A "DESERT LION" NAMES ANALYSIS + name meanings related hcs PT.1
And PT.2 here:
DISCLAIMER: if any of the information reported here is wrong or even just partially incorrect/imprecise, feel free to let me know; as my main sources for this analysis were Wikipedia and baby names sites (lol).
Nasser Mustafa <English Wiki>
(Nasir Mustafa/Nasir Mustafà <alternative dub names>):
Nasser Mustafa
The Arabic name Nasser (and his alternative spelling Nasir), means "granter of victory".
Mustafa is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and it means 'chosen', 'selected', 'appointed', 'preferred'. It's used both as a name and a surname.
Headcanons:
From the moment Nasser was born, his parents, family, and tribal clan had great expectations of him. As the only male son of the chief, his name perfectly reflects the high expectations his father and everyone else has for him.
As a result, Nasser's parents' frequent verbal criticism, whenever their unrealistic expectations didn't quite meet reality, began to take a major toll on his psychological well-being from an early age. He began to link his self-worth to his efficiency and capabilities so much that soon negative self-talk, anxiety, and burnout became recurring struggles for him.
Whether it's in school, sports, personal relationships, or generally just life, failing is his worst fear.
He has a complicated relationship with Messer, but other than that he (tries and) gets along with everyone (probably due to his desperate need to be liked and fulfill the expectations his family has, or perhaps because he feels extremely lonely and vulnerable).
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Far Farouk <English Wiki>
(Faraz Farooq <alternative dub names>):
Faraz Farouk
Faraz is a Persian gender neutral name that means “elevation”, and figuratively “one whose condition in life is improving”.
Farouk is an alternative spelling of the Arabic surname Farooq, which literally means "the one who distinguishes between right and wrong."
Headcanons:
He's quite equilibrated in his way of living life.
His parents are kind and generous, as sharing what they have is their biggest joy-bringer. They're proud and supportive of their son's talent in making date cakes and encourage him to explore this culinary passion he possesses.
His father is a doctor and his mother a lawyer and both couldn't care less if their son chooses to pursue a high-status career like their own. They love him and his little sister so much that whatever brings a smile to their children's faces brings a smile to their own.
He was raised to be very objective, not easily swayable by illogical thinking and common opinions.
He's friendly with anyone, but he specifically enjoys hanging out with Musa, Djamel, Messer, and Seiyd.
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Bjorn Kyle <English Wiki> (a super random name choice imo)
(Bilal Kalil/Bilial Kalil <alternative dub names>):
Bilal Kalil
Bilal is both a name and a surname of Arabic/African origin. It's meaning varies from site to site, but the main are "full moon", "moist", "water" and "refreshment". Bilal is also linked to the name of a companion of the prophet Muhammad who became the first person to call Muslims to prayer.
Kalil is a less common variant of the Arabic name/surname Khalil, which means "friend", "companion".
Headcanons:
Bilal is not the friendliest and most approachable guy per se, but once you gain his trust and friendship, you can be sure to have a loyal friend.
His parents are affluent and successful Qatari and they have high expectations for their older son (he has younger twin siblings, a sister, and a brother).
He received the best care while growing up, attended prestigious schools, ate high-quality food, and wore refined clothes. Everything was designed to be perfect, except for one crucial element absent from his flawless lifestyle: his parents' support and unconditional love.
Bjorn always feels like a burden and believes he never lives up to his parents' expectations. Their cold and distant parenting left Bjorn feeling insecure and introverted, and he craves love more than he'd care to admit. The few friends he had growing up were carefully chosen by his family to align with their ambitious and success-driven social circle. They were sons of doctors, politicians, lawyers, etc., and didn't share any of Bjorn's interests or hobbies.
To add fuel to the fire, Bjorn realized early on that he didn't quite have an eye for the opposite sex like his so-called friends had, but needless to say, his environment was far from safe and supportive.
He knows very well what his family's stance on homosexuality is and he's already given up the prospect of living a happy domestic life with someone he actually loves a long time ago. He's terrified of what kind of consequences his eventual coming out would bring and prefers to behave under what he thinks is cowardice, rather than die at his parents' hands.
If he were to choose who he's closer to he'd probably pick Nasser and Zack.
He sympathizes deeply with the first, due to how similar their parents are in terms of how fake they are in loving and caring for them.
He thinks of him and Zack as like the moon and the sun. Zack is the sun in Bjorn's eyes because he's a whirlwind of pure warm energy, easy to be around, and genuine, as opposed to the kids he was forced to befriend. Whenever the darkness threatens to eat Bjorn alive, Zack becomes a beacon of light capable of leading the way out with his uninhibited optimism.
When he's with the Moroccan, the Qatari-born has finally the fleeting sensation of being free and safe.
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Djamel Djammadu <English Wiki>
(Jamila Wali/Jamel Jamald <alternative dub names>):
Djamel Jammal
Djamel is the North African variant of the Arabic given name Jamil, which means "beauty", "radiant" and "handsome".
(Jamila is the feminine form of the masculine Arabic given name Jamil, and Jamel is very likely another variation or transliteration of the latter.)
Wali is a name based on Arabic short form of Wali Allah "friend of God", "protector". However, this surname is more common in Kashmiri Pundits than in Muslims.
(The surname Djammadu doesn't even exist on the internet, and Jamald, again, is possibly just another variation of the name Jamil. The only other surname I could find something about is Jammal; from the Arabic personal name Jammāl meaning "camel driver").
Headcanons:
Djamel, the youngest of five siblings, has been spoiled rotten by his family and neighbors. His cuteness has definitely played a part, but he is also a very social kid, as he enjoys interacting with people.
Adults around him are always surprised when he engages in conversations about their country's economy and tourist industry, with extreme ease. He dislikes it so much when people automatically assume that just because he's young, he doesn't have the ability to talk confidently about certain matters.
