Had some headcanons about little Monty throughout the week. Thought about sharing a couple (with a some involving Lami too). I also apologize in advance if some of them are angsty, been experiencing some throughout the week.
1. Monty learned early on that playing hide and seek with Lami indoors is not a good idea. He stayed hidden for too long and in too good of a spot that she thought he had disappeared forever.
When he heard her wails of "Big bwother, come baaaack! I'm soweyyyy!" He realized that the game was no longer fun.
He tears through the house to find her standing in front of their parent's open armoire with fat tears rolling down her face.
He wraps his baby sister in his arms and apologizes profusely. Saying he's sorry for scaring her, sorry for making her cry and saying that he would never ever abandon her like that in his life.
He would rather die than make his baby sister cry like that again.
2. When Monty gets angry, he grinds and clenches his teeth so hard that he gets painful headaches that can turn into migraines.
It sometimes happens in his sleep and often makes mornings difficult to get through; painful and worn teeth with a sore jaw and a stabbing sensation behind his left eye being the most frequent complaints. Of course it takes a while for the headaches to settle down or even find a solution to.
Stressful situations/news/bad dreams -> teeth clenching in anger-> pain and headaches-> anger and frustration from pain--> cycle of frustration and pain (his parents worry about him potentially lashing out in frustration and pain). "No, I will not calm the fuck down 'cause I'm In Pain!"
Wearing a mouth guard at night has helped to a degree. Finding a way to keep calm in frustrating situations is still a work in progress.
3. Monty LOVES spiders. He'll spend hours watching them spin their webs.
How do they know what to do? Why do some of them spin small webs that are easy to see whereas others spin giant webs that you can't see unless you walk right into them? And why do some never spin webs at all like the huntsman or the tarantula?
Those questions keep him up at night and he often reads books about spiders to learn more. His favorite spider in the yard is the Joru spider, they're the only spider that will actively hunt and eat invasive stink bugs that bother Mama and Papa's tomato plants.
He'll make his own web art with his strings and show them off to his parents. Isabella nearly passed out from fright when she saw his first piece thinking that there's a big ass spider somewhere in the house.
Monty: "Do you like it? I based it off the spiderweb by the shed out back!"
Isabella: "Oh, oh yes. It's lovely dear." *sighs in relief*
Monty: "I'm gonna go share this with the wolf spider by the woodpile, she had babies the other day, the kids will love it!"
4. Monty doesn't like the smell of barbecue or grilled pork. He's not sure why, but it makes him feel sick just looking at it or even catching a whiff of the stuff.
5. Monty can be a pessimist at times. Spending time outside or with cats helps him with his mood whenever he feels down or helpless.
6. Because Gospoll isn't in affiliation with the World Government, the newspaper isn't really delivered to the public. Monty will sometimes steal as much as he can from any News Coo that happens to fly too close to Gospoll or be in his airspace. Whether it's through threats or bribery with juicy fish, he will get those newspapers, the people need to be kept in the loop about worldly affairs, damnit!
Also, if people don't know what's going on in the world, how can they possibly prepare for the future? Like when the sea levels rise? Or when the rains are late and the drought lasts longer than expected? Or when the marines decide to do a full hostile takeover of all islands unaffiliated with the government? Or when there's a potential ecological collapse due to the stupidity of man? Or when there's a sudden recall of imported goods that were dangerously defective or contaminated? Or when the sea life is no longer safe to eat due to toxic algae blooms or high domoic acid levels? Or of a possible hurricane season? Or when the Revolutionary Army finally, FINALLY burns the so called "Holy Land" to nothing more than a pile of rubble and ash?
7. Before the cold season starts, Monty likes to make hats, scarves, and blankets for the elderly and the needy. He'll also help mend clothing that have holes or tears in them so there's no need for anything to be thrown out. He likes to make sweaters for his hairless kitty, Peaches.
8. Monty is rather soft footed. His footfalls are so soft and light, he must be part feline! He likes to sneak up behind people and give them a little scare.
It's not to be mean, it's all in good fun. Lami will try to do the same but she's not as quiet as her big brother.
