#I have opinions about argonians

[ticcitavvi]

Guys wait- wait guys- guys- guYS

….. I got a bit carried away with this one ngl

[elderscrollsconceptart]

I love elder scrolls but I'm sad about how orientalist it can be

I didn't specialize in it, but The College and department I went to specialized in South East Asian studies. So for a long time I've been acutely aware of the obvious artistic and creative influences on various TES societies, art styles, motifs, etc.

Orientalism has a bizarre mix of pandering assumptive stereotypes, romanticism, and at its worst, pure racism. Orientalism originated via dangerous and racist western attitudes of past centuries which were used to simplify and insultingly coddle and ostracize non-western cultures while also allowing westerners to access said cultures via a smug sense of superiority and curiosity.

There are a lot of East Asian, South Asian, North African, Middle Eastern influences in the various societies and cultures of TES.

I cannot speak for how people of those backgrounds may feel about how the various artistic styles and inspirations have influenced the art and lore of TES.

All I can say is there is a lot of IRL cultural influence in TES. Creating a vast fantasy world and *not* taking IRL cultural inspiration is hard. IMO it's practically unavoidable unless you want to get REAL WEIRD with the lore and art in the way Michael Kirkbride does (he can create genuinely alien cultures).

I am of the personal opinion that cultural artistic inspiration is fine as long as it is done with *deep* respect, care, and dignity towards the civilization it is taking inspiration from.

I personally feel TES does more than enough to go beyond simple cultural artistic inspirations and creates something that is both very familiar and also entirely new.

For example, let's look at how Argonian art and culture is depicted in TES.

Besides the Kukri knives which are of South Asian origin, were largely looking at a fictitious culture that has extreme aesthetic similarities to indigenous cultures of Central and South America.

I myself am descended from such people IRL.

I have direct family connections to specific tribes in Northern and central Mexico. Am I bothered seeing a fictional series taking direct artistic inspiration from the ancient cultures of my ancestors? And that our culture is applied to a bunch of weird lizard people no less?

Yes, it does bother me a little. However, when I think about it I also realize there is nothing ignoble about the Argonian people or how they are represented in game or art. I mean look at them. What is there to be ashamed of when you look at them, talk to them, *see* the Argonians and how they live?

The Argonians are quite frankly, super fucking cool badasses. They have a complicated, dark, heroic, and fascinating history. Just like my ancestors. Why would I shy away from seeing the culture of my ancestors inspiring a proud fictional civilization?

There's nothing to be ashamed of when I see my culture represented or taken inspiration from as long as it is not being used in a demeaning or insulting manner.

I don't feel Bethesda is acting with racist or ill intentions when they take artistic inspirations from real cultures. I want to give them credit. A lot of very intelligent and learned people work for Bethesda. Many of their creatives come from all over the world and from many different cultural backgrounds.

For example! Many of the artists who worked on the western inspired civilizations of Cyrodiil and Skyrim were of East Asian, South Asian, and African descent. They took it upon themselves to learn the artistic cultural stylings they wanted to take inspiration from and to represent them in an authentic but still creative and unique way. This is what any good fantasy series should be able to do.

They know the world is huge and every culture is endlessly diverse. There should be no shame in depicting or taking inspiration from a culture or their artistic style as long as such inspiration and depiction is done diligently, honestly, and with respect.

I feel that the art and artists of TES have faced up to this challenge and expectation and have (largely) met it. There are some examples that do make me roll my eyes, but even these are largely just cases of lazy artistic expression or generic inspiration.

All in all, artists and creatives absolutely can and should do more to ensure their inspirations from non-western cultures are done with tact and respect. I personally feel the creative behind TES have been meeting expectations in this regard and have done a fair job of taking inspiration without being insulting.

[aladaylessecondblog]

Red Mountain Waffle House pt. 13

Author's Note: Tw for some blood. Jiub is a troll. For those looking for canon Sotha Sil behavior, boy are YOU gonna be disappointed

This one snuck up on me

---------------------------

One week, then two.

Jiub found his Venmo occasionally pinging with small amounts from Sadara, who sent apology notes in each one. Honestly, he didn't blame her, but he wouldn't say no to to the extra money. He turned her room into another grow spot and it was doing okay, but still not to the level that having her there to contribute to rent had.

She hadn't come back, but there hadn't been much for her to come back for. A dresser, a bed. Those handful of receipts from Suran in the trash can he still hadn't emptied.

The Waffle House was doing a little worse for her absence, at least in his opinion.

The new waitress was an ashlander, and icily polite to those with corprus. Maybe they weren't the best people, but their money spent like anyone else's, and he couldn't figure out why all of a sudden NOW Nibani would want to piss them off by instructing new employees to act like this. It had driven off a few of them, or at least he thought so - it was hard to tell some of the ash ghouls apart from one another.

A few of the ash creatures had asked where Sadara was. The new waitress didn't know; neither did Nibani, whose answer was, "She no longer works here."

Jiub kept silent; he sure as hell wasn't talking. Sadara had sent him a Discord message (she'd outright deleted Morrotwitter) asking him to not tell anyone where she was, and he'd kept to it.

She didn't hadn't added any specifics about what exactly had happened on her little trip to Red Mountain. He'd asked a second time and she replied, 'Nothing we're not used to hearing.'

For a few days after that she sent random pictures of gnarly wounds from fighting cliffracers and other wildlife, and then of the scars once she healed up. There were also a few pics of cliffracers being turned on a spit over a fire, and a little 'wish you were here this thing tasted great' message a couple days in row.

Then there started being images of the inside of some cave along the coast near Tel Fyr.

The Fyrs are paying me 200 gold a week for blood and plasma, apparently I'm RH null blood type. it's special or something. and being immune to corprus makes them want it too, so. Not doing too bad.

Sounds great. What's up with the cave?

Oh, it's near Tel Fyr. Easy access. There's some khajiit and argonians here too, cave's big enough to share, so we do.

How do you share a cave?

