Day 2 - Folklore And History

The people have spoken...

City Elf Appreciation Week will take place between the 5th of August and the 11th of August 2024!

Optional prompts soon to follow <3

Inquisitor “Ghilin’da” Lavellan

The “lucky little rabbit” who escaped Fen’Harel’s trap.

Finally started playing Dragon Age: Inquisition—I’m only 10 years late! I'm not done with the game yet but I'm getting there, and piecing together Lavellan's name and story as I go along. More below the cut.

As it stands, I got her name from the elvhen words ghilanas (to guide; create luck), oin (rabbit), and da (little). Ghilin'da, or Ghil'da, for short. Prior to the Conclave, she lived as a city elf and owned the human slur for elves: "rabbit". She rarely went by any another name until the Conclave.

Once she became Inquisitor, the nickname would have fallen away if not for Solas's use of it. Solas latched onto the name and called her Ghilin'da, claiming that she was lucky for surviving the Anchor.

When Solas's identity is revealed, the name is forever marked in elvhen folklore, and Inquisitor Lavellan becomes Ghilin'da, the foil to Fen'harel.

In the years that follow, elves wait with bated breath for the ending to the tale of the Lucky Rabbit and the Dread Wolf.

sunrise at the vhenadahl - ariya & kallian tabris

a very late drabble for @inquisimer & oc kiss week, finished up for @cityelfweek! ariya (15) and kallian (18) have a bet in the tabris cousinverse <3

rated g, no warnings, 282 words. divider credit.

If Ariya won, Kallian would have to stand in front of a gathered crowd and dance.

If Kallian won, Ariya would have to endure some unknown embarrassment that her older cousin annoyingly refused to elaborate on.

Ariya stood at the foot of the vhenadahl, arms crossed, and a smug smirk on her face. The sun was about to rise past the walls of the alienage and hit the leaves of the great tree, and once that happened, if there was still no Kallian, she would have won. And there wasn’t a single chance in the world her cousin would be able to wake up that early. No way at all.

She yawned, leaning against the trunk and closing her eyes. Really, there’d been hardly any reason for her to get up that early, Kallian wouldn’t have been there either way. Ariya peeked her eyes open, peering up at the sky. Any minute now.

“Oh dear.”

She jumped, and quickly paled.

Strolling around the other side of the vhenadahl, was Kallian. Bleary-eyed, a bird’s nest for hair, her dress on both inside out and backwards, yes, but there all the same.

Ariya looked her up and down, her eyes narrowed. “You cheated.”

“Cheated? My lovely, tiny, baby little cousin… so small, so little… there were no rules." Kallian yawned, in a way that managed to be self-satisfied and triumphant.

“Soris woke you,” Ariya frowned accusingly, already brewing up elaborate plans of revenge in her head.

“Yes he did.”

* * *

Later that day, Kallian waited until the market rush was in full swing before dragging Ariya out.

“Oh I love you too, Ya-Ya!” she crowed, smothering her teenaged cousin’s bright-red face in loud, mortifying kisses.

beardy and fuzzhead

i love these two and their friendship <3

"The fear: that nothing survives. The greater fear: that something does." - Richard Siken, The Language of Birds

A little birthday something for my beloved @v-arbellanaris of xer beloved Tabris, Kal!!! 😌

and she would do it all again.

City Elf Origins for my Warden, Maren.

City Elf Appreciation Week

Day 6: Original Characters

The week is soon coming to a close, so while i rush to finish what i can of the other two fics i hope to be able to post for this, i thought it'd be nice to bring back out Novhen's retelling of the city elf origin! Who doesn't love a wedding? 30,069 words.

event hosted by @cityelfweek

@dalishious Hey I finished it! Merrill is such a joy to draw

City Elf Appreciation Week

~ 5th of August - 11th of August ~

Here are some optional prompts for next week! Please feel free to do whatever you like with them. Remember to tag @cityelfweek or use the tag #cityelfweek24!

Day 1 - Vhenadahl - A pillar of many alienage communities. Firewood in others.

Day 2 - Folklore - Show the folklore that city elves have created over time. Superstitions, stories, heroes, villains... anything!

Day 3 - Community - Close-knit family, or claustrophobic little box?

Day 4 - Custom and Tradition - Andrastian? Dalish? Somewhere in between, or something all new?

Day 5 - Alienage - The only home many city elves ever know.

Day 6 - OC - A day to celebrate original city elf characters!

Day 7 - Free Day - All things city elf!

[original post][divider credit]

my warden & inquisitor for me 8-9 years ago