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Awoken Headcanons

note: this is mostly based on my own audacity rather than actual lore. 🤫

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Earthborn and Awoken Guardians are like the book versions of LotR elves, while Reefborn are like the movie versions. They're actually similar, but to outsiders, Earthborn are friendly and full of life while Reefborn are aloof and elegant like their queen. This perception, though frustrating to people like Petra, generally works in Mara's favor so she allows it to continue.

Awoken Speech sounds more like creole than a separate language. This is due to the multitude of languages spoken aboard the Yang Liwei, which then carried over into the dialects in the Distributary. Although some argue Speech is a mixed language rather than creole, consensus from both the Gensym Scribes and Last City's Cryptarchy has not yet been reached.

Portmanteau examples:

daatma (ดาว/"dāw" + आत्मा/"ātman"): Awoken [older gen]

tulatma (tulay + आत्मा/"ātman"): Awoken [younger gen]

luxïn (luz + 星/"xīng"): starlight

noyam (noyer + يوم/"yawm"): Darkness

Traditional Awoken names usually sound "soft," with palatalized consonants and several vowels. The most common ending letters are "A" (Mara, Petra, Amrita) and "N" (Uldren, Jolyon, Nasan), while the most uncommon letter is "K" (Tulnik).

Most Reefborn are highly superstitious, due to the environment they grew up in. However they don't consider themselves superstitious, as it is only "practical" to refer to The Dreaming using epithets instead of names, or to look for omens in dreams, or to treat water and reflections as near-sacred, and so on.

Promises and vows / oaths are generally a life-long ordeal for Awoken, especially for Reefborn and especially if they are made to Mara. This is partly influenced by the post-Distributary riots, partly influenced by contracts with Ahamkara, and partly influenced by Mara's own charisma, which has created an almost religious devotion* amongst her followers.

*(Embarrassingly, when Calus sought to imitate this sense of devotion to lure Awoken Guardians to the Menagerie, he was partially successful.)

Balance is an important part of Awoken culture. Past and future and life and death are strongly emphasized by Reefborn, while Earthborn have integrated Old Earth philosophies like yin-yang and wabi-sabi. While Awoken Guardians tend to be less ardent about balance and/or a desire for it, there are noticeably less Awoken within the Praxic Order than in other Vanguard-affiliated organizations.

The Awoken don't believe in a physical afterlife, only the Unreal. This makes the existence of Awoken Guardians egregious to other Awoken, as they do not "return" from death, but rather "take form" of people who no longer exist. Even so, Guardians (or "Noble Dead") are still treated with respect - out of love for the ones they look like, and fear of the entities they are.

(Awoken don't believe in reincarnation either, as The Awakening is considered an "extraordinary" circumstance.)

Contrary to popular belief, male Awoken aren't ostracized in Reefborn society, and they aren't considered second-class citizens either. Even so, due to the 70/30 split [which has persisted since the Distributary], it is rare to see male Reefborn in high-level positions or as Techeuns. The perceived lack of opportunity has led to an increase in Reefborn emigrants in recent years, especially after the Battle of Saturn.

Due to the loss of resources and difficulties of growing food in the Reef, Reefborn dishes are "bland" compared to Earthborn ones. The most common seasonings are salt, cold-hardy herbs like mint, and corasteri (a star-shaped culinary variant of asphodelia). However, Reefborn food is both warming and filling, which is suited to a life in deep space.

The Dreaming City is surprisingly bare in terms of flora and fauna. Aside from pink asphodelia, queensfoil, baryon bough and memorial trees - most of which are cultivated - there are very few plants to be found. Spectral butterflies and non-native jewel bugs can be found in gardens and lost sectors, and starcats have free rein of the buildings, but there is no urban wildlife like in the Last City and Earth's metropolitan ruins. The vibrance is an illusion; it is as empty as the Reef's biodomes.

Earthborn do not live as long as their Reefborn counterparts; higher oxygen levels, increased gravity, and larger amounts of pollution make life more difficult for people adapted to space. Ironically, this is the inverse issue the Awoken faced when leaving the Distributary.

