do-do || @dangerouslyloyal || Still Accepting

More conscious now than he had ever been of silence - it is not unusual to find quiet, classical music playing in Percival’s office when he works.

He likes classical, jazz and dance band music.

He never found an instrument he truly got along with - so while he can pick out tunes on several different instruments - it is not a common occurrence.

[wandchoosesthewizard]

HC + Loyalty (Percival)

Stop, headcanon time. || @dangerouslyloyal || Still Accepting

The law above all else.

Percival views the world as very black and white - trying hard to avoid the muddy, grey middle area (his clothes are tailored, after all). It has been said by some that he’d arrest his own family if they were breaking the law and… Luckily he’s never been put in that position.

After Gellert - his loyalty to MACUSA is waning. His isolation has turned his whole world grey and he is struggling to hold together the faith he’d once had in his ideals. He still believes in right, and wrong - but he’s just not sure who should get to make that choice anymore.

[wandchoosesthewizard]

Two three tiny Percival headcanons...

He should wear glasses. He won’t.

He started going grey quite young - hated it at the time, owns it as Director. Thinks it adds gravitas to his presence. Isn’t wrong.

Secretly just a vain little bird.

[wandchoosesthewizard]

🔪- Kitchen (Percival)

Hello MTV || @storiesnotyettold || Still Accepting

It is worth prefacing this with the fact that Percival did not design his kitchen, did not select his kitchen, did not really have any say in what his kitchen looked like. Even as a fairly modern man - and a bachelor to boot - he does not spend a lot of time in his kitchen. He has more pressing things to do than to exercise his culinary skills. He eats out often or grabs something simple on the way home.

As such his kitchen is startlingly understocked and one could be forgiven for thinking he’s not properly taking care of himself when surveying the contents of his pantry.

The kitchen is predominantly white - with a black and white check floor - white fittings, fixtures and cabinets - with brown countertops. He has a Belfast sink - affixed to the wall and with two legs - left open underneath to allow air to circulate. 

The central kitchen table, the countertops and the sink are all at different heights to irritate your need for order, and to best accommodate their use when performing a specific function. One can also see, in the wall mounted glass fronted cabinets, the dishes chosen for him by his younger sister. The dishes he chose for himself -  the ones he actually uses on a regular basis (save for her visits) are hidden away in a cabinet with a wooden door.

Underuse, and a maid, keep his kitchen scrupulously clean - the only real sign that a person lives there is the nook, again in white, by the window where he eats and sometimes leaves half-finished cups of coffee, discarded plates of toast, piles of paperwork and his scarf and coat when he returns home and forgets to hang them up. You’re also likely to find his slippers, or his shoes there, tucked under one of the bench seats - depending on what he’s wearing on his feet at the time. 

[wandchoosesthewizard]

And what are your /sinful/ headcanons concerning Percival and kissing/hand-holding?

Filth && Debauchery || @dangerouslyloyal || Always Accepting

Percival is not a hand holder as such - he does not favour public displays of affection, wanting always to appear proper. He may link arms, or if feeling especially romantic (or protective) wrap an arm around the waist of a lover as they walk. 

He is tactile - not as tactile as Gellert who later uses his body for his own causes - and it is only with people he has a long-standing relationship with. He does not go around clipping mere acquaintances on the shoulder or slinging an arm over a stranger. 

His kisses, again, are for private moments. He quite likes kissing - and will dot his lover with little marks of his affection routinely throughout the day, a kiss on the temple here, a peck on the cheek there. At his most seductive - he has kissed a ladies knuckles while fixing them with a burning gaze - although he doesn't cad about quite as much now that he’s getting older. 

[wandchoosesthewizard]

I was gonna queue this but then I decided I wanted to just post it now. 

It’s a little... Extended headcanon / drabble for how I imagine things happened pre-movie with Tina’s demotion. I’m gonna say it’s okay to reblog bc it’s more drabble than headcanon? But it’s still what I like to think happened. There’s a TLDR; at the bottom as well.

When he hears that one of his Aurors has attacked a nomaj his heart drops into his stomach. He cannot believe it. He will not believe it. He hand-selected them - almost every single one. He trained them… He knows the names of their parents, their spouses, their children (human or animal) and he thinks he knows their hearts.

Even with Grindelwald’s sickening anti-nomaj sentiment swirling everywhere, he was certain he would prevent corruption seeping into his office. He would spot it, he would keep it at bay. Above all else, the law - that was the motto he subscribed to and imparted to those under his charge.

How he lost one, how things could go so wrong, he could not fathom. But, as he swept through the corridors of MACUSA he realised that they must have. Something had gone wrong - somehow he had failed.

It stung and with fire in his bones, ready to eviscerate the Auror - be they traitor or fool - he marched to his office. Stood, pacing nervously, was Tina Goldstein. It was a punch to the chest and he felt all the air leave his lungs.

“Tina?”

“Mr Graves I-“ Her cheeks are shining and her eyes are puffy.

