Culture
Language
Language is in constant flux on Romulus. There is a standard language used worldwide, but this is considered secondary to thousands of other languages. In early Romulan history, it was common for a new language to be created for the sake of secrecy, taught to family, friends, or members of a group. It became so common, that often these languages would travel in waves, being taught to one group, only for another language to either overtake or intermingle with the first one. Many linguists have dedicated themselves to the sisyphean task of tracing and taxonomizing these languages, tracking their history and how they evolved into the next.
In modern times, inventing a new language for secrecy has fallen out of fashion, due to the universal translator’s ability to strip all obfuscation. However, language is still in high flux. Some say that on Romulus, no language is truly dead. Families, especially large ones or with well-known names, take great care in passing down their respective languages. Growing up, Romulans will often pick their own language to learn from the countless archives. These historic languages are often part of trends- a “dead” language will be picked up, spread among friends, preserved yet updated with the latest terms. Then enough will learn it for it to be perceived as “uncool”; the more people who speak your language, the less hypothetical obfuscation you can have. Thus a teenage Romulan might agonize over which language is obscure yet known enough to have at least a few speakers, whether it will stay that way, and if their friends will also find it appealing- they can’t learn every one, after all.
This dedication to personal language is so important that standard universal translators in Romulus will, by default, leave “minor” languages untranslated (the data, however, is still included). Following this, revealing one can speak another’s language can be used as a threat, as this removes a level of obfuscation from the other.
Bird Whistles
There are no native birds on Romulus, but descendents of Vulcan raptors have established themselves through the efforts of the original Romulan colonizers. Despite its lack of passerines, one can still hear “birdsong” at certain hours of the day. These calls come from various bird whistles, a traditional item for many Romulans. Initially for calling family and clan members over long distances, these whistles have expanded to signal many social details, such as age, family, and rank.
Couple's whistles are very common. A traditional courting will involve the couple choosing out or making the whistles themselves, and creating a song to call each other with. These will often be passed down to their descendants, with the pair either being given to a single child and their prospective partner, or split among siblings and later "mismatched" with other pairs. These mismatched pairs are are some of the most common seen, as well as being a central aspect in many a romance novel (Do they look like they go together? Do their calls harmonize? Writers have been asking these important questions for years).
Young children are given their own (less precious) whistles before being trusted with a family heirloom. These kinds of whistles are very versatile, able to have their voicebox and mouthpiece swapped to try different sounds.
Coming of age rituals involve the graduation from these whistles to a more complex one, marking the age of a Romulan.
Biology
Pon Farr
Pon Farr was not initially seasonal, taking place on each individual’s biological clock like Vulcans. As they arrived to the more temperate and cooler planet, Romulans began adapting to the local seasons. Cold temperatures would delay Pon Farr by a few days and warm (and therefore ideal) temperatures would draw it out, and over the centuries cycles were pushed towards synchronization.
Following their embracing of passionate emotions, casual hook-ups are commonplace. During Pon Farr polyamorous tendencies sharply increase, and single Romulans will often congregate for the season.