Awoken anatomy is uncanny if you look closely enough. Most traits fall within expectations (eg resistance to radiation, increased reaction time) but adaptations like tapetum lucidum can still startle people who aren't used to seeing them. Experimental traits, which are common in later-generation Reefborn, make some seem entirely inhuman. And the ability to track Guardians by their Light will never not be creepy.

Experimental traits include but aren't limited to: pointed ears; nictitating membranes (i.e. "third eyelids"); and genital slits [for Awoken specifically created for deep space missions].

Due to a history of bio-engineering, cybernetic augments are seen as unnecessary and rarely utilized outside of eutechs, and later, Techeuns. Fully robotic components, such as exo frames, are practically unheard of and often met with pity or revulsion.

The 891 are forbidden from seeking information about their lives from The Time Before (aka pre-Collapse lives), as it is considered a "distraction" from Mara's plan. Descendant Awoken are also discouraged from pursuing such info unless it is considered pertinent to their mission.

Queenslaw has been partially lifted in the Reef, due to the influx of Guardians after the Battle of Saturn. Many things once considered illegal or taboo are now acceptable, and some things are even encouraged. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with these "sudden" changes and it has done little to reduce tensions between factions, most notably the Gensym Scribes and the Last City's Cryptarchy.

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Reefborn sobriquets often refer to relationships (Uldren "Queensbrother," Taranis "Rivensmate," Petra "Covensdaughter"). Earthborn nicknames are often more individualized but still invoke a sense of interconnectedness (eg "Swornsister" Takara, Avraam "Firstborn").

Although the Awoken are known for their music (for ceremonies, parties, mourning, etc.) Earth-derived music seems just as violent to them as the Guardians who enjoy it. Knowing this, RZ-3 intentionally made a playlist to "scare" Petra on missions, and has successfully startled several Corsairs by belting out the lyrics to "Teenagers" while doing patrols.

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[official grimoire / lore books: The Maraid (D1); Marasenna, The Awoken of the Reef, The Dreaming City (D2, general); The Forsaken Prince, A Tangled Web, Ripples (D2, Uldren/Crow), Ecdysis (D2, the Emissary)]

[specific lore that Tickles My Brain: "Holdfast Bond," "The Supremacy", "Third Gift"; "Crow's Best Night"]

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[see also: "Things I Think About: Awoken Edition"; "Awoken Phrases & Exclamations"; "Last City Lingo"; timeline in the Distributary; Awoken amethyst]

Potential Destiny Conlangs

Destiny is an interesting franchise. looking past all the Microtransactions and accusations of bad writing, the lore is interesting and well populated. speaking of population, I wonder what kind of languages they would speak.

Creating languages for the factions/races/species of the Destiny universe has been something I toyed around with after my start as a Conlanger and encounter with the Franchise and before I got this Tumblr account. I can't help it, I see a potentially interesting culture, I want to give them their own way of speaking. that is, if the creators haven't already taken care of that. or the fans (looking at you @abidethetempest , keep up the good work. I'll try not to accidently copy your work) or are potentially going to (good luck, @lubraean-humbled. sorry, I can't help. this is something I have to do on my own. For now, at least). either way, I hope to have fun, as always, with these projects.

as for who I will be constructing languages for. The Cabal have taken my interest by the neck since day one of me reading about Destiny in that one gamer magazine. they very well might take up the most of my efforts. that isn't to say that the other three antagonist species. in order of interest, those being The Vex, The Fallen, and The Hive. However, I now realized (and in some cases remembered) that other species exist outside of these four. excluding the humans, I may try to explore the linguistic caricature of the Awoken and maybe The Exos. I have been aware that the Cabal's Psions being a separate species, maybe I can make them a substrate language used for personal communication among themselves and for their rituals. I have become aware through lubraen-humbled that Rhulk as well as The Witness are members of their own species (I think. Not sure yet. Could use some clarification, please) and maybe I might create ones for them as well. this is on top of me finding out about the various species from the official(?) "Destinypedia." long story short, I'll keep a pin for any of those in the future.

All that said, I must disclaim that I will not be keeping strictly to the canon and in fact will even use head canons if the opportunity arises. it's just more fun for me that way. that isn't to say that I'll be flagrantly ignoring the lore most of the time. this is all just a fun set of linguistic experiments for me to play around with anyways. but there are still some interesting canon lore pieces that intrigue me and that I will use in said projects.

