Fibonacci Turian Paints Headcanon
So my canon universe HC for turian colony paints is different from Fibonacci’s.
For similarities, they aren’t made/expected to be permanent until adulthood. Children learn from their parents how to paint their markings. As adults, they can still choose to paint them (in the case that they don’t want to undergo the painful tattooing process) and it’s not looked down upon. It’s a preference for the adult.
Where it differs in what the colony paints mean and how they come about. Many are simply the paints of their home where they were spent most of their childhood (in the cases where, say, they are born somewhere where the family doesn’t actually live like on the road, a ship, or visiting someplace). Some families that have been in power and are bound to remain in power for a long period of time have familial markings, but they don’t vary too much from the very original ancestor’s paints. They mostly have little changes to them.
However, something new to this world is the fact that turians can wear markings that represent a trade and if that trade is honorable, then they are just as recognized as other paint patterns. Say they’re a very prominent merchant. They are predetermined markings for merchants made a long time ago and they can choose to change to it. For instance, Valeria Vakarian was a well know falconer. So much so that she became the royal falconer. Because of this, she took pride enough in her trade that she took on the paints of falconry. However, since she became a royal, she also added a bit of Castis’ markings to her own and changed the color to match his cobalt.
Only the royal family can wear blue. Relatives of the royal family in the line of succession where an off-blue. They can still wear blue, but not the ‘royal cobalt’ reserved only for the ruling family. The Royal family (currently and for a while has been Vakarian) is unique in that heirs have the ability to create their own markings if they choose. Some choose to keep their parent’s, but those really wanting to stand out will design and choose their own or they can follow the above rules and just change the color to blue to suit their places in the royal family. Royal heirs really don’t have very many rules so long as the color stays. Even relatives wearing off-blue can have unique markings if they’re high in the line of succession, but it’s not always common.
Any turian that bonds/marries into the royal family changes their markings to suit their new standing in turian society. Valeria, for example, had cream-colored paints and it was solely the insignia of a falconer, but she had to change to cobalt when she bonded to Castis and became the mate to the heir to the throne (he wasn’t the Primarch yet at the time). Marrying into the royal family also gives the spouse a chance to just completely change their paints to take on their mate’s (or to take parts to add to their own and make an entirely new pattern). That was the case of Valeria in that she took the long stripes along her cheeks and fringe as well as the triangular bit that rose above his eyes and to his forehead.
Garrus and Solana both have different patterns themselves. Solana’s looks a little like their dad’s but Garrus is very unique.
(It’s unheard of for non-turians to wear patterns from the Hierarchy. You’re bound to get lots of dirty looks and even harassment for it and it’s more than a little taboo. The only ones who somewhat get away with mimicking the markings are asari who can model their own facial paints to look similar to their turian partners. These marks are not permanent however considering asari lifespans and tendency to take multiple partners in their lifetime.)