We just have bedrolls in different areas. I feel like I got the biggest spot because it used to be a slave pen and they don't want to sleep over here ever again. It's not that bad. We've even got pets.

the fuck kind of pets do you have over there? lost scribs?

couple of fat slaughterfish we feed fish and scraps to. One we call Betty White and the other we call Wilson. They try to bite us but honestly they're big enough it's hard for them to move fast enough for it. So they'll mainly just hiss and make noise until they get food.

"Excuse me, cook? Are you paying any attention to the food at all, or are you destroying my eggs on purpose?"

"Your eggs are fine," Jiub replied, tucking his phone away. The customer in question had come in a few times, and was - well, honestly, such a stick in the mud it was fun to tease him. He was very particular about his food, wanted his waffles turn an even number of times...so Jiub always made sure not to do that.

Sotha Sil himself. Not all that impressive, at least not to Jiub. He said he came there because the sound of the blight winds was relaxing, and when he needed relative silence this was a good place to have it.

And his fried eggs were always just slightly runny.

"Here, I'll redo 'em if you want, I was hungry anyway."

He handed a newly finished plate of waffles to the new waitress, who took them to another ashlander in the corner.

"Do you have no pride at all in your work?"

"I'm cooking eggs and waffles for 10 septims an hour, there is no pride in this work," Jiub replied with a shrug.

"You are an insubordinate imp--no. No, I will waste no more time on your shenanigans. This is not what I am here for. Just cook the food." Sotha Sil huffed, and turned back to the laptop in front of him.

It was a far cry from the nigh-emotionless construct Jiub had heard Sotha Sil described as. Something, it seemed, had set the man on edge...he'd asked a couple people if something had happened to set Sotha Sil off what he was usually like. Most people couldn't see such little things, little signs of being potentially angry, or annoyed, or any number of similar things. But due to long experience, Jiub was a master at seeing it.

He'd reached a point in his life where he was looking to get humbled again. His success with Almalexia had made him feel almost bored - if he could off her so easily (however temporarily it lasted), really, how much farther was there to go? Maybe Sotha Sil would be different. Maybe he'd be tougher, somehow...

How little a thing would it take to push him over and make him screech?

He could already hear Sadara's voice chiding him for it. You little troll, you just want your ass kicked, don't you?

Well. Maybe he did.

The waitress went outside to handle the garbage, and so Jiub was the one to deliver the plated food. He glanced down at the laptop, and saw a familiar sight.

A Pokemon battle.

And more importantly...

"Superiorsil? So it's YOU! I should've guessed," Jiub set the food down and went over to clean the stove.

"What do you mean, you should've guessed?" Sotha Sil's voice had turned accusatory.

Jiub turned back, and gave a deep smirk as he extended his hand. "Jiuberjabber. How ya doin'?"

A pause.

A long, uncomfortable pause.

And then, Sotha Sil - master of the monotone, king of the cutting politeness, suzerain of stony looks - leaped over the counter and wrapped both hands around JIub's neck.

Both mer crashed to the ground and despite the pain and increasing lack of oxygen all Jiub could do was laugh.

"You idiot--pathetic--little WORM!" Sotha Sil was snarling, "You broke my perfect record!"

"It's just a game, man," Jiub struggled, trying to get one hand into his back pocket. Still the laughter persisted, even harder because he saw how much it infuriated the mer above him. Or maybe it was due to the choking. "Don't take it so seriously."

He managed to get his trusty box-cutter out, and took a few stabs in the area of his opponent's ribs. Jiub and Sotha Sil wrestled about in this fashion another few minutes, getting the latter's blood all over the floor.

"What happened to the calm magus, huh?" Jiub, still giddy from the lack of air, went on, finally getting to his feet and backing away, box-cutter at the ready. "Oh, wait, you are what the people need you to be, right? I've read the sermons."

"That wasn't IN the sermons you illiterate cretin," Sotha Sil stood, his pristine white robe now utterly ruined. The stab wounds were healed over quickly, and he looked ready to fight--

--and then suddenly bristled, snatched a to-go box, stuffed the food he'd left uneaten into it.

"Come back soon," Jiub, still in the mood to tease, energized by the fight, blew a capricious kiss at the furious mer before him.

Sotha Sil left, muttering under his breath.

Jiub then looked at the ashlander in the corner.

"You gonna tell the Temple about that?"

"Who the fuck would believe me?"

Grumbling, and thinking he was far too sober for this, Jiub moved off to the bathroom to snort some skooma. Nibani would be in within an hour, and he needed the blood cleaned up by then. The waitress, utterly horrified by what she had just witnessed, didn't look like she was going to be staying long enough to do the job.

[dynamite124]

Maybe this question already is answered ingame, in which case: Please ignore. v.v

Has Taliesin a certain opinion on priests and the like? Except for worshipers of Talos of course - I'm thinking especially about Arkay. Funeral rites to prevent necromantic shenanigans, fighting undead, I think I read they can function as midwives also?

I actually like to imagine that Tally's savior might burn the dead at 'his' Shrine of Talos not only for ritualistic reasons (making as sure as possible that they might be identified through possessions?), but also to cover Taliesins tracks. Leave an extra pile of ash next to Sanyons and something he carried with him (like a volume of the Lusty Argonian Maid 2 *cough*) and another Thalmor-Patrol might be persuaded. I may be overthinking things again. òô

Taliesin really doesn't have an opinion on Priests. He stays neutral towards most religions, but Talos Worship is his least favorite and he's more familiar with Dibella Worship since he dabbled.

Although he would be on edge just a little bit with the thought of them trying to convert him to their religion. XD

Priest Dragonborn: I need you to do something more me.

Taliesin: I'm not donating to your church. All I have is the clothes on my back and, trust me, you don't want me walking around Skyrim bare as the day I was brought into this world.

[tastesoftamriel]

I’d love to hear your take on Tamrielic coffee culture! Imperial cappuccinos, Breton cafe au lait, Redguard iced coffee with lemon…so many options~

Coffee varies in popularity among the Provinces, but almost everyone enjoys a good strong cup of bean juice (and it tastes much better than stamina potions)!

