#Elven childbirth

[eilinelsghost]

One of the things that consistently perplexes me in fandom conversations around LaCE is the assertion that LaCE states or implies that Elf-sex always results in a child. This is just...not true of the text?

I talked a bit about the "you have sex, you get Elf-married" assumption here, and much like that example, I think a lot of this one also comes from reading the text with the fandom depiction in mind - and inadvertently reading into it what is already understood to be the case.

LaCE begins its discussion of Elven marriage by describing the ceremony of betrothal and marriage and how these are both achieved. In the oft-referenced wedding sex passage, we are told that

It was the act of bodily union that achieved marriage, and after which the indissoluble bond was complete.

I talked in more detail about this passage in the post already linked above, but the main thing we need to take away from it for the sake of this conversation is that an Elf was not married until the act of bodily union completed the indissoluble bond.

With that in mind, we follow the text to its description of Elven reproduction and childbirth. The important passage to note within this is regarding the timeline between conception and birth:

As for the begetting and bearing of children: a year passes between the begetting and the birth of an elf-child, so that the days of both are the same or nearly so, and it is the day of begetting that is remembered year by year. 

Whether LaCE is utilizing Years of the Trees or Years of the Sun throughout the text is debatable, but it's not really necessary to elucidate that for the current discussion. The important thing here is that this, paired with the subsequent description of the timing between marriage, first, and additional children, is where we can see clearly that LaCE assumes that sex does not always result in procreation:

[...]at whatever age they married, their children were born within a short space of years after their wedding.* * Short as the Eldar reckoned time. In mortal count there was often a long interval between the wedding and the first child-birth, and even longer between child and child.

So what we know now is:

Elf-marriage is completed by (not caused solely by) bodily union

A year takes place between the conception and birth of an Elven child

Elven children are said to be born "within a short space of years" after the parents' marriage

There is often (not always, which is important!) a long interval of multiple years between the wedding and first childbirth

Which is a fairly straightforward contradiction of the 1:1 assumption. If every act of Elven sex resulted in a child, then a child would be born exactly one year after each marriage, since a marriage could not be completed without the act of bodily union. By telling us that there was "often a long interval between the wedding and the first child," LaCE establishes that there were occasions in which that interval was shorter. Which cannot be the case if all sex results in procreation because in that case the interval would need to be the same across the board. Additionally, it references "years" rather than "a year" when it discusses this intervening timespan, which reiterates that same fact.

This premise is confirmed by the Annals of Aman found in Morgoth's Ring where we are told that Finarfin weds Eärwen in Y.T. 1280 and their first child, Finrod, was not born until Y.T. 1300: a full 20 years after their marriage.

(Why yes I did find a way to shoehorn a mention of my guy into this, yet again confirming that I cannot in fact make it five minutes without mentioning him.)

Anyway, all that to say, if you're wanting to be LaCE-compliant, get those Elves doing it for fun.

[procyonloser]

(orc/elf Adamsapple mini. warning for mentions of childbirth and violence/bloodshed)

Adam was exhausted, his breathing was only now starting to even out, but he couldn't sleep yet. One of the taller elves handed him a round crying bundle, which he pulled up onto his breast.

The infant looked massive in comparison to the elven children that watched on from the entrance of the room - but it was minute compared to any orc children. His eldest child sat beside him on the birthing bed, sucking his thumb, not fully understanding what was going on, but he was just barely walking yet. Like his eldest, this infant had shorter pointed ears, somewhere between elf and orc, and a short tail, which the elven children found wildly hilarious. He knew his children would have a hard time growing up here, already being called names, like piglet. The alternative was impossible, his own village would kill them immediately.

Lucifer leaned in, pressing a kiss upon his brow, and then onto the newborn. A little girl, with a shock of blonde hair, showing she did take after him just as much as she did Adam.

"You've done beautifully, my love." Lucifer said, and Adam wanted to be happy, but the elven wet nurses looked at him with disdain at best, disgust at worst. They weren't supposed to allow orcs into their lands, and Lucifer was far from the most popular elf, even before he brought Adam home.

Maybe they'd find somewhere, someday, for their family - away from all the names and looks.

But how had he even gotten here? Well, it started two years back.

The orc village Adam was from was one of the largest, and Adam was the firstborn son of the current ruler. That, of course, didn't secure his position. He had to fight to keep it, and it was only a matter of time until someone challenged his father, or he was killed out on a raid. His sisters too seemed eager to get rid of him, but Adam wasn't about to let that happen. There were multiple ways to win favor within his village, but capturing an elf was always a big one.

They were fast, they could use magic, they had more advanced weaponry, and they had jewelry. They were always bedecked in things that glimmered, things that Adam's village had little of. Adam needed a wife to secure his own future as well, he needed heirs, and he needed gold to melt down and turn into a marriage dagger for the orc of his choosing. So, Adam needed an elf.

And, he'd just so happened to have spotted one in this area recently, an open glen within the woods. It was very far outside the line of their own territory, which meant the elf was either strong, or incredibly stupid - or as his mother Asherah, would say about Adam, a stunning mix of both.

Adam sat up on a high oak branch, one heavy enough to carry him, watching from above as his target made itself known. He couldn't tell if it was male or female, elves all looked the same to him, but it seemed short, even for their species. It walked around the glen, picking up sticks, bending them like it was testing the brittleness, before throwing them away. Elven bows were one of their worst weapons, the orcs had nothing so long distance besides throwing spears.

Adam waited until it was turned around, before he jumped down from his hiding spot, and swung his club hard into the elven figure with a cackle. It went flying, hitting a rocky outcrop, and collapsing as a cloud of dust rose around it. Adam grinned, resting his club on the ground, and waiting to see if the elf got back up.

"You shouldn't have come out so far, little one. You know, if you're not dead, all you need to do is give me all your jewelry and clothing, and I'll let you live." That was a lie. "You can go home." Adam wanted to see first if it was a male or female, then he'd probably trade them off to the humans.

The elf pushed up onto a hand, and Adam's grin spread. It was stronger than he'd thought. As the dust cleared, the elf got to it's feet, and made eye contact with Adam. Red eyes, that was uncommon.

"Somehow I doubt that," the elf said wryly, in a deeper voice than he'd expected. He had no weapons on him that he could see, not even a knife.

"Are you male?" Adam asked, and the elf gave a small nod. "Well, I have to admit that's less interesting."

Adam raised his club again, ready to finish the job. "Make your choice, elf."

The elf raised an eyebrow, dusting himself off, like he was entirely uninterested in Adam's threats.

Maybe because he was.

With a flick of his wrist, Adam went flying backwards, dropping his club, and falling down the side of a riverbank. Immediately, he knew something was wrong, he'd not expected such powerful magic out of an elf so small. Adam coughed, and coughed until it came up red as he landed, feeling a sharp pain begin to radiate from his center. Adam looked down, and felt cold. He'd landed on a downed tree, and a jagged broken branch had impaled him through his stomach.

The elf appeared at the edge of the riverbank, expression going from tired, to shocked. In an instant, he'd silently jumped down beside Adam, looking over the wound. "Oh no...I didn't mean for this to happen..." He whispered to himself, chewing on his lip.

Up close, Adam could see he was very pretty. A small heart shaped face, large eyes, long sharp pointed ears covered in dangling gold and gems. Adam's breathing got more haggard as he watched him move around, as though he was trying to find some angle where Adam wasn't going to die.

"Hey, what's your name?" Adam asked quietly, and the elf looked up, startled.

"Lucifer."

"I'm Adam. Could you do me a last favor? You elves have honor, right?" Lucifer paused, but nodded. "Could you give me one of your necklaces? When my people find my body, I want them to know I fought. I want my mother to have it."

Lucifer watched him, brows knit together as Adam spoke. He looked more pained than Adam felt, because, in truth, he'd started to not feel much of anything. He was cold, that's all he felt.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, why did you have to-" Lucifer shook his head, before he raised a hand, and Adam began to raise off the branch. Blood began to pour out of his open wound, as Lucifer lowered him onto river stones. A golden glow surrounded delicate fingers, and he pressed them against Adam's stomach.

"I'm not going to let you die, Adam. I'm going to heal you, then you can see your mother yourself." Lucifer said, meeting his eyes with resolution on his face. He raised a bloodied hand to Adam's cheek, caressing it just briefly, before returning it to start the healing work. Adam closed his eyes at the soft touch, and waited for death to take him, but it never came.

Adam woke up, who knew how much later, weak, but alive. They were in a cave, illuminated by a soft red glow, and he heard gentle singing, and felt a hand running through his hair. He leaned into the touch.

It was the beginning of their life together.

[littlejuicebox]

Dadstarion prompt - Astarion responsible for watching Gale and something happens that makes Tav mad! Nothing serious but you know how kids draw on the walls and stuff? Something silly and cute like that!

Stuck

This prompt is very cute! Thanks for all the submissions, I will be working through several of them when I have time. You guys all had great ideas!

Summary: The twins are here, and Papastarion is primarily on Gale duty. He's trying his best, but balancing a family and work is proving to be very difficult, indeed. Can be read as a OneShot but it’s also part of my Dadstarion series.

Tags/Warnings: fluff, dadstarion, parenting, children, very mild angst with comfort, lmk if you see anything else

Word count: 1.9K

-----

Astarion is exhausted. 

In comparison to the twins, the first month with newborn Gale had been a breeze. But two wailing infants had both the silver-haired elf and his little love on edge constantly. The pair of babes seemed to egg one another on, greeting one shrill cry with another; an hour of silence was an absolute luxury nowadays. 

The family were in the midst of one precious modicum of silence now, and his drained wife had quickly snatched the opportunity to rest in their bedchambers. The poor woman always had a newborn attached to her breast or a toddler wrapped around her leg, it seemed. Astarion stepped in where he could, but unfortunately he did not have the anatomy necessary to help with certain parts of parenting. So daddy was primarily on Gale duty nowadays.

Gale had also been struggling, in his own way. The change in his parents' attention had caused the previous ball of sunlight to turn surly. This had been anticipated, of course, and his parents knew this adjustment would take time. But catering to three needy children and a wife still recovering from childbirth had Astarion at his wits end. Trancing is certainly an efficient form of regaining energy, but even he could only go so long on a deficit.

The father hears a knock at the front door, just as he’s placing a plate of breakfast in front of his eldest. The silver-haired boy is eyeing the food, his nose wrinkled in displeasure, always the spitting image of his father in his mannerisms.

“Daddy, what’s that green stuff on my eggs?” He asks, his tone tipping up into a whine. 

“Chives, Gale,” Astarion responds, perhaps a smidge too harshly, wiping his hands on a towel as he exits the kitchen and crosses the foyer to the front door, “You like chives, little prince, you always eat your eggs like this when mommy makes them.”

The three year old eyes the eggs suspiciously and then quickly swipes them under the table as his father walks away. Their mutt, Apple, eagerly snatches up the offering with her sticky pink tongue. 

Astarion swings the front door open and dramatically sighs with relief, “The reinforcements are finally here. Thank the gods. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see you two.” 

Shadowheart and Lae’zel stand in the entryway, unloading their bags. 