There was a time when Law and the Heart crew were visiting and she decided to sneak up on him. He knew what Lami was up to but pretended not to notice and act super surprised when she jumps up behind him and yells "Boo!"
Sachi: *pretends to pass out with a scream of surprise*
Law: *jumps in surprise* "Oh, my goodness! You scared me! You were so quiet!"
Law: "Yes, you did a good job sneaking up on me."
Monty: "Wait, what? I did the same thing to you earlier and you didn't even scream!"
Law: "No, but I did flinch."
Sachi: "Man, you got me good! Are you sure you two aren't part owl or part cat?"
9. Sometimes he'll teach Lami how to speak several phrases in Dressrosian (or Dressri). A few of them involve some curse words so he does get into trouble every now and then.
10. Because Lami likes having her hair braided, Monty will use his string ability to practice braiding so he can eventually do it for her. The repetitive motions have a calm, meditative effect on him and he'll sometimes fiddle with his own hair to see if it's long enough for braiding. It's still too short, hopefully he'll get another chance when he's older and his hair is a little longer.
Hope you enjoyed the headcanons. The spider one was my favorite to have recently as I get multiple cobwebs around the shed out back. They look like little pagodas and it baffles me how they do it on their own.
First of all, I always ALWAYS appreciate headcanons in my askbox angsty or otherwise, so pls don't feel like you need to apologize fren! Sorry if this week's been a little tough, I'm in the same boat tbh. 🫂🫂🫂
It's easy to forget that Lami is only three years-old with how closely she mimics her genetic donor, and Monty usually finds it super cute when she lapses into toddler speak. But this was a completely different story. Hide-and-seek becomes a strictly outdoor game from that moment on.
Monty mouth guard! It's pink, naturally. If Monty gets truly angry, his forehead veins will start bulging and that HURTS (the sound effects the anime uses for that in Dressrosa make my stomach churn every time)
Because of Monty's new love of spiders, the family now practices a strict "relocate over crush" policy. Taking the wolf spider for example, Isabella tells Monty that Mama Wolfy and her babies will be much happier in the forest where there's a bunch of tall trees to make their webs in as opposed to a tiny little wood pile like theirs. Instead of being afraid of spiders, Monty is creeped out by frogs. With their bulgy eyes and their slimy skin and their shameless spider munching.
Oh yeah, the Donquixote gang did a bunch of arson, didn't they? Especially in their early days when Doffy was close to Monty's age. Whenever Mama makes carne, Monty takes precaution by stuffing string wads in his nose. He may not be able to look at it or smell it but it tastes soooo good and Mama worked so hard to make it! 😭😭
When Monty finds himself in times of trouble, Peachy McBlimbus his sphinx cat comes to him. Speaking words of wisdom: mrrrp. This song Richard taught him always cheers him up too.
"Information is power. The closer you get it from the source, the stronger you grow" Monty can't remember where he heard that, but he takes it to heart. Lami has a similar mindset and has become exceptionally helpful in procuring newspapers with her Room ability. Both of them are a little frustrated their mismatched maturity means they can't quite grasp all the meanings of the things they glimpse from the newspaper, even if they know there's more to some of the stories that are being written.
Peaches has an ever-growing collection of the most fashionable and thickest sweaters. She also has a nice cozy bed on the windowsill where she can watch the kids playing in the yard. It's getting to the point where if Monty sees anybody in town shivering, he makes them a scarf or a coat on the spot and doesn't let them leave his sight until they accept the gift. Or he'll attach the younger kid's mittens to their jackets with string so they don't lose them.
Monty and Lami have the footfalls of lynxes. Except Lami is more like a lynx flopping around on a hardwood floor instead of a blanket of snow. Sometimes this is literal bc she has a set of snow leopard paw slippers.
Monty is more fluent in Dressrosan than even Doflamingo, who knows it but doesn't speak it nearly enough on account of him valuing the Celestial Dragon tongue above all else. As soon as the World Government is dismantled and multiple languages become taught in school, language arts becomes Monty's best subject. He still writes cusswords on the bathroom walls.
Monty's hair growing longer as he grows is one of my favorite Seraphim headcanons. It's wavy in a similar way that Homing's was. Sometimes it's difficult to tell where his hair ends and the strings begin.