Altmer

Coffee isn't the favoured drink of most High Elves, but it is enjoyed in small amounts around Summerset. The most popular way of drinking coffee there is a simple espresso, served in small cups for sipping alongside small cakes and biscuits in the afternoon. While some complain that espresso is too strong and bitter for their tastes, a good brew is smooth, rich, and flavourful, with notes of vanilla and fruits.

Argonians

Black Marsh is one of Tamriel's foremost producers of coffee due to the rich soil and warm climate that makes growing coffee relatively easy compared to other Provinces. Egg coffee sounds bizarre, but this Argonian take on the cappuccino is one of the best ways to drink coffee in my opinion! A strong brew, sweetened with sugar, is topped with firm, whipped sweetened egg whites and served piping hot. Simply stir the egg into the coffee before it has time to set, and you have all the benefits of a milky coffee without the milk.

Bosmer

Believe it or not, the Bosmer have found a way to make delicious coffee that's Green Pact compliant! While it sounds unsavoury, Wood Elves in Valenwood pick out undigested coffee beans from the dung of civet cats, who eat wild coffee fruits. The beans are washed thoroughly and roasted, with the civet cat's digestive system purportedly aiding in the fermentation of the bean, giving the resulting brew a rich and robust flavour. This 'luwak' coffee has become so famous that it's become a pricey export to other parts of Tamriel.

Bretons

Cream and coffee go hand in hand in High Rock, generally with a couple of sugar cubes or flavoured syrups or caramel for a rich beverage. Using cream instead of milk helps to ease the bitterness of Breton coffee, which is unfortunately made by boiling coffee grounds. As any coffee aficionado knows, boiling your coffee makes it rather sour and unpleasant, making the cream and syrups a must.

Dunmer

Of the races, the Dark Elves are probably the least enthusiastic about coffee as it is not native to Morrowind. However, coffee culture from around Tamriel has made the beverage more popular among the younger generations of urban Dunmer, who infuse their beans with marshmerrow during the roasting process. Served black in tall cups with a pinch of marshmerrow sugar, this simple drink is unique in flavour due to its sweet, candy-like aroma. For those with a taste for the exotic, add a splash of guar milk.

Imperials

In Cyrodiil, coffee is usually drunk with milk. Cappuccinos, made by topping coffee with frothed steamed milk are particularly popular, not least due to the fancy art that can be made by pouring the coffee into the milk in intricate patterns. While in itself it's not a particularly remarkable beverage, it's an Imperial staple that's enjoyed from the Colovian Highlands to Blackwood by young and old.

Khajiit

The Khajiit are famous for their drip coffees, in which coffee grounds are placed in small metal filters that slowly drip into a small cup, halfway filled with moon sugar-sweetened condensed milk. The resulting brew is very strong, very sweet, and bound to wake you up after the first sip.

Nords

Coffee is not particularly popular in Skyrim, but it's served as plainly as it gets: strong and black, and sometimes with a spoonful of sugar. However, what it's served with is unique to the Province. Coffee cheese, which is a slightly chewy and porous cheese, is dipped into the coffee and nibbled on as you sip your brew. I know it sounds weird, but give it a try and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Orcs

Orcish coffee is always served with copious amounts of sugar and echatere milk. This simple drink is especially favoured by Wrothgarian echatere herders, who keep their energy levels up by sipping on this beverage throughout the day from echatere-skin flasks.

Redguards

Coffee is widely grown in the Bantha, making the drink a native Hammerfell staple. Whether it's served black, with sugar, or goat milk, coffee is often infused with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and even chili. Another popular way of drinking coffee the Redguard way is the amusingly-named 'dirty chai': a strong double espresso mixed with equal amounts of spicy chai and frothy goat milk, and served with sweet pastries and biscuits as an accompaniment.

[the-nexverse]

@thicc-pirate hiii, happy STS! thanks for the ask!

Agnes: is it REALLY mandatory? ugh, fine. she finds an isolated corner or room to pass the time (preferably with an alcoholic drink and a cig), making no effort to interact with anyone and dispatching anyone who dares approach her. absolutely NOT a fan of social events, will endure until the first opportunity to book it. what a waste of time

Ryan: the life of the party! walks around, participates in every conversation, tells jokes, you name it! he thrives in social situations, he was MADE for this!

Lisabel: starts slow, analysing everyone in the party. once she's assigned a profile to everyone, she decides who's the best for her social experiments. blends in perfectly like an octopus, doesn't make herself the center of attention but everyone definetely notices her presence. depending on the person, some might be attracted to her style and vibes while others might be put off. something's definetely weird about the way she talks and smiles... it's a gut feeling they can't shake off

Eric: he's there to have a good time, but also to chill. participates in group conversations and simply is a nice presence to have around

Léan: chaos incarnate. goes under the tables, runs around, fills their pockets with as many snacks as possible, probably knocks something off said tables accidentally, there's a pool? definetely falls in at some point. when she burns all his energy, it's Eric's turn to take care of them, either finding a spot where she can nap or going home

Rask'r: loud drinker! probably challenges people to drinking games and contests, hopefully taking advantage that argonians are more resistant to alcohol than humans/elves. won't stop him from getting a bit wasted at the end tho!

Raz: not the best at social events, but tries anyways. not a fan of crowds, so he participates from a safe distance. will occassionally chat if people approach him, but that's the most he'll do

Donovan: leaves you on read and doesn't show up. i don't know what else you expected

Lee: oh man he's gonna get overstimulated. oh man he's gonna run around and knock everything and everyone down. oh man the animonster emergency services are on their way

Vreytus: what's the purpose of this. he got invited so he feels obligated to attend, but he doesn't know what to do once he's there. he's too intimidating for anyone to try to approach him, so he spends the time standing still. how fun

Bug: the weirdo who didn't get invited but showed up anyways. they're not here for the party, they're here to explore the host's house. and possibly steal something

Voirdy: FREE FOOD FREE FOOD FREE FOOD!!! don't mind the ghost birds roosting on the roof. this isn't a costume party either, what's up with the bird helmet? who invited this guy??