“Good to see you, too, Astarion. Our travels were fine, thanks for asking,” The cleric responds, rolling her eyes at the retired rogue. Gale comes running out of the kitchen to greet the two women, instantly wrapping himself around Shadowheart’s limbs with a babbled, excited greeting. Apart from Uncle Gale, Auntie Shadowheart was easily his favorite of his parents’ friends. 

“I would like to be clear that I am only here because Shadowheart has forced me along,” Lae’zel states, assessing the elven man coolly, “You look terrible. I’ve never seen your hair like this before.” 

Astarion is about to retort when a sharp wail echoes throughout the foyer, followed by a nearly identical one from the second twin. 

“Let’s go see if we can help Tav,” Shadowheart beckons Lae’zel, already heading toward the master bedchambers,  “Gale, we have a gift for you from your Uncle Gale. It’s in the front pocket of my bag, Astarion.” 

The older elf bends down and retrieves a small package addressed to the three year old in the wizard’s tidy script. The little boy grins as he opens the gift from his namesake, revealing a pot full of some sticky, stretchy, slimy substance. Gale tries and fails to open it, so his father bends down to assist, examining the gift with distaste. 

Leave it to the Wizard of Waterdeep to send such a messy, disgusting gift.

Gale pulls the gelatinous thing out of the small jar and giggles at the sensation of the viscous putty. As the little boy smashes the substance through his hands, it changes color in front of his eyes and he oohs in surprise. 

Well, at least this will keep him occupied, Astarion thinks. He needs to get some work done. Pascal, his steward, had been on him about the revisions for that contract and the purchase order for the winery since last week. 

The older man scoops his son up and makes his way toward his office, hoping that with Shadowheart and Lae’zel here to assist with the twins, he will be able to complete the bare minimum of his task list today. Though, admittedly, he cannot wait to see how his little viper of a friend handles the babes; he’s sure there will be a story or two from Tav later on.

*

Astarion is re-reading the contract in front of him for a third time. He’s so tired that it’s difficult to focus. He messily scratches out another line of text and writes an edit above it, speaking to himself under his breath, trying to keep the words coming out in the correct order as he scrawls across the page. 

Is this exhaustion truly how humans feel all the time? It’s absolutely horrid. How do they get anything done? 

Gale emits a shocked cry from the sofa, ripping the older elf’s attention from his work to find the source of his son’s distress.

No. Oh no, no, no.

Gale’s head is completely covered in the sticky slime. The substance is wrapped around his curls, pulling his hair up in chunks. 

The contract is abandoned as Astarion rushes to his son and examines the damage. The little boy is pulling anxiously at the putty as he begins to wail in distress, which is only causing the slime to further spread across his hair.

“Papa, it’s stuck!” He shrieks, his hands flailing and fumbling around, trying to rip the toy from his head. Tears are streaking his face as he continues to fight against the toy.

“Stop, Gale!” The older elf exclaims, barely holding on to the final shreds of his patience as he grabs his son's two tiny hands between one of his own, “Hold on, let me see.” 

Shit. This definitely isn’t good. 

Astarion groans when he realizes he has to tell his wife what happened. Facing her wrath was almost as terrifying as facing the Netherbrain, and his gut sank with dread as he scooped the child up, hair still caked in slime, and walked in the direction of the bedchamber. 

*

“I still cannot believe this, Astarion,” You hiss at your husband under your breath as Shadowheart trims the ends of Gale’s silver curls in your kitchen and Lae’zel entertains him with stories of their travels. Most of the putty came out with generous applications of oil, followed by a bath for the three year old, but the final bits ultimately had to be cut.

You are holding one twin in your arms, Astarion is holding the other. The two of you are an endless bobbing and swaying duo, trying desperately to keep the infants from breaking into another fit. 

“Can we please give it a rest, darling? Blame our wizard friend for sending that ridiculous toy to our three year old!” Astarion responds through a belabored, weary sigh as he gently pats the back of the infant in his arms, “I’ve already apologized; I should have been watching Gale but twins or not, business continues on. We can’t stop working entirely, we do need money, you know. And we need to start interviewing for nannies while Shadowheart and Lae’zel are here.” 

You sigh. You’re both exhausted and doing the best you can. You know this. But this is not how you’d envisioned Gale’s first haircut. Watching the fine silver curls of your eldest fall to the floor, caked with slime, causes you to tear up and you quickly blink the wetness away.

You know it’s mostly the hormones. But it’s also the inexplicable guilt of your first baby no longer being your only baby, despite the happiness you feel about the twins arrival and Gale’s general exuberance at being an older brother. 

“All done!” Shadowheart exclaims as she ruffles the child’s hair, and the little boy grins and turns to look at the both of you with those adorable green eyes, searching for your approval.

“Very handsome, Gale,” Astarion compliments, “I think we might look even more alike now, if that’s even possible.”

Papa is good. He knows the quickest way to soothe any worries is to make sure Gale feels like he and his father are just alike. He absolutely adores his father and constantly mirrors everything about him.

“I agree,” You continue, moving forward to press a kiss onto the crown of the three-year-old’s head, “You look just like daddy now, my little love. What do you say to your Aunties?”

“Thank you Auntie ‘Heart and Auntie Lazy!” Gale exclaims, hopping off the stool he was perched upon and running to pet Apple, where she’s resting under the kitchen table, gnawing on a ball. You, Astarion, and Shadowheart all stifle giggles as Lae’zel’s mouth drops open in offense at being called lazy.

*

Later that night, you two are in bed, basking in another rare moment of silence. You’d read Gale his bedtime story while Astarion sat between the two rocking bassinets and kept the twins in constant sway, lulling them to sleep after they ate. 

“I knew this was going to be hard,” You sigh as you settle yourself in the crook of your husband’s arm, “But gods, Astarion, it really feels impossible.” 

Astarion presses a kiss onto your forehead, “Yes, darling. It does. But what have you always told me about doing impossible things?”

“That we’ve done the impossible things before, and this shouldn’t be any different.” You respond with another sigh as your husband brings his hand up to run his fingers through your hair.

He nods and yawns, “And for some of those impossible things, we required help, little love. Just like now.” 

You understand his meaning. You were struggling with the concept of hiring someone else to help you with the children; it somehow felt a slight to your pride and simultaneously made you nervous to have a complete stranger responsible for your offspring. Who could love and protect them more than you and Astarion? No one. 

But Shadowheart and Lae’zel being here undoubtedly made the day easier. Having them for a few weeks was going to be a blessing, indeed. You could already see it. 

Astarion was right. You two had the means to hire help, and your entire family was suffering without it. You’re about to tell him you know he’s right, but the poor father of three has already drifted into a trance, snoring loudly in his exhaustion.

You chuckle and place a small kiss to his cheek before settling beside him.

Shadowheart and Lae’zel take the first shift, allowing you several straight hours of sleep for the first time in over a month.

It truly does take a village to raise a child. It seems it takes a small army to raise three, at least for now. But your merry band of misfits has never shied away from a challenge. This isn’t any different.

And how lucky you are to have them all in your life, so willing to lend a hand whenever and wherever they are needed. Family is not always blood. Sometimes it is just the dangerous vampire, strange alien and secretive half-elf you meet after a terrible crash, instead.

Fate spins along as it should, though you aren’t always privy to the destination.

And isn’t that exciting? 

[y-rhywbeth2]

Elven 'Physiology' and Quirks

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index[tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. There's a lot of lore; I don't know everything. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest]

Physiology and quirks | Names & Clans and Houses || Pan-Cultural things: Social life | Time and Age Categories | Homes | Language | Art | Entertainment | Technology || Elven 'Subraces' still a wip || Philosophy and Religion & Pantheons || Half-elves | [WIP]

In my continued desire to procrastinate on reading two novels and cross-referencing about three sourcebooks for drow culture, I met myself in the middle and did this instead.

Also I really need to rehaul some of the lore compilations...

Unlike elves of other worlds, the Tel'Quessir – except drow – are as tall as humans, but finer boned and typically narrower in build – except for aquatic elves. An elf weighs less than a human of the same build and height, which appears to be something to do with their bone density, as elven bones (especially winged elves’) are light (though ‘surprisingly sturdy’). Their fingertips taper, and their hands and fingers are longer than a humans… although I still think saying they’re 50% longer (palm and fingers) is a bit much.

Elves are noted for their androgyny, which goes both ways; there's not much difference in the skeletal structure and elven women are noted by humans for their narrow hips, which led to a comment that it must make childbirth agonising in comparison.

Elves are also noted for their distinctive 'dance-like' motions while walking due to walking on their toes and the balls of their feet: 'Most seemed to have a lilt and swing, like dancers. Ah, that was it—none strode flat-footed; even the tallest and most hurried of the citizenry danced forward on their toes.' - Elminster in Myth Drannor

They don't grow much in the way of body hair - they appear hairless, with the only visible hair on their eyebrows and scalp. Elves unused to mixed company find non-elves disturbingly hirsute.

The shape of their facial features, regardless of ‘subrace,’ are as varied as humans. The only rules of thumb are about their eyes and ears:

Elven ears are always pointy – but can vary greatly in shape and length otherwise. They’re somewhat prehensile; elven children can move their ears, but generally this ability is lost with maturation. Maintaining it seems to be a genetic quirk. Whether the shape or whatever, elves have sharp hearing.

Elven eyes are larger in proportion to their face and spaced a little further apart than human eyes, slightly slanted in a manner that gives them a wider field of vision and more acute vision in general.

If you're using recent editions then elves can see in very low light conditions (able to see perfectly clearly by starlight alone). Drow can see in perfect darkness.

If you want to go by older editions you're looking at infravision: elves, like other beings that can 'see' in the darkness, were able to change their sight to the infrared spectrum, perceiving heat signatures. Drow vision was further ranged and more acute than surface elves'.

Elves aren't diurnal, and have no particular circadian rhythm, they just get four hours in whenever and communities are have a consistent level of full activity all day and night.

The elven olfactory senses are much sharper, as is their sense of taste. Drow raised in the Underdark have a sense of smell on par with humans, due to overexposure to incense and other strong fragrances used in ritual and covering up the fact that living crowded together in caves doesn't always spell great. Elves are picky eaters, both due to taste and texture, deriding non-elven cuisine as ‘over-spiced animal flesh and other abominable foods.’

Elves are biologically wired for music somehow, able to recall melodies flawlessly and engage in music theory , 'the elven faculty for music is uncanny in comparison to most other races,' which they credit to the divine influence of the Seldarine.

While this doesn't always come up in the rules, elves are immune to the paralytic effects of ghouls, due to an incident involving either Corellon Larethian or Lolth, and the ghoul deity Doresain, who in the version of his backstory given for the Realms was a green elf back in -11,200 DR whose recent ancestors were of the nation of Eiellûr and betrayed their people to the dark elven empire of Ilythiir. A rather brutal bastard and slaver who eventually killed and ate the raw flesh of the ruling family of the last surviving green elven nation of Southern Faerûn as part of a pact with the demon lord of the undead, Orcus for eternal life. When Doresain later fell in combat during one of the many skirmishes of the Crown Wars, Orcus brought him back as a unique undead horror and King of the Ghouls and Orcus’ proxy on Toril (so that Orcus could focus on important matters in the Abyss). Doresain eventually became trapped in the Abyss, trapped in service to Yeenoghu when Orcus ignored his pleas to save him (despite his ‘domain’ Orcus despises the undead). Most Torilian sages claim that Lolth intervened and freed him, bringing Doresain back to Toril in exchange for imbuing the drow with immunity to his children and swearing that ghouls would never attack them, which indirectly affected all elves (except for the ‘not attacking’). Others claim he prayed to the gods of his living years, the Seldarine, and they took pity on him in exchange for the same service.

