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David who’s always expected to know what to say and Angel who’s always being told they talk too much

Asher who’s never taken seriously and babe whose jokes get spoken over

Milo who grew up needing protecting from a cop and Sweetheart who grew up dreaming of protecting people as one

Sam who was never taken to a playground and Darlin who grew up in them

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Thinking about how real wolf facts might affect how the Shaw pack/shifters act as humans, part 2: Looks and Physicality

Part 1: Behaviour, can be found here

Disclaimer: I’m aware the shaw pack are humans not dogs! I’m not trying to de-humanise them, anyways on with the headcanons lol

Starting with their looks, you ever heard that rumour that all baby’s are born with blue eyes? Well that’s actually true for most wolves.

The shifters eyes change colour when their powers come through for the first time, they then remain the same as their wolf form when they shift back. (As opposed to wolves who’s eyes change within about two months after birth)

A lot of the shifters opt for undercuts as their hair is simply too thick and layered to cope with. Especially in warm climates. Babe also gave themselves one once to join in.

When dealing with said hair a lot of them will brush/dry/braid it for the members they’re closer to in the pack. This is one of Sam’s favourite things cause god he loves a head message and he also loves doing Darlin’s hair in the shower.

They also just play with each others hair a lot when they’re relaxing

Different accents from different regions such as Milo’s and Antons still translate over to their wolf. The houls can sounds completely different to the rest of the packs. But they’re pack nonetheless and therefore still instinctively recognisable to the other pack members.

The members of the pack with darker fur when shifted are less likely to contract viruses and are therefore considered more reliable/ more likely to be alpha when it comes to shifter packs.

This does mean when David is sick, he is well and truly down for the count as he’s not used to it.

Also meaning anyone you hc to have lighter hair probably has a weaker immune system (Darlin has white hair truthers I’m looking at you 👀)

(Disclaimer/me pausing to be a nerd: This is not completely true when it comes to wolves, however black coated wolves have been found to be less likely to contract canine contempt virus which is highly deadly. This is because the colour occurs from them having dogs genes mutated with their own!)

Wolves can hear other wolves howls from miles away. So when it comes to shifters hearing they can infact pick up the sounds of other shifters easier than they can with others.

Shifter couples tend to try to sleep together / on the same schedule, overwise they’ll just end up waking each other up

Don’t think this means a human can sneak up easy on a shifter, they’re hearing and eye sight are still very advanced compared to humans. (Wolves have a field of vision of about 250° compared to humans at 150° and their noses can pick up on thermal radiation.)

So I believe most shifters have a pretty good idea of their surrounding/ what’s going on behind their back.

Shifters tend to run warmer but their noses and fingers can actually often be cold. Angel plays with David’s hands a lot and will often find themself rubbing them to warm him up even though he’s boiling laid against them.

There have also been many times Milo has kissed sweetheart and they’ve flinched away cause his nose is so cold on their face.

With the awareness of what’s going on behind them, if a shifter is laying down they will often prefer to lay on their stomach. This is seen as less vulnerable even if they can’t see. (Wolves see it as submissive to have their stomach showing)

With their sight, wolf shifters also have a higher chance of being colourblind red/green specifically. And if they wear glasses it will only be for the fact they’re nearsighted.

Lastly as this is getting long. A lot of shifters walk on their tip-toes or lean their weight more to the front of their feet. Asher is the biggest culprit for this. Babe thinks it’s adorable. He slips a lot.

Calves for days though.

Anyways I’ll make a part three for dynamics, see you then!!

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Sam/Darlin HC’s

*Cracks Knuckles* it’s been a while

Darlin’ is very heavy footed, there isn’t a Subtle thing about that wolf

Sam has a BROAD back, shoulders for days, good lord

When Darlin’ asked Sam for a hug for the first time he had known that is what they wanted.

In their hangouts prior their hands constantly twitched towards him seeking contact but theyd fold their arms over whenever they noticed it happening.

They also always lent towards him.

Now they always practically sit on top of him. Like it doesn’t even enter their mind to pick a seat if Sam’s there.