Chad: definetely WANTS to be the center of attention. it's a competition to him, actually. will insert himself in everyone's conversations, loudly share his opinion on any topics, drink a lot and participate in any and all events planned. he's having fun!! as for the others... welp, 😐

Lewis: nervous wreck. doesn't know what to do or how to participate, so he stands awkwardly away from the main group of people, strangling his little red cup. although if someone goes out of their way to include him in a conversation, that would be enough for him to loosen up, relax a bit and start opening up. it's that initial step that he finds the most difficult

Storyteller Saturday asks are on!

[moodcrab]

Fixing Skyrim's Main Quest

Part Two: Backstory

As a quick disclaimer, I intend to keep this as lore friendly as possible, so the only lore I will be tampering with is that which was introduced in Skyrim, all the previous games are off limits. Before Skyrim, a Dragonborn was a legitimate ruler of Cyrodiil/The Empire not the ultimate dragon slaying soul eater, Shouts were a Nordic art that was unconnected with the dragon language, and The Dragon War never happened. These will be the only lore I will mess with as they are exclusive to Skyrim.

The Chosen One

"Bad guy is bad. Bad guy do bad thing because prophecy. You good guy. Good guy stop Bad Guy because also prophecy." - Vanilla Skyrim

The issue with Skyrim's linear plot is you are the Last Dragonborn, whether you like it or not. In Morrowind, are you the Nerevarine because you fulfilled the prophecy or did you fullfil the prophecy because you are the Nerevarine? Both you as the player and the in-game characters can debate and philosophise this to your heart's content and none of you are truly wrong because it really does come down to your opinion. "I'm not the Nerevarine, I'm just some Argonian who read the prophecy then chose to enact it, and chose how I enacted it" Or "I am Nerevar reborn. I was sent by Azura, as was prophesied, to save Morrowind. It is undoubtedly so" are both perfectly legitimate outlooks.

Uriel Septim knows he is about to die because he has seen your horrible Oblivion face in his prophetic dreams, and *in his opinion* this makes you the one who will stop the Oblivion Crisis. It turns out he's wrong, Martin is the hero and you are just some guy who helped him.

But in Skyrim you are the Last Dragonborn. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. Even if you don't do the main quest and never encounter another dragon after Helgan, you will still learn words from word walls because you are still the Dragonborn. Every faction quest has a word wall locked in them, and the Civil War requires you to be Dragonborn. The dragon slaying and shouting mechanic simply couldn't exist if you were not, and that's what the game is about. A gimmick, not a story.

A Compelling Villain

The player character isn't the only victim to this linear plot. Alduin is going to eat the world. It doesn't matter if he wants to or not. It is prophesied therefore it is. Does Alduin have mixed feelings about the whole thing? Don't know, the game doesn't let us have a single conversation with him. Who knows, maybe Alduin sees you as the villain, an abomination that profanes his language and religion? Nope. Big black dragon is going to do the thing because the game says so, and you have to destroy him because the game says you're the only one who can do that. Alduin needs to have, I don't know... A motive? A personality? Anything to distinguish him from a run of the mill dragon.

The New Backstory

So here's the new Legend and Prophecy that is inscribed on Alduin's Wall, which seeing as the Old Dragonguard carved it as a warning for the ages is no longer hidden in a cave in the arsehole of The Reach, but is a prominent tourist destination of Skyrim.

Thousands of years ago in the Merethic Era, the Nords of Skyrim, still keeping to the old Atmoran tradition of animal totem worship, had many cults to the gods. Alduin gave the priests of The Dragon Cult power, and helped them dominate the society of Skyrim. Two of the priests, Konahric, a great warlord and his closest ally and friend Miraak, a powerful mage, saw the evil being done in the name of their religion and rebelled against Alduin. Kyne appeared to the dragon Paarthurnax and told him to teach Konahric and Miraak the Thu'um. Miraak used this knowledge to create a new word of power, dragonrend, which they use to fight and defeat Alduin, banishing him to Atmora. Konahric wanted to free the Nords but Miraak wanted to seize power for himself, so they fought, and the battle ripped Solthsteim from the mainland. The Akaviri Dragonguard carved this into their wall, with a warning that one day Alduin would return, and a Dragonborn would rise, like Konahric of old, to defeat him.

So the first big impact this has on the game is you are now only *maybe* a Dragonborn, who may potentially be this fabled second Konahric, but you are certainly not The Last Dragonborn. Bethesda loves to give you cool titles like this but we are doing away with the idea of The One and Only Last Dragonborn. People believe that the art of Shouting, which can be learned by anyone, comes more naturally to a Dragonborn, so you definitely stand out as a potential. Part of the game will be convincing different factions that you are the guy, but they already have strong opinions. The Stormcloaks believe it's Ulfric, the Imperials just to counter this say it's Mede, if you uncover the hidden Blades they will support you. We are trying to tie in the Dragonborn with the idea of righteous rule as it's portrayed in previous games, intertwining it with the Civil War. We will add new political factions you can join to convince such as the Penitus Oculatis and the Thalmor, as well as all the joinable religious orders mentioned in Part One, but if you join the dragon cult you may end up going down the path of... Siding with Alduin.

You see, I've only given you one side of the story. The side men wrote down years after the fact. Here's that old legend from our bad guy's point of view:

Thousands of years ago in the Merethic Era, Alduin, knowing his destiny as the World Eater, sought to save his dragon kin from this fate. As immortal beings of Akatosh, the very concept of ending, of dying, of no longer existing, is beyond terrifying to dragons, it's inconceivable. So, through his cult, he dominated mankind in an effort to subvert the events that would foreshadow his World Eating. He would personally see to it that the events of the previous games would not happen through dominance. But he was betrayed. The humans grew malcontent and unruly, two of his most trusted priests, who he himself favoured and personally granted the power of the Thu'um too, now waged war on his kind. One of them, the mage, created a twisted Shout that forced them to the ground with its evil, giving them an edge in the war... and only now that the humans had a chance to win did Paarthurnax, who was as a brother to Alduin, switch sides. Paarthurnax was entrusted with guarding an Elder Scroll, which he gave to Konahric as part of their deal. Dragonrend made Alduin fall from the sky, but Alduin is no mere dragon, he is a god. How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence. They had no choice but to use the Elder Scroll. And Break the Dragon.

