#Earthblood elves

[honeii-puff]

headcannon that, similar to deer, all earthblood elves shed their horns in the winter and they regrow over the rest of the year

[chattychatty4]

Making headcanons about the anatomy/biology of elves in tdp part 2:

Earthblood elves

+Terry with these headcanons

[nobredoesart]

Continuing my rant about the elves and restructuring them, here are the 3 other missing races!

Sunfire Elves: I do mostly like the designs of the Sunfire Elves, but I did want to reduce the amount of armor and layers a tiny bit, maintaining the accessories and gold accents, while making the clothes more flow-y and vibrant. With that in mind, the Arcanum of the Sun is a very interesting one, because the show does nail it, but it doesn't explore well enough what that would mean for those who have it as an intrinsic part of them.

So, we get to it. Truth, Life, Destruction and Eternity are the core tenants, and they shape how the elves operate. It's not quite that Sunfire Elves can't lie, but the idea of it is almost alien to them, to the point of causing genuine discomfort. Reality exists and one is meant to live it truthfully and with passion. Monuments litter the streets of Sunfire cities, filled with attempts at eternity, shining beacons of who existed, along with the destruction of that which is offensive to the truth and reality itself. Sunfire Elves are a stubborn lot, and their society proves it, believing in justice with little bending, in strong work done well and lives of passionate creation honestly achieved.

Warriors, farmers, artisans and smiths are very well known within the communities, of course, but the petty squabbling of nobles can get in the way.

It's not uncommon for most other Elves to see Sunfire as kinda stuck up pricks, but that is because they do not understand that the elves of the sun would rather break than bend, no matter the cost, and they will rend asunder all that stands in the way of truth and good.

I do like the Sun State from the show, but I do want to add that in Sunfire Community, it's seen as a purer state of being, and used in rituals, ceremonies and even things like courting rituals. Sunfire Elves also passively heal quicker, and have an almost debilitating disgust over being up in the long hours of the night, as the lack of sunshine drains them, and makes them feel unclean.

Earthblood Elves: Gods, do I love the concept art for these, but hate how the only ones we see in the show lack the awesome elements. So, I am choosing to lean hard into the concept art, and then adding more detailing.

Before getting into how their society works, let's talk design. Earthblood elves should have a way more earthy appearance, with stone and dirt being part of their designs, as well as leaning into them being part of the nature that surrounds them. They have little clothing, choosing to usually trim their natural growths to be "decent" and tend to actually look deeply asymmetrical, as the earth is very rarely so standardized. Their horns/antlers are also affected by this, having wild designs and growths, from stone to moss to leaves to many other things!

The idea that Earthblood Elves are passive and against confrontation in canon is also mildly annoying. However, I understand where it comes from, so I am changing it so the motivation fits within the Arcanum of the Earth, which will touch upon Tradition, Growth, Connection and Endurance. It is slightly different from Canon, as are the other slight tweaks to the Sources, but this one has a bigger impact in how the Elves work. Earthbloods have an inherent connection with the world around them, be it the land or the people, with an almost magical sense of empathy, which tends to lead to them serving as great pillars of support within their communities. They also value the soil, the earth beneath their feet, and all those that came before them and worked it, as traditions and that which was are to be held as sacred, like the roots from which a tree grows.

Due to all this, stirring the growth of their community, without ever forgetting their roots is important and necessary, as is a more, grounded set of beliefs. Their lack of confrontation stems from the understanding that people will grow on their own, and that brutality happens in nature, and they should not intervene unless a big calamity would destroy the true center of something.

As for their innate magic, while the whole Earth State they go into that we see on Terri is interesting, I like the idea that it's different. That they go fully stationary, that they turn into a tree or a stone golem, something that doesn't move, but makes things around them grow and fortify and spread. They also just, can feel the ground and trace the roots of mountains and rivers and forests, helping them out in the wilds.