That is all I have to say, for now. honestly, this project might not even lift off the ground. but if you do find all of this interesting, then I invite you to share your own thoughts and ideas. it's always nice to read from others and may help serve as a source of inspiration for me.

That is all. Till next time... ;).

hunter pack headcanons

you thought id write a list of titan and warlock stuff????? no. i cannot stop thinking abt these weird little guys. maybe i will write titan and warlock stuff later

- No pack is the same. Both because they’re comprised of different people, but most packs will always work differently too. Some will only have a couple Hunters, some will have LOTS, some accept other classes too, some have a leader, others don’t. Basically 'pack’ is just a very loose definition for a group of Hunters who tend to hang out and work together, especially if it’s more than just a mission fireteam.

- I said this before I think in my last bigger post but I fully believe the vast majority of Hunters are not loners, they’re really like cats: they pick a couple of people they REALLY like, and stick with them for as long as they can. They’re just very elusive, and you’ll rarely see a larger Hunter pack altogether in one place, so a lot of people don’t realise just how many Hunters can be part of the same pack.

- Some Hunters go between different packs. Seeing as some packs are basically just friendgroups, it’s not really like. Expected of someone to stick with one particular group of people for the rest of their days. Different packs are also normally willing to work together, especially if there’s something in it for both of them.

- Generally packmates are very very close and more trusting of one another, especially in smaller packs. More comfortable being around each other, sharing gear and space, etc. 

- Collaborative stashes. Where they go to store loot they’ve found and don’t want to keep for themself, or to keep collectible objects. Mostly people are allowed to take and give things as they please, so long as they aren’t overly greedy. These are very useful if they happen across a New Light who needs a temporary kit, or if something more dire happens and they need quick access to gear and weapons.

- I headcanon this for most Hunters, but I feel like obviously marked caches are considered off limits as an unspoken rule. If it’s just a random chest, loot that clearly belongs to Cabal or Hive etc, or a very poorly marked place that gives no indication of activity, go wild, but if it’s obvious someone’s been there recently and hasn’t abandoned the place, best not to take, otherwise it might be considered stealing. It might be hard to tell what’s an ‘active’ and ‘inactive’ place, seeing as Hunters tend to hide stuff pretty damn well, but I feel like other Hunters can tell easier than most others, unless they’ve savvy in what it all means.

- Found family. That’s all.

- Some of them like to have symbols, patterns or colours to represent the pack, which is usually stitched or sewn onto cloaks. It can be just about anything, and most of them are just designs that people thought were neat, though I imagine some have more meaning.

if you have any other thoughts, feel free to rb or comment ‘em! im kinda speedrun typing this at work lmfao so theres probably thoughts ive missed

Aight I’m seeing a lot of class based headcanons in destiny that leave Warlocks as book nerds, hunters as the weird fun ones, and titans as stupid.  So let me lay it out because these classes are so much more than that.  These are though, at the end of the day, just my own headcanons.  This is not organized in any real way, just whatever I can think of.  Going for more detail of each headcanon than a lot of smaller headcanons.

Titans:  

-NOT STUPID, like jesus christ everyone calls them crayon eaters and dumb as shit but that’s so not true!  Titans may not have the same type of intelligence as warlocks but they’re equally as smart.  They’re master tacticians with a lot of charisma.  Look at the titans in the tower, Saint-14, Zavala, and Shaxx.  Shaxx’s risky plan at the twilight gap might have saved humanity from a massive disaster.  He’s loud, yes, but if you listen to him outside of the Crucible, he’s incredibly wise with a lot of lessons to teach the guardians.  Zavala is the commander of all the Vanguards forces, he has saved the city (or at least commanded the forces who save the city) more times than anyone can count, he’s a bit of a stick in the mud but when you’re the leader of the military protecting the last of humanity, you kind of have to be a stick in the mud.  But you don’t keep that kind of position by being an idiot.  And Saint-14, who dives into a surprisingly deep about of philosophy about what it means to be good, a hero.  He’s goofy, sure, but so is shaxx at times.  My point is, Titans are incredibly smart, but it’s not the same booksmart that everyone sees in the Warlocks.