The Seldarine are always depicted as genderfluid or agender – if depicted in art in humanoid form they are shown with two bodies as afab and amab, or possessing both characteristics in a single form. Occasionally a mortal elf is also born who takes after the gods; marked by their androgyny (by elven standards) and the ability to alter their sex characteristics at will, these elves are considered blessed by Corellon and closer to the gods by many elven cultures. They haven’t been given an official word, but the elven word for ‘Blessings of Corellon’ on Toril is ‘Cormiira.’ According to the most popular take on the elven creation myth, the People are born of Corellon’s blood (and possibly Sehanine’s tears as she wept at seeing him gravely wounded), which many elves attribute this as evidence for. The Tel’Quessir do have several other creation myths however.

Elves have an innate connection to the Weave, which is why they're 'the wizard race' and something to do with their connection to the world. Elves are more likely to have the innate ability required to become arcane spellcasters, and some say the Weave is what gives them their lifespans.

Going into purely non-published realmslore from word of god:

The elven gestation period takes two years (this I’m pretty sure is in published DnD somewhere?) Elves tend to avoid being pregnant unless they actively want to and have generally mastered the art of not being pregnant, the threat of being side-lined by shorter lived peoples who have more children and faster be buggered.

The elven diet primarily consists of raw plant matter and fish. The elven digestive system can handle vegetation that others’ cant. They can eat meat, and many do – especially those who grow up around humans, who have developed a tolerance that makes it easier for them to digest – but it’s not a ‘natural’ part of their diet nor does it play a large role. Apparently drinking small quantities animal blood is a reasonably common enough way to consume land animals (I’m not clear on whether this is in the form of soups or beverages).

Elves are severely allergic to cannabis and can't use it, though they have found unspecified alternatives.

While getting it is unpleasant, they are only inconvenienced by bubonic plague and its not considered a dangerous disease.

Elves also draw energy from the sunlight, which bolsters their metabolism, allowing them to eat less and possibly playing a part in their ability to digest previously mentioned plant matter. Access to fresh water (not just drinking it) also plays a part in their overall health. Somehow. Dark elves in the Underdark have adapted over the centuries (or maybe from the High Magic ritual that binds them to it) to draw from the faerzress radiation.

Elven vocal chords can reach pitches higher than humans can reach, and there's a gene that can allow the elf to produce two notes at the same time, which with training allows them to sort-of say two things at once (a 'ghost' vocalisation beneath the spoken words). This is described as 'genetic but not racial' so I assume it can pass to half-elves and any non-elven descendants through them.

---

Reverie/'Eedqa':

Elves do not sleep, unless something has gone wrong (injury, illness, exhaustion). They also can’t be forced to sleep, and are immune to magic that would do so (but not to being whacked over the back of the head and knocked out with something heavy).

- Elves enter a state called the Reverie (or just reverie) in Common, and ‘eedqa’ in Elven. The elf finds a quiet place to relax, gradually tuning out the world and slipping into a trance-like state where they re-experience their lived memories, occasionally interspersed with memories from past lives and visions from the gods – which will be vague and puzzling and probably require a priest to decode, the Lady of Mysteries did not earn that nickname for nothing. - They are somewhat aware of their surroundings in reverie, but pulling themselves back out of their mind is disorienting and waking early is extremely disorienting, much like waking any sleeping individual. Physically, they are immobile, not necessarily lying in a normal sleeping position (sitting or reclining is the norm), their breathing slows into a torpor and their eyes remain open and unfocused, which has occasionally caused panic in acquaintances who’ve never witnessed reverie before and think the elf has died (elves in turn are known to find the 'heaviness' of sleep disturbing to behold).

The only elves who deliberately sleep are priests of Sehanine Moonbow, who occasionally enter the deeper state of unconsciousness to communicate with their goddess, and the majority of drow (whose struggles to achieve reverie have been credited to the Underdark 'fragmenting' their natural instincts, and their inability to relax enough to enter the state).

Elves experience their first reverie in the womb, as pregnancy forges a temporary Rapport between parent and developing foetus where the offspring experiences the parent’s life and learns of their family and culture through them (how much the child can learn varies by parent; quality of education not guaranteed). Young children, lacking experiences of their own, are more likely to experience memories of previous lives unless they share in the reveries of other elves. The occurrence of the first ‘current life’ reverie is a life milestone and typically marks the end of childhood.

It’s very taboo amongst elves to interrupt another elf’s reverie.

-

Communion and Aleirin:

'Elves who lived even in reasonably close contact were so connected to each other through the Reverie and the Weave that they shared at least some shadow of each other’s emotional experiences.'

Elves have something of telepathic abilities, such as the ability to sense their own kind, a ‘sense of welcome,’ ‘warmth’ and ‘safety,’ although this can be obscured. This extends to the ability to enter each others minds and share thoughts, emotions and memory. Although that’s not to say that elves are living in each others heads, nor that they can (or are willing to) do it simply or constantly.

The state of ‘mind melding’ is communion, which is accomplished by sharing reverie while in physical contact (holding hands or pressing palms together, usually). The elven term for communion is apparently quor, however I can’t say for certain that applies to this mystical variety. Communing is credited with the sense of community elves experience, is an important part of elven religion, and they’re noted to anticipate sharing themselves with loved ones and struggle to understand non-elves due to their lack of ability to do so. However, it’s not a state entered into casually, as it requires deep trust and a willingness to be vulnerable with your entire being – you are exposing your every emotion and memory to another. Preparation may take weeks of mundane communication as the elves do away with any prejudices and air concerns to be resolved beforehand. It’s also physically and emotionally draining, and while in communal reverie the elves are entirely unaware of anything but each other and are vulnerable to surrounding hazards. Up to four elves may participate at once.

This awareness of each other lends elves an understanding that allows them to predict each others moods and actions acutely, and aids them to work in sync or borrow one anothers skills for a time (for example an elf who doesn’t know how to speak a certain language may temporarily ‘know’ after borrowing the knowledge from another elf.) Extended use of communion may cause loss of individuality however, as the elves begin to blend into each other.

Elves who isolate themselves from their people - whether this is by their own bitterness, malice, scheming, etc, or if the source is due to external magical affects like the Shadow Weave digging out these emotions (which; Shar, that’s what she does) - lose the ability to reverie and the ability to commune with it. Other elves cannot sense them, describing them as feeling ‘asleep.’

Drow may or may not be capable. They are capable of reverie, which would indicate that they can, they just don't know they can, or plain don't (Lolth would firmly discourage it with torture and death regardless).

Some elves, when they trust each other implicitly, may chose to make the link more permanent – a communion that never ends, in a form called Rapport or aleirin, or aleiryid if the nature of their relationship is romantic. The bonding is permanent, and can usually only be made a single time. Those born of multiple births like twins have rapport with their siblings, but outside of this it’s still uncommon for an elf to make this level of commitment and most are happier with normal, less co-dependent relationships (especially because, if you want to bring in the Complete Book of Elves, the shock of one partner dying can kill the other). A rapport can be made with non-elves, a ranger could even choose to establish one with their animal companion, but such bonds are so rare as to be practically unheard of.

The ability to commune has been attributed to a gland in the elven brain, which produces a magic that veils their minds. At rest it forms a shield that isolates them (and some scholars believe this is where the elven resistance to enchantment magic comes from), but they can lift it or expand it to bring other elven minds in.

The elven resistance to enchantment spells has also been credited to elven culture itself, since magic saturates their world so heavily elves grow up exposed to a constant background radiation of enchantment magic, for lack of a better word, and build up a tolerance. Others have said it’s the elves fey ancestry.

--

Souls/'Ues':

Like most sapient beings who are not humans – or mostly/half-human (excluding half-orcs) dwarves, gnomes or halflings – elven souls, ‘ues’ in elven, are somewhat different to the norm. sometimes differentiated in lore by calling them ‘spirits,’ and do not stay permanently in the afterlife, instead residing in the outer planes for a time (varying from days to millennia) before reincarnating back on the Prime Material Plane. While 5e claims drow are locked out of the cycle, the original lore included drow, and suggested that elves who decide to be evil little bastards in life and bar themselves from Arvandor will find themselves reincarnated as drow (vice versa: a drow who rejects Lolth is unlikely to find themselves reborn in her clutches).

(Elves do not have access to DnD sourcebooks and do not have any concrete idea of this kind of thing, so elven religion and philosophy varies heavily and may or may not reflect these things. Some elves don’t even believe in reincarnation.)

Another traditional side effect was that raise dead didn’t work on elves, only resurrection. Space was made for DMs to hand-waive this if it was getting in the way (because it makes elves expensive to have in the party), and the rule seems to have been officially side-lined for convenience by this point.

--

Ageing:

How elves age has varied by edition and writer. Sometimes they're human aging, sometimes a bit slower, sometimes much, much slower.

In most sources, including 5e core, an elf matures at the same rate, physically and psychologically, as a human, later developing into elven psychological stages as the centuries pass and they outlive the human experience.

It's also been said that Torilian elves are physically mature at 25.

In older editions, including realms sources, elves could age slower, taking between 30-60 years to hit puberty (which lasts another 50-85 years). Psychologically, non-elves are known to find elven youths to be rather mature for their age (due to longer lives and communing with the adults in their lives), though they’re still inexperienced by elven standards and hormonal. Elven children are left to pursue their ever shifting curiosity, instincts and impulses which means they generally don’t master any skills and end up about level with any other race by early adulthood. Drow have the fastest rates of maturation, Gold elves the slowest. Wheras in humans afab are known to hit puberty first on average, elves mature at the same average speed regardless.

Elves also have a mystical land-connection thing and are noted to be shaped by their environments, and it has been said of the latter version of ageing that elves may mature faster outside of the slow pace of elven cultures, particularly in dangerous and stressful situations where they need to grow fast.

Bizarrely, and I’m assuming this is a typo, it seems that the process of elven puberty is a bit like getting steroids because they get strength and dexterity bonuses. Or maybe elven teens are just stronger and more agile than their human counterparts, which is probably more likely if it isn't a typo.

[baddybaddyadardaddy]

pt. 4

Adar does not waste the opportunity of being unobserved.

He stands without grace, the various coverings of blanket and fur falling from him into a heap upon the floor of the hut, the cool air almost a balm against the warmth of his body. It is awkward, with his hands bound behind his back and his legs tied, but much more has been asked of him before. Much worse. And he has no sneering audience this time, no Dark Lord or shadowy pretender to impress or entertain. He need only hobble far enough to find a blade.

The wet weight within his stomach adds to the unsteadiness caused by captive limbs, sloshing with each shift. He finds he must look downward to watch his footing.

It has been a long time since he gazed upon himself like this. The flesh of his feet is almost unrecognizable as his own, free from the dark leather and metal of his boots and greaves.

Much has been asked of him. Much has been done to him. Taken from him. Skin and sinew and sensation least among them.