Dragon Breaks are a little bit dense to get into now, but put as basically as I can it means time shatters so that multiple outcomes become true all at once. In this case, Alduin is banished to Atmora and is sent forward in time and is killed and is unharmed all at once. This is why there are tales of Alduin during the time he is supposed to be missing from time, why the other side of this tale omits the Elder Scroll and says he was banished. Some people might say a Dragon Break is a bit of a plot cop out, but so is "an Elder Scroll did it" so live with it. When you get to this stage in the story - when you go recover the Elder Scroll - you no longer zap back in time and eavesdrop on the Tongues when you read from the scroll, instead you experience a vision of The Jills.

The Jills are the dragon daughters of Akatosh. If Akatosh/Alduin are gods, these dragons are angels. It's their job to put time back together after a Dragon Break. You have a long and deep conversation where the writers can flex their lore muscles like they did with Paarthurnax in vanilla. You need to convince them to allow you to speak to Konahric at the other end of the time wound. Konahric will teach you dragonrend with a warning about its hateful nature.

Alduin is furious at the betrayal, at the downfall of his kin at the hands of men, and is disgusted with what Tamriel has become in his absence. Not only does he no longer resist his role as World Eater, he embraces it with gusto. He will end this kalpa and let the new one begin. He resurrects his dead followers, the priests that remained loyal, and slain brethren to feed him souls.

Stay tuned for Part Three where I'm going to try to lay this all out from Helgan to Sovngarde.

[custom-whats]

What’s Nebarra’s opinion of Kash?

…. Is team LDB really so desperate for people they’ll bring in an actual child? Is probably one of his first thoughts on the matter.

I think as he gets to know her he’ll find some of her traits rather admirable. Her self reliance for one would be something he’d back handedly praise, probably with something to the tune of “I can’t believe a child is more competent than most of you”. I could also see him quietly admiring her independence in not really caring about what her argonian bretheren may be up to.

Fundamentally speaking though, I think he disagrees with the idea of bringing her with the team. And thinks her whole “refuse me and I’ll just keep adventuring” stubbornness is a display of reckless stupidity only found within the youth, something that’ll probably get her killed someday.

Children are oftentimes more a hinderance in a survival or combat scenario than a help. If Nebarra was to get dropped by an enemy in a dungeon (purely hypothetical obviously), what hope could he possibly have that Khash would be able to drag his armoured, fully grown body of at least 140 pounds out of danger? It just wouldn’t happen. He’d be toast. Same goes with difficult to traverse terrain and the like, he couldn’t possibly expect Khash to ever be able to help him at the age and size she is. It’s just not practical. And this will likely be what he would explain to the LDB as his reason for disapproval if they asked.

There is a small amount of his concern that is less settled on practical matters though. With how often he is tormented by his past, he would hate to see Khash get a head start on that kind of torment at such a young age solely because she was too stubborn to leave it till she was older. Or maybe never pick it up adventuring at all.

Tl;dr he thinks some of her traits are admirable, but she can be stupid and reckless in the way only kids can be. Doesn’t treat her poorly. Or more so than he treats anybody else, anyway.

[orfeoarte]

Hi! What do you think the different peoples of Tamriel would sound like if they spoke Castellano?

HI ANON TY FOR THE ASK!! CRACKS KNUCKLES!!!!! this is all pulled from my personal experience talking to Spanish speakers from many different places! It's just about the sounds and dialects, but since these are fantasy people it's hard to draw direct parallels. Maybe I can just offer some loose thoughts!

Altmer speak much like Rioplatense Spanish (Buenos Aires and Uruguay— my dialect), they sound nasal, and their SH pronunciation of Ys and LLs is unique. Maybe Auridonians have their own form of lunfardo including vesre speech (i can explain if you want elaboration!)

Argonians have diverse dialects. Their voices have a very low cadence and their speech ranges from slow to extremely fast. Js, Shs, Ys, Chs and Ss all have a hissing sound to them. I don't think I can parallel it, but the tone and cadence would possibly sound like a very slow-speaking Colombian or a very Fast-speaking Paraguayan depending on where the Argonian is from, though since their lips are not like ours, there's no real human sound that really resembles theirs closely.

Bosmer speak like Chile and Paraguay do, with their own unique words, weaving them fast and tight together. Since the Valenwood is so large, their dialects are also very diverse.

Bretons are closest to Castellano Spanish from Castilla. You know what I mean. They call everyone usted and formal vos, too, unless they want to offend you.

Dunmer exist in the liminal, border areas of Spanish and languages like Portuguese, French and Italian. They speak it with a sound that's unique to them, a lilt that's closed and affected similarly to Altmer but somehow too like night and day. The Pyrenees, maybe?

Imperials straight up speak something like Cocoliche (the creole language/dialect of Italian immigrants in Hispanoamérica) but they do it very cockily, like their dialect is the only proper way to speak.

Khajiit, like Argonians, have a unique physiology and I don't think you can truly compare them to a human accent, but their Rs are trilled and purred, voices either low or high. Each furstock has their own specific tonal inflections. Maybe a blend between Andalusian and Venezuelan sounds could work here but again, I couldn't really compare.

Nords speak like communities of Anglo-Saxon descent in the Andes mountains do, pronouncing each phoneme strongly yet with ease in different registers and situations.

Redguards have a deep tone to their voices but speak melodically, very unlike Altmer and Dunmer, and closest to Bretons though not by much. A parallel could be a blend of Center-american and Barcelonian accent, but I'm not sure.

Let me know your opinions!

[nientedenada]

Scouts-Many-Marshes for the character ask thing! I am looking for some inspiration considering that he will have a big role in my wip.

First impression: A friendly face in Windhelm!

