#the elder scrolls headcanon

[gloomwitchwrites]

requesting for 1k event:

Taking a bath with. Teldryn Sero (Naughty)

I am fully aware that it says naughty in the request, but you also requested Teldryn with an (innocent) bath as well. To make it easier on myself, I combined the two for this prompt. We’ll start with the sweet (innocent) stuff before we start encroaching on more dangerous territory. I’ve stuck to gn!reader for this one. Enjoy!

Content & Warnings (per the warnings MDNI): fluff, suggestive themes, intimacy

Word Count: 408

Teldryn Sero x gn!reader

A/N: Thank you to everyone who sent in requests for the 1k follower event. This event is closed and I am not taking any more requests. Thank you!

ao3 // taglist // main masterlist // 1k follower event masterlist

Innocent:

Teldryn who doesn’t often get to bathe while working as a mercenary. In fact, it rather peeves him that he cannot just find a peaceful place to wash down every once in a while. The Chitin armor he wears can grow smelly if it’s not taken care of.

Teldryn who might wash up in a stream, river, or lake if he absolutely has to but prefers an actual soak in a tub.

Teldryn who will absolutely pay an arm and a leg to have bath when he stays somewhere for the night. Even if all he gets is a large wooden basin and some basic soap, Teldryn is jumping at the opportunity to soak.

Teldryn who prefers steaming hot water that might scald the skin of paler folk.

Teldryn who likes to lather up and scrub every inch twice over before he actually feels clean.

Teldryn who is totally comfortable drinking himself into a stupor and gorging himself on finger foods while soaking.

Teldryn who does enjoy more than just his company in the bath. With you, he would enjoy you reclining against him or soaking opposite if the tub is big enough.

Teldryn who wouldn’t mind washing you down especially if you’d had a long day or if you were out exploring the world with him. Muscles soreness needs gentleness and a loving hand.

Naughty (MDNI):

Teldryn who isn’t afraid to be a tease if you’re in the room. He’ll take his time undressing. He’ll show off all his muscles. He might even flex. It’s to tempt you into coming with him. To join him in the warm water so he can have you all to himself.

Teldryn who will overexaggerate every movement to tempt you further if you won’t join him. He’ll even purposefully touch himself in a way that you know exactly what’s happening beneath the water.

Teldryn who won’t be able to stop touching you once you join him. He might scrub you down and lather up your skin with the soap, but he’s doing more than that. Teldryn wants to touch you.

Teldryn who is going to use this time to make you ache for him before this is all over.

Teldryn who will relentlessly tease about how needful you are. He loves to hear you beg, and will make every effort to bring you to that point.

Teldryn who will use this opportunity as a kind of foreplay for the real thing.

taglist:

@glassgulls @childofyuggoth @km-ffluv @singleteapot @tiredmetalenthusiast

@coffeecaketornado @miaraei @cherryofdeath @miss-mistinguett @ninman82

[the-wildfire-wisp]

Children playing in the Niben Valley

(Clothes are very loosely based off of byzantine and minoan fashion)

[theribbajack]

Casual Fredas in the Shivering Isles ft. the return of the ugly shirt

[fastafeijoa]

My take on Voryn Dagoth A nice guy, responsible but soft and understanding leader. Deeply cares about the affairs of the House which isn't always easy to tell because of his ever-calm face.

Quickly bonds with people he likes, just like Nerevar, so they clicked with each other the very first time they met. Plus a bonus sketch of the two uhhh discussing Resdayn politics

[falmerbrook]

Falmer appearance and attire headcanons

(click on drawings for more details and notes!)

Hair

In Skyrim, we pretty much only see two hair styles to go off of: completely bald and the hair the "shaman" have (which are also the only females we see (a post for another day)).

In concept art, particularly Adam Adamowicz's, we see more potential hairstyles. He draws it as wispy and messy, as well as containing braids and the ties we see in the shaman in the game. This art is largely what defines my own interpretation of their hair.

I picture the typical Falmer hair as wavy, thin, wispy, and looking frizzy. Given the high number of hairless Falmer we see, I imagine baldness is common, particularly among males, and sometimes among females. Their hair can be commonly styled into braids or knots to keep it under control.

The ability to grow long, thick hair is less common, but those who can tend to style it in other unique ways. Especially among females, long hair is commonly styled into large dense locs (akin to a Polish plait) and held into shapes using ropes or leather ties.