Reflexively, he curls his toes, digging into the loosely packed dirt floor of the skin-changer's hut. There is enough of him from before, an untwisted elven sliver buried within the Uruk, that breathes with relief at the contact of soil.

Calmed, he inches forward, glancing up from time to time. From outside he can hear no sign of the skin-changer, can not even smell her beyond the lingering traces within the hut.

The question of what was asked of her, what was taken -- or given -- remains, heavy and prurient.

Sauron had long preferred wolves for his own designs, and would not have wasted a wolfen skin-changer on what he perceived as such lesser, inelegant creations as the Uruk. But a boar...

A flood of considerations splash into Adar's mind, rising up against his skull with the sheer ease of seeing his children and the skin-changer as one.

She would not be able to change for those months of gestation, round and aching and irritable, and that rage would soak into her little ones like grease upon dry wood. They would be wild, even as infants, with broad and flat noses and brindled lines of coarse hair down from the base of their necks to the smalls of their backs. Bruisers and berserkers, with thick limbs and wide shoulders and waists, but still capable of cunning. Faster than their bulk would suggest, and strong.

Rooted where he stands, Adar nearly trembles. He has conjured such beautiful children, and yet, what keeps him from shuffling forward is the thought of her.

Unlike so many before her, this skin-changer would not perish in pregnancy or childbirth. She would persist, would live, and beyond that, would not scorn the black-blooded fruit of her womb. Already a creature of halves, she would not see her uruklings as bastards or monsters, but worthy of her care and affection.

A rare thing, and Adar muses at what effect this might have. At how much stronger his children might be if able to suckle at the breast of their mother long enough to warrant weaning.

The thought of children is ever-complicated. Desire stirs in his loins, but it is almost perfunctory, a base reaction wholly divorced from himself. Sauron has made a wretch of him -- fractured the very concept of fatherhood until Adar can no longer distinguish desire from disgust and shame -- but as he pushes past the half-hearted livening of his body, he realizes it is not interest he feels so much as jealousy.

Adar was not born, but woken at Cuiviénen.

He has no mother, has tasted no milk nor ridden against skin in a sling. No one has ever rocked him to sleep or soothed away his worries. He has eaten from the hands of others, yes, but often forcibly or as an act of degradation -- the skin-changer is the first to have fed him solely as an act of care.

A cavern of aching need opens up between his lungs, just as the skin-changer returns, his gauntlet and armour and clothes bundled in her arms.

She stares at him, though the fact that he is upright is no doubt more of a surprise than his nakedness. And though the whole point of being on his feet has been to free himself and leave, the thought that she has brought his belongings in order to dismiss him leaves him feeling hollow.

He does not wish to leave. Not yet.

"Dahash," he croaks at her, and knows from the narrowing of her eyes that this is not one of his children's words that she has yet learned. Unsurprising.

Please.

GAHHHH I'VE BEEN DERELICT IN MY INBOX POSTING DUTIES.

PART 4 IS HERE ADARLINGS!!!

(If you need to catch up, click here for previous parts of the story!)

There is enough of him from before, an untwisted elven sliver buried within the Uruk, that breathes with relief at the contact of soil.

UMMMMMMM ANON WHO EVEN ARE YOU COMING INTO MY INBOX WITH SENTENCES LIKE THIS. I'm suffering emotional DAMAGE.

[imfromthemiddlekingdom]

There’s been a persistent headcanon I cannot get rid of in my head. There’s been many contradictory statements on when Finwë and Indis got married and how old Feanor was when they did. We know Feanor married young and I don’t imagine Nerdanel and him wasted anytime to get going making babies unless Feanors fear of childbirth got to him due to his mothers death. But if we consider that elf’s are said to have other kids when the first child is grown or as close to it as possible and Nolofinwë was the second child of Finwë and Indis, there’s a chance that Maedhros is older or at least the same age as Nolofinwë. This means that at least four of Feanors kids are older than their aunt and uncles and the rest may be older than all their cousins added together. I’m just thinking of the dynamics between cousins if the Feanorians are that much older than them. We know Maedhros was close to Fingon in Valinor, Curufin and Celegorm was said to be close to both Aredhel and their Arafinwean cousins, it makes for an interesting dynamic if all of them were older than them.

If Maedhros was born around the same time as Fingons father their dynamic is all the more interesting. And since Celegorm is the third eldest he might be around Arafinwes age if this headcanon holds true, and that makes his friendship with both Nolofinwes daughter and the sons of Arafinwe all the more interesting. Although the most interesting may just be Caranthirs beef with elves younger than his younger brothers. Imagine a grown Caranthir glowering at 50 year old Aegnor or Angrod.

If Meadhros was born before Nolofinwë then his father name Nelyafinwë would be less of a pointed jab towards his uncle and more of Feanor reaffirming his own line of succession, but that could mean that Indis named Nolofinwë “high chieftain” in retaliation but I don’t want to think of her as that much of a petty person no matter how interesting that line of character development may be. Or if Nōlo was a bit older than Maedhros I can definitely see Feanor being that stupendously petty and aiming to hurt his new born infant brother who’s the same size as his son.

I think an AU where all seven of Feanors sons are closer in age to their aunts and uncles than their cousins would be really interesting, especially since we know how much each sons friendship with their cousins meant to them and vice versa inspite of the betrayal as Losgar and the First kinslaying. Even after the first kinslaying Celegorm and Curufin fled to Finrod and was welcomed and was the vanguard needed for Orodreth to escape, we know that even after the sons of Feanor condemned the entire host of Nolofinwë to cross the grinding ice Aredhel still went to visit them first after escaping her guards when she fled gondolin. I think it would be much more interesting if they instead were their fathers age then there’s cuz it really does show how fucked elven aging is compared to our understanding of how we age and age differences.

Also I think it would be hilarious for caranthir to have beef with babies ngl. I think it’s hilarious he’d want to throw hands with golden haired toddlers when he’s the same age as their dad.

[jknerd]

Great Princess Frida Jordottir

Full Name: Frida Jordottir

Aliases: Elf Queen, Her Grace Frida

Gender: Female

Age: 200s (late 20s in human age; deceased)

Species: Nature Elf

Affiliations: United Regions of Forrest; Alfheim, Álvaldur family (through marriage), Jordottir family

Occupation: Elf Great Princess consort of United Regions of Forrest Kingdom

Family: Albrénean the Great Prince (husband), Bambi (son)

Relationships: Mena (childhood friend), Ena (childhood friend; sworn sister), 

Likes: Archery, teaching her son magic, having tea in the palace garden, strolls with her childhood friends

Dislikes: Danger within the realms, threats to her husband and son’s safety

Powers/Abilities: Wisdom, inner strength, beauty, archery, magic, deer transformation

Bambi the Elf Prince AU:

Frida Jordottir is a wise and loving mother of Bambi the young elf prince, and faithful wife of the Great Prince Albrénean. Prior to Bambi’s birth, during her childhood, Frida was from Jordottir family, a noble family clan of Nature elves. Her nanny was mother of Ena, whom she became a sworn sister with. With her another friend Mena, the three were very close they promised to stay together even in adulthood. 

During her archery practice in the secluded glade within the forest, Frida noticed the presence and able to locate where it was, only to see a handsome prince Albrénean injured. Unaware of his true identity, she insists on tending his wounds and the pair bonded. In some occasions, they would encounter at the same place and practice magic or archery together, even chatting cordially. However, in the coronation day where all elves gather to witness, she was shocked to see Albrénean was the light elf prince. Discouraged to learn that many elven beauties wish to wed him, she felt unsure to be his significant other. However, Albrénean approached her and asked for her hand in marriage, much to surprise of her family. Among the previous Álvaldur family, no prince have ever married through love. However, as even Frida had suitors, he needed to fight and win to prove himself worthy as her spouse. Battling five elven men of good families, Albrénean won from trials of archery, magic, and combats. Not much later, Frida married Albrénean and the two elven clans became a ruling families of Alfheim. 

Years went by, Frida carried Albrénean’s child and reunited with her friends Ena and Mena who were starting to work as head maid and nanny respectively. During pregnancy, Frida and her friends witness Albrénean’s effort to united all regions of magical beings into one kingdom, ending the racial conflicts between them for good. Despite being guarded all-time, Frida interacts with citizens amicably as they congratulate her pregnancy. She encountered Lady Harrison who had just given birth to son, naming him Thumper, because her son have been thumping his legs during pregnancy AND after childbirth; a story which Frida begins to ponder about naming her child. When the day happened as Frida gave birth to a son, she noticed how small he was compare to other elven babies. Nonetheless, Frida lovingly welcomed her son to the world. In the day of celebrating their son, Albrénean and Frida thanked the citizens for their wonderful gifts. When toddler Thumper curiously approached and asked her what is the name of new prince, Frida replied “Bambi”, a unisex name meaning “little one”.

Since Bambi’s birth, Frida raises her son in the Great Princess quarter of the palace. Normally, once the heir grows, he needed to live separately from his parents and raised by nanny. However, due to his small height compared to average elven children, Albrénean allowed his wife to raise their son while Mena could accompany them. Through Bambi’s early childhood, Frida was delightfully surprised how her son was learning quick with speaking and reading. Whenever Bambi returns home from playing with his friends, she would listen to small adventures he had with them. At one point, Ena visited the palace with her daughter Faline who immediately developed a crush on Bambi, much to both mothers’ amusement.

During mid-Winter, Frida noticed Bambi’s curiosity of the season and—as always—taken her son outside to experience it with his friends. One day, as the nature begins to slowly grow and the weather was less cold, Frida took her son to the border of realm where the nature has already blooming. During so, she noticed unwelcoming presence and urged her son to run; a human was targeting both her and Bambi. To keep her son safe, she decided to run to different location, luring the human. When the gunshot was heart, alarming Albrénean and his troops, it was revealed the human shot Frida killing her. Before the human could retrieve her body, he was surrounded by armed elves forcing him to leave. Frida died with relieved smile, able to rest to know her son was safe. Her death drove a huge shock and grief to the entire United Regions of Forrest; Bambi was too young to understand death as Mena became caretaker while helping Albrénean to develop father-son bonding.

After Frida’s funeral, Frida has been mentioned from Bambi and his father; Albrénean told his son about how he met Frida and added that both used to practice archery. Bambi responded that his mother taught him magic, but wished to learn archery as well. At one point, Faline’s foster brother Gobo—half human, half elf who went missing during Winter—revealed to be alive, returned and explained Bambi, Faline and their friends about humans’ positive side. One of the young elves, Ronno refused to believe Gobo’s opinion of humans and indirectly brought up the death of Frida; claiming that if the human is good, that murderer should at least grovel at their feet and atone for murdering the elf queen. However, Gobo said the humans he met were not the same man but actually villagers living close to the border. Conflicted, Bambi wondered how his mother would think of humans overall. 

When Bambi came of age, during the ceremony, the human lord dragged his troop to takeover the United Regions of Forrest, believing Frida was alive and hidden somewhere; the lord was the same human who shot Frida and—since elves were immortal—wanted her for himself. When the human lord spotted Bambi, he noticed how the young elf prince strikingly resembled Frida’s beauty and decided to abduct him as his beautiful elven slave, obsessively chases after him but was stopped Albrénean. Recognizing the human lord as his mother’s murderer, Bambi avenged her by shooting an arrow right at the man’s eye causing him to fall off from the horse, his fate left in hands of great fire. Although the human lord narrowly escaped, he would be spending his entire life blind and traumatized as a consequences of his crimes.