Whenever Darlin sits on his lap Sam rocks their hips back and forth, pretty much subconsciously at this point

If they’re sat the other way his hands still always lay on his hips/thighs

Darlin is very very good at special awareness, this makes them very good at parking.

They are also somewhat clumsy at the same time, they don’t bump into things or people but will trip over their own feet.

Sam likes it cause it means he can catch them. Sometimes he watches them just to see if there is gonna be an opportunity for it.

Sam puts his clothes in the dryer before wearing them sometimes when Darlin’s away.

Neither of their handwriting is very legible. Sam’s in more of cursive way. Darlin in a ‘those aren’t even words’ way

Sam does in fact keep a photo of Darlin’ in his wallet

His wallet is falling apart, he does not want a new one.

Darlin doesn’t own one, they keep things in their pockets and constantly accidentally wash their change.

Darlin’s work out playlist is full of pure garbage. It’s just a mess, you could play it at a rave and some people would still leave.

They really like blackbird by the Beatles though

Sometimes they both just sit in the couch watching old music videos/performances on YouTube together

Sam’s seat on the couch has a genuine imprint of his booty

Sam sometimes shaves his beard into a mustache, and if you thought Darlin’ was all over him before…..

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Thinking about how wolves body language might affect how the Shaw pack act as humans..

Part 1: Behaviour

and as someone who’s favourite animals has always been a wolf and whom receives a ‘wolf howling at the moon’ t-shirt ever birthday I feel just about qualified to make this headcanon tumblr post

Disclaimer: I am aware the shaw pack characters are not animals and a lot of these headcanons come with the context that they have grown up as humans and understand when and when not to do these things amongst humans/ when none shifted, anywho

David has the best posture out of everyone in the pack. His back is constantly straight, even hunched over a desk with a pile of paperwork. Whether he’s stressed or relaxed. He doesn’t slouch.

His hair is also the fluffiest

Shifters have more control over their hair, like a wolf would with its fur. So when they are in trouble or having a one on one discussion with David their hair tends to flatten.

And it gets more voluminous when they’re relaxed, which leads to a lot of them getting glorious bed head even if they don’t move around a lot

In the right context shifters will take continuous eye contact to mean that you want to fight with them.

Often if the shifter couples have squabbles the shifter will begin to refuse eye contact as a sign they don’t want to argue anymore.

Kisses are also used amongst shifters in these situations, to diffuse tension and communicate their wish to de-escalate the situation.

which was can be very confusing to non-shifters in the beginning of their relationship. Talk about mixed signals. /hj

The shifters don’t tend to lay down unless completely secure with those around them

The wolves also have a large set of different facial expressions used to communicate, similar to humans but much subtler. The mates have gotten good at reading these but it is very confusing at first, when one facial expression can mean two completely different things.

If a baby is brought into the pack, everybody takes care of it and the parents. Not quite so hands on as if they were actual wolves but they all bring round food etc

Wolves ‘bow’ when wishing to play. So if your shifter mate starts leaning down low on their desk or countertops or the edge of the couch, they’re probably planning to tackle you.

When they get excited, they all kind of shout over each other instinctively, like a howl. It often gets very loud when this happens but it’s rare in their non-shifted form as they know other ways to express their shared enthusiasm.

They DO NOT like it if someone else wears a strong cologne/ perfume in their house. Not just because their senses are heightened but because their homes should smell predominantly of them. It’s their territory.

They bare teeth as a warning.

Some of the shifters do some things more than others, for Darlin’, traditional kissing and eye contact rules are very instinctive for them whereas for Milo it’s his posture amongst different members of the pack.

And lastly, Packs tend to be started by a dominant mated pair. Meaning that, unempowered or not, Angel is highly, highly respected in the pack.

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I don’t want Angel to be latent. I love them how they are, they’re so cool Like imp!angel was literally executed because imp!Damien could not handle them being a badass.