(While I think the intention with the way their hair is drawn and modelled in the game models and concept art was that it was braided and held up with those ties, before looking at it closely I always sorta interpreted it as too stiff to just be braided. As a result, I developed the locs headcanon and have become kinda attached to it even though I have 0 in game or lore support for it)

Materials

The material used in their clothing is obviously dependent on what is accessible to them, and given their unique situation that makes the materials they use and value unique as well. In Skyrim, we see that almost all of their armor (which is mostly what we see them wearing) and homes are made of chaurus chitin (and potentially shellbug chitin), so this is likely the most common resource available to them for non-combative coverings as well. Other materials from their arthropods companions could include their cocoons, unhatched eggs, etc.

Bones from other creatures (draugr, skeevers, trolls, adventurers, bandits, etc.) underground or from aboveground raids could also be used fairly often. These could also provide a source of leather or fur, albeit not a lot of it.

Falmer groups and subcultures inside or in close proximity to Dwemer ruins probably make regular use of the materials present in those ruins as well. With all the metal and machinery present in Dwemer ruins, metal probably makes regular appearances in their clothing (and general decorations) even if they can't manipulate it themselves. Falmer more separated from Dwemer ruins would make much lesser use of these materials, however. Additionally, We see implications of Falmer preparing, cooking, and potentially cultivating fungus in-game, but see nothing indicating they have any plants in their diet, and therefore it is unlikely they regularly make or use textiles or fabrics in their clothing, and if they do they likely come form Dwemer ruins or raided adventurers/bandits/settlements from the surface.

On that note, we know that there have supposedly been incidents of Falmer coming to the surface to attack its inhabitants and travelers, as well as instances of them killing bandits, adventurers, and researchers who venture below, so it's not far fetched to believe that they have access to some materials from the surface. This could give them some access to furs from surface animals, beads, glass, jewelry, textiles, metal objects, etc. they might not otherwise have access to. The rarity of these material among the Falmer would depend on the amount of access any given group of Falmer have to the surface, but among many of them these materials could be seen as more valuable for their rarity and the difficulty to gain them.

While gemstones and ore might be accessible from both natural deposits and underground ruins, unless they had some kind of auditory function or unique texture, they might not have much value to Falmer.

General Attire/Accessories

I like to imagine that the Snow Elves, and by extension the Falmer, have an innate cold resistance in the same way Nords do, and therefore don't require clothes for the purpose of warmth even in the chilly caves of Skyrim. Additionally, their blindness likely means that wouldn't dress for visual aesthetic either. My thoughts are that they are then left with the sense of sound and touch to communicate with each other, and their clothing and accessories could reflect that.

Falmer clothing, decoration, and society in general is very heavily based on touch and texture and little on appearances. They touch each other very often for both communication, movement, and just general day-to-day interactions, and their clothes isn’t very modest, but the tactile patterns and materials used can communicate certain things such as position in society, “wealth”/power, whether they are taken, single, pregnant, with a child, etc., their roles, their age, notable achievements/skills, who is who, etc. on both their clothes and buildings. The more noise one makes, the more attention they draw and the more they drown out other noises, and the more noise making things they can “afford” to have, so the amount of noise one makes in a Falmer settlement is a status symbol. Certain types of noises or noise makers are more coveted than others (chitin beads are common, while furs are less common, and materials only gained from raiding the surface are rare and coveted).

Some noise making accessories could include:

Dangling metal, bones, beads, chitin, etc. that hangs off of their clothing or ears and jingle/clank against each other (in my drawing I show them as pretty uniform in shape and size, but they would probably be much more irregular than I depicted them)

Bells (metal or other materials) that are affixed to or dangle off of their clothing or as earrings.

Hollow bracelets, anklets, necklaces, or other accessories that are filled with rocks or beads.

Rattles tied to the body (made of chitin, dried hollow chaurus eggs, dried chaurus cocoons, beads, etc.) with leather or rope.

Flute or whistle like tubes made of metal, chitin, or dried and treated tube-like fungus that makes a woodwind-esque noise when air passes through it in a certain way. They have been designed to make noise easily from even the slightest movements.

Dried grasses (more temporary) tied to the body that make a swishy noise. More permanently, a similar thing can be achieved with hair. The hair can be sourced from Falmer (either through just cutting hair or through taking it from fallen enemies) or killed humans/mer/draugr. That sort of thing can also act as a kind of trophy.

Necklaces with various materials dangling close together that jingle against each other.

Various materials can be tied into braids or the leather ties in their hair as well.