-Their apartments are probably full of gifts from people they’ve saved.  No matter how small, the lives they protect define them as titans, from great banners that city elders have given them in thanks to little coins or toys that the children give.  Their apartment is a reminder of who they are, what they stand for.  Though don’t get me wrong, they do love their classic movies, weapon collections, 53 copies of The Art of War in every room, and my god you cannot forget the extra supplies for if they have guests.  Guardians are probably plagued with nightmares, so it’s not uncommon to find the nearest Titan’s apartment to stop by for comfort food and a burly shoulder to rest your head on.

-Titans probably love to go for walks through the city.  What’s the point of protecting everyone if you don’t remind yourself why you’re doing it?  To see the smiles on the children’s faces, the laughter in the streets, the loud music of parties, everything about the city is a reminder of what’s worth fighting for.  Even if it’s a hopeless fight, even if the city will fall one day, be it tomorrow or a thousand years from now.  Giving these people a chance to laugh, to scream, to cry, to feel, to LIVE, that’s why a Titan’s job is so important.  This isn’t exclusive to titans of course, I think every class has these walks through the city (maybe not hunters as much), but I think it resonates with titans the most.  Oh don’t forget the fact that there is a not 0% chance of a titan walking into the random birthday party you’re celebrating to join the fun.  Might be awkward at first, but NO ONE lightens a party like a titan.  Even if it’s a party for kids, they’ll play hide and go seek, tag, whatever just to have a good time with people.

-I think a Titan’s ship is clean and efficient.  And big, probably.  They are as much a weapon and tool as anything else in a Titan’s arsenal.  It’s sharpened like a blade, polished like armor, and respected like a fireteam member.  Their ship takes them where ever they need to go and it’s treated with that kind of respect.  They may even adorn the outside of the ship to make it look more fancy.  I’d say a titan treats their ship like a garage queen, old, maybe even battered in the past, but it’s kept in tip top shape.  And they will name it and talk to it while they fly.  Classic, “That’s my girl!” type of behavior.

Hunters:

-Hmm, I think the biggest misconception is that hunters are either always brooding or always silly.  Even looking at Cayde-6, the definition of a silly goofy hunter had moments of seriousness.  I’m pretty sure Ikora has talked about having meaningful conversations with him.  And you can see very clearly after his ghost dies that he has this more, serious aspect of him.  Sure it could have just been the fact he knew he was about to die but, I’d like to think we got a glimpse at the real Cayde.  And I think most hunters are like that as well.  And I think it’s because they’re so isolated most of the time.  Hunters can go days, weeks, months without seeing any friends life.  Without talking to anyone.  They spend most of their time in silence, stalking, scouting, or just exploring.  So I think when they are around other guardians, they take up this goofy personality because well, they want to make the most of their time with friends.  It’s no use being the same isolationist they’re used to, they’re not going to be able to enjoy other people’s company for long, so might as well make the most of it.  And as for the brooding ones (besides just being the hunter playbase being a little more edgy), I think those hunters are scared to get close to people.  With how little they see anyone, it’s best to not make connections.  To stay on the outskirts of society, only coming to the tower to drop off intel or grab supplies.  Either way, I do think hunters have a much more deep emotional side to them.  Just instead of relying on emotional relationships, they connect with the world around them.  They hear the trees whisper on the wind, see the clouds dance in the sky, feel the ground beneath them tell stories with each step.  They don’t need relationships as much as they other classes because they’re at home anywhere, making friends with every tale the world has to tell.

-On a less serious note, I think I agree with another apartment headcannon on hunters.  They are empty.  Barren.  No decorations, no supplies, nothing.  Practically looks like no one lives there.  Because hunters canonically never visit the tower unless they absolutely have to.  And besides, if a hunter needs a base, they have plenty hidden in trees and caves all around the solar system.  Some dusty old apartment is nothing compared to a mfing TREE HOUSE

-I think hunters want to leave the solar system more than anyone else, with warlocks in a close second.  The speaker talked about how during the golden age, humans believed it was their destiny to travel among the stars.  To see what the galaxy, or even universe has to offer.  And I think hunters still agree with that.  They look up at the sky to see the thousands of stars, knowing that’s only in our galaxy.  And are left staring for hours thinking about what is out there, what is to be seen, to be explored.  What can sol not show us that the infinite stars in the sky could.  

