"The very best possible post-fourteenth-century Realms lets down those who love the specific, detailed social, political and magical situation, with its thousands of characters, developed over forty years, and want to learn more about it; and those who'd be open to a new one with equal depth, which there just isn't time to re-produce; and those repelled, some past the point of no return, by the bad-taste-and-plausibility gap of things done to the world when its guardianship was less careful." --Faraer
I want to preface this with saying that I am in favour of everyone, fictional or not, finding love whereever they can. More power to them. Also, that as long as everyone involved is a consenting adult, it is nobody else's business what they get up to in private (or not, as the case may be, as long as no one has to be present against their will).
That being said, my initial reaction to halfling + human romance is to wonder about their physical compatibility. After all, if the halfling stands 2'8" to 3'2" tall, they'll be about an order of magnitude smaller, in terms of biomass, than some humans. Assuming more or less proportional build, that seems like some forms of sexual congress could be difficult and either painful (or even dangerous) or somewhat less than satisfying.
Of course, there are ways around every obstacle, but halfling + human romance, involving a physical element, would, at the very least, be far less convenient than such congress between partners closer in size and shape. This might not stop True Love, of course, and probably not some combinations of curiosity, xenophilia or one applicable kink or another, but it would probably interfere quite heavily with more light-hearted hook-ups. If you need ingenuity and persistence merely to be able to have satisfying intercourse with a particular partner, you'd need a really good reason to choose that person over someone a better physical match.
I am not sure that I remember a halfling + human match in any of my campaigns, but I was struck by a random thought when I noticed that there are apparently a lot of demihuman slaves in Unther and that 2-3% of the population there are dwarves and halflings. The dwarves will make excellent slaves in many roles, of course, but as for the halflings...
They'll make sought-after body slaves and house servants, I should think. From which it is a pretty short way to wonder about the uses which decadent Untheri noble society might have had for very small, dainty, graceful demihuman slaves.
My Unther and the Old Empires in general (as well as some neighbouring lands) feature sexual mores somewhat in line with the real world Ancient World, whether that is taken to mean Hellenic or Mesopotemian culture. Binary sexual preference is the exception, rather than the rule, which does not mean that there aren't gender roles and all sorts of rules that govern sexual relations.
And decadent Unther is known for pleasure slaves, of both sexes, but perhaps more likely to be boys than girls, as well as eunuchs, harems and seraglios. An adult Untheri man will marry, one or more wives, but he may also fall in love with beautiful boys, without anyone thinking that this diminishes his manhood or interferes with his marriage. The extent to which his relationship with these boys is physical depends on various things, fashion in Untheri culture, the status of the boys, etc., but in general, slaves may be penetrated in any way that suits without any legal or social consequences for their owner.
I can certainly see a fad for halfling slaves who'll remain beautiful boys for a very long time, even if some of the physical acts will be more problematic as a consequence of their tiny size.
Also, side note, in another storyline of my campaign, one set in the Vast, I have some allied orcs travelling with the PCs. They are, obviously, viewed with fear and suspicion by the common people of the Vast. On the other hand, while brutish and far from fair featured, some of them have physiques that might be considered attractive, by those who prefer extremely muscular, masculine bodies.
I'm wondering just how socially unacceptable attraction to one of them would be. Would it be analogous to a rich Roman matron attracted to a brutish German gladiator? Or more like someone who secretly had relations with a pit bull or boar?
I don't personally find it icky. If two beings are sentient and consenting, I have no problem with it morally. Hell, even if either of the above aren't true, I have no objections that would matter to the involved parties.
As a millennial the culture I was raised in is somewhat hedonistic, but I doubt the average Realmsian peasant is more morally pure than I am. It's a pretty unusual pairing though, which could lead to disdain among the ignorant.
Also, side note, in another storyline of my campaign, one set in the Vast, I have some allied orcs travelling with the PCs. They are, obviously, viewed with fear and suspicion by the common people of the Vast. On the other hand, while brutish and far from fair featured, some of them have physiques that might be considered attractive, by those who prefer extremely muscular, masculine bodies.
I'm wondering just how socially unacceptable attraction to one of them would be. Would it be analogous to a rich Roman matron attracted to a brutish German gladiator? Or more like someone who secretly had relations with a pit bull or boar?
The city of Airspur in Chessenta (the original, that is, not the genasi one of 4th edition) had a 30% half-orc population after refugee orcs (not half-orcs) of a civil war in the Flaming Spike tribe settled there. Given the social tensions there in the mid–1300s, this is implied to still be relatively recent, perhaps within a generation or two. It seems that, almost as soon as they arrived, the orcs and humans began getting it on.