Some textural accessories could include:

Beads. Since they wouldn't have the ability to tell the color of the beads, the patterning of beadwork would be based on the roughness, material, size, or shape of the beads. (I'm sorry I suck as drawing beads)

Furs. This wouldn't be as common since the Falmer likely don't have too much interaction with furry mammals, but some they may have access to that are big enough to make clothing/accessories out of include skeevers or trolls (and potentially rarely animals from the surface). A potential meaning of wearing furs could be as hunting trophies, but it could have other meanings as well.

Chaurus chitin would like be the most common material in Falmer attire, and depending on the part of the chaurus body, the size of the chaurus, or the life stage of the chaurus it was sourced from it could have different textures. Some chitin parts could include large spikes and deep groves, while other parts could be smoother and less rough. The use of this chitin in clothing could take advantage of this contrast in textures. Additionally, chitin or shells from shell bugs might be a different texture from the chaurus chitin. (it's unclear to me whether shell bugs are exclusive to the caves around the Forgotten Vale or if we should consider them distributed throughout Skyrim's underground)

The placement of textured components on the body could have their own meaning to it alongside what accessories or textures are being used.

Specific Falmer Subcultures

While most Falmer settlements we see in Skyrim are just a small-ish collection of huts and chaurus corrals, there are two distinctive settlements that are larger, seemingly more organized, and I like to think have their own distinct subcultures worth mentioning: Blackreach and the Forgotten Vale. The unique scope and environment of these Falmer cities (as I like to think of them) could lend to unique clothing cultures as well.

The Falmer of Blackreach have access to a vast Dwemer settlement and have has the space to spread out throughout it more fully since it seems to be more in tact than other Dwemer ruins we see. These guys would likely have a clothing culture much more heavily based on what the can access from these Dwemer ruins (metal scraps, leftover fabrics, etc.)

The Falmer of the Forgotten Vale would also have access to unique resources, such as Vale deer, Vale sabre cats, and frost giants for fur and leather. Additionally, materials accessed from the Chantry of Auri-El such as textiles from clothing, bedding, tapestries, etc. could give them a greater access to fabrics than other Falmer groups. We don't see many close Dwemer settlements to the Vale, so they would have less Dwemeri influence in their clothing than other Falmer groups.

I like to think that the Falmer's evolution exclusively underground has made them poorly equipped to handle the outdoors during the day and has made them particularly susceptible to sunburn, necessitating the need for covering for those in the Forgotten Vale who have significant settlements outdoors. With greater access to textiles and leather, they could use them as coverings when outdoors.

Armor

I actually have very few notes on armor, for two reasons. 1) I hate designing and drawing armor. It is the bane of my existence. 2) I really like the armor they have in game! I think they look awesome aesthetically, and I like how clearly they are made from chaurus chitin. Per usual, Adam Adamowicz's designs seem to have been the major inspiration for the Falmer armor, and he did a great jobs (even if it isn't the most functional looking armor ever).

(off topic but I also just want to add that he draws them with little hairs and tufts on their ears and I love it. ok that is all)

I do have a few thoughts about armor though.

Even attire made of textiles make noise when someone moves in them, and I can imagine moving around in armor, especially armor made of hard, insect shells would make a lot of noise when someone moves around in it. When you're relying on sound to navigate your environment and pinpoint potential threats or targets, wearing something making a lot of noise would not be ideal. On the other hand, getting into a fight unarmored would be a problem.

So here's my solution: heavy armor (see below) would only be worm within the camps/settlements where noise was already high and space is more cramped (and therefore more risky in a fight) as a sort of guard in case they were attacked. Those guarding the settlements along the outside might still wear armor as well, but less of it. Those going out to scout or hunt (if they do hunt) would wear as little armor as possible, and try to wear it strategically so that it wouldn't rub against itself and make noise. This is why most Falmer we encounter in the game are wearing little except for loin cloths and kneepads.

One more idea I have for armor is a specific armor piece. On the note of guarding or protecting a camp or settlement, I imagine the noises of it all (especially with the noise based headcanons I've laid out here) would make it hard to actually catch any potential threats when you can't see. A large slightly concave piece of armor worn behind the head could block out noises from behind the wearer, as well as a help focus sounds ahead of them.

That is all! Thank you for reading! A lot of these concepts around the culture of sound I think could also be applied to their buildings and even a culture of music, but those are posts for another time.

All of the concept art I used was taken from here and all of the Skyrim screenshots are from UESP.

[tetrameryxx]

I've been getting back into Skyrim (well, modding skyrim, let's be real).