Oceanbound Elves: Why the hells are they named after Tides? No. That is ridiculous. So, they're renamed to Oceanbound, and they are going to get weird. Most of the elves of this race do not actually live on land, or even close. They live in sprawling underwater cities, in chasms deep and vast, in coral reef colorful and grand, with their Arcanum being quite different from the original, appealing to a more eldritch concept, and to more Deep rooted ideals.

So, onto design. I do like the concept art sketches, and, tolerate some of the designs of the show, but they could be so much more! The ocean is such a beautiful hostile space, and so, the elves that dwell within it are something to behold. Coral horns, jagged or smooth, colorful and deadly, sprout either from their heads, covered in tentacle like hair, curling and moving unnaturally. Their eyes seem dead, or overly hazy, with no visible pupils for most of the elves, though more surface dwelling ones to tend to have faint ones. Their bodies are covered in scales and rough textures, fins and elongated tales that vary from elf to elf, with their colouration varying wildly!

As for their clothing, they tend to wear none, or simple decorative leathers made from cephalopods, or leviathans of old, or garments found in ship wrecks. Whist this mostly applies to the underwater communities, most surface dwelling Oceanbound Elves do find clothing to be restricting if not meant to be decorative!

The Arcanum of the Ocean is complicated. All things are born of the ocean, all things will end in it, and its currents are ever shifting but old and true, so, the tenants of the Arcanum end up being Unbound, Eldritch, Beginnings and Inevitability. It's an arcanum that feels old, and those that feel its call have a weight to them that very few can match. Ocean Dragons I'll expand on more later, because I have opinions on that too, but Oceanbound Elves work primarily within the understanding that all things are eventually theirs, that the world is older than most realize (them and Startouch Elves are the most long lived races, living for over thousands of years at times), with a twisted understanding of reality and the sort of eager view of the world of one who is seeing something doomed marching on in spite of it all. They tend to be a very nostalgic race, loving beginnings and neverending concepts, but not thinking far ahead aside from the fact that it will inevitably be theirs to claim.

Death is seen as a distant dream, and the surface as an alien blind land that doesn't quite understand the history of all that came before it. It's also just, sort of funny to them, and the most adventurous of the race do tend to make their way up, breaching the tides to lurk around with their surface pears and see what the world forgot.

Their magic is old. Old and impossible in scale, in an unexpected way, but so is most Ocean Magic. The inherent one is that they can simply shed some of their existing elf like traits to become more monstrous, alien and full of teeth and slime and coiling muscles, bulging eyes and size. They are a dangerous race, but they are some of the few that recall the good of humanity still, with most having lived alongside them, and still choose to sail the seas in ports hidden and passages found.

They are eternal, and they are the beginning heralding the inevitable deep.

[starlightandust-marejai]

I Chose The Name Terrestrius

The others elves saw me as a doe, but I always knew that I was a buck.

That was a really powerful scene. My humble offering for @/lunecornio s #CollabTransDay, featuring Terry, the earthblood elf trans boy from The Dragon Prince.

[Reblogs are appreciated. Do not repost.]

[moon-sky-sun-earth-ocean-stars]

Vitiligo in the Dragon Prince

So, with season 6 we have now two characters with vitiligo in the dragon prince universe. I don't think I saw characters with vitiligo in media before so I think it's nice the dragon prince has two of them.

Hestia

Kosmo

[milevenstancyendgame]

TERRY'S TEARS BETTER MAKE PLANTS GROW OUT OF THE GROUND OR ELSE-

[its-leethee]

need terry/earthblood meta if it exists 😭 do u know of any?

yes, i can share a few favorites i've saved:

breaking the cycle of abuse by @hermitmoss, comparing terry and claudia's interactions with viren in season 4.

no transphobia in xadia by @thrandilf, with input from terry's voice actor, ben callins!

why does terry seem so chill about dark magic? an excellent meta by @kradogsrats on how terry's culture and earth primal would inform his perspective on dark magic

discussion of terry's characterization, by @aimlacely-sapphic

if you're able to get a copy of Tales of Xadia, there are chapters featuring information about both earthblood elves and earth primal magic.

