Herbert West - SFW Alphabet
Hello! This is my personal take on the sfw alphabet for my favourite mad scientist. Want to point out that the version of this alphabet that I use is slightly different from the others that I've seen, as I've mixed and matched to make a version that fits my personal preferences.
Other than that, I hope you enjoy! This is obliviously based off my personal interpretation of Herbert, so if you disagree with anything I've stated here, that's fine, I'm just doing this for fun! <3
Not something that Herbert is well versed in. He himself doesn't always understand personal bubbles, getting in his partner's face or touching their arms/shoulders etc, which can be seen in the way that Herbert interacts with Dan.
However, I see Herbert as the type of person who doesn't like that same thing projected on himself, at least not all the time. To me Herbert prefers touch when he's the one initiating it, and otherwise if people are touching him, he can get uncomfortable sometimes. Though there's leniency regarding this if Herbert is comfortable and familiar with the person/people touching him.
Herbert West, feeling nervous? Surely you must be joking.
... or at least that's the vibe he gives off. Though I can see Herbert being the type to get nervous around people he cares about in the name of being nervous that he's going to screw things up with them, or that they'll leave. Something that is evident with the relationship Herbert has with Dan.
Alike physical affection, I don't think Herbert would be crazy about cuddles unless they are something that he initiates. As well, I don't see him as the kind of person who would sit and cuddle for a long time.
This is for two reasons, one being that he'd want to get back to work and the other being that Herbert to me is the type who doesn't like to be physically hot and after a while of cuddling he gets uncomfortable if he overheats.
Not interested in settling down. Herbert is nowhere near being the person who ever considered marriage, kids, and a white picket fence to call his own one day.
As for domestic tasks such as cooking and cleaning, I don't think Herbert would be a very good cook, but not due to lack of skill. I think he'd be a bad cook because he never put time into it, always trying to make the quickest meal for himself so as to get back to work as quickly as possible. In the department of cleaning, I see Herbert as a little bit of a clutter bug. If he can find it, then it doesn't need to be put away and the idea of dust doesn't bother him so why take the time to clean it?
Herb can sometimes be a difficult person to read. He’s not the kind of person to flaunt his feelings on his sleeve or necessarily talk about them, but if you know him well enough to watch his behaviour, he can be easy to decipher.
Showing interest for a partner, in specific, he shows interest by allowing them to get close, by using their names rather than their surnames, allowing them into his space, spending time with them, and paying attention/memorizing their mannerisms.
f - favourite thing about their partner
Herbert's favourite thing about his partner is seeing them when they are passionate about something. He enjoys seeing the same light flash behind their eyes that he exhibits when he talks about the work.
Can be a little rough sometimes, but it's not because he means to be. When Herbert is being rough without intention, it's because he's excited about something or trying to get someone's attention and he's not quite processing that he's being a little rougher.
This comes out in grabbing someone's arm a little tighter, or perhaps using a sharper tone if he's becoming impatient.
Doesn't hate them, but like most aspects of physical affection with Herbert, keep it to a minimum. Hugs aren't something that he initiates himself, though he'll accept goodbye/hello hugs for the most part, but hugs for no reason? He doesn’t quite understand the point and doesn’t like being enveloped that much so often.
If Herbert did initiate a hug with a partner, it's a quick sign something is way off. That he's beyond upset about something and seeking comfort which in itself is a huge red flag that something is wrong.
God awful about talking about his feelings in general, so the words "I love you" leaving Herbert's mouth sit at the same level of rarity as a comet passing every fifty years.
Green really is this mans colour, because he is painted with it the second any person shows interest in his partners. It's primarily in the name of wanting their attention and time.
This is something so readily drawn out already in the movies, specifically in the name of Herbert being jealous of all Dan's love interests to the degree that he treats them even more unkindly than anyone else he interacts with.
More inclined to give his partners kisses than hugs. He enjoys quick pecks on the cheeks / lips to say hello and goodbye, or as an act of affection when he's excited / pleased about something.
Acts of Service ; not being the particularly physically affectionate type and having a lot of his time being prioritized by work, it means a lot for Herb to do things for his partners. Picking up the new record from their favourite band on the way home from work or making them tea while they are under the weather.