Here's Peregrine, a neurotic Altmer trying their best to adjust to Skyrim and all it entails

[sulphuricgrin]

New TES headcanon:

There's daedra in apocrypha based off basket starfish. They could be semi-related to Watchers and Pocket Watchers, or not. Maybe in different sizes. But they just seem like they fit so well apocrypha

Here's my crappy rendition:

[orfeoarte]

Some khajiit headcanons...

Lots of variation even within the same furstock! Weirder Senche face proportions and fur shapes!

babboon-like skin on their noses and upper lips maybe?

another senche, same furstock, different shape!

hygiene :)

[sylvienerevarine]

despite the lack of refrigeration technology, tamriel absolutely has ice cream. It's just expensive because it requires frost salts to keep it from melting. Every ice cream parlor has a resident conjurer who regularly calls up a frost atronach, destroys it, and then harvests its salts-- a gruesome process, but with delicious results!

[rosemorningstar]

Kinda hate that they took an opportunity to flesh out Azura as a goddess of change/potential and just shoehorned an entirely new prince in. Like we didn’t need a new prince to contrast Mora with beauty, willfulness and power over fate because we already have one. And it would’ve been so easy to just say “Hermaeus Mora locked away the part of Azura that could directly alter fate so now she mostly acts through mortals using her remaining power to perceive fate instead of changing it.”

Even the aesthetics of Ithelia are perfect for Azura. Namely the mirror motif. It encapsulates Azura’s ties to vanity and prophecy as well as her split depictions. We even see the inside of Azura’s Star in Skyrim looking exactly like Ithelia’s wings and hear of Azurah binding Meridia in the void with mirrors. Imagine a world where the mirror motif was paired with roses and watercolors to form a “complete” form of Azura. A mirrored deity forming a triple goddess with her reflections. This being linked to how Azura seems to change her form to suit her worshippers who perceive her: Some message of pride and free will linking to creating one’s ideal world. It could’ve been great.

[morpheus-somnium]

Skyrim Sexyman Bingo

which skyrim sexyman are you?

i made some other bingos! they are mostly based on my headcanons and the vibes the sexyman seven gave me. i also tried to make it as readable as possible, but if you have problems with looking at it, tell me and i'll try to make a more visible version!!

disclaimer: by "having an accent" on brynjolf's bingo i mean having an accent unique to the area that you are currently live on!

also TRIGGER WARNING for SH at cicero's part!!

if you get the same amount of points, vote for whoever you want<3

[gloomwitchwrites]

Teldryn wedding for 1k event?

(You’ve encouraged me immensely and i have so many thougjts)

Ugh, Teldryn. Beloved. It’s a crime that you cannot romance him. A. CRIME. I shouldn’t have to use mods just to make this a reality. This man is so cocky and confident. Just perfection. Love him. And a wedding? Sign me up.

Content & Warnings: fluff, brief non-descriptions of the wedding night

Word Count: 440

ao3 // taglist // main masterlist // 1k follower event masterlist

Would want to have two weddings for cultural reasons. Unless his partner is also a Dunmer. Then one is fine. But if his partner is a Nord, a Mer, etc., he’d want to make sure they are represented.

Teldryn would certainly be laid back about it, but would lean more toward the traditional side of things, specifically with the Dunmer ceremony.

Before the Dunmer marriage ceremony, Teldryn and his partner would honor his departed ancestors as is custom.

If they’re also a Dunmer, there would be a show of bringing the lesser clan into the greater one. But if they are not Dunmer, it would just be a show of bringing a new member into the clan rather than a merging.

Usually, a married couple would bind themselves through ritual, taking an oath, etc. This might vary depending on who Teldryn is marrying.

Teldryn is the one to select and oversee the making of his partner’s marriage robes for the Dunmer ceremony. This is incredibly sacred and he takes great care with this.

When it comes to planning, he’d take an active part, but ultimately allow his partner to make the final decisions. He only wants them to be happy, but will also step in if they appear too stressed. Weddings shouldn’t be stressful affairs.

It isn’t until the day of that Teldryn is actually nervous. Funny enough, he’s outwardly himself. Calm. Cool. Collected. But internally the man is a mess.

When he sees his partner for the first time, Teldryn is not stunned to silence. He is grinning with pride.

It is the party that comes after where Teldryn kicks back.

He drinks far too much and only mildly makes a fool of himself.

Teldryn has a secret sweet tooth, and won’t hesitate when it comes to the sweet treats.

While dancing isn’t really his thing, for his partner he’ll give them as many dances as they want.

