#but imagine...

day 244

Also happy new year ^^

-Very awkwardly, Queenie from tale of two queens

Happy new year!!! And thank you for the ask, that's such a nice surprise :D

Alright, I have a few, I'll try to list them from most to least canon compliant (so the topics will be all over the place) and mind that not all of them I necessarily consider my canon at the same time, those are just usually things I tend to associate with him

Starting off with a headcanon that is maybe more fanon since it was a big thing back on the discord server, I think his parents were more closely connected with the sea than just their last voyage. I like to think that his father was a sailor

Moving right away to Shuriki era, I was at some point wondering what exactly his duties as the chancellor were (BECAUSE THIS WORD MEANS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT IN EVERY COUNTRY) and you know what I think? All of them. He did more ruling than Shuriki when it came to it, he was definitely more involved and cared more about the kingdom's prosperity and long term consequences of certain rulings etc. He did it for one to please her, but also for the kingdom's sake out of care and out of guilt and to strengthen his position in Shuriki's court so as not to end up as Victor

And speaking of the woman, I think their relationship was MESSY AS ALL STORMS. There was admiration, jealousy, mentoring, care, attraction, familial feelings, resentment, friendship, blame, purely using the other person alllll rolled into one. The signs are there I'm not insane I'm no-

That being said, I think he used every opportunity he could to get away from the palace. A lot of them were his travels to other kingdoms and simply other parts of Avalor. And whenever he could, I think he'd choose to sail to his destination, after all we know he loves sailing and I think being in a relatively small group of people surrounded by vast empty space let him breathe and feel free for just a moment. To the surprise of many crews he'd spend most of the time on board, sometimes even going as far as helping out in dire situations

Back to the coast tho, do you remember the guitar Esteban plays in the pilot? Yeah it's dead. RIP. I'm a firm believer Shuriki destroyed it

Too bad because Esteban used to play it whenever they were apart. It connected him to his family, to the old Avalor and to himself. He knew it was risky but he was also aware of his privilages that random citizens wouldn't have so he took this risk every now and then

And one of those occasions when he'd get to play was during his solo cruises. I like to think that he owns/used to own a small, one person sailboat and would sail whenever he had a rare free time. Those were his favourite days. Just him, the infinite ocean and he could play and sing and cry and no one would see him or judge him

As for his other activities, we know that Elena used to do ballet as a child and I like to think that Esteban did too. He also fenced, played chess and olaball and yes, he competed with Elena in all of those disciplines

Also, I'm a FIRM BELIEVER that Esteban journals. Like, there's nothing in canon even hinting at it (other than his strong Ignacy Rzecki vibes) but tell me it doesn't fit him. What exactly he writes in those journals changes depending on the scenario I'm creating, but I can see both gathering information about people and simply writing down his days and memories. Also I see him starting as a child and keeping this habit through Shuriki's reign and coming back to it still even after his redemption (imagine him having a whole chest filled with old notebooks hidden somewhere...)

Also coming back to sailing (I said the topics will be spread chaotically) I can totally see him owning sailing gloves. He loves to sail but clearly doesn't get to do it often. We saw that even Naomi has lost her callouses over the time she's been living in Avalor so obviously the same would happen to him, so he'd simply need them. And they're just classy

Now on a sadder note, I think chancellor is the only title Esteban got to hold. We hear Francisco directly say he's a nobleman but I think one way or another Esteban didn't inherit it. Maybe it was due to a conflict between his parents and grandparents, maybe he lost it at some point during Shuriki's reign. One way or another it always bothered him, even if he didn't speak about it

But back when he was a child and a teenager but already living in the palace, I can see him being very interested in magic. He could spend long hours in his workshop and often acted as his unofficial apprentice (didn't officially become one for that and other reason) his interest in magic could've been another thing that lured him to Shuriki and his closeness to Alacazar would explain why he remembered him as "a nice young man"

Jumping back to Shuriki era and this time its effects, I think still to this day Esteban feel uncomfortable walking around the city without a guard and I'm not sure how willing he'd be to go completely alone. It used to be a necessary precaution, now it's probably just paranoia but still, he knows there are many who would be willing to jump on an opportunity for an accident...

But of course not all the relationships he got from this period are negative, it's a very old headcanon of mine that has been pointed out to me as sort of improbable but I can see him being friendly with Daniel Turner. Maybe not actually friends but they'd meet on his official cruises and unofficial visits to the ports and build a rapport. And Esteban pulling a few strings here and there would explain how Daniel got such an important office as harbourmaster despite not living in Avalor for long

Another thing sort of created to patch a plot hole? How didn't Luisa's cocoa orchard not get wild and overgrown? Esteban took care of it for those 41 years. Another thing he could do for himself and his family and not Shuriki and when he could just be alone

Okay and now for my wildest headcanon that isn't even really canon to any of my scenarios but imagine!!! Esteban doesn't have a chanul. Sanza used to be his spirit guide but obviously when he went rouge his charges had to be split between the other guides and well... it was just Esteban's luck that he slipped through the cracks in the system

Dean has FORGOTTEN HIS OWN NAME at this point. He does not know who Dean is, but HE KNOWS exactly who is screaming on the other end of the phone.

The sound of Sam scared/in pain reaches deeper into Dean's psyche than his own name. He remembers he has to save his brother when he doesn't even know who he is anymore.