Evidence of this can be seen in Bride of Reanimator where Herbert steals back Megan’s heart for Daniel and bases the entire bride around things that he knows Dan would enjoy in a partner, rather than creating his own ideal creation.
Always an early riser. Sees sleeping in as a waste of time that could otherwise be used productively. However, he can be enticed to stay a moment or two longer if his partner wants to cuddle but he never stays for long before getting dressed and getting to work.
Working. After getting home from the hospital, evenings are reserved for the work, though there are occasions where he can be dragged from the basement in favour of a movie and dinner in the house.
Not at all. Trying to talk to this man about anything is a goddamned nightmare, he’s way too stubborn and emotionally thick that you almost have to beat the goddamned words out of him.
p - public displays of affection
Considering Herb’s semi-touchiness around physical affection as a whole, he wouldn’t be the kind of person who would ever want/think to make out or anything like that in public. Physical intimacy to him is seen as more personal, so he’s more comfortable with displays of affection in private/safe environments.
An exception is stress or just generally being close to his partners. As shown in the movie, Herb grabs and touches Dan in the mortuary while talking to the security guard, because he’s in a state of panic. As well, even throughout the day working in the hospital in Bride, Herb can be seen walking/standing quite close to Dan at all times. I personally think it’s a comfort thing because he's comfortable with Dan and not a lot of others.
Most of Herbert’s time is reserved for his work, so when he does crawl out of the basement to spend time with his partner, it’s not always for long periods. He’s not the kind of person who needs interaction, he’s happy and comfortable to go without it.
Though Herbert is also a huge fan of parallel play– he really enjoys being able to have his partner in his space or be in their space while they do their own thing. Because it allows him to work while also spending time in his partner's space.
Definitely not his strong suit. Herbert is a bit romantically unspoken. He was never done to date around, so it was never something he needed to learn and he was never really taught what engaging with someone in that way looks like.
Sometimes it bothers him a little because he wants to be more versed in that for his partner, especially if they have a good handle on it, but it makes him frustrated to ask for help in something so mundane.
Herbert is very protective of two things; his work and his very few loved ones. They are all he has in his life that matters to him to any degree, and he works to keep them safe with everything that he has. Whether that is physically fighting to protect against a reanimated body, or telling someone off who made the mistake of picking on his partner. Herbert is not afraid to bare his teeth.
Massive. Herbert loves to get his partners riled up by poking fun at them and having a little chuckle.
A specific way that Herbert likes to tease or play is by startling his partners, which can be seen in the way that Herbert sneaks up on Dan and spooks him, immediately followed by amused laughter.
It can be difficult for Herbert to understand. He doesn't comprehend emotions in quite the same way, being more calculated and reasonable, so when his partner comes to him with problems and are trying to vent, he doesn’t always get what they are saying. He doesn’t always comprehend why getting yelled by a professor makes his parter so upset, or why they lets the others opinions take such a toll on them.
He does his best though, because he wants to help, it’s just often difficult for him to get it.
Although Herbert has a difficult time expressing to his partner and the people that he cares about that he loves them, they mean everything to him. His work is his passion, but at the end of the day he can’t go on without Dan and he can't go without his partner, they came into his life and made things worth it. The first people in his life who cared about him, and made him understand why life was so important.
Herbert is the best partner to have if you are sick, which is kinda obvious, but I can't the idea of Herbert taking care of a sick partner out of my head. He'd be so professional about it, giving them the drugs they need to beat the cold they have, but there's also that flicker of worry as he gets them into bed and orders them to rest. <3
Is good at reading his partners when he has the mind to pay attention. Herbert is often so enveloped in his work that sometimes he neglects to pay attention to the people in his life until it is so evident that something is wrong or going on.
Once he realizes that something is not right, he is there and trying to help them fix the problem, cursing himself for not noticing sooner.
Doesn’t yearn for his partner often, but hates to admit that he does. He could’ve died working in his basement before he met them, but after? There are times he misses them and wants to be with them, though it can be hard for him to admit. Sometimes he comes up from the basement when something isn’t working, or when he can say he actually needs a break to seek them out.
It took a long while for Herbert to become comfortable with his partner. He grew up with neglectful parents and then was bounced from foster homes until he went to university where he didn’t really have any friends for years (inferred from the novelization). He didn’t have anyone to care about or who cared about him for practically the whole of his life, so he wasn’t used to the notion of allowing someone close.
