Ears for Elves

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
She doesn't normally sit still like that.

Ears for Elves is a lighthearted web comic on the high end of the fantasy scale, with touches of Heroic Fantasy. It follows the story of Tanna Teasen'atear as she grows from a youngling into adulthood and finds her place in elven society. Started in 2011, it is the first online graphic novel by Naarie Kermie, and theoretically updates on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, though it can be erratic with late pages or unexpected fillers. The site is maintained and edited by Archmage, and links to us, accounting for the high number of inbounds -- our character sheet has even replaced the official one (though that's still accessible through the direct URL)!

The comic last updated in 2013 with a post titled "Soon".

The plot so far:

It's always been expected that Tanna, a highborn wood-elf, would follow in her parent's footsteps and be the model nobleman's daughter -- even her friend Zalanna tries to push her into this role. However, Tanna doesn't like being cast in that way, and dreams of being a Village Guardian, practising shooting and tracking often in hopes of becoming as good as warrior Luero. Others don't believe she'll ever make it, especially with having to babysit her younger brother Donn alongside all that she does, but she's gone too far away from the world of dancing and meetings that her parents are part of to reconsider.

Until a stranger knocks her down and then vanishes away.

Enter Drethalrolan, not that Tanna can remember his name. He's a high elf, and for this reason a number wood elves are prejudiced against him. His charming ways from a different culture win over many of them, but at first Tanna views them as arrogant and annoying. However, after sorting out some misunderstandings they become friends -- leading to more misunderstandings when Donn mistakes Rolan for Tanna's boyfriend.

Ears for Elves can be read here.


Tropes used in Ears for Elves include:

Elon: Why must you always put yourself at risk like this? We all know how dangerous the forest is!

  • Dope Slap: Tanna hits Rolan twice in succession (here and here) for being polite; she considers this stupid because the potential recipient of said politeness is rather bigoted against Rolan. It's not a slap on the cheek, though.
  • Ear Ache: In the last panel here, Elon grabs and pulls Myari's ear quite hard because he's angry at her/worried about her, and has finally found where she was hiding.
  • Elfeminate: A number of male elves, as most elves have hair at least halfway down their and wear long tunics. Higher-born ones also have small braids, pieces of jewellery, or other details.
  • Enter Stage Window: The Temple of Herunor's doors have been sealed by the druids. In Tanna's words, though, they always seem to forget the window. It's strongly implied that Tanna and Rolan will enter through the window.
  • Face Palm: Tanna pulls this off twice in three panels. This may be some sort of record.
  • Fantastic Light Source: When Tanna enters the temple , it's dark once she reachs the main room. However, she touches an orb over a glowing basin, and it and similar orbs light up the whole chamber with mystical effects.
  • Filler Strips: Several times. They can happen when Naarie Kermie doesn't have the time/tools to draw a "proper" strip, or just for fun/exposition. Some are even planned out well in advance.
  • Flower in Her Hair: At the Taurëcuiva Festival, most women wear herublossoms in their hair.
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: See Sibling Yin-Yang.
  • Gossipy Hens: Generic elven women are known for being gossips, especially about Rolan, much to Tanna's annoyance. They're sometimes drawn without eyes.
  • Halloween Episode: A filler page for Halloween here has the artist and site maintainer dressing up. Well, more like one getting into the festive spirit and the other wondering what the point is...
  • He Is Not My Boyfriend: Donny sees Tanna walking arm-in-arm with Rolan, infers that he must be her boyfriend, and finds this disgusting. Tanna protests madly. A while later, Donny tells Tanna that her new boyfriend isn't so bad after all; her reaction is to say that Rolan is not her boyfriend.
  • I Can't Dance/You Said You Couldn't Dance: Played with.
    • Tanna protests that she doesn't dance when Luero tries (and succeeds) to drag her into the dancing at the Taurëcuiva Festival, but she's actually rather good...

Tanna: Dance'!? I don't dance!
Luero: I believe you mean you won't dance. And you're about to be proven wrong.
Tanna: Okay fine, it's not that I can't dance- I mean of course I learned how. I just haven't danced in a while.

    • ... unlike Luero, even though he told her to follow his lead. A few minutes after her reluctant entry to the dance floor:

Tanna: Oh gods! You're terrible!!

  1. Elon just wrote an essay.