“Sit.” It is less a command and more of a request. Confusion and disappointment softened his anger slightly - but the three are mingling together to create an uncomfortable cocktail.

He takes his seat, as she takes hers, elbows leaning on his desk as he fixes her with his even gaze and lets her tell her story. She does so, eyes trained on his throat, unable to meet his eye as she explains what had happened. Trailing the Second Salemers and their zealous leader - Mary Lou. She swears there is more to it than meets the eye - the way she hates the boy she’s adopted so much. The beatings she delivered to him. She knew she shouldn’t… But she couldn’t…

She hadn’t meant to hurt her - at least… She had just wanted to help.

He sighs, studying her as he leans back and when the silence stretches so long it threatens to snap - hiccoughing sadly - she manages to look him in the eye. Tilts her chin up, not defiantly, but bravely - trying to face the consequences of her actions.

Torn - eventually - he dismisses her from his office.

“This is a mess, Tina.” He tells her, honestly, a headache building in his temples. “I have a lot to consider before I can make a decision. Friday, three o’clock… I’ll have an answer for you. You are suspended until then.”

“Suspended?” She questions - but it is not impertinence- he can hear the heartbreak in that one word, laced through each syllable. “And the boy?”

“Will be obliviated, along with his mother.” He knows it’s not the answer she hopes for - but he will not make a promise he can’t keep. “I’ll have it looked into.” He settles on, eventually. With a sniff and a nod (he suspects more tears are coming and she is trying to collect and gather herself before they do - he admires her for it) she picks herself up and stumbles from his office - almost dazed and lost. 

Seraphina speaks to him later about it - under the guise of asking about his decision. She cannot have all the details - if there is an appeal it will land with her, and she needs to remain as impartial and as ignorant as possible in case that is the outcome. And when he hesitates he sees it in her eyes - the understanding, the pity, the compassion - before she freezes over. The visible change steels him - duty above all. Tina might be one of his favourites, one of his most passionate and capable Aurors but the doesn’t mean he should be soft. And Seraphina can’t quite mask the concern for his wounded pride - and the disappointments it is acting as an armour for.

There is hurt - and while she doesn’t want him to hurt anymore - she is resolute when she tells him it cannot happen again - he cannot play favourites when it comes to No Maj safety. There might be reasons, there might be excuses and Merlin knows she wouldn’t mind- But with everything else that’s going on, attacks on the non-wizarding community cannot be allowed to pass.

He still can’t help himself.

“You’re-you’re not firing me?” She stammered as he delivered the news of her new positions

“No - although after a week you might wish I had.” It is a badly timed attempt at levity and he regrets it instantly.

Tina who already looked stunned and grateful at this stroke of good luck - almost breathes her question - “A week?”

“I should- I should clarify. I simply meant… This is a punishment Tina - and not a temporary one.”

“I can’t ever come back? Ever..?”

“Not… Not never. It might take a considerable amount of time - for people to forget, to accept what happened. But if you work hard, prove yourself - when that time comes… Perhaps we can discuss the possibility of you coming back…

You’re a good Auror Tina… But you just - you let your emotions rule you. You take things too far, you overreact. You need to be more analytical - more orthodox in your methods.” A beat, while he lets that advise sink in. “Take the weekend - Mr Abernathy is expecting you Monday.”

“If it’s all the same to you sir, I’d rather get to work today.”

TLDR:  Key things to take away - Percival and Tina have a mentor / mentee relationship (think Captain Rolt / Amy Santiago from B99). Percival - real Percival - is the one who demotes Tina, prior to the impersonation of Gellert - after allowing her to explain her actions (unlike Seraphina who dismisses her or Abernathy - who just interrupts) which gives her the opportunity to confide in him and fosters trust within their relationship. Percival becomes involved in Credence’s life because Tina brings it to his attention.

[wandchoosesthewizard]

🚙- Car

Living spaces || @scalpelsxx || Still Accepting

Little difficult as most wizards don’t use cars, however…

Patrick doesn’t have a car of his own although he can drive his dads. It’s a 4x4 - but an old one - one that’s been through the wars so to say and isn’t your premium heated seats and cruise control kind of car. It’s a rust bucket you use to do doughnuts in the snow when it gets really bad and most people can’t get out of their houses. His mother has a little run around car (which is much better on fuel and more acceptable for popping to the shops in) and as such the 4x4 is very much a ‘man vehicle’ - there’s a faint odour of dog tht never really goes (even though they don’t have a dog) and a bumper sticker that says ‘my other car is a tractor’ - and while his da does try to keep it somewhat clean you are more than likley goihng to find empty food pakcets and half empty water bottles and general odds and sods strewn around. 

Gadis lives in a trailer - to better travel along with the circus. As such it has a warm, homely feel - filled with knickknacks and souvenirs of the places she’s been. She shares the living space with others and as such, it is kept quite clean, although her bunk is slightly messy.

Percival owns a Chrysler B-70 - and while he is able to drive it - it is simply for appearances (all successful muggle men seem to have a car, after all) and he does not use it.

