#tes hcs

It makes me feral.

Another drawing for @tes-gala

Okay so it's nothing super detailed/written out just yet but I base a big majority of Argonian courtship on that of multiple reptiles/amphibians/birds! I'm always a big fan of using features of the animals a fantasy anthro/beast race is based on for culture/lore - so why not apply it here?

So, things like song, dance, shows of strength/reliability, and use of color are some of the main go-tos for courting! It varies depending on the community an Argonian is raised in, however! Miredancers, well, value dance during courtship; music, cosmetics and outfits are prepared well ahead of time, and those who tend to be more on the avian end might try and use their feathers for some extra woo-ing.

The Bright-Throat, Moss-Skin & Agaceph communities are examples of Argonians who rely more on song (those big gator bellows come out in full force here! Along with some fancy instrumental/singing skills) and fancy colors to try and get their crush's attention. Looking good is key, so lots of bright-colored makeup, clothing, apparel, etc. . Sul-Xan & Veeskhleel go for shows of power (magical or physical), the Naka-Desh prefer shows of wit - it's all a varied bunch of who finds what attractive.

Of course, this isn't the end-all, sometimes you don't need to court & find the perfect partner(s), sometimes certain courting traditions are strictly followed if not followed at all! Or it's a big mash-up of courting! The Sarpa's courtship is said to be a big mix of song & dance-fighting (though it's rarely serious fighting, more to show off!), with feathers painted an array of colors to draw the attention of potential partners!

and then oblivion comes along and ruins it 🙃 and skyrim explanation (at least if heimskr is to be trusted) is somehow worse tbh; talos changing cyrodiil from tropical to more of a northern european climate as some kind of good thing. again, viewing landscapes through this bizarre moral lens and sense of inferiority and superiority. the jungle is fine bro.

i vaguely remember reading a theory that was like... at some point the imperials started terraforming the climate and geography themselves and over time it went from tropical to what we see now over thousands of years.... yknow just like what real human beings do. it loses the fantastical aspect that comes with chim but i like it way more tbh.

I think ab them having Gryphons and eagles all the time feel like they’d like peacocks too

LOL see funny enough i do not like the gryphons thing, but that might be bc the gryphons i see in ESO are too generic fantasy looking for me to an almost silly degree. but perhaps if they looked different i would consider them more.

i already personally hc summerset as having a warmer more tropical kinda climate, and idk why, but i swear the most beautiful birds always live here :) hehehehehehehehehehe. so i def think they'd have peacock or adjacent birds

anyways---i have a buncha headcanons lol. well eagles, yanno in real life there are some populations of hawks (or kites?) in australia that have learned to start fires on PURPOSE to flush out prey. i like to think a similar bird lived in summerset, and in altmeri mythology the first aldmer/altmer who came to summerset learned (or maybe refined) their destruction magic from them.

the eagle in thalmor iconography is an obvious nod to the reichsadler and it makes me a wee bit sad that as a result there is, at least the way i see it, bit of a negative connotation there. i like to think they were more than just this symbol--for show--i mean maybe they are NOW (4E 201) but i have this headcanon that historically birds of prey were used in falconry in summerset for various purposes, sustenance hunting but also clearing pests from croplands and other such things. many nobility keep practice falconry for fun and as a status symbol, meanwhile the actual subcultures in summerset (bc i think it makes sense they'd have subcultures like the dunmer w their tribes and houses, not a monolith) for whom it is part of their blood as a hereditary job, are Not doing so well. majority of them are only able to keep the practice alive by taking care of the falcons and aviaries of the nobility's sporting birds. (my brains toast idk if this is comprehensible but like. culture whos living and job has been falconry vs a buncha nobles being like hey ill do this as a status thing for fun.) (also oc fun fact lurowe is part of this subculture :) she truly loves her birds more than people.)

what else. RIGHT. messenger birds. and im not talking tie a little scroll to a birdie, i mean you got a damn mynah and you tell the bird: "dear Insert Name Here, your business proposal is ridiculous. Get fucked. sincerely, Sender Name Here." and the bird flies off, goes to that person (perhaps with a little band on its leg intending who the sender and recipient is) and relays that message with mimicry. imagine learning your husband died in the war and this bird is just looking at you like °V°

also. BIRDS OF BURDEN. only big birds. like. need a pack animal? heave a carriage, chariot? pull a plow? no oxen, no donkey, no horse needed. Only Them

(dromornis, or mihirung, colloquially the demon duck. doesn't need to be A Dromornithid though--birds have evolved to be Huge And Flightless And Powerful a LOT, the altmer equivalent can be just any Big Bird lel.)