#Parts for Summerset

[mannimarcoiscool]

☁️ Elenwe of Cloudrest ☁️

[nightingaletrash]

I was running through the Scribing questline with Maggie to get her some fun new abilities and now I think that it's canon that this is her joint venture with Venaya. I mean Niraen lived with her for a while after Summerset, and ofc Niraen and Venaya have their whole thing going on, so it was high time Maggie and Venaya got their own time together, and Scribing feels so perfect for it?

There are no life or death stakes here, just the thrill of discovery, learning, crafting and growing. Maggie probably comes along initially as a member of the Antiquarian Circle to catalogue artefacts and such, then inevitably gets drawn into exploring Scribing herself when Venaya asks for her help when dealing with the Netch because she cannot deal with its shenanigans.

And I just think there'd be something very healing in it for both of them, to see that Ulfsild lost everything but still managed to heal and move on and be happy with what she accomplished. It'd just be a really sweet way to develop their friendship (and for Maggie to tease her about her feelings for Nirri lol).

[selenesweb]

i know im late in the discourse but i have a feeling that whoever was in charge of the summerset plot decided that nocturnal should be the main villain instead of mephala bcuz they wanted a plot twist or smth

[bam-monsterhospital]

god dammit rigurt.

you show up on altmer island and here i am playing as my altmer, all ready to do some diplomacy with you, but all you can talk about is the hoity toity shitty high elves and how they're the worst and you're sick of dealing with high elves... TO THE HIGH ELF YOU ASSUME WILL HELP YOU.

summerset dlc, you're better than this. your writing acknowledges player species all over the place (not just altmer vs non-altmer, but stuff like extra dialogue for reguard players talking to the redguard man at the alinor docks, and josajeh in artaeum), but somehow you slip up here?

"I've been sent to extend a branch of peace to snooty, rude, and very tall high elf peoples".

rigurt, I'm one of those snooty rude very tall high elf peoples.

"you really need to reconsider the company you keep"

I wholeheartedly agree. Let's throw rigurt into the ocean.

so far this quest has been a slew of grossness (lookin at you, 'i think of people from other lands/cultures as creeeaaatuuuurrreessss' sapiarch shitlord), but then i recieved a sign to not bother with this quest from zos themselves!

the game crashed and kicked me out.

[falmerbrook]

Theories for What Darien is

Some folks seem content with "vessel of Meridia" as an answer to "what's Darien's deal" but I'm not, and I think at some point we'll get more answers, so here's a collection of some theories+clues I've thought of or seen others suggest in the meantime.

A Demiprince

A Demiprince is "the Daedric offspring of a Daedric Prince or Daedra Lord and a lesser entity such as a mortal". They aren't really a thing this series puts a lot of focus on (and I like that, personally. We have enough focus on daedra already) but having a focus on a major character being one could be a good opportunity to flesh the concept out perhaps. From what we do know, though, the relationship between Prince and Demiprince seems less like that of a literal parent and child and more like the Prince provides some part of themselves or their power/essence/realm to create a new being with part of the essence of a lesser being. When that other entity is a mortal, I suppose that would just be the other parent. Basically under this theory Darien's father (as a reminder, a character we have met and interacted with in-game) was probably a Meridia cultist, or otherwise connected with her and for whatever reason agreed to make and raise Darien. He probably grew up from a child if this is the case.

Meridia wasn't a part of the Coldharbour Compact, but maybe for whatever reason she felt she needed a mortal with loyalty and a connection to her, as well as a sample of her power to do her bidding on Nirn, and thought a Demiprince would be the best way to go about it? Regardless of motivation, I think it would set up a very interesting relationship or dynamic between Darien and Meridia if they ever return if it turns out she's basically his mom.

Evidence:

Darien mentions that he never met his mother when you talk to him on Summerset. It seems like something pretty specific to bring up unless it had some sort of relevance (although the rest of this dialogue is going to be more relevant to later theories)

He also seems to be under the impression that he has always had whatever power/abilities he has related to Meridia in him his whole life (now, how long that life is depends on the theory).

(me too, Darien)

When he mentions that he had dreamed of the assault on Coldharbour and the light of Meridia before, he says that he's been having these dreams since he was young, implying that 1) he had a childhood (that's relevant I swear) and 2) his connection to Meridia and purpose as her Champion has been present since he was young. In his journal you can find in Camlorn, however, he says he's been having dreams predicting the Planemeld "since winter", implying they are a more recent thing. Perhaps his dreams have just gotten more specific or frequent as he got older?