Camels are his favorite animals, and because of this preference, he and Zack quickly became friends. Djamel is greatly interested and fascinated by his teammate's knowledge of such creatures, even though they don't get to speak about it often as Zack usually cuts the whole conversation short, as if embarrassed to be overheard talking about such things. Weird.
The teammates he's closer to are Zack, Far, Rajab, and Majidi.
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Musa Sirer <English Wiki>
(Musa Sylla/Musa Saila <alternative dub names>):
Musa Sylla
Musa is a male name of Semitic origin, it's associated with the biblical Hebrew name Moses. In Arabic it takes the meaning of "saved from drowning".
Sylla is a surname prevalently found in Guinea, from the name of the Sylla clan of the Soninke people, it can be interpreted as meaning 'horse people'.
Headcanons:
He can't swim for shit, lol. His parents tried when he was a toddler, but he just couldn't bring himself to stay calm when surrounded by water up to his ears.
On the other hand, he loves horses and knows a scary amount of facts about them. Just make the mistake of asking him about it, it's basically a hyperfixation.
When he was little and went to visit his grandparents every few months, his grandad would happily let him ride one of the most beautiful Arabian horses on their farm, as his grandparents used to own a stable for equestrian purposes. Musa never forgot his equine best friend once he passed away and that's how his love for these animals began growing. He'd love to have a stable of his own someday.
He considers Khalfan his best friend on the team. Another good friend of his is Yusuf, along with Far, and Seiyd.
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Yusuf M'hadi <English Wiki>
(Yusuf Massoud/Yusuf Mahadei <alternative dub names>):
Yusuf Massoud
Yusuf is a male name meaning "God increases". It's the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew name Yosef and the English name Joseph.
Massoud is an Arabic/Persian given name and surname meaning "happy", "fortunate", "lucky" and "prosperous".
Headcanons:
Yusuf is a happy-go-lucky person known to have disarming luck in everything he does.
He gets homesick very easily and can get quite anxious when change is involved.
His parents rooted in him a deep connection with Qatari cultural traditions, and sometimes that can lead to high expectations he holds for those around him (especially con-nationals) that don't get met.
Such misunderstandings bring some issues as he relates to others, especially with free-spirited and more Western-oriented teammates. More than once he feels the pull to "correct" the behavior of some of them when they act in a way that by his standards (often religious driven) is wrong and borders on being immoral.
But then again, he knows better than to do that (on one occasion he said the wrong thing to the right person, at the wrong moment, and by the end of the whirlwind of carefully crafted insults and harsh accusations of hypocrisy his comment triggered, Yusuf ended up crying his eyes out in his room out of embarrassment).
He's really close to Khalfan, Seiyd, and Far. He also enjoys the company of Nasser and Musa. He doesn't enjoy the infamous teammate's company anymore, but they used to be on good terms.
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Sulai Sulaiman <English Wiki>
(Sulayk Sulaiman/Sly Salomon/Sly Sulayman <alternative dub names>):
Sulayk Sulaiman
Sulayk is an Arabic given name that means "traveller" and "walker".
(Sulai and Sly are not even actual names according to what little information I could find about them. Other smilar Arabic names I've found are Sulay and Suli, but apparently they're both female given names.)
Sulaiman is one of the many English transliteration of the Arabic name/surname Suleiman. It means "peaceful" and "man of peace" and corresponds to the Jewish name, Shlomoh, and the English one, Solomon.
Headcanons:
He's the sweetest guy you'll ever meet, always generous and considerate. He's non-confrontational, often trying to mediate or defuse fights when they break out.
He dreams of traveling around the world and plans to go on an exchange program abroad during his last year in preparatory school (Qatari public school service from age 13 to 15) and who knows; if he really likes the place maybe even for uni.
The sea has always fascinated him since he was a toddler, and whenever he can, he likes to spend his days at Khor Al Adaid (Inland Sea), a renowned tourist attraction located in the southeast of Qatar, where the sand dunes meet the sea.
I also have a hc about his ethnicity that I developed a few years ago when I first started to get into Desert Lion.
In my setting, he is originally Palestinian, born in Nazareth, and his family is of Arab-Christian descent. However, that never stopped him from befriending Adel, whose family is devoted to Islam. Even though their families follow different beliefs, they bonded quickly.
Zack is hilarious, but annoying when he bypasses boundaries for the sake of a joke. Nasser is super nice but also too stressed out and Bjorn is a good friend, yet sometimes he turns cold and ignores you for no apparent reason. That kinda hurts, but oh well!
Sulai gets along well pretty much with everybody on the team.
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Seiyd Armand <English Wiki>
(Sayid Armand/Seid Armand <alternative dub names>):
Sayid Armand
Sayid is an alternative spelling of the name Sa'id, which means "blessed", "good luck", "joy" or "happy" and "patient".
Armand (Armand is a French name/surname, the closest Arabic (Persian) name/surname is Arman, meaning “wish” and “hope.”).
Headcanons:
He is a patient person and usually maintains a good mood that is hard to spoil, tending to see the bright side of things, and having a very positive attitude toward life.
The relationship with his family, namely with his French-born father, is strained due to how contrasting their outlooks on life are. That is, much to his dismay because Seiyd's family is well-known around their hometown for their chronic pessimism.
Seiyd spends most of his time arguing with his overly dramatic father over daily events and how much his apparent bad luck influenced them.
If there's one thing Seiyd is not neutral about is how much he dislikes fatalistic individuals. However, it's not like he can just get rid of his own family, especially because despite all that negativity they seem to possess, he loves them to the moon and back.
Seiyd and Talal are really close friends. He also has a strong bond with Far, Bjorn, and Musa.
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