Spin-Off “Perri and Annerle” AU:

Frida was posthumously named “Unforgotten Nature Elf Queen of Alfheim” as Bambi succeeded the throne. Both Álvaldur and Jordottir family remained as ruling families of Alfheim, Bambi and Faline’s daughter Gurri resembled her grandmother’s childhood persona and talent in archery. Much later, when Annerle was mourning Lukas and asked Bambi how he overcame with his grief, Bambi told her about his mother and how he lived up to her teachings to remember her maternal love. Witnessing Bambi comforting Annerle, Albrénean and Mena mused how Bambi was becoming like his mother not just physical traits, but also observant and nurturing personalities.

[animatorweirdo]

When The Dragons Fly (Book 4)

Your baby sibling was born as a boy, and to protect him, you decided to leave everything behind and raise him by yourself. It was a task that felt impossible, but you learned to open your heart to others and seek help.

Chapter 12 (Final)

Warnings: death of a character, possible paranoia, running away, reader having a hard time looking after a baby, angst, Helena teasing you a lot, and a fluff ending.

---------------------------

The second year as a Lord General flew faster than you thought. You destroyed the records and the evidence about your mother’s heritage. It was for the best that there was no evidence for anyone to use if the secret got out, and then silently watched over your mother in the distance. To the outside world, your mother was a simple commoner turned noble lady and you were a half-blood. 

You didn’t try to talk to her since she didn’t know about the secret. You already ruined your relationship with her, so you didn’t see a reason to try to mend your ways with her. It was enough that you watched over her and made sure there was no danger to her life. 

You came to regret that decision when after one arduous battle, you heard the news that she didn’t survive the childbirth. 

You were shaken with regret and quilt. Hearing about her death was perhaps the thing that returned your ability to feel emotions more vividly. 

You came to King’s Landing to meet your little brother, Aelon, who was perhaps the sweetest thing you had ever seen. You two shared very few similarities, but it was like he knew right away you were his family, smiling and giggling when you held him for the first time. You swore on your life that you would protect him and do your best to share the love now that your mother was gone. 

However, his birth brought one of your fears to life. 

Your uncle declared Aelon his heir, pushing his daughter to the side. There was mild opposition due to Aelon being a half-born like you. However, your uncle was set on his decision as he finally had a son he’d been dreaming about. Your cousin was not pleased as your uncle had chosen her as his heir before Aelon’s birth and it only caused your worries to become more vivid. 

You talked to your uncle, pleading with him to reconsider. You told him that you knew about your mother’s secret and being related to Maegor the Cruel. You told him all the dangers that would follow, but he was insistent, assuring you that everything would turn out all right. 

You realized too late that revealing the secret to your uncle was a mistake. Someone had listened to your talk with him, and on the very next day, the secret of your bloodline was brought to light. 

The rumors were held within the castle walls and when you realized that it was someone from the house of Hightower who spread the secret: you made a decision that would change your life for good. 

There was no way you were going to allow Aelon to die, so you decided to take him, his dragon egg, and leave. 

You made the preparations quickly. You left the instructions to Alistair and the other commanders on what to do and your reason to run away. You trusted them enough to understand and decide among themselves what to do in your absence.

You sought out Allessandra, a witch you had saved from being burned alive. With her guidance, you went for the devil’s wall and with pure luck, survived the storm that nearly took your life. 

You then found your way to Middle Earth. 

You first encountered an elf when Baleria swam to the nearest shore. He was an elven lord to a group of elves who resided near the sea. He was startled by the sight of Baleria but offered a safe place for you and your brother. You were still shaken by your experience from the storm and didn’t trust him at that time, so you rejected the offer and left. 

You traveled around for some time, avoiding being seen by people and trying to find a safe secluded home. You found your home in a small village in the north, near the mountains that would provide a hiding place for Baleria. 

However, you underestimated how challenging caring for a newborn was. You barely had any idea what you should be doing, and you heard that most women naturally knew what to do when they became mothers, but it was obviously a lie. 

Aelon cried a lot when he was hungry or needed his little pants to be changed. You barely got any sleep. He wandered a lot in the house, nearly injuring himself from sharp corners or falling off. It was like he was cluelessly seeking ways to end himself. He was luckily easily entertained with toys, but even they would prove dangerous when he would try to eat them, so you only changed for big plushies and toys too big for him to eat. 

Your new neighbors sometimes came to check on you and try to offer help, but you rejected them. You were certain you would be able to overcome it. You had survived and seen worse battles, so you should be able to care for a baby.

It was not easy when your neighbors constantly tried to get involved with your life. You didn’t fully trust anyone to look after him, and when you did have to leave him to do some work to keep you two fed, you usually allowed the strange girl, Helena, and her family to watch over him. 

You didn’t know how, but they made it look so easy and Aelon did not misbehave. 

Your neighbor with their newborn daughter also showed how easy it looked. You came to envy them and their ability to make Aelon calm. You wanted to prove that you could do it yourself, but when you failed to make Aelon stop crying for the fifth time in the week, you walked over to them, feeling defeated. 

They did not judge you and your neighbor handled Aelon, making him stop crying.

“You know, it’s okay to feel stressed and cry if you really need to,” the girl, Helena, spoke after you gave Aelon to Miss Earil. 

You straightened your back, drying your eyes. “I’m not stressed. I just haven’t been able to sleep for a while,” you said. 

The girl scoffed. “Yes, you are. You look like you really need to cry,” she said. 

You nearly wanted to strangle her, but you kept your calm. Many things had been getting on your nerves.  

“Crying’s for weak,” you stated. 

“Says who?” she asked and you were momentarily stunned.

“Crying is quite normal, and you have been trying to take care of your little brother all by yourself without help. I think you deserve a moment to cry out of stress,” she smiled. 

“Well, turns out taking care of a baby is not as easy as it seemed,” you mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

“Oh, I believe you. You are a kid, of course, you would not know how to take care of a baby. It’s an adult job,” Helena giggled. 

“I’m not a kid. I’m sixteen. I’m going to be seventeen next month,” you snapped at her. 

“Yet still a kid…” Helena grinned. “And that’s great. When’s your birthday? we could celebrate together as friends,” she asked. 

“I...” you were stunned. You did not expect her to change to subject on celebrating your birthday. 

“I… don’t need birthdays,” you looked away. 

“Why not? We could throw you one!” Helena said. 

“No. It’s just… I stopped celebrating my birthdays. There’s really no need for it,” You answered, frustrated. 

“But what if we want to? To properly welcome you to our village!” She declared. “Come on! I want to be your friend!” she grinned. 

“Why?” You asked with a frown. 

Helena giggled. “What do you mean why? Is there a reason I should have for wanting to be your friend?” she asked. 

You stood there, dumbfounded. You couldn’t find an answer to that question.

“Well, one reason might be because I can finally have a girlfriend around my age,” Helena stated.

“Aren’t you… like three years younger than me,” you asked. 

“Doesn’t matter! So let’s be friends!” she grabbed your hands, causing you to look at her with panic.

“Come on! Please! Please! Please! It was so lonely until you and Aelon arrived! We can have so much fun together!” she pleaded with big eyes. 

“Uhm… ah…” You became flustered, unable to come up with a proper answer. You had never encountered someone so eager to be your friend. Yet again, you never really had a female friend.

“Okay…” you uttered. 

“Yes!” she said and suddenly hugged you. You raised your hands, going stiff like a rock when she hugged you. 

With Helena and your neighbor's guidance and support, you learned how to properly take care of Aelon. You also learned to be more trusting toward them.

Helena took you everywhere and helped you be more expressive than look like you were planning someone’s murder. She was a wild one, but she gently helped you become more open toward others. Before you even knew it, she had become your best friend.

Your life got better from there.

You were nearly surprised at how much happy you felt after finally getting the hang of it. There was a moment when Aelon became deadly sick. He had a fever that refused to go down even with Eda’s help. You feared the worst, but then remember how you became healthy thanks to Baleria. You set Aelon’s egg beside him and prayed every night that it would hatch and save your brother from his illness. 

Gods answered your prayers and Aelon’s dragon finally hatched, revealing a small white dragon with crimson eyes. The small creatures latched on to Aelon, and your dear little brother finally recovered from his illness. From his loud chirps and shrieks which sounded similar to a falcon, you named him Falconer. 

And that was how you finally found a reason to live and be more happy. 

You woke up after a dream.

You looked at Aelon and smiled. He had grown into a fine boy with a golden heart. It did not matter to you that he was your cousin and half-brother. You will always see him as your little brother and never regret taking him away for a better life. 

“What? Is there something on my face?” Aelon asked when he noticed you staring. 

“Nothing. I’m just happy. I think you will become a fine man one day,” you stated.  

“I hope so. “ he smiled. 

“I know you will…” you uttered as you took comfort in each other’s presence.

Taglist: @natchayaphorn@kimnamnu@thatrandomidiot182 @springfountain @maedhrosiseverything2me

[feralkat]

Elven Pregnancy & Birth Headcanons

Note: This is just some world-building for my fantasy universe that y'all will see in a lot of my fics. It's not supposed to apply to any sort of popular media elf or fae characters but if you want to adopt any of these points as headcanons for one then go ahead.

Elves - particularly demi-fae elves - tend to have very low fertility rates due to their near immortal lifespans

Like it is a huge surprise when two elves give birth within a 100-year span

The only exception to this are dusk elves that tend to have one birth per year but they also have a much shorter lifespan than most other elven races as well

Focusing back on demi-fae elves, though, their gestation time is 27 months because of how slowly they develop and grow

So each trimester is the length of a full human pregnancy essentially

Labor and birth works a little differently, too, due to their narrow bone structure

There's four stages rather than three - the first being as their body finishes accommodating to even allow the baby to drop down into place and pass through the parent's pelvis

It's pretty much twoish weeks of discomfort, during which some signs of early labor also start happening

Active labor typically begins at the end of the first stage

Everything still progresses relatively slowly, though, and it is not uncommon for an elf to be in active labor for several days before they are fully dilated and able to begin pushing

It's not quite like how humans experience active labor, though

Contractions are further apart but also last longer and are more discomfort than pain

By the time they're fully dilated, though, the contractions will be only a few minutes apart

The third stage - pushing and actually giving birth - can vary drastically in length just like it does with humans

Some elves will be able to push through like two contractions and have their baby in their arms while others will spend hours at this stage as the baby works its way down much more slowly

Either way, usually the placenta is delivered within a half hour after the baby is born and it is tradition to leave the umbilical cord intact until after the placenta is delivered.

Elf babies tend to weigh about 5 to 6lbs but there are records of some being up to 8lbs with the largest elf baby recorded weighing in at 9lb10oz at birth

Multiples are extremely rare with only two sets of twins and one set of triplets recorded

Since pretty much all of that was about demi-fae elves, let's switch the focus to dusk elves!

Dusk elves typically live about 200 years which is a very short lifespan as far as elven races go

As said before, there is usually one birth per year - though there have been several years in which no dusk elves were born and others in which there have been up to 10 pregnancies and births in a single year so it does vary pretty wildly.