-Hunters are amazing artists.  I mean when you’re left on your own out in the wilds for years, you gotta have some hobby to keep you.  And drawing is perfect, you can do it anywhere, on anything, of anything.  And with how many beautiful sights they see, they sure as hell have a lot of inspiration.  There are hunters who will set up a whole ass camp just to paint a single river.  And on the flip side there are hunters who will draw their friends faces into the bark of trees with a knife, just to make sure they don’t forget what they look like.  It’s rare to come across one of these art pieces, but they’re always left undisturbed.  They are made of the wilds and deserver to be left in the wilds.

-Hunter ships are a mess.  Mainly because it’s their most permanent living space.  It’s got food wrappers, drawings, intel storage... things, little collectables, a comfy bed, it’s a home more than any other ship.  And while they don’t treat it with the physical respect that Titans do, they talk to their ships all the same.  A lot of Hunter ships will end up looking like Junkers though, not because they don’t take good care of them, in fact they put a lot of effort into making sure their ship works perfectly, but they care about the ship working, not looking nice.  So if they find some golden age tech that they can slap into their ship to make it work better, hell yeah that bitch is getting upgraded.  So in the end it just looks like an amalgamation of spare parts and rattling metal.  But it’ll fly faster, straighter, and more reliably than any other ship in the solar system.

And finally, Warlocks:

-I think hands down easily the biggest Warlock misconception is that all they do is read all day.  HELL NO, Warlocks will give hunters a run for their money when it comes to exploring a new planet.  I mean come on, you can’t expect a class to be obsessed with knowledge and learning without fucking B lining it for every new planet in the hopes of discovering what new knowledge there is to be found.  Hunters explore for the sake of exploring, and to an extent Warlocks do too, but Warlocks are MUCH more interested in uncovering the mysteries of old.  It’s not uncommon for Hunters to run into a Warlock who’s gotten to some golden age facility first.  The difference in that Warlocks will go back to the tower very frequently to drop off whatever they think they’ll need.  Which, spoilers, is a lot.  They’ll pick up a rusty wrench because it has slightly less rust than the last one they found.  They have hundreds of hand written books and intel logs detailing everything they find.  They thrive off of information gathering, because there’s no better way to learn than to be out in the field experiencing it first hand.

-Warlock apartments?  Come on, they’re an absolute mess.  Towers of books that they’ve written or found detailing lifetimes worth of knowledge.  Artifacts from all over, each having some kind of significance to the Warlock.  Whiteboards with theories about the origins of, whatever they fuck they’re talking about this week.  Trash and dishes everywhere because who has time to clean when you could be LEARNING.  BUT, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, They always have a room dedicated to nothing but themselves.  Every Warlock knows that Ikora recommends Warlocks to slow down  when possible.  She always talks about introspection and reflection.  Talking about how we can’t forget about what makes us who we are.  To find something to laugh about, to cry about, to love or to hate.  Something to make us feel.  And most Warlocks will take that to heart.  Dedicating a small room of their apartment that is free of the mess for meditation or a personal hobby.  Some Warlocks enjoy writing in their free time, not about the information they’ve gathered, but fiction of a world with strife, or a world where guardians never existed.  Some enjoy knitting, maybe even being taught by Zavala if they’re lucky.  Point is, this room is for them.  But that doesn’t mean other guardians cannot enter it.  In fact, if you go over to a Warlocks apartment, expect to hang out in their personal room.  I mean, socialization is a destresser, a way to reconnect with eachother, and what better room to do that in?