Impression now: One of the most interesting guys in Windhelm. He has things to say, ranging from his usual cheerful disposition and openness to all people, to his pretty caustic remarks about Ulfric Stormcloak's death. (I hope in his next life, he's reborn as an Argonian forced to live in a slum because of some bigoted Nord dictator. I'm joking, of course, but I'm a lot happier seeing the Empire running things in Windhelm.") He also seizes the opportunity to get better wages for the Argonians, via the Dragonborn, and hints that they've been taking some of the unloaded goods to make up for the unfair pay. He's a quick thinker. His good nature doesn't mean he's fine with being treated badly.

Favorite moment: My favourite Scouts-Many-Marshes moment actually never happens in the vanilla game. Since he never comes inside the city, he doesn't meet and talk with Ambarys Rendar at the corner club. Which is sad because their conversations are there in the files and they're marvelous. One line showing off his dark sense of humour. Ambarys Rendar:"Look around you. Don't you know what their little war is about? They want all non-Nords out of Skyrim. That means you and me." Scouts-Many-Marshes:"Oh, I doubt that very much. Who would load their ships, then?"

Idea for a story: Ulfric Stormcloak for some reason is tagged as his friend in the game files. I wrote a post about this and the resulting story idea: The Mysterious Friendship of Scouts-Many-Marshes and Ulfric Stormcloak (I'd also like to see him take on Suvaris Atheron who is a horrible supervisor who denies Argonian workers their rations.)

Unpopular opinion: I don't know if this is unpopular or just unusual. I don't imagine the law banning Argonians from the city is quite as straight-forward as it sounds. On a practical level, having dock workers and porters who can't enter the city is possible, but I think it'd make more sense if the law is that they can't enter except on work. They definitely can't stay there. Is this partly so I can still have Scouts-Many-Marshes dropping by the Corner Club to chat with Ambarys after he's brought up stuff to the city? Yes.

Favorite relationship - Hanging out with Ambarys Rendar, tolerating that grump.

Favorite headcanon - He really was friends with Ulfric Stormcloak once. See story idea.

[rabbittwinrithings]

About This Blog <3

Hi there! I’m Rabbitt Winri! Creator of:

Khash the Argonian

Varrick Veil

Caryalind Thallery

I also have a discord for my projects. 

Any content related to my mods posted outside of Nexus or Bethseda.net is posted WITHOUT my permission! I do not allow, and will never allow explicit NSFW content related to my mods!

Send me asks about: My project and recommendations, my thought, about me, ect. I’m pretty open about my asks, it’s mainly stuff that I don’t want asked to keep in mind.

Please don’t send me asks about: Past dramas and problems you may have with my discord server. (I’m fine with stuff being asked, but message me instead of sending me an ask.)

Blog Highlights:

Mod Reviews:

Beyond Reach 

Old Blood

Vigilant (Coming soon)

Sirenroot (Coming soon)

(If you have any recommendations for mods to review, feel free to send me an ask about it!)

Mod Review Disclaimers: All these reviews are just opinions and my experiences alone. If I mention bugs it could be very well my fault. I also don’t want to swayed people from not playing a mod, so I always recommend giving them a shot and forming your own opinions around them. Mods are also hard to make, and so these are never attacks on the mod authors, just  my personal thoughts. I also understand not all mod authors are looking for criticism on their mods, and if that’s the case, please ignore my reviews. 

[venusmage]

Do you have any D&D (or TTRPGs in general) pet peeves? I follow a lot of TTRPGtok and would love to see more of your opinions as a GM! Your game and players seem really cool!

Thank you!! I say this lovingly, you must be on ttrpgtok if you like D&D Hot Takes. I think sometimes the hot takes are a little too frequent LOL (though for me 99% of the time it's actually just people being super fun and chill)

But sure! I actually don't have many? Pet peeves, that is. But the ones I do have I've always had -- it generally comes down to less the community itself and instead certain habits or jokes that became an unwritten "rule".

Playing a character whos ancestry is inspired by non-human creatures like they're literally an animal. I'm talking about dragonborn here because they're my favorite D&D ancestry (and I'm also a big elder scrolls fan and that fandom does the same thing with argonians)! But I see it with tabaxi/minotaur/kenku etc. also. They're just people! Play them like you would a tiefling or elf or human!! You can give them certain characteristics of course (like for me dragonborn have some bird-like vocalizations and movements)...but they're people. That have jobs and families. They're not monsters, or dogs, or "feral" or whatever. It just bores me immediately, I much prefer to let them be fully developed 3D characters like any other. It's actually one of several reasons why I don't like lizardfolk very much (as they're canonly written). I think they play exactly into that stereotype.

Flipside , people who make furry jokes if you play a non human character. That's just being boring and unfunny.

The other is specifically w/ my fellow (usually American) LGBT D&D players …but not every gay person who makes a tiefling or a cleric has "religious trauma". Even though it's a joke it gets irritating. I'm not Christian and Christian stuff doesn't appear in my games. No one at my current table is Christian, either. I am Buddhist, though, so just because you see religion or spiritualism in a negative light doesn't mean I will. And there are plenty of non-Christian/non-atheist players who must be as bored of that trope and joke as I am. I think in general religious =/= Christian needs to be understood better and it's an important differentiation.