Dusk elves tend to be pretty small - some of the tallest ones coming in at 5' - and have a bit of a stockier and/or curvier build as far as bone structure goes which aides immensely in childbirth

Speaking of, they typically give birth after around 14 months of gestation

For them, labor is quite a bit shorter - the average time being 9hrs for a first time parent and around 5hrs for subsequent pregnancies

The vast majority of dusk elves have water births - usually in some sort of natural spring

Normally, only the birthing parent's partner(s) attend the birth and it tends to be a rather intimate and sometimes erotic experience because of all the hormones released during labor and birth

On average newborns are around 3-5lbs with the largest recorded being 8lbs15oz

Twins are relatively rare but happen every once in a while, though there haven't been any reports of triplets happening

If you have any questions about my elves or my ideas about any other fantasy beings please feel free to send an ask!

[lissomelace]

I'd love to hear about "Reciprocation"!

Thanks for the ask!

"Reciprocation" kind of focuses on some ideas I had about the whole "elven parents sustain their children spiritually" thing, but in a messed up scenario. It started from the premise that Finwe was abusive and didn't really offer Miriel the spiritual support she needed in pregnancy and childbirth (hence why Things Went Wrong). It focuses on Indis, who is now having to deal with the same neglect as she has her own children after having lost a lot of herself to Finwe, who used her to sustain Feanaro through his early years. Excerpt below:

“I will stay,” Feanaro said, imperious. “Nerdanel will understand.” “Nerdanel?” Indis asked, curious at the unfamiliar name. Feanaro flushed. Indis might have thought him embarrassed if he were anyone else. “It is of little matter,” he said stiffly, then twitched. And Indis had the unparalleled experience of watching Feanaro backtrack, wrong-footed, for the first time in her life. Even in anger, even in haste, even when saying something demonstrably wrong, his conviction and commitment had always spilled out, overflowing. “That is not to say she is of little matter, of course,” he stumbled out. “She is—of course—unrivaled in her mastery and knowledge, and she is great in ways that cannot be defined. And she is not patient, for the fire of the Noldor burns in her stronger than any other. But she will understand.”

I like writing it, because I don't usually write Indis, and it's interesting to--at least eventually--have her and Feanaro interact in a non-hostile way, but it's still in the early stages of writing.

[vyjuarts]

Aureum (Elentiya Wildwind), draconic sorcerer elf

I happily bring you my third ever dnd character as a new addition to my series where I bring my and my groups characters to life. ✨

The Mharoti Empire is most well known of their essentially dragon superiority. High ranking role or leading position can only be given to draconic folk, dragons or dragonborns. Any other race are good as slaves or token dummies in low ranking positions. The main motivation of the empire's leader, the draconic Dread Sultan, is full domination and spreading out their power towards many territories, thus keeping siege on multiple kingdoms all at once.

Sweet Elentiya was born in the Mezar province of the Mharoti Empire as the lone daughter to a fairly poor elven couple. After the mother passed away due to the childbirth, as Elentiya later learned was a highly common thing in her bloodline, her father took care of the little girl. In her youth, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary with her, she was a kind young woman helping out her father around the house and fields. She and her father created a happy, loving home, even in their poor conditions.

After she turned into a young woman is when her body started to change in a different manner. She started showing signs of magical abilities she couldn't control as well as changes on her skin. Small spikes and scales started forming in her shoulders, abdomen and face that she couldn't hide after a while. As her powers started to show up more and more and with increasing intensity, so did her abnormal features. These changes scared her and we'll as her father, who instead of understanding and support, gave only condemnation and distance to her panicking daughter.

After some unfortunate events with the little villages superstitious dwellers, a dragonborn soldier group was sent to the little cottage of the elven family to eradicate a so-called aberration that can only mean bad luck and suffering to everything nearby. Against all expectations, the leader black dragonborn didn't kill the young woman on sight, but, after just watching her that seemed like an eternity, ordered Elentiya to follow her or die. The last memory of her father was his relieved face as she was pushed out of that little cottage and embarked on a long travel to the most eastern edges of the Dragoncoil Mountains.

She was escorted through treacherous mountain peaks and deadly cliffs to an enormous stone stronghold atop of the most complicated and monumental cave system she has ever hear of. This was the Awaking Deep, as she learned later, a secret base of the Dread Sultan's special forces. There she learned how the Deep's leader, the dark Shanta, who is Elentiya's great-grandmother, collects young magic-wielder women of dragonic descendance, half-bloods or less, to create a new force team for the Dread Sultan as magic user wyvern riders. This ambitious plan goes against all previous dogmas of the Empire, especially how humanoids with partly dragonic descendance are usually killed on sight or, in best cases, get chased away.

Eletiya also got answers to her questions regarding her heritage. Shanta described her how their powers came from an ancient golden dragon, Hakutala, her great-great-great-grandfather. Learned that Elentiya's cousin, Dorola is also in the Awaking Deep.

This started Elentiya's training in survival and fighting through almost 20 years besides hundreds of women whose only a fraction survived in the end of it. In that enormous, dark cave system the life and survival was immensely difficult, Elentiya survival was only ensured with teaming up with her older cousin, Dorola.

Only after 20 years of bloody training was when the 33 best fighter got the chance to choose their wyverns and be sorted in different flight circles. Through fights and duels, Elentiya earned her wyvern, a young silver coloured male she named Hyperion. With the beast she got into the Golden Wing fleet, where she eventually got the Second in command position to the Wing Leader Dorola.

Finally after 20 years, they got permission to leave the cave systems for flight practices, fleet practices and huntings with ending the day back in the stronghold. Life felt much better, almost felt free for Elentiya next to her strict but loving cousin. But as it is known... You are never truely free from the Awaking Deep.

Through love, heartbreak, child loss and pain, she finally got out from there. She set the loyal Hyperion free for his safety, and under a new name, as Aureum, the Golden Wind, she begins to travel the world with the realms strangest group. But how long can she keep running before the past catching up with her?

[ceescedasticity]

Fic: Athrabeth, Amended

Several amendments to the common understanding of Andreth Saelind: firstly a discussion of textual decay, and secondly an account of how the House of Finarfin in Beleriand entrapped themselves in a significant lie despite resolving not to do that again. Written by Finrod Felagund, S.A. 1953, Tirion. Quenya version available upon request.

Of the Athrabeth:

Andreth is known since the First Age primarily by the "Discourse of Finrod and Andreth", which is a philosophical treatise in the form of a colloquium. Finrod and Andreth wrote it jointly in F.A. 441, as a summation of their many discussions. While this was not even fifteen years before the realms of Beleriand lost the resources needed for publication of treatises, it did see see some distribution, especially among the Edain, and among Edain it survived the ruin of Beleriand and came to Númenor and thence, at some point in the first five hundred years of the Second Age, to Aman. While not widely studied, it did enter the scholarly canon on the matter of the Atani.

Despite periodic involvement with such study, Finrod did not review the text until approached by a scholar with questions some fourteen hundred years after that. Only then did anyone realize the text brought from Númenor was not identical to the text as distributed in Beleriand.

How precisely this came to pass is not known and likely will never be. Orodreth Angarátion has confirmed that he edited the copies in Nargothrond after Finrod's death, fearing that the passage removed (in which Finrod concedes it is fair for Andreth to doubt the benevolence of any Power which would condemn children for the crimes of their parents, and admits he himself cannot quell such doubts) would be held against his uncle in the Halls of Mandos. However, he left the rest of the text intact.

Regardless, survivors of Nargothrond do not believe the "Athrabeth" was among the few dozen texts of Nargothrond's library which survived with them. No one available for interview has any recollection of seeing a copy in the collections on the Isle of Balar or in the Havens of Sirion, though none claim exhaustive knowledge of such. It seems likely (though not certain) it was saved by the Edain and only the Edain.

The question remains of why the treatise was altered as it was.

The excision of the speculation on the ultimate destinations of hypothetical peredhel is understandable given that by the time of Númenor it was known to be incorrect. (Andreth supposed that such children would be of the Eldar, and so were destined for alienation from their Atani parent; Finrod supposed such children would be of the Atani, and destined for eternal separation from their elven parent.)

Also removed was an extensive discussion of the implications of Marring on personal responsibility and culpability, which is of course a common philosophical subject in Eldamar. It came to no conclusion, with both discussants admitting they could find no answer that satisfied them (also common in discussions of the subject in Eldamar).

The only part which has not been well-covered elsewhere was Andreth's explanation of her people's more visceral experience of Marring: the threat of sickness even without Enemy intervention, the perils of childbirth, and the slow decline towards death which often brought unceasing pain. If the One above all could not stop such evils being wrought upon his children by the Marring, she asked, can we justly reproach any lesser being for succumbing to the Marring and doing evil? And then the discussion proceeded down the customary paths.

It is possible this section was removed because there is no conclusion, and so it was taken to have no instructive value. In the opinion of the authors the instructive value of the passage was that all people feel doubt, and even in the worst depths of it when the foundations of the world feel unsteady they can still seek to do good.

Also arguably lacking in instructive value is the section in which Finrod confesses the horror of living under the Doom and feeling it creeping towards all he holds dear, and the challenge of willfully ignoring foresight of his own death, then breaks down weeping. Andreth felt strongly that it must be included as a far better illustration that Eldar understand suffering than any dry recitation of hardships.

A possible explanation is that the excisions were made to make the conclusions cleaner, and more in accordance with Númenórean orthodoxy. It is also possible that the editor aimed to elevate Finrod's wisdom by removing the exchanges in which he could not hold to his positions. (It is the opinion of a commentator who wishes to remain anonymous that if so it was a failure, as the result only made him sound "more insufferable than usual".)

Left virtually unchanged was the passage on Andreth and Aegnor, which is the only part that, in honesty, should have been amended: While the content did derive from several early discussions, by the time of the treatise's compilation much of it had been made obsolete. Also, the claim that the Eldar do not seize brief satisfaction that will bring future grief is not only often wrong but particularly egregious coming from an Exile, and it was misleading to speak of 'wartime customs' when there had only been one war and said customs were not broadly agreed to. But perhaps most importantly, some of that passage was included for the purpose of perpetuating a lie.

Of the lie

The situation would never have arisen if Finrod had simply not advised Aegnor against courting Andreth, with many ominous predictions of woe and doom and foolhardiness. He would have amended his advice had he realized Aegnor's response would be to mull over the situation before deciding to court Andreth in secret. A year later they married, speaking their vows alone in the woods. While by the customs of the Eldar this was a valid if scandalous marriage, by the customs of the Edain it was not, and might have exposed Andreth to no small amount of censure had it become widely known.

Andreth's siblings Bregor and Beril realized what had happened quickly, but agreed not to speak of it. Aegnor's brother Angrod also realized quickly but kept the secret.

Edhellos, Orodreth and Arameldis realized within a few months that Angrod was hiding something, and Orodreth's daughter Finduilas claimed to have known Aegnor was having good fortune in love the next time she saw him. Galadriel, hundreds of leagues away beyond the Ered Luin, said it had come to her that Aegnor had embraced his doom.

Finrod perceived none of this and his house later made much mockery of it, in person or by letter.