Braith doesn’t have a car. Her grandma does and proudly likes to tell Braith that ‘she (the car) is older than you!’ And even with a limited knowledge? Braith can believe it. The car is low slung, red and only has three doors. The seatbelts look like they were added in later, rather than necesarily installed when the car was orignally manufactured. Gethin thinks cars are slow and inconvinent - but Braith kind of likes it, although she has no desire to drive one herself. Sirius, of course, has an enchnated motorbike. It functions both in flight and as a normal muggle vehicle. He did not enchant it himself, which - on a technicallyity - means it is not entirely illegal. And of course, there is that loophole about not using it and of course, he never does. 

[wandchoosesthewizard]

@I’m a serious blog I promise || @storiesnotyettold || Not currently accepting 

So here is my serious answer to your meme. And I’d like to thank you again for sending me something - and apologise for turning it into an excuse to make a cheap shot at the new trailer and the lack of Graves.

As I mentioned when I answered the same question for Sirius and Snape - I think it depends on your definition of ‘completely break’ because some of my sugar lumps are figuratively walking about on shattered femurs because - marching on, surviving, dealing with it - because it’s what my beans know. It’s what they do. For some of them it’s like - that’s what life is like? What do you mean this misery and drudgery, as you march towards your own death isn’t how everyone experiences their lives? What???

Now Percival is a very strong, hard man. I am a little hazy about my feelings for him and World War One but I do think he must’ve been involved somehow because otherwise, I can’t see what would have tempered him into the man he is in my head.

But it makes him very dichotomous when it comes to being broken because he is simultaneously incredibly easy to break, and very, very difficult to breaks. He won’t yield, he won’t bend, he won’t relent - so he can only shatter. But at his core, he is smart, strong, resourceful, hopeful, and a fighter - so it takes an intense amount of pressure to break.

Bringing up femurs once more - they are stronger than concrete and they can withstand about a tonne of stress before snapping, depending on where the pressure is applied.

That is Percival.

I have had the honour and privilege to interact with (and to read the fan fiction of) some truly inspirational writers and while I’ll be focusing on my portrayal only the common theme I see is Grindelwald does a number on him - usually by removing his purpose.

And for my Percival, that remains. His isolation leaves him powerless. Renders him alone and out of control and does nearly destroy him. Not knowing how he was taken, why he was taken - robs him of any hope of escape - any Avenue to make plans or rail against his absent captor.

What is worse, however, is when he returns - hale, whole and hearty… At least in body. And has to see suspicion in the eyes of his friends, face a distrustful, frightened public that has no faith in him and know that - it is because of his own failings.

It is why, personally, I do not imagine him staying in America for the rest of his life. Because he cannot face it.

[wandchoosesthewizard]

Percival Graves + all multiples of 5 for the headcanon meme.

Headcanons || Still Accepting

Guilty pleasures

An extra biscuit with his coffee. A slice of cake after dinner. A glass of good brandy before bed. A tailored suit with just a hint of elegance in the accessories. The flash of exposed skin when you pull your sweater off. The line of your collarbone where the material of you top shifts. Pale boys with dark, needy eyes that hold the universe in them. Singing in the shower. Being soft in his own home.

Fears/phobias

Dying. Dying alone. Dying in pain. Confined spaces. Obscurity. Disrespect. Madness.

What it takes to make them cry

The usual for a stoic man - agony and death are your easiest bets. The love for a partner or child. Isolation and mental despair.

What-ifs/Alternate Timelines

Y’all. I got a werewolf verse, I got a dark Percival verse and I got some sudden heartbreaking thoughts about a ‘what if Gellert hadn’t...’ timeline too...

[wandchoosesthewizard]

⭐️ (idk. whatever mashup you want xD maybe for arranged marriage goldgraves)

Headcanons || @macusasisters || Still Accepting

So this might go entirely against your ideas for Tina but...

Their wedding, when it happens is a very simple affair - with a few guests (Graves invites Seraphina and his family and no one else - Tina invites her sister, of course, and some friends).

In one of their prenuptial conversations - Percival, quite candidly states that he assumes she likely has a vision for her own wedding, arranged or not and he will finance whatever she wishes for (he pauses, to consider her - briefly - and does not add the caveat he had prepared for his potential bridge before knowing who it would be - that he will do so, within reason. Tina, he believes, is sensible and if her shoes are anything to go off - frugal and reserved) and consent to anything that makes her... Dream day come true... He has not planned his wedding day since his youth but presumes that, given her gender, she has. 

Tina struggles with this blanket permission - and is a little dismayed at his lack of input but is unable to articulate it. Queenie helps heavily with planning something she thinks will be to Tina’s taste - and wants to take it to Percival but also struggles on how to frame it. After all - he isn’t doing anything wrong exactly? And he’s busy so maybe he doesn’t have time to plan a wedding - and he is willing to consent to anything the girls bring to him.

(Which also leaves room for some kind of fluffy 10-year anniversary renewal of their vows once they’re in love or some such)