---

Something of otherwise daedric origin that Meridia plops on Nirn when she needs something done

Basically, my thought with this one is that "Darien" has been Meridia's vessel (whatever that entails) for a long time, that she sends down to Nirn/Mundus whenever she wants to more covertly get something taken care of. For an example, in the context of the Planemeld, a certain amount of time before it started (I'm thinking, say, months) he appeared in Camlorn as a full adult, with him and the people around him having false memories of his past. Perhaps his "dad" is in on it, or perhaps he's just a random guy who has now been assigned an adult son by a god. Once he had fulfilled the task she set out for him, in this case helping to thwart Molag Bal, she would bring him back into the Colored Room for the next time she needed him (in this case, the conflict with the Dark Triad). In this case, he isn't a mortal, he just appears as one and is under the impression he is one. Usually, his memory is reset when he returns to the Colored Rooms, but, according to Meridia something changed in his interactions with the Vestige...

This one certainly has it's own holes in how it actually works, but it's a start.

Evidence:

The biggest evidence for this theory comes from the player's conversation with Meridia during the Summerset main quest.

She claims that he only believes himself to be Darien, and that he is really something else. (also she calls him "it") As well, she also says she sends him to Mundus to execute her will, implying this is not only his purpose, but also that she's done this before.

Additionally, she directly says that something about her intended purpose for him has been altered since he met you (and she specifically cites the Vestige as the problem). Perhaps he was meant to forget about his bonds and life from before he was returned to the Colored Rooms, but something about this time made it so he didn't and now he's invested in that past life.

The way he keeps returning to the Colored Rooms when he "dies" (his first time having not been within the protective shield Meridia set up, the second time being when he sacrificed himself to restore Dawnbreaker) is reminiscent of the way daedra are returned and reformed in their home realms when they are killed elsewhere. Daedra aren't actually "killed" when they die, they are instead just returned to the plane of Oblivion they originate from. Perhaps that is what's going on with him.

(source)

Finally, I mentioned earlier that in his journal, he claims he's only been having his dreams of the Planemeld and Meridia for probably a few months at most. Perhaps that's how long he's actually been on Nirn?

We saw earlier that he also mentions that his childhood was a blur. Maybe that's because he didn't actually have one.

---

A(nother) Vestige™

(or just generally, originally a normal Breton dude, turned into something daedric)

So, from my understanding, a vestige (lowercase v) is basically the daedric version of a soul. Daedra do not have souls in the way mortals do. Instead they have vestiges that are basically the essence of a daedra that its form/body is created around. This is a bit different than what The Vestige (uppercase V) is. When mortal souls are sacrificed to Molag Bal, the soul is replaced by a vestige in Coldharbour, turning the mortal into a Soul Shriven who is compelled/forced to serve as a slave in Coldharbour for eternity since they cannot die permanently (similar to daedra). The bodies of Soul Shriven are weak and decay over time, but rarely, such as with The Vestige, some other Aunic (which I think means relating to Mundus) aspect allows them to maintain their former body, while still have the ability to reform after death like a daedra. (all of this is taken from this book, so if I got it wrong let it know)

With that out of the way, this theory is basically that Darien is like The Vestige, but for Meridia instead of Molag Bal. Alternatively (and more simply) it could be that he was originally born a normal mortal, but at some point had some part of Meridia's power/essence imbued in him to become what he is now (the Ambitions had this sorta thing going on for another example of it).

There isn't really any evidence for this theory that makes it more likely than the others. As a matter of fact I think it's weaker than the previous two. However, it would be thematically interesting to have him parallel with The Vestige, and it would make this line A+ foreshadowing:

---

Other random tidbits I found interesting but don't really apply to any one theory

In his final words to the Vestige in the books he leaves us after the Summerset main quest, he rather definitively says that Meridia is responsible for bringing him into existence. So at the very least she has something to do with his existence. This could apply to any of the theories I've already put forward, but mostly the first two.

His powers or whatever essence of Meridia that he has is implied to be finite. He initially seemed to think that he was transferring the rest of what he had into Dawnbreaker when he sacrificed himself at the end of Summerset, but in his final words it seems more like it took away a part of it, and each time he does something like that or "dies" he loses a bit (and that when he loses all of it he will actually die :( )

Nocturnal seems to recognize him as "Meridia's vessel". This is right after he mentions using Dawnbreaker so the Meridia connection is obvious, but the same use of the word "vessel" makes this seem like a thing the other Princes understand or already know about unquestioningly. Maybe it's a Daedric Prince thing, maybe it indicates Meridia has had this "vessel" in whatever form for awhile.