Doesn’t sing along with the bard but has the urge to.

When his partner is ready to dip, Teldryn isn’t one to miss the signal. He will not hesitate to usher his partner out of the party when they’re ready.

What comes after the wedding could go two ways in my mind. If Teldryn is tired from the day, he may just want to hold his new spouse close until the morning.

If he still has some energy in him, he will certainly propose more carnal endeavors (but only if it is reciprocated).

If his partner is a bit shy, Teldryn isn’t going to push. He’s more than happy to take it slower, to enjoy everything at a more languid pace.

taglist:

@glassgulls @childofyuggoth @km-ffluv @singleteapot @tiredmetalenthusiast

@coffeecaketornado @miaraei @cherryofdeath @miss-mistinguett @ninman82

[artist-rat]

wizard & giant rat

[jollmaster]

ah well, he's playing the flute again instead of helping with netches

[falmerbrook]

Ear Headcanons

So this was meant to be just my headcanon for the differences between the different mer races' ears (size, shape, if they can move on their own, etc.), but there's a tinge of just general visual differences between them in there too (because this ended up being really good face practice for me). I'll mostly talk about ears though. Obviously this is more meant to be general trends than hard and fast rules.

I'll start with the playable races.

Altmer

Tall and skinny ears that can move out and back a bit (moderate range of motion). They mostly are close to the head but can also stick out a bit.

Dunmer

They have a wide variety of how their ears can be shaped; small, tall, wide, big, straight up, curvy, etc. The typically stick out more than Altmer's and have a larger range of motion.

Bosmer

The largest variety of any of the races. Their ears can look like just about anything any other race has (except maybe Maormer) from any mer ears, to more human ears, to more animal-like ones. They have a large range of motion regardless of how they look.

Orsimer

Small, almost human-sized ears, but they stick out more from the head than humans and can be wider. The pointed end tends to stick out. They can rarely move.

Breton

Breton basically just have human ears with a little point at the top. I thought it would be fun to draw a sort of comparison to your average Nede and average Breton to highlight the subtle more merish look that I think Bretons should have too.

Ok now for non-playable races

Snow elves/Falmer

Ok so I have terminal Falmer brainrot so I have a lot of completely made up headcanons for these guys sorry lol.

Snow elves have the least variety. They are usually shorter and closer to the head than the other mer races (which evolved as an adaptation to counter frostbite in my headcanon) and can't move. Conversely, I like to headcanon that falmer are on their way to evolving rudimentary echolocation, and therefore have huge ears that stick out far from their head, and are very mobile (this is also why their faces are covered in wrinkles). They can look more traditionally merish, or some of them have real funky shapes.

Chimer

Basically a mix between how the Altmer/Aldmer and current Dunmer look (both in their general appearance and ears). Think of it like the transition between the Aldmer look and Dunmer.

Dwemer

Dwemer have relatively short ears (compared to other mer) and don't stick out much, but they can be wide along the side of the head. Their shape is usually pretty angular and have limited mobility.

Aldmer

Your standard pointy fantasy elf ears. So I technically headcanon the Aldmer as many different (although similar) groups that are referred to as one group due to the nature of retelling history and some propaganda sprinkled in there, but in general, since the other mer of Tamriel descended from them, I see them as sort of generic. Nothing particularly notable in their ears. Minimal to moderate ability to move them.

Ayleid

Curvy. They have Aldmer sized ears with twisting and curving in different directions. Limited movement, and not too much range in size (just shape). I have 0 reasons for thinking this, I just thought it would be fun and unique and maybe fit their aesthetics.

Maormer

I like that canon Maormer ears look fin-like but I want to turn it up to 11. Large variety of shape and size, but usually large and fin-shaped as a general trend. Huge range of movement.

Ohmes/Ohmes-raht

They aren't elves, but they are described as human/mer-like, so I figured I'd include the Ohmes. They usually have pointy, mer-esque ears, but less distinct than most mer. Despite being relatively small, they have a wide range of movement for their size (and move in similar ways to the way cats ears move for the rest of the Khajiit). They can be extra fuzzy or have little tufts at the end for Ohmes-raht.

[deconstructivesurgery]

elder scrolls fans are insane in the way of who else would take a background quest character in an MMORPG and have an entire perception of him as a really in-depth character and then also craft in intricate detail the weird on-and-off again relationship he'd have with one of your OCs who is thoroughly unpredictable and devoted to a mad god that will almost certainly never acknowledge his worship whatsoever because it's funnier