#we really only see adults that affect sophie's journey as the moonlark

[bookwyrminspiration]

I’ve been thinking about it, and considering elves all don’t age and unless they’re somehow killed in an accident or murder which is rare they continue to live indefinite life-spans… why have we not heard or seen anything about Grady or Edaline’s parents? Wouldn’t they want to meet their adopted grandchild? Wouldn’t Grady and Edaline want to talk to their parents at some point? I’m sure it’s just something Shannon hasn’t thought about it but it’s very much irking me now

great question! given that this world is structured so differently, I think I can guess a few possible reasons for this, but who knows what Shannon's actual explanations for a question like this are.

given what we know about the elven social world, there doesn't seem to be a huge emphasis on knowing your grandparents or relatives aside from being able to name them/identify them if you're in an important family, hence Fitz being able to list off the exact number of greats Fallon is in relation to him. But it was shown that their family didn't exactly approve of the trouble Alvar had gotten up to and had kinda shunned that generation of Vackers.

So a possible in-story explanation is that the Ruewens have determined that Sophie is too much trouble to meet, and that they don't actually consider her to be a part of their family. She's just an unfortunate addition to the family tree that they'll ignore and move on from. However, the Ruewen family is very different from the Vacker family, so I don't think this is necessarily the case.

We could also explain it by saying their indefinite life span doesn't necessitate frequent visits, as they have all of eternity to get around to it. Sophie's been with them for like 2-3 years of the centuries the Ruewen family has been around. But I don't think this is the actual reason.

My guess is that it's because it's a lot of work for Shannon. She already has a huge host of characters, and adding in more is more trouble than its worth. The indefinite lifespan of the elves and the structure of their cities affects their lives and relationships in ways that are hard to predict! We have to guess--Shannon has to guess what makes the most sense, but this is only one worldbuilding detail amongst an entire plot, so its no wonder she skipped over it.

Yes, it would make sense for Sophie to meet all of the Ruewens and their extended family, but the effort it would take to create all those characters and incorporate them into the story isn't worth the effort, though it would give insight into the world. Yes, it would make sense for Grady and Edaline to want to talk to their parents, but their parents don't play a role in the story that affects the progression of the plot, so they'd slow it down and take up limited space Shannon wants to use for something else. All the adults and family we know have a purpose--like information or something--that helps Sophie do her "job," so unless the Ruewen relatives have that, it's not worth it to bring them into the story.

feel free to be irked about it! A natural consequence of creating an entire world--especially one that functions differently from our own--is trying to find a balance between that world and the story you want to tell, and everyone's preferences is different. For example, Sophie not meeting her grandparents doesn't bother me as much because I don't really know my grandparents either! I have so many relatives that apparently exist, but I've never even seen photos. But for those who might have closer family ties, it stands out more and makes less sense. What's realistic changes from person to person!

The implications of a species that never dies and just continues on forever are impossible to fully realize, especially in just a 10 book series. Things like space and family relations are kind of pushed to the side for the plot, leaving things like this a little unsatisfying.

I hope that makes sense! Again, it's my personal reasoning as for why it might not be included from both an in-story and writer perspective, but I would be interested in meeting any of the Ruewen's extended family!