His dad is definitely a guy that exists given Lady Arabelle mentions having worked with him at some point at least 16 years prior to the events of the game. Make of that what you will for however he fits into all this.

Not really related to what his deal is at all, but still a interesting part I forgot about: Darien and Sotha Sil have had a conversation. I very much wish I was a fly on the wall during that. Maybe Sil could recognize more about what was going on with Darien than we could.

[dawns-beauty]

WIP Masterpost: Skyrim Elf NPC Overhauls

Heya! I'm still SassiestAssassin from the Nexus. Making this a pinned post, as this project will be consuming my foreseeable future. For my other modding projects, check out this masterpost.

For more pics of this project, check out the codb tag.

I am currently working on 3 mods that will cover each race of elf NPC in Skyrim: Children of the Ash (Dunmer), Children of the First (Altmer), and Children of the Green (Bosmer.) Additionally, I plan on updating Children of the Pariah, my Orc NPC overhaul, to take advantage of the assets I'm using for the other mods. This overall project has the working title "Children of Dawn's Beauty" (a reference to the translation of "Tamriel" from elvish.)

My goals for my mods is to keep to the spirit of the original NPCs, and bring in new elements to freshen them up. I research each NPC's page on UESP to glean traits I want their designs to reflect. Style-wise, I am shooting for a little bit more than Vanilla+, but not super realistic or super fantasy. They use High Poly Heads and Expressive Facegen Morphs. Some of the specific attributes I want to emphasize are:

Cultural References and Enhanced Racial Features

I wanted to work in aesthetics/cosmetics from the other games for elves. To make elves more distinct from humans, I am trying to make some of their non-human characteristics more prominent. All three races have brow ridges; large, almond-shaped eyes with colored scalara and large irises; more saturated and varied skintones; and more prominent ears (still pointed, of course.)

Dunmer NPCs will tend to wear a lot of earrings/other piercings, tattoos, and may have ornamental scarification. I've also invoked images of the Good Daedra and the Temple Saints where I can fit them in.

Bosmer NPCs might have horns or sharpened teeth. They also have eyes with star-shaped pupils.

The Altmer NPCs, for the most part, are a little more separated from their culture (as most NPCs are Thalmor, or likely have a reason they left Summerset.) Individuals of higher standing will wear pearls or moonstone, and be well-coifed and wear makeup. Thalmor tend to be more subdued, with sleeker, darker looks.

Age and Lifestyle Influences

I wanted to reflect aging in a way that default Skyrim only kind of touches on with humans (having an Elder race) and have 4 stages of aging via custom textures: Young, Mature, Middle-Aged, and Elderly. These are based on Tempered Skins for Males and Reverie Skins for females. Textures will be available for Vanilla and CBBE bodies. Women and men will have some body hair.

Young is the smallest category, with the distinct feature being smoother, fuller face textures:

Mature uses the same body textures as Young, but with less baby fat on their faces:

Middle-Aged textures are somewhat wrinkled with stretch marks on the body:

Elderly textures are the most wrinkled, with stretch marks and liver spots on the body:

There will also be two sets of muscle tone. Laborers and warriors will have more prominent muscles (but not unrealistic six packs.)

Mixed-Race Individuals

There will be a few NPCs with mixed heritage, which will show up in their features.

Outfit Addons

I am also working on adding the outfits seen in my screenshots to NPCs via Skypatcher.

[changelingsandothernonsense]

Josh sucking on a cigarette art comp

Or @vehksfingerguns is peer pressuring me to compile pics of Josh and his favourite vice which I am happy to oblige. Most of this is because Josh has a habit of writing instructions or notes on freshly rolled cigarettes for shits and gigs... also to remind him of things he needs to do or say. Note- not all of them are written on but there's a good amount. Also note - there will be some nudity because Josh has no concept of "pants" or "underwear".

This is really the first iteration of Josh as we know him today. Inscription - "After Sex"

Josh and his idea of "pajamas" Inscription is "Lacortud" or "Reflect"

Josh post Serious Mistakes part 1 talking to Sydari about swindling Ralis out of coin. Inscription is "My Financials" (or Josh is worried about money).