Them being an unempowered alphas mate is hot and important

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NSFW

Darlin’ and Sam are super pro dry humping. They love that shit. They both love each other thighs especially. They told me this themselves btw

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Sam saying Porter won’t be able to win every fight got me thinking about him Injured and bloody. Stumbling his way to Treasures house.

He doesn’t need anything from them, even refuses blood, just wants to lay in their lap as his body heals itself.

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WIP

Just a little Sam/Darlin’ fic I’ve been working on.

Darlin’ reflecting on some hard topics/conversations that eventualy leads to the talk of their decision on their turning.

TW: implied assault, mentions of past harm to Darlin’

- Not that it really matters, Darlin’ wouldn’t pry. They never had.

They’d never really understood the urge people had to bring up uncomfortable topics in a mimic of niceties. Maybe it was a social thing that had gone above their head.

Sam had tried to explain it to them once. Laid in the dark living room of one of Williams gaudy properties he’d loaned to them for a weekend away. The pair had taken advantage of the multiple candelabras and fireplaces around the place, not realising they were setting the perfect lighting for such a heavy conversation.

They’d been curled together on the couch for hours under one of the many fur blankets that decorated the place. Talking about everything and nothing, the way it was so easy to do when they were alone together.

Sam had said some quip about Darlins survival instincts, about the time he’d found them feverish and bleeding in their apartment. Doubt and accusation in his voice about the fact that Darlin’ had promised him they hadn’t been searching for a fight, like the wound on their stomach had appeared out of thin air.

It hadn’t.

“I didn’t” Darlin’ giggled. “I promised you, I don't take a pinky promise lightly.”

Sam huffed, the flames from the fire lighting and warping the strong features of his face in gold. “Well, pray tell Darlin’, how on earth did you end up in such a state.”

Darlin’ could tell the topic wasn’t quite as light to him as it was to them, maybe because he held the seriousness of it for the both of them, but he still had a smile in his voice non-the-less.

They figured he was expecting some sort of lie warped as a joke in response but for whatever reason, that night, Darlin’ wasn’t frightened of being earnest.

“I dunno it was just some dude, I was sleeping.” They rolled back slightly, still in Sams hold, so they could see him better. His arms tightening around them, barely relaxing again as they continued, looking up at him. “I’d locked the door and everything, so I don’t wanna hear any shit about that.”

“What?” He choked.

“Well it’s not like he did anything.” Darlin’ practically shrugged.

“A vampire broke into your apartment and you didn’t tell me?

Darlin’ didn’t pause, too focused on defending themself. “Not a vampire, just a guy. I’d seen him in the building a few times.”

“He was, what, robbing you?”

Darlin laughed at that. “No I don’t think so, I mean, my TV was still there.” They moved their mouth from side to side, re-counting the situation. “I wasn’t exactly focused on filling my life with pretty things at the time.” They waved their arm around, regarding the room they were in. Pointing lazily at the photo frames, vases, statues as examples.

They were hoping they could twist Sams response to make a joke about Sam being their pretty thing to look at now but they didn’t get the chance. He just looked back at them, lips pressed in a thin line.

Darlin’ had at least thought about telling Sam at the time but it seemed pointless. When he found them they were too dazed to even remember what had happened themself. And when they woke he had been so worried, so slow in his movements, in his words.

Besides it would have just given more cause to his whole ‘moving somewhere safer’ lecture and in blunt honesty, they didn’t want to hear it.

“Sam,” They urged. Darlin’ could tell he’d gotten angry because he’d stiffened, withdrew. He didn’t stop holding them or rubbing his thumb along their thigh. He didn't raise his voice or even argue, just held his jaw tight in unpleasant thought.

After a while, he spoke. “Would you tell me now?”

“I just did?” They questioned, genuine.

“No, if someone broke in now and hurt you, would you tell me?” Sam stared at them, holding eye contact as firmly as he’d begun holding them.

“Of course, I mean that’s your house too.” Darlin justified after a second of consideration.

“And if we didn’t live together, if you still lived there?" He pressed.

Darlin had paused at that, simply unsure. Unsure for too long.