When Aegnor after a year felt guilty for the deception and confessed, Finrod repented of his counsel, for if they were set on this course he would not have them walk it unsupported. Their decision was made and his growing certainty of Aegnor's future suffering was irrelevant. He gave his belated blessing, and welcomed Andreth to the House of Finarfin, and asked their preferences for a proper feast and recognition of the marriage.

But Aegnor and Andreth were uncertain if they wished for such a thing. Aegnor feared that if Finrod had not thought well of his course, Finrod who was a friend to Andreth and loved the Bëorings well, then other opinions would be far worse. He anticipated only derision from the Noldor and disgust from the Sindar.

Andreth for her part did not wish to be gawked at from all sides as the first woman of the Edain to be married to an elf, and knew enough of the manners and maneuverings of Noldorin courts to know she wanted none of it.

They would tell the House of Finarfin, and Andreth's close kin, and their blessing would be more than enough.

Finrod conceded, though he did caution them that while he yet thought Aegnor resigned to bitter loneliness, he himself had confided in certain of his kin that his advice had brought his brother sorrow and he did not know if he had done right. Those kin had promised discretion, but discretion is not utter secrecy, and rumors were likely inevitable. But Aegnor felt those better than the rumors that might come should the truth be revealed.

Indeed, one way or another it seeped out to become general knowledge in at least the House of Finwë in Beleriand that Aegnor loved a woman of the Edain, but they had not wedded, and now the two were living their lives separately, faithfully, and unhappily. No one commented on it directly in public, or in Aegnor's presence. Overall the reactions were not so consistently negative as had been feared, but some were very cruel.

Several more years passed, with the secret well-kept though the accidental lie was only spreading further. Andreth had a house set a little apart from the villages of the Bëorings, enough for privacy though not isolation, and there Aegnor and Andreth met joyfully when they could, for she would not hear of his compromising his duties at the Siege for her sake, or even making arrangements to change them.

Andreth's more distant kin she told she was wedded to a man of the Haladin who was kept away, and this was held to be true among them, whatsoever they might suspect.

That elves do not marry in wartime is untrue. Finrod believed it should be a custom, but it was not and is not, where elves still fight wars. It is an acknowledged risk, to bring a new marriage-bond to the battlefield, but many Eldar do so nonetheless.

That elves do not have children in wartime was not an established custom at the time (all generalizations about 'wartime' were dubious). But it has become so, as an extension of the custom that elves do not have children if they are not sure the second parent may be close at hand from begetting to birth, and both parents readily available for the first five to ten years of the child's life.

But the Atani have no expectation or requirement of such: a mother with a child requires support, of course, but it may be readily supplied by her kin or the father's kin or any other part of a trusted community; so they decided it might be done, even though Aegnor's duties would keep him away more often than not.

And they were not wrong: Andreth's daughter Barawen (named later Gilrodel by her father) was birthed in F.A. 394 in one of Aegnor's long absences, with no help save Andreth's own kin, and she was small but hale. When Aegnor returned he adored her immediately, and sent to his own kin many loving words of her, and that was the first even Angrod had heard of the matter. Aegnor knew they all would love Barawen at once, but underestimated the dismay of his family at how Barawen was born in his absence, most pointedly his law-sister Edhellos.

Childless Finrod reacted more temperately, but felt Aegnor should take some time away from the border and the Siege — perhaps ten or fifteen years, to cover Barawen's early childhood and allowing for one or two siblings, spaced as children of the Atani. This could be done if Finrod himself temporarily took over Aegnor's duties, which he should suffice for. They would only have to explain the situation to High King Fingolfin and some of the more highly-placed people of Nargothrond.

Aegnor feared this would lead to the rumors bending towards the truth, but would have agreed to at least be relieved of his stations at the Siege. Andreth was adamant in refusal. Replacing a commander could only weaken a force, and the Siege must not be compromised for her sake or even her children's. She would not have it.

Whether or not it would have been best to respect Andreth's wishes in this, matters were arranged so that Aegnor was present for the births of Bardhis Gilhíril in F.A. 397 and Bronadui Gildor in F.A. 401, and Andreth was visited often by her husband's close kin. Finrod and Finduilas were most successful at being untroublesome.

Now at this time none in Beleriand knew of the Choice of the Peredhil, and their ultimate fate was a mystery. Finrod felt such children would receive the Gift of Men: they would be set free to seek new adventures, but their elven parent would be yet more bereaved. Andreth felt such children would have the destiny of the elves: they would be blessed with health and wisdom and beauty, but would leave their human parent behind and forget them. Aegnor would say nothing at all on the matter.

Observing the children was of little help: they grew much as human children did, but as youths could be taken easily for elves. They were both elf and human, and neither, and that said nothing of what their future would be.

But since they might have the fate of the Eldar, all thought it fit for them to spend time among the Eldar, as Eldar; and here at last was the price of the secrecy.

How could they claim the children as close kin? They might have been said to be the children of Aegnor by some elven woman who despised public life, save for the broad belief that Aegnor pined faithfully for a woman of the Secondborn and would have no other. Finrod could have claimed them, but his intention not to wed was also well-known; and if there was any risk of the children being recognized as half-Atani, claiming Finrod as a father would only worsen it.

Eventually they settled upon simply claiming the children as being of their House and giving them the patronymics of Ingloriel and Inglorion, which sounded as if it might refer to an Arafinwëan, and calling them by their father-names, which did not start with 'B'. Then the family would simply act as if that should explain all and hope anyone insightful enough to see the maneuver would be wise enough to accept their silence.

Barawen valued her visits to Nargothrond and the Noldorin forts of Dorthonion chiefly for seeing more of her father's kin than could often visit together, but Bardhis Gilhíril and Bronadui Gildor found great love in their hearts for the songs and arts of the Eldar. Barawen wed a Bëorian man and had a son called Baran; her sister and brother lingered in the gap between elf and human, between the responsibilities of adults of the House of Bëor and the possibilities of youths of the House of Finarfin. But all of the children of Andreth returned often to her side.

It was in this period that Finrod and Andreth compiled their philosophical treatise, and in service to this cover, to shielding Gilhíril and Gildor from hostile scrutiny, that they included a version of the tale of Aegnor and Andreth that fit with the rumors among the Noldor.

When the Dagor Bragollach came, the three children were apart.

Gildor was by chance in Nargothrond, and though he would have joined Finrod's muster, seldom had he trained together with the soldiers or rangers and he was firmly left behind.

Barawen was in Ladros. Her husband and son at once joined the defense of the Men of Dorthonion; Barawen at once set about arming herself and the other hale women without small children to join as well.

Gilhíril was with Aegnor in Dorthonion, but he sent her from his side when he first saw the fires coming, bidding her see to her mother's safety. Gilhíril did so, and brought Andreth and many other Bëorings safely to the Forest of Brethil.

Barawen fought well and bravely in the company of the Bëorings, and in that company was slain and passed to the Halls of Mandos, and thence beyond the borders of Arda. And insight came to Aegnor even as he fought his last defense, that his oldest child was gone and he would not see her again before the end of the world.

Gilhíril meant at first to stay in the Forest of Brethil with her mother. But Andreth said: "Your father and sister are dead, and soon I will be dead too. We may yet all see each other again, if your uncle's hopes are true, but I do not know. But now you must go to your brother. Tell what truths you will and walk what roads you must. Do not concern yourself any more with my worries, or your father's." So Gilhíril left her mother for the last time and went to Nargothrond.

Not long after passed Andreth Saelind, and Arda was poorer for her loss.

Despite Andreth's blessing, her surviving children chose not to tell their truths, and the road they chose was to be Gilhíril and Gildor, children of "Inglor", even in private.

They survived the First Age in the company of Ereinion Gil-galad. When Eönwë informed them of the Choice of the Peredhil, they agreed: They chose the elves. They already had.

They dwell yet in Middle-earth with Gil-galad and Galadriel.

[voloslobotomyservice]

Tav Character Worksheet

thank you @elven-e-girl for the tag! always feel free to tag me in things like this because I love talking about my little guys!

no pressure tags: @my-favourite-zhent @fistfuloftarenths @leopardmuffinxo

Name: Fiadh O’Keefei

Age: 54 years old

Gender: cis female

Sexuality: fairly fluid, but no solid label

Pronouns: she/her

Tav Voice: voice 2

Family: Fiadh is an only child, with her mother dying during childbirth. She was raised by her father, Keefei, who is the leader of their druid circle. There were many other members of the circle who took care of her when his Archdruid duties took him away from their home. Though Keefei did not have any more children, she treated the other kids in the circle like her own siblings.

Birthplace: She was born in Moonshae Islands, where her parents were originally from. She and her father relocated to Ardeep Forest not long after she was born.

Jobs: Because she lived in her circle for so long, Fiadh didn’t have a “traditional job.” Sometimes she would keep watch of the circle at night, other times she would be sent out to hunt for food or to protect their land. She made sure to help out the circle as much as she could, so she could one day take her father’s place as Archdruid.

Phobias: Not really a phobia, but she does have a fear of failure. She wants to prove to the world that she is a strong, independent woman who is highly successful. She is also afraid of becoming corrupt when she becomes Archdruid, like the stories that her father has told her about.

Guilty Pleasures: She’ll indulge in too much Plum Fizz when the time calls for it. She also enjoys sun bathing in the nude, which she tries to do away from the prying eyes of the circle.

Hobbies: Sparring with her ‘siblings,” practicing lute (rather badly), basket weaving, and occasionally tailoring clothes of various members of the circle. She is also known to cook up a good meal, when the time calls for it.

Alignment: Neutral Good - calling for nature to take its course, no matter the outcome.

Sins: Fiadh tries to be without sin to become a good Archdruid, but she can have a nasty temper. It usually rises when people are making false accusations about her or other people in the circle. She nearly killed an outsider for speaking poorly of her father.

Virtues: Nature shall always have its balance, whether it is helpful or harmful. Respect your elders. Look after the small, for they are the future. Stay humble and be kind.

This or That?

Introverted/Extroverted - after spending so many years in her circle, she has found that she thrives well with others and prefers to be in a large pack-like group

Organized/Disorganized - she helps the others organize their packs and each companion is responsible for various different items

Closed Minded/Open Minded

Calm/Anxious/Restless - she doesn’t feel it necessary to spend her time worrying about the future (spoiler alert: she is worried)

Disagreeable/Agreeable - rather easy to get along with

Cautious/Reckless

Patient/Impatient

Outspoken/Reserved

Leader/Follower - natural leader, helps others try to think rationally before acting

Empathetic/Apathetic - almost to a fault

Optimist/Pessimist/Realist - tries to stay positive, despite the world falling around them

Traditional/Modern - to be fair, it’s all Fiadh’s ever really known

Hardworking/Lazy - she has worked hard over the years to one day take over her father’s place

OTP: The details of her in-game story is still in development, but I believe she and Wyll end up together. She thinks he’s handsome and witty, and has good characteristics of a potential husband. He thinks she’s elegant and handles her leadership with grace, which was refreshing after spending so many years in the wilderness of Faerûn. Eventually, they become Duke and Duchess of Baldur’s Gate and bring peace to the city! It’s an adjustment for Fiadh for sure, but she grows to love Wyll’s home, just as she loves him 🤠

BroTP: Gets along well with Gale, she likes to have scholarly discussions with him, even though she doesn’t have the same education as he does. She and Karlach have similar backgrounds, so they bonded over their untraditional childhoods. They often go on walks through the woods together. She and Shadowheart also become close, they both have respect for each other due to their devotion to their deities. She is also very close to Halsin, considering he and her father became friends when they fought Ketheric Thorm. He shares a lot of stories about his younger days with her, and she tells him of his years leading the circle.