This was a "Showing Moon-and-Star" meme and I didn't inscribe the cigarette.

Josh post Dragon Crisis Inscription is "Arkanis"

Josh taking a rest on the way to Dawnstar. No inscription.

Josh after impersonating a Redoran Guard- no inscription

Josh found a chair - no inscription

Josh relaxing against a wall in the Retching Netch - No inscription

Josh in one of his lounge robes circa chapter 11 of Sleepers Awake- No Inscription

Josh meeting with an associate in a Suran corner club- No inscription.

Josh fucking around Jiub's apartment Inscription- "After Sex"

Josh chilling in his suite at the Retching Netch- no inscription

Josh hanging in Summerset- no inscription

Josh from Chapter 11 of Sleepers Awake- No inscription

Josh has a blunt.

Josh after fixing some of his problems, no inscription but it should have "after sex" written on it.

Most recent art. Meant to be when Josh and Erra are just house husbanding it up in Maar Gan. Inscription "Kiss Me".

[sheos-silliest-soldier]

On Tamrielic Textile Motifs, pt. 2:

For the purposes of organization and relevant comparison, star and sun motifs have been grouped into the same category.

The sun and stars are visible to all peoples, and so are popular motifs in all parts of Tamriel. Included in this are personalized patterns and motifs depicting a person's Sign. The reasons to display this can vary, but include superstition (the belief that wearing your Sign will grant luck), sentimentality (often being a gift from a friend or family member), or as a symbol of erudition. Star patterns are also widely used by religious and magical scholars, and temples dedicated to the Magna-Ge.

In the Summerset Isles, sun motifs and patterns are especially prevalent due to the importance of Auri-El in the Altmer pantheon. These often feature eight-pointed suns with waved rays, and are highly popular among clergy and nobility.

An almost identical six-pointed design exists in Morrowind, but is referred to as Azura's Star. Curiously, Azura's Star (the artifact) is mainly depicted as having eight points. It is possible that the number was changed in order to avoid multiples of four, as keeping with Dunmeri tradition. However, the pattern itself may be a remnant of Aldmeri culture that has carried over from the Chimer, and been adapted to current Dunmer culture.

Interestingly, the same eight-pointed sun design can be found in parts of rural High Rock, along the border with Skyrim, and the Reach. There is no conclusive evidence as to why this pattern is seen in such isolated areas, though some claim that it was adopted from the former Falmer inhabitants.

[sulphuricgrin]

WIP Whenever/Wednesday

Tagged by @hircines-hunter this week and by a lot last week (sorry had nothing to show!)

no pressure taggin: @changelingsandothernonsense @skyrim-forever @sanza-17 @pocket-vvardvark @dirty-bosmer @yansurnummu @lathez @thescrolls-haveforetold @sunlightpassingthroughthewater @scholarlyhermit @gamevoidartblog @firefly-factory

sharing this tired and before bed. possibly mistakes, oh well. it is a wip. have the girlfriends! :D

Thankfully, like clockwork, she soon begins to hear movement from the direction of the bedroom. A yawn, the soft movement of fabric, a pause, and then a sigh. She doesn’t bother opening her eyes, or even move, when she hears the quiet shuffle of covered feet on stone. She always looks forward to this routine they’ve built. Lilliandra always does the same things, to replicate the same environment because Cinnara has shown she follows the same actions.  She hears her approach from behind before gentle hands come to her face. Thumbs caress her cheeks and red hair tickles her skin as Cinnara tenderly kisses her forehead. “You shouldn’t be sleeping here.” She always thought she had fallen back asleep at her desk. "Your neck must ache terribly." Lilliandra relishes in the softness of her touch. Her own hands come up and over Cinnara’s. She finally opens her eyes and looks up at pretty blues. “I didn’t.” Her voice betrays her, her exhaustion leaving it tired and a little hoarse, making it sound if she had woken up.  Hands slip away from under hers and Cinnara disappears from sight as she pads away. “When did you wake up?”  Her answer is a quiet “I dunno.” She closes her eyes again, and rests, and listens. She admits she enjoys the easy, calm mornings, of simply listening to her rummage around their room, getting ready for the day. She jolts when clothes are unceremoniously dropped onto her face. Grumbling, she moves the pile into her lap and looks over them.  “Please, get ready. We’ve got a full day today with everyone!” Her voice is vibrant with excitement (and perhaps a little louder than necessary this early). Everyone. This group of artisan friends Cinnara had been a part of for the last couple