-Warlocks love to ramble.  A lot.  Like a few days straight a lot.  I mean how can they have so much information without anyone to share it with?  Yeah sure, the Vanguard will take it on a professional level, but it’s not the same as sitting someone down and explaining all the specifics.  The theories that official reports don’t allow, the passion of saying it directly to someone, the joy of seeing the other person genuinely listen.  They crave being able to ramble to someone, and while other warlocks will love to listen and wait for their turn to share, guardians are busy folks.  So there are a few Warlock Cafe style resturants in the city, where any warlock is welcome to come in, sit down with a human who wants to learn about the outside world, and just ramble at them.  Humans love it because, well, you don’t learn a lot about the outside world when you’re trapped in a city, and warlocks love it because no matter how seemingly small the details are, the humans eat it up with more enthusiasm than any guardian could have.  And of course there’s food and drink, and on the more busy days warlocks are limited to how long they can go on for, there’s only so many of these cafes after all.  And humans are welcome to stop the Warlock and leave at any time.  This is not seen as rude because Guardians seem to not need to sleep and eat as much as humans do, and without knowing better, a Warlock could easily outlast a human when it comes to not eating or sleeping.  But still, it’s a fun activity for both Warlocks and Humans to participate in.  (Also I’m saying guardian and human despite guardians also being part of humanity just because it’s easier.)

-Warlock ships are actually pretty similar to Hunters.  Not as Rust Bucket looking because they can always go back to the tower for repairs or upgrades, but they’re also a second home.  I mean with how much research they do, they need a mobile operations base in order to catalogue and dissect what they find.  So yes, they have a lot of trash, books, and artifacts, but think of it more as a mad scientist’s lair than a comfortable home.  It’s messy but it’s functional, and given that they actually do tend to live in the tower and go back there a lot, their ship doesn’t always have to be that comfortable either, though some warlocks will go the extra mile to make it so.  The outside of a warlock’s ship is nothing to really pay much mind to.  It’s got scratched up paint, bumps and bruises.  They make sure it flies and won’t explode on them, but they’re not too worried about it looking fancy.  It’s a mobile operations base, not a showpiece.  

These are my overall thoughts on the classes.  I think there’s a lot of steryotypes for each class that isn’t fully correct, and I don’t think it does these classes full justice to not explore them more.  Titans aren’t stupid, hunters aren’t all goofy or brooding, and Warlocks don’t sit in libraries all day.  I do have some inherant bias, I’m a Warlock main and I take pride in that fact.  But hopefully everyone can find something they can connect with when it comes to the class theuy feel closest to. <3

Headcanon that if a guardian died of an injury in their first life, they bear its scar in their guardian life

i've been thinking about that scene in ep 3 when annabeth apologizes to percy before pushing him into the lake. and on the surface, it seems like she's apologizing in advance for her actions. but what if she's actually expressing sympathy toward percy for how his life will change once his father claims him? once he has to suffer through the same torment as thalia did? once he becomes the outcast amongst the group of demigods who understand his struggles but will do little to help him through it?

full design for clay! i wanted to experiment with my mudwing tattoo headcanons, specifically that a bigwings will get their troop's talonprints on their wings when they become an adult.

other things pictured are a grass cord with four knots for each of the other dragonets, a necklace of fired clay beads with a jade piece designating his association with jade mountain academy, and a leg brace based off ones made for large dogs.

I feel like I’m seeing shrimp colours rn

imagine if you were already having one of the worst weeks of your life and then someone exploded you and hit you with a rock

(re: "Awoken headcanons") Once again thinking about how different generations prefer different descriptors; how diaspora/emigrants make new dialects and slang; how people who are learning a new language - or grew up bilingual but aren't fluent - encounter mishaps semi-regularly and always have a story to tell because of it.

Once again thinking about how those situations might apply to Awoken who know Speech [the Awoken language] or are learning it.

Later-generation Awoken speaking differently than the original 891 and Distributary Awoken, in the same way modern Japanese differs from older Japanese.

Earthborn and Reefborn using different words for items, like how backpack can be "mochila" and "bolso" and "backpack."

Awoken Guardians practicing Speech with their friends, and every time they forget a word ("Erð þið með <bottle opener>?") or mishear one ("An eagle is stealing chickens?") or mispronounce it, they have to start over because everyone is laughing so hard.

Earthborn forgetting Speech as a way to rebel. Earthborn being told that they're "not actually Awoken" if they don't know Speech. Awoken Guardians using Speech as a way to reconnect with themselves and their heritage. Reefborn changing words in Speech to bridge the divide between Reefborn and Earthborn, to unlearn old prejudices, to remember they aren't alone in the universe and that the legacy of the Awoken extends far beyond the Reef.