NoTP: Fiadh is friendly with Astarion (and may have hooked up with him once), but she would not see him as anything more than a good friend. Same with Lae’zel. Both of their personalities don’t mesh with hers very well.

[fa1lmage]

#FA1LMAGE: a dnd / bg3 / critical role rp blog for VI'HAAN TALDERESH, the disowned son of renowned sorcerer family Talderesh

Vi'haan Talderesh (he/him, trans man, in his late 30s) is a half-elven wizard who comes from a renowned and well-respected family of sorcerers. At least, on his elven side. His human mother was a kind fighter who did not have a single magical bone in her body. His mother also died shortly after childbirth, a fact his father has not forgiven him for, even though Vi'haan did not ask to be born. Despite his own harsh feelings toward his youngest child, Vi'haan's father made sure he was well-fed and well schooled -- especially in the sorcery arts. Sadly no amount of tutoring could make up for the fact he did not inherit his family's sorcerer abilities.

Desperate to feel a sense of family amongst his two older half-siblings (same father, different mother) and to gain his father's approva, he secretly studied the art of wizardry, hoping that as long as he only cast spells both wizards and sorcerers are capable of casting that he could trick his family into thinking he was a sorcerer as well. Sadly his farce did not last long, with an ambitious maid discovering his spellbook in his bedroom and bringing it before his father, hoping for a promotion. She gained a promotion that day and he gained his father's ire.

Between his lack of magical ability and his lying, his father was beyond furious. His father gave him an ultimatum, accept his fate of not being a sorcerer and give up magic entirely (his family views both warlocks and wizards as beneath them ) and burn his spellbook before his father as a sign of goodwill, or get disowned. His spellbook was something he poured his heart and soul into, and the texts he read to study wizardry were written by wizards/mages who understood him. Much to the shock of his father and himself, he refused. Disowned and stripped of both last name and from the family tree, he no longer has ties to the family estate. All he has is a love for magic and a yearning to find new family/friends who care for him because of who he is, not who they want him to be.

SEE RULES UNDER THE CUT. Verse info coming soon!

LAW ;

▍ ❝   MUTUALS ONLY. If I want to interact with you in any way I will follow you back.. If I don't follow you back within 4 weeks it means I don't want to interact. If you continue to follow me after those 4 weeks I reserve the right to hard block you.Please note my blog is 18+ for general interactions and 21+ for romantic and/or sexually explicit rp threads

.▍ ❝  MINORS DNI. My blog contains material not suitable for minors such as fantasy typical violence/blood and sexually suggestive (or explicit) content. My blog is 18+ for general interactions and 21+ for romantic and/or sexually explicit rp threads. Minors who try to interact with me will be hard blocked.

▍ ❝  GENERAL DNI LIST.* DNI IF YOU ARE A PERSONAL BLOG/NON RP BLOG. If your rp blogs are a sideblog state it clearly in your main blog's bio or I will block you!* Harry Potter (even if you are anti-JKR. The HP fandom/RPC in general makes me uncomfortable.* If your muse(s) are for shows/books/games meant primarily for kids younger than 13 (ex: Bluey, Pokemon, Sonic the Hedgehog, pretty much any Disney cartoon, etc.)* If your muse(s) are from adult style cartoons (ex: Archer, Hazbin Hotel, Family Guy, etc.)

▍ ❝ RP ETIQUETTE.

I don't support call out culture. If someone is an issue you can use the report and blocking tools. You also can handle the issue privately/without making a spectacle of it.

 I'm autistic and have social anxiety. Because of this I struggle with ooc chatter and tend to prefer rp memes to get threads going (versus plotting). I'm open to plotting but need some prompts/questions to get going. Reaching out to me with question ssuch as "what sort of dynamic do you think they'd have?" or "what are some rp tropes you enjoy?" will get you a better response from me than a vague message such as "let's plot"

I have a full time job and live on a farm. I also frequently babysit my niece and nephew (both of them are under 5 years old). Because of this, my reply lengths and speed will vary. Do not follow me if this is a problem for you. Also do not follow me if you look down on people who don't always have the energy to write novella style replies and/or people who can't reply multiple times a day.

Favoritism: I do not have it. I tend to reply to short threads during the work week when I have less energy and long threads on the weekend when I have more energy. I also have friends on here who I write with a lot/have hashed out character dynamics through DMs so I write with them often. Not everything is about you and just because I take a little while to reply to you DOESN'T mean I hate to you. If you easily get jealous of other writers DNI.

I often struggle to understand social cues, especially digital social cues. I especially find soft blocking vs tumblr glitching out hard to determine. Because of this I AM NOT SOFTBLOCK FRIENDLY!!

FYI: I tend to block personal/non-rp blogs, minors, people who haven't interacted with me much after multiple attempts of me reaching out, people who ignore my DNI info, people who are inactive a long time without warning, blogs who have an overwhelming number of muses, people who I feel like I just don't mesh well with, etc.

▍ ❝  RULES (short version)

18+ for general interactions, 21+ for nsfw interactions (dni if you are a minor)

* I use the block button frequently. If you don't want to interact with me you're more than welcome to block me in turn.

* don't be a bigot in ANY capacity

* this is a bg3/dnd/fantasy/western/supernatural rp multimuse blog. I will follow blogs for other fandoms/genres at my own discretion and will block anyone who I think just isn't a good match for me.

* Communication is key. We are all adults here. You can DM me or ask for my discord.

* I have multiple rp blogs and am most active on asangel & mistakenmessiah

[arbaughart]

Lotus Aldwir 🪷

This one is for the Elgar'Rook nation bc she got mistaken for a Crow bc of the armor and that's on me for not explaining 😭 Anyway, her:

Lotus Aldwir

she/her

Dalish

Veil Jumper

35 as of the events of DATV

Song - Runaway by AURORA

Originally supposed to romance Emmrich, which I have in game, however, other plans are in motion, as y'all well know.

Her mother, a city elf, died shortly after childbirth due to circumstances that could've been completely avoided. She managed to give Lotus one gift, her name, before passing and leaving Lotus and her father a clan of two.

Lotus' father is Dalish, and raised her with Dalish teachings all her life, often invoking Elgar'nan because of his wife's tragedy and longing for vengeance. He was the central god in their home, and when she was old enough, received his vallaslin.

Lotus never had a full clan, so to speak; her clan was her and her father, with occasional stays with other clans as they traveled.

About a year before Lotus joined the Veil Jumpers, she lost her father, who had contracted some sort of illness, which later turned out to be the Blight. She traveled on her own for a time until the Veil Jumpers found her. And then her lore aligns with the Veil Jumper lore given when choosing the faction.

Both she and her father were mages, specifically mages who spoke with spirits/necromancers, and Lotus prefers using a dagger and orb for close combat instead of a staff at ranged. As devoted as they were to the elven gods, Lotus was thankful that he died before he could uncover the truth about their pantheon. Lotus herself, however, is going through a constant existential crisis about it, but she kinda bottles it up and forces it back down. Very healthy lmao.

Her personality pretty much aligns with how I play her in game, very charming and a bit of a goof, but there is a deep sadness within her, and she tends to be reserved and keep to herself when in the Lighthouse, where she doesn't have to act.

The Crow armor is only one of her outfits, and she has it because somehow, her relationship with the Crows & Lucanis was the best while I was playing through the game.

Anyway, I like to hc that Elgar'nan has been in her head since the beginning, and falling asleep or meditating has a 50% chance of him showing up instead of Solas. It was a problem. At first. 🪷

[darkstarkiller]

Full Name: Alistar Theirin

Date of birth: 26 Wintermarch 9:10 Dragon

Species: Human (elven-blooded)

Gender: Male

Pronouns: He/ him

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Occupation: Grey Warden/ Verse Dependent 

Face claim: Josh Dallas/ Game Avatar

Personality:

He is a brave and caring individual, known for his selflessness and a sense of humour that lightens even the most challenging moments. His determination drives him to stand by his beliefs, striving to do what is right in alignment with his lawful good nature. However, his trusting nature can make him somewhat naive, often missing the bigger picture as he becomes too focused on details or personal connections. At times, he takes things too personally and can be stubbornly set in his ways, which some find irritating, but his intentions are always guided by a strong moral compass.

Backstory:

Alistair was born and raised in Redcliffe Village by Arl Eamon, believing that his mother was a serving maid who died during childbirth. For a while, he worked as a stable boy until Arl Eamon’s wife demanded that he be sent away because she thought that Alistar was her husband's son. It was later found out that Alistar was the bastard child of King Maric and an eleven-mage grey warden. His mother Fiona, didn’t want Alistar to discover his eleven heritage so she wanted Alistar to believe that his mother was a human servant. We later find out that Loghain sent Alistar to Redcliffe to protect him. Alistair never discovered his true parentage, still believing his mother was a serving maid.

After that fiasco, he was sent to the chantry to be trained as a templar. He enjoyed the training as he found it relaxing and a way to focus. However, he didn’t necessarily share the religious beliefs and rights that templars were meant to have, soon he didn’t want to be there. One day the grey wardens came seeking recruits, and he was eager to show he would be an asset. Even though he was not the best fighter and lost in a small competition they held to show off their skills to Duncan, Duncan could sense Alistar’s kindness and determination so recruited him into the wardens. Duncan had to invoke the right of conscription as the chantry did not want him to leave 

Only one recruit died during his joining, he was glad it was not more but this experience showed him how important the responsibility of being a warden was and also that there would be many dangers on the road ahead. However, he soon felt like he had found his calling. Alistar bonded quickly with the other grey wardens, making many friends and learning about their experiences. He also developed a strong bond with Duncan, feeling that he had saved him in a way, Alistar would always value his respect above many others because of this

During the blight, he went to Ostagar with the other wardens to help the king and the other forces defeat the darkspawn. Here he met the hero of Ferelden and watched over her Joining. Together they went to the tower of Ishal to light the beacon meant to signal Loghain’s forces to charge. However, when this happened the pair were soon overwhelmed by darkspawn and were saved by the intervention of Flemeth. After a chat between Flemeth, the hero of ferelden and Morrigan they learned that Loghain had abandoned them. Deciding it was their duty as grey wardens to stop the spread of the blight, they set off to gain allies against the blight via the grey warden treaties. Throughout this journey, he developed relationships with each of his companions. He got on with the hero of Ferelden but Morrigan was a different story. To him, she was a bitter bully and he was naturally distrustful from his templar training which didn’t help because she was a mage. The encounter that affected him the most was when the party went to Redcliffe to gain allies. He was devastated when he learnt what had happened to Conor and Eamon. He was relieved when both situations were resolved with the least bloodshed. Eamon had told him that he would have to rule as it was his duty because of his Therein blood. However he did not want to rule, he knew nothing about the ruling and also it ‘wasn’t for him’. 

Decisions:

Alistair was hardened 

The rest as well as for the bio is verse dependent