#sarel the falmer

[thana-topsy]

Sarel, crouching on your dash.

[thana-topsy]

SOBBING. ABSOLUTELY WRECKED. He's so beautiful and perfect. I'll say again, how much I love the little details. Especially the little snowflakes!! Thank you so much for drawing my son, I'm still speechless.

Sarel for @thana-topsy !

[thana-topsy]

Sarel teaching Gelebor about the Sightless Alphabet!

[thana-topsy]

Sketch of older Sarel with his Tonal Architect tuning fork bandolier ✨

[thana-topsy]

Sarel was only a few months old when he was abducted from the Alftand caverns as part of a college-sanctioned research project to study the intelligence, development, and magical ability of the Falmer. His abductor and head of the project, Aiden, was a disgraced mage from the College of Sapiarchs on a mission to prove his worth as a formidable scholar. Aiden operated under the assumption that the Falmer were a "devolved" race and did not possess the ability to communicate or develop past most basic functions. This assumption all came crashing down around him when Sarel developed at the same speed as any elf child -- curious, inquisitive, emotionally expressive, and communicative.

As Sarel grew and developed, Aiden stopped thinking of him as an experiment and began to see him as his son. Being the only child at the College of Winterhold, as well as fully blind, presented many stumbling blocks for Sarel's upbringing, resulting in him having a very sheltered experience. Aiden was also hesitant to reveal to him the full history of the Falmer, and also kept the nature of his adoption hidden from him. Sarel grew up without knowing he was an "experiment".

On his 11th birthday, a stranger showed up at the College of Winterhold asking after him. The stranger was a man named Harukar -- a Redguard vampire hunter with the Dawnguard -- and he'd recently met Gelebor in his quest for Auriel's Bow. Knowing that there was a modern Falmer being raised at the college piqued his curiosity and gave him hope that the Falmer were not an irredeemable, lost race of elves. He wanted to pass this news onto Gelebor, but inadvertently ended up triggering a chain of events that resulted in Sarel being sent away from the college to "be with his own kind".

A distraught Aiden agrees to travel with Harukar to deliver Sarel to Gelebor. [Their story is the plot of "Halfway to the Sky", so I won't be spoiling how it ends here!]

When Sarel turns 16 he returns to the College of Winterhold to complete his "formal" training as a mage. His story after that is tentative and ever-shifting, but he goes on to be a formidable scholar in the field of ancient Dwemer research as well as modern Falmer anthropology, acting as a translator and ambassador. Eventually, much later in his life, he assumes the role of Arch-Mage at the College of Winterhold, promoting cultural exchange and study between the College and the Alftand settlements.

[thana-topsy]

IT'S MY SON!!

For @thana-topsy

Their precious Falmer OC, Sarel!

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This is goofy but I had to

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Sarel in his “Tonal Scholar” phase! He gets very into Dwemer research, specifically in terms of sight-magic.

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Sarel Sketches (he’s in his 30s here)

[thana-topsy]

I am fucking sobbing, weeping. In hysterics, in fact. THIS IS SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL. I melt into a puddle and noclip through the floor into the Blue Nothing that awaits me. Thank you so much, my friend. I will treasure this forever.

Hero Forge Minis for Halfway to the Sky by Thana-topsy

This is a special gift for @thana-topsy, in celebration of his amazing fic, Halfway to the Sky.

I've made a Hero Forge mini set of Sarel, Aiden, and Harukar: the main protagonists of the fic. Note: In order to view them at the links you'll need an HF Pro account, because I made them with the new Face Customizer, but HeroForge has said that the FC is coming for everyone Soon(TM) so anyone will be able to see them on the site then.

Sarel (HF link)

Based off of the lovely cover art Topsy made for the fic, here's Sarel showing off his new tonal magic. As you can see, he is sporting the necklace from Zak'ma and Irhkmaghi!

Aiden (HF link)

Harukar (HF link)

And finally, the ensemble. I did my best to get everyone in scale.

So thank you, my friend, for writing such fantastic and compelling characters, for sharing your art with us, and for being such a kind and positive force in the TESblr community!

[thana-topsy]

I’m wrapping Sarel in a cozy blanket and hugging him >:)

He’s very warm and happy now, thank you nonny.

[thana-topsy]

Older art of older Sarel

[thana-topsy]

Updated cover art for my fic “Halfway to the Sky” !

I finished this up several months ago and have been holding off on sharing it. Thanks to everyone who’s read the story so far and reached out to me about it! 🤍

[thana-topsy]

Aiden and his son, Sarel.

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From my Skyrim fanfic”Halfway to the Sky”

[thana-topsy]

Some cute little nonsense sketches of Sarel and anime nosebleed Aiden

[thana-topsy]

Happy Pride! To all the queer kids and supportive parents, but also to the queer parents and supportive kids out there!