...really feels like a crime that i don't have more to share. if anyone else has recommended reading, please do chime in!

lookit him he's so <33

[blade-liger-4ever]

Dragon Prince - Blade's Freestyle

So, in my take, there are only four types of Elves: The Tidebound, the Sunfire, the Moonshadow, and the Skywing (I'm keeping that to give Tui T. Sutherland a piece of my mind.) The Startouch exist as the equivalent of the Greek pantheon, though they maintain an elf-ish look in order to seem both familiar and distant from the rest; therefore, they're nicknamed "the High Ones". The Earthblood are like the Ghillie Dhu of Scottish myth: towering, tree-like beings who go along to get along, and generally nonviolent. The dragons are at the head of this hierarchy, as appointed by the Startouch, and thus the Elves are second to them, with humanity at the lowest tier of this creation order. Additionally, the dragons can shapeshift into virtually any form, and possess the ability to use Celestial Magic, and any of the Four Seasonal Magics.

Regarding the sources of magic, there are only four, all derived from the four seasons and connected to something tied to that season. The Tidebound, for example, are intrinsically tied to the spring and the ocean, with their power being based around water, healing, cold, wind, floods, tsunamis, and VERY specific oaths/tithes. When you make an oath to do something, or agree to a tithe that carries on for generations, you'd better dang well adhere to it or your life is forfeit. That's how severe and serious this business is.

The Sunfire are tied to summer and the sun, giving them talents in blacksmithing, warfare, heat, fire, metal, plasma (a rare and dangerous technique), wind, and truth finding. The Sunfire detest lies and deceit, as it goes against the sun, which brings light to all that goes on in the shadows. Thus, not only are they powerful warriors and capable in war, but excellent lie detectors. Any of their kind who turn to deception are anathema to the Sunfire, which also means they have a rivalry of sorts with the Moonshadow.

Speaking of, the Moonshadow are tied to autumn and the moon, giving them access to bending light, traveling through shadows (allowing them real fast travel), poisons of any kind, life cycle awareness and occasional manipulation of it, wind, darkness, and Spirit Sense/Walk, where they walk in a parallel plane between the world of the living and the dead (also allowing them to see/interact with ghosts throughout the year, though especially on full moons and the peak of autumn). For this they are the perfect assassins, but despite this, the Moonshadow have a strict code of honor, and will only take the life of those who have done serious crime in the eyes of the magical community - hence why 1 they're great bodyguards for the Royal Dragon Clan, and 2 why they're so loyal to the dragons. They know serving the dragons is the right thing, and that if they have to take a life, they're better off doing said tasks from the dragons.

The Skywings are the most unusual - and powerful. They're tied to winter and the magnetic poles, and have abilities tied to ice, cold, wind, snow, temperature, magnetism, light, tornadoes, hurricanes, sound, rain, storms, lightning, and can form the nigh-unheard of life-force bonds. When Skywings want to marry, they perform some kind of magical binding rite that is deeply private, to the point no one outside of a Skywing knows how to perform it. This bond is unbreakable and can reach each person no matter the distance, and will give the lingering presence of the deceased spouse to the one still living, often providing comfort from beyond the grave. When a Skywing intermarries with a dragon, a different elf, or - more rarely - a human, they teach the future spouse this rite. They marry for life, with divorce or "separation" practically unheard of; should they encounter one of another race who is divorced/separated, the Skywing will express disappointment or disgust, depending on the situation.

Now we come to Dark Magic.

