#if that's not supposed to be the answer then there shoulda been fat elves at some point

[thenixkat]

More Early Riser! Tallman au thoughts

I forgot about aestivation. So! Tallmen from really hot climates can also aestivate to avoid super hot months. Tallmen from hot climates that move to cold climates have some issues falling asleep to hibernate in the winter. Tallmen from cold climates that move to hot climates have some issues falling asleep to aestivate in summer/dry season equivalents.

Tallmen from hot climates still have genes for growing a winter coat, tho their undercoats tend to be thinner than those of their cold climate counterparts.

Tallmen from the Northern continent which has the harshest winters have extra thick winter coats. They also tend to put on weight faster and lose it slower than tallmen from other places.

-> Yes. Laios and Falin are extra thick and fluffy from late fall to late spring.

Tallmen that plan to work through the winter instead of hibernate will aestivate in summer to help ward off the negative mental effects. Tallmen who try to stay awake all year round experience many negative mental effects like hallucinations, disordered normal sleeping, and episodes of confusion.

Clothing and armor for tallmen made by tallmen are designed to grow and shrink with the wearer to an extent. With sections in them to specifically add or subtract extra material as needed. Non-tallmen would rather make things for certain sizes and squeeze more money out of a tallmen client.

Buildings and furniture in tallmen settlements are design for them being bigger in mind. If they're gonna get fat/fatter every year it is less of a hassle and less expensive to just make wider doorways and sturdy chairs and beds.

Tallmen have historically been known for cannibalism. Typically during the months when they hibernate/aestivate when other foods are scarce. Tallmen that wake up early during the period where they're supposed to still be hibernating tend to be quite hungry, more than a bit drowzy, and not picky at all about what they eat. Tallmen who stay up during these periods may also run out of supplies and resort to survival cannibalism. This does play into some of half-foot myths about trolls.

The use of certain drugs to reduce dreaming during hibernation/aestivation to reduce the rate of calorie consumption to increase the rate of survival from hibernating can lead to the creation of Nightwalkers. Effectively living zombies trapped in a half-dreaming state while their bodies wander and devour anything edible. With care and proper treatment people can recover from becoming nightwalkers.

Outside of backwater hick villages most tallman-dominated places have dormitorium, communal living spaces that tallmen hibernate in or live full time as an alternative to inns. The design varies across the world. Places dominated by dwarf/gnome cultural influences tend to be built underground. Places dominated by elf cultural influence tend to be built tower-style above ground. Magic is used for temperature control inside the dormitorium to keep them at the right temp for the hibernators to stay asleep comfortably.

---

Due to interbreeding with tallmen, half-foots also grow winter coats. They don't have the metabolism to hibernate or aestivate even if they put on weight. Their fluffy coat traps the heat that their high metabolism produces and keeps them nice and toasty when it's cold.

Their ears do grow fur on the inside/outside to reduce potential damage from freezing temps.

Half-foots lament that people take them even less seriously when they're floofy.

Half-foots are preferred as dormitorum custodians in places where tallmen and half-foots are found together. It's good steady work checking sleepers to make sure that no one's getting eaten by rats or covered in parasites or mold and redirecting early risers back to their rooms and back to sleep. It does incur the risk of being eaten by a hungry and disoriented tallman tho.

---

Due to interbreeding with tallmen, ogres also grow winter coats. Like half-foots, their metabolism doesn't support being able to hibernate/aestivate.

If it can be secured, being winter guardians over communal hibernation spaces is very good work for ogres.

---

Elf/Tallmen hybrids don't tend to hibernate. They also aren't good at growing a full winter coat and may only grow a thin coat of fur on their backs and the outer surfaces of their arms/legs.

They will gain a larger appetite in the late summer and fall similar to their fullblooded tallmen counterparts. However, due to elf beauty standards and a cultural aversion to having excess weight, half-elves will try to avoid getting fat if it can be helped.

---

A proper fur coat is something that comes to be associated with short-lived races and is used by bigots as a reason to say that short-lived people are more similar to demi-humans/not really human.