[boethiah]

Sotha sil for the character ask thing to complete the trio (Also your mortal!ayem fic sounds so cool! And would you mind sharing some of those Almalexia themed writing prompts? I love the way you characterise her and the whole tribunal)

plugging this first bc i'm planning to post the first new chapter in several years this week: gratuitous almalexia backstory fanfic. almalexia-themed writing prompts will be at the end but first let's discuss sotha sil

First impression

he was actually my favorite tribunal member at first when i was 18 and new to the fandom :')

Impression now

eso sotha sil isn't real. eso sotha sil isn't canon and eso sotha sil can[t hurt me

Favorite moment

the only canonical eso sotha sil moment i'll acknowledge which is the one where he got kicked out of almalexia's basement and had to move into a nearby cave

Idea for a story

if i ever finish rolecall (a fic about the tribunal post-nerevar's death and pre-ascension) i plan to write out the conversation sotha sil had with almalexia and vivec when he returned and revealed he'd learned how to use kagrenac's tools. which-- hang on this is actually an unpopular opinion let me move onto the next question

Unpopular opinion

most of the fandom seems to have this idea that sotha sil is somehow less guilty than almalexia and vivec in the betrayal of nerevar, when in reality i actually see him as MORE guilty. sotha sil was the only one who knew how to use the tools of kagrenac. almalexia and vivec may have murdered nerevar or agreed to break their oath but they never could have achieved godhood without sotha sil. so it seems like there's this weird belief that sotha sil is the only remorseful tribune or the only one not to blame, but-- he is the ONLY one of them who actually knew how to use the tools. he had the EXCLUSIVE power to make that happen. including almalexia and vivec was mere kindness on his part. the only canonical part of the betrayal we're certain of, the breaking of the oath, is entirely on him.

Favorite relationship

once again it has got to be the tribunal here. but specifically i'm obsessed with his relationship with almalexia-- the fact that they were apparently childhood friends, the fact that he was apparently scared of her, the fact that he remained so close to her throughout his entire life and godhood. i think they were very codependent; they both went through so much shit as mortals i think they just latched onto each other in a bad way, and sotha sil at least knew it would end with one of them dead at the other's hands.

also, fa-nuit-hen seems to have a crush on him? good for sotha sil with whatever hijinks precipitated THAT

Favorite headcanon

that he was disabled and had prosthetic legs as a mortal. in my mind his being disabled influenced both his interest in technology and his extreme desire to make things better for people. related; that his chief character flaw is that he cares too much about people and is driven by empathy to the point where it can overwhelm him and shut him down, hence his repeated chronic retreating from the world

free almalexia story ideas under the cut:

okay so here's just a random list of stuff i've been meaning to write about almalexia that i'll probably never get around to so consider it free game. in no particular order:

the story of almalexia's involvement in resurrecting wulfharth during the akaviri war, and whatever the hell her involvement was there

a conversation between almalexia and heita-meen negotiating the end to argonian slavery, and almalexia's subsequent personal involvement in making that happen

just. almalexia being a war-leader. almalexia showing up in battles to just destroy things. almalexia planning out wars. almalexia scaring the shit out of people who might cause trouble for the dunmer.

relatedly-- mortal almalexia serving as nerevar's general, offering her expertise on the nords to plan battles

the world could always use more nerevar/almalexia stuff ngl. big fan of fics where almalexia gets to scold nerevar for being stupid about something.

a fic about almalexia and nerevar just being like, way too comptitive over a chess game or something. to the point of probable violence

a fic about almalexia talking to nerevar's shrine/grave during the time of the nerevarine prophecy, while getting ready to try and murder his supposed reincarnation

and of course

the conversation in which almalexia kicked sotha sil out of her basement, forcing him to relocate to a nearby cave

[dynamite124]

While getting onto Skyrim for some drawings references, I noticed that Taliesin has WAAAY less prominent laugh lines than like All of my other followers (the human/elf ones, idk if the Argonian or Inigo have them)

His are way less prominent than Lucien's, and even less than Kaidan, and I'm not sure it's because he like, fixes or cares about wrinkles, cause he's got some around his eyes and stuff

I'm pretty sure the only person who has fewer laugh lines than Tally is Gore, and that... Kinda makes sense, between his rough childhood and how he's only 19-20 or so.

Taliesin, on the other hand is 150, he's had over a century to smile, but it hasn't marked his face.

So... is he big sad, or does he just have great skin, and I probably just read into this too much?

Totally not intentional, but honestly, it kind of works.

So fun fact, now that he's severed his ties with the Thalmor to travel with the Dragonborn, he's allowing himself to BE himself; Making jokes, speaking his mind and opinion, laughing and smiling.

He does have great skin though! He has a skin care routine during times of rest.

[tastesoftamriel]

I'm in Gideon for a bit of work, and a brother of mine recommended me the food at the Egg and Hammer. (He says the swamp eel with blackberry wine sauce is excellent.) However, I overheard one of the shopkeepers saying the food was dubious. Have you been? What's your opinion?

I don't know about the food being dubious, as I've had nothing but good experiences at the Egg and Hammer Inn. It's tidy, the staff are courteous, and the customers aren't rowdy. More importantly, here's the menu; let it speak for itself in terms of dubiousness!

The Egg and Hammer Inn

Gideon's most prestigious watering hole

Starters

Spicy fried frog legs, with tangy homemade mango barbecue sauce

Curry sausage bites, wrapped in Blackwood coconut-smoked bacon

Argonian-style fried meatcakes (monkey, fish, or snake), with lime and ginger dipping sauce

Mains

Mudcrab omelette, served hot and fluffy with crispy oyster mushrooms

Twice-cooked swamp eel, smoked and roasted in sweet wine and fish sauce atop pandan rice

Clouded Funnel mushroom tagliatelle, with creamy white wine sauce

Dessert

Papaya, mint and watermelon gelato trio, with chewy tapioca pearls

Banana coconut cream pie, with salted caramel drizzle

Rum baba, with vanilla custard

[greyborn2]

Musings on the Spheres of the Daedric Princes

No idea what struck me, but good golly I have been STRUCK with the urge to just, like, put down to words some things on the various spheres and aspects of the daedric princes I feel don’t get talked about really. Soooo... ya. On Azura; first off I’ve always found it fascinating (and not oft talked about) how it isn’t just the Dunmer that are her ‘chosen people’. Long  before the Velothi Exodus she already had semented herself as the creator deity of the Khajiit. And, just, like, that’s pretty neat I think. In a way (though I doubt either would ever really admit it willingly) the Khajiit and Dunmer are sibling races, and yet oh boy is there some baggage there.  On Hermaeus Mora; ok, disclaimer, I can’t remember where I read it but its not my thought originally but yea. I find it interesting that despite all his big talk and showmanship Mora is a god of knowledge, sure, but he isn’t really a god of *meaningful* knowledge. He’s a hoarder of unparalleled scale, not a librarian. Apocrypha is a dumping ground of EVERY scrap of knowledge - cooking recipes, random books from lost historic texts to the lusty argonian maid, whispered town gossip, petty secrets of children... EVERYTHING. Just kinda dumped out there; it’s a trash pile. I reckon if you opened a rift into Apocrypha and grabbed a book at random you’d have a better chance of it being useless than some ancient forbidden text. I just... I find this really amusing and not talked about enough I suppose and that’s what all of this is! On Jyggalag; nothing really, just love that grey dork. Dude deserves to get some free time from Sheo finally. 