Of course, the priests of Bhaelros who previously ruled the city sacrificed a maiden every month, so I imagine it had a shortage of women (who'd flee or hide, unless promiscuity was a survival strategy). Meanwhile, an orc civil war would kill off a lot of orc men and leave a lot of orc women, widows and maidens, among the refugees. So, lonely human men and available (and aggressive) orc women... That's actually how my half-orc character came about. :)
As Chessenta is one of the Old Empires, a former possession of Unther, that may speak to customs there.
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc. Scientific technical editor Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki
Shortstack fiction is relatively well-known. I mean, it's not mainstream and most of it is NC-17, but humans/elves/orcs/minotaurs getting it on with gnomes and warcraft-type goblins isn't particularly eyebrow-raising.
No, what you should really be concerned about is where half-giants come from. Dragons can at least shapeshift.
I never knew there was a name for such things... Rule 34, I guess.
I once saw a gif of a human and a pixie, and the pixie fit easily into the human's hand -- which somehow didn't prevent an act that should have been physically impossible from happening.
quote:I once saw a gif of a human and a pixie, and the pixie fit easily into the human's hand -- which somehow didn't prevent an act that should have been physically impossible from happening.
CollegeHumor's Legend of Zelda Neil specifically pokes much comedic fun at an ongoing relationship involving this sort of physical disparity.
I am a bit late but I don't see a human and a halfling romance being icky but I do understand why authors would not risk having this kind of romance in their novels especially with the way things are nowadays
The city of Airspur in Chessenta (the original, that is, not the genasi one of 4th edition) had a 30% half-orc population after refugee orcs (not half-orcs) of a civil war in the Flaming Spike tribe settled there. Given the social tensions there in the mid–1300s, this is implied to still be relatively recent, perhaps within a generation or two. It seems that, almost as soon as they arrived, the orcs and humans began getting it on.
Of course, the priests of Bhaelros who previously ruled the city sacrificed a maiden every month, so I imagine it had a shortage of women (who'd flee or hide, unless promiscuity was a survival strategy). Meanwhile, an orc civil war would kill off a lot of orc men and leave a lot of orc women, widows and maidens, among the refugees. So, lonely human men and available (and aggressive) orc women... That's actually how my half-orc character came about. :)
As Chessenta is one of the Old Empires, a former possession of Unther, that may speak to customs there.
To clarify, both Airspur are the same city. Just that the genasi one was built over the old one (Explore Airspur, Dragon 377), and the descendants of those half-orcs still live there, as second-class citizens (Explore Airspur: Villains and Vagabonds, Dungeon 172). Yeah, I know, like 6 years later, but I just read this,
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world...
I am a bit late but I don't see a human and a halfling romance being icky but I do understand why authors would not risk having this kind of romance in their novels especially with the way things are nowadays
Should we cater to the uninformed and shallow?
Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.
I am a bit late but I don't see a human and a halfling romance being icky but I do understand why authors would not risk having this kind of romance in their novels especially with the way things are nowadays
Should we cater to the uninformed and shallow?
Who is "we"?
Last I checked, Wizbro was the only official (legal) publisher of D&D novels and FR novels. So if Wizbro decides that certain things must be absent or must be present in the novels they commission, then that's exactly what "we" get in the novels.
"We" cater to Wizbro if we continue to purchase or subscribe to their products. "We" simply accept that whatever Wizbro specifically publishes is acceptable. "We" can only speculate that whatever Wizbro specifically does not publish might be taboo - and on that detail "we" apply our own tolerances, intolerances, opinions, and judgements - even if "we" are those who are uninformed and shallow.
I am a bit late but I don't see a human and a halfling romance being icky but I do understand why authors would not risk having this kind of romance in their novels especially with the way things are nowadays
Should we cater to the uninformed and shallow?
Who is "we"?
Last I checked, Wizbro was the only official (legal) publisher of D&D novels and FR novels. So if Wizbro decides that certain things must be absent or must be present in the novels they commission, then that's exactly what "we" get in the novels.
"We" cater to Wizbro if we continue to purchase or subscribe to their products. "We" simply accept that whatever Wizbro specifically publishes is acceptable. "We" can only speculate that whatever Wizbro specifically does not publish might be taboo - and on that detail "we" apply our own tolerances, intolerances, opinions, and judgements - even if "we" are those who are uninformed and shallow.
"We" in a broader societal sense...regarding "The uninterested, unimaginative and frequently delicate observers looking inward at a hobby." Concerning the context of our presently-discussed topic: people who glance at illustrations of Olive, Regis, Mazzy, Lidda (and the other 3e Xenomorph children of Yondalla), that bulbous-headed monstrosity in the 5e Players Handbook, etc and think "This is deserving of moral outrage." These folks all own timeshares on the same brain cell and yet we are supposed to feel bound to their sterling insight?
Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.
Halfling x Human Romance: Icky? Discuss!
Posted - 19 Jun 2015 : 06:58:41