It's more of an offshoot of Moonshadow Magic, as it still relates to the darkness. However, it's not corruptive; rather, it's tied to the shadows, dark nights, storm clouds, fog, mists, swamplands, bogs, dead forests, and grants access to "grave visits" - you can see and interact with the dead. You cannot bring them back to life, but you can find them and learn things from them. As the Elves were intrinsically tied to the sources of magic, and the Dragons bound to Celestial Magic, humanity had no tie to any source but death and destruction. So when they discovered Dark Magic, it had the Dragons eyeing them nervously, as it was dangerous if you got too into the grave visits, which have the side effect of driving yourself to death if you went to see dead loved ones too much.

The real taboo is Blood Magic.

Blood magic requires the use of blood from still living creatures, siphoning it while the person lives and using it for vile rituals that raise the bodies of the dead, twist people into horrifying monsters, drain the life out of certain targets at will, turn you into a cannibal who cannot live without feasting on human/elven/dragon flesh or blood, and drive you to insanity as you fall further and further away from humanity. Somehow, a Mage Apprentice discovered this magic, and used it before terrorizing the village he dwelled in. Thus began the Great Exile, when the humans were banished by the Elves and Dragons a thousand years before Callum's time to the Western Lands, where fighting had once more begun to settle land disputes and out rose various human kingdoms. However, some Elves also fell from grace, selling themselves out as mercenaries for hire, assassins, or even allying with humans in war.

This brought upon the Mage Wars, which lasted until three centuries before Callum's birth. With the Orphan Queen of Katolis, Queen Aditi, and Avizandum's collaboration, the Mage Wars ended, though the peace was fragile, and skirmishes broke out frequently over the next few decades. For this, Avizandum guarded the Border, the thin patch of land that kept Xadia and the Western Lands divided, himself. However, ten years ago, King Harrow, Vizier Viren, and General Amaya, snuck past Avizandum and killed him in his sleep, his heart being carved out by an apprehensive Viren. However, the egg of Avizandum's son, the Dragon Prince, was left in pieces, leaving all to surmise that the Dragon Prince had been killed.

For this, the world is teetering on the razor's edge of war, though attempts by Viren and a slowly repenting Harrow have stalled the outbreak of war. Amaya has receded into the background, apparently conducting good relations with the neighboring kingdom of Neolandia, likely to bring the countries together in case war breaks out.

However, on the eve of the anniversary of the tenth year since Avizandum's death, a group of Moonshadow Elves have broken past the borders of Katolis on a secret mission....

[greenmoons]

This photo is from tales of xadia, it is mentioned here that the Moonshadow elves have a song about the Startouch elves. Now I'm not sure if it was mentioned in the series but I don't remember Rayla say anything about it and I wonder why. Rayla is a moonshadow elf, she was suppose to know this song, I know it's just random and not an actual information but it is something. You can interpret this song as something that talks about the mysteries of Startouch elves, they are the only ones here with their full name and not the primal source name, so there is a seperation between the startouch and rest of the elf races, it's still something about them. So why Rayla didn't say anything?

[obi-wan-catobi]

Ok I have some questions

1 do earthblood elves that have antlers shed and regrow them like deers do?

And 2 are skywing elves that have wings born with their wings like newborn birds wings?

[beautifulterriblequeen]

So this post has immediately inspired me

https://esendoran.tumblr.com/post/686267625617162240/terminal-hanaki-boring-chronic-hanahaki

Consider: Earthblood elves getting chronic hanahaki (chronahaki?) - if they refuse to deal with their feelings??

[xadianglyphs]

[nobredoesart]

Some more drawings of the Elves, exploring the style in a simpler way, and just, getting the feel for it all before I start really hammering out my concepts here.

[wheretwofacesmeet]

[moon-sky-sun-earth-ocean-stars]

Tales of Xadia characters-Hestia

Name: Hestia Pronounce: She/her Race: Earthblood Elf Profession: Rune Mage Information: After spending years with piles of books to learn magic Hestia is eager for adventure. She is very smart and inventive but she is not used to social interactions making her awkward sometimes that's why she apologising a lot. Hestia has a chlormeleon (the blue animal on her shoulder) as companion. *She has vitiligo *She use crystals for her magic