On Malacath; I’m a huge orc fan, like, they’re my favorite of the playable TES races (though not 100% if they’re my overall favorite, I adore the heck outta the reachfolk, minotaurs and maormer) but I don’t particularly hold high opinion of Malacath. He’s the grudge, the curse, the longstanding oath, vengeance petty and otherwise. He’s bitter and spiteful and more interested in retribution than regrowth and I think he honestly kinda holds his followers back - from orcs to goblin-ken. Also as an aside love that he’s always depicted as ‘the orc god’ but in his quest in Oblivion he all but states Ogres as his actual favorite. My guy that is not how you are supposed to parent, stop having favorites!! 

On Mehrunes Dagon <3; oh boy I love him. Gotta get that outta the way first, he’s my favorite prince and he gets done sooooooooooo dirty all the time and reduced to budget satan. No, my guys, that’s Molag Bal’s thing.  He’s revolution, he’s anarchy, he’s the toppler of tyrants and -hope-, lord of all cops are bastards and eat the rich. I really find it hilarious how many of his cults in games are going with the scheme of “oh yea, with dagon’s backing we will topple the current authority... and then BECOME the authority” - my guys, Dagon’s gonna abandon you the second you do that and back the guy who comes to overthrow you. Also I would love to see more interaction between him and Merid-Nunda/Meridia given that she’s basically his mother? Kinda? But it was a meridia from another kalpa so I don’t know if it counts. Point is there’s probably something juicy there. Give this four armed boy from Lyg some better rep, pleaaaaseeeeee. On Merid-Nunda; ok first off gotta say she is evil AF. Hating the undead (sometimes, we’ll get to THAT can of worms) and presenting yourself like an angel doesn’t make you good, as so many seem to have jumped on the bandwagon of. She’s the light without warmth, the khajiit know her as the godess of greed, she strips her followers of free will and makes them thralls to her with her ‘purifying light’, she supported huge chunks of the Ayleid Empire and her son and champion ruled them for a long time (as in Umaril).  Now, on that, I’ve seen a lotta people say that because she has been presented as outright anti-necromancy in the modern day she must’ve always been that way. That the ayleid necromancers we hear about weren't Meridia worshipers or that just throwing undead in every ayleid ruin is a gameplay thing but.. like... alternate thought that I think is far more interesting; She isn’t against necromancy. Hell, she’s a god who as mentioned strips away the free will and minds of her followers, I doubt she’d have a moral objection to it on that ground. I strongly headcanon she just hates OTHERS doing it. She’s like a bright (but not good) mirror of Bal - she needs to be the one in charge, she needs to be at the top of the pyramid. If a necromancer is a free agent, forcing their will on the dead without ALSO bowing to her then that’s something she takes as an insult.  Alternatively the anti-necromancy thing is thing she went to post-ayleid empire, or, interestingly, the Ayleids had some sorta practice of necromancy that was acceptable by her.

On Namira; fingers crossed this one won’t be as long as the last, but I’ve got some thoughts on Namira since I just wrapped a year long TES campaign where she was the indirect BBEG and followers of her (and Dro-m’athra) featured heavily and I had to find a way to make them interesting. So I guess first off, she isn’t the god of cannibals. Or bugs. Or all that stuff. She’s the god of that which folk find repulsive and spurn. If, one day, everyone decided that pink was the most disgusting thing on Nirn I’m sure she’d change her colour scheme up right quick. I believe she lures in her followers with acceptance - the outcast, the ostracized, the reviled of society... she comes to them and tells them she accepts them utterly. That she loves them the way they are, not that they are without fault but that she loves them FOR the faults. And in that way she can wriggle and writhe her way into convincing her followers that they are disgusting people, that they should be more revolting, because she loves them.  Further, on a different tangent, I think her connection with Lorkhan/Lorkh/the moon prince is super interesting and I’d love more on it. If any prince can ‘claim ownership’ of mundus after the passing of Lorkhan I think she has the strongest claim, not that she seems to want it.

On Sheogorath; ok, gonna wrap it up with him because oh boy I’m already trying to be brief and writing an entire essay aaaaaaaaa, but yes. Sheo. Oh boy do I have Opinions on him.  Ok first off I’ve gotta say it... I think he’s the most evil and reprehensible of the princes. Yes, even worse than Molag Bal. And I guess content warning for some talk of several mental illnesses; if you’ve read this far and that is a trigger at all, please stop here and thank you for reading my rambles <3 Despite his zany ‘lol random’ persona, Sheo is vile. He isn’t fun, no matter how much he wants to present himself that way. He isn’t a friend. He’s a patron deity to mental illness and I feel this doesn’t get properly addressed enough, or folk are too lulled in by his persona to really examine it. He’s depression, he’s schizophrenia, he’s alzheimers, he’s delusion and paranoia. Molag Bal may break your body, namira might do gross things, vaermina might give you nightmares... but sheo will fuck with your self, your brain, in a way I feel is far worse and more fucked up (pardon language) than any other prince or god. I want to punch his smug face SOOOOO bad. SO SO bad. His realm might seem funny, even Dementia in its own dark way, but it’s such a sad place. They’re people he’s lured in and fucked up. He’s a bastard who sees someone struggling with mental illness and things “oh yes, how can I make them WORSE, how can I deepen this paranoia, worsen this trauma, etc etc etc”.  Didn’t intend to leave all this on a downer note but... ah well. That’s it. Sorry for long long ramble and thank you to any who bothered to read all of it I suppose!!