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Mint Chips
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OKAY so. maroon quest is set in a world where humans and elves have been in contact for scant on 500 years now. the two races have roughly equal population and general advantages, so they've settled into a kind of uneasy coexistence.
humans - what you see is what you get. very very good at mechanical pursuits, military stuff, and not dying. comparative to elves they are usually a good foot or two taller, and are undeniably stronger. humans generally do not use magic for personal purposes - magic is something they view like electricity (if you could train yourself to generate electricity from your body), something to be used in technology or as a power source rather than a craft or an art to be cultivated for personal use. humans have a better sense of smell and taste than elves, but their hearing and sight is subpar by comparison. in this universe, binary gender and gender roles are still very much a part of human society and culture.
elves - obligate carnivores who are built for short, brutal hunts. nowadays, that kind of activity is obsolete, but elves retain the sharp teeth and senses, high short-term energy, and predatory aggression of their evolutionary background. elves, while not as interested in the concept of "culture" as humans, have nonetheless made much more impressive strides in technology and magic use than humans, and any elves with access to higher education usually use magic both for mundane applications and for entertainment in their day to day lives. while elves are biologically analagous to humans, the concept of binary gender is irrelevant to their social makeup, and generally elves don't have any understanding or even interest in the idea. since the integration of human and elf societies, however, it's not that unusual for an elf to arbitrarily decide that they like the idea of being a "boy" or a "girl," though their grasp on what that actually means is whimsical at best and usually not at all affected by their own anatomy. (Persimmon is an example of an elf who has decided she likes the idea of gender and has picked one out for herself. So is Voshkie, a character who may be introduced shortly.)
halfsies - there's a general mutual feeling of superiority between humans and elves, and while it normally isn't disruptive or violent, it has led to the idea of interracial relationships being extremely taboo. it's one of those rules that doesn't really make any sense but has clung to society like a bug on a windshield for centuries anyway - it's not unusual for humans and elves to work and live together, or even to be friends, but all the same the idea of going that extra step is pretty much unthinkable for most members of both races.
still, of course, it happens. elf genes have proved to be largely dominant to human genes, so most "halfsies" - the rude but not HORRIBLE colloquism for half-human, half-elf individuals - look mostly like elves, and if they can most will probably choose to pretend to be full elves. halfsies, however, are prone to a multitude of illnesses, ranging from anemia and gastrointestinal issues to congenital blindness and a higher risk for mental disorders (which is compounded by the social stress of living with such a stigmatized identity). these health risks are probably a large part of why interracial coupling was considered unacceptable to begin with.
as maroon has mentioned, one of the telltale signs of a halfsie is human teeth - while it doesn't ALWAYS happen, the teeth are one of the few parts that human dna usually seems to win out on. halfsies can also stray from the typical grey skin of their elven background (vitiligo is another common halfsie condition, one that is particularly hard on its sufferers because it is extremely difficult to hide) and they can be unusually large thanks to their human blood.
anti-halfsie sentiment is widespread on both sides of the fence, though it is slightly more virulent on the elven side because halfsies usually hide themselves among elf communities. it can very quickly become violent, especially when mob mentality is thrown into the mix, and anti-halfsie hate crimes are relatively common.
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