Once again thinking about language. ;A;

Until the End and Beyond

i return once again with thoughts

i was specifically thinking about coins and old currency in general, i feel like since people use glimmer mostly (and occasionally silver), physical currency like coins would end up becoming more of a novelty thing that people LOVE to collect

whether to study it, to trade with others or just to keep in a collection, guardians love old coins a lot. the most prized ones are the pre-golden age coins that were minted with unique and limited designs, since most of them are rarely ever found, which makes them even more limited. some guardians love to find and restore them, making them all nice and shiny again, whereas others dedicate a LOT of time to making collections, whether it’s specific designs, finding one coin from as many old countries as they can, etc.

i think hunters especially, simply because a lot of my hunters have the crow mindset of loving shiny and cool things that can be shown off

Hmmm just gonna spit this headcanon out in text post form since A. I don't think I could exposit it well enough in image form and B. It's not actually textually/thematically substantiated and I don't like actually staking my stuff on just vibes alone*

But anyway. I'd say it's pretty evident that all the islanders forgot their names, right? King obviously. Because why the hell else would he do that, but also Siffrin No Middle Names No Last Name.

They're 'pretty sure' they've 'always' been 'Just Siffrin' 'as long as they can remember'. It's a pretty cruel twist of the knife to say that they don't even get to keep their birth name as a memento, which is why I'm saying as such.

My utterly unsubstantiated claim is I think it'd be cute to say that Sisyphus *is* the name Siffrin initially picked, assuming the myth of King Sisyphus is recontextualised as idk, just a play or something in the setting. But I like the idea of Siffrin going 'oh shit 🫵 he's just like me fr' at a tortured fictional character long before the irony kicks in.

As for how Sisyphus -> Siffrin. I think that chronic mumbler and emotional doormat Sif just did not correct people who misheard the name during their time travelling, and went through enough places with incompatible phonologies (pronounceable sounds in the language) without ever really writing it down that it just got kinda. Changed until it was unrecognisable, and Siffrin just went with it until the earlier pronunciations slipped out of their swiss-cheese brain. And they just kinda don't remember any of that.

Also, something something the horrid realisation that Siffrin also named themselves after a King. Just not as blatantly.

*(though I think there's something here about Siffrin, a guy from a belief system that seems to thoroughly disincentivise autonomy and self-motivated choice continuously having their hand forced to make changes/choices they don't want but have no choice but to... It's not solid enough to really back this up tbh, but it informs it.)

Anyway.

arthur (prince of camelot) still has to study under a tutor bc yknow uther wants him to be very intelligent before becoming king or something bc its super important idk idc anyways merlin is doing chores in his chambers while arthur is squinting at a book and merlin eventually caves and asks him what he’s reading and arthur gruffly explains that its a collection of stories from greece that make absolutely no sense so merlin asks him to read them outloud to him. arthur of course teases him and calls him an idiot and asks how he could possibly help but does as he’s asked and reads the stories to merlin as he does his chores. merlin (being crushed under the weight of destiny and tormented by the prophecies that kilgharrah spews) understands the stories almost immediately and gets all excited and starts rambling about them with arthur. arthur is glad to have someone who understands so he can give something that reflects a hint of understanding to his tutor who accepts it and moves onto the next unit of education.

the thing is, arthur finds more stories in camelot’s library and brings them up to his room to read them aloud to merlin under the guise of completing his studies but really he just wants to watch as merlin’s eyes gleam when he understands whats happening and listen to him ramble on and on about them bc he’s gay. the stories stick with merlin though and he realizes that they’re cautionary tales, that the heroes who were told too much of their future doomed themself to fulfill them - that them fighting the prophecies led to their completion. merlin takes it to heart and gives a big “fuck you” to kilgharrah before forging his own fate and helping morgana with her magic and handing out an olive branch to mordred and now everyone can live happily and peacefully in an albion teeming with magic.

Mini headcanon that Jolyon has a pet cat for emotional support. It just makes me smile to think of having a comforting presence around so that he's not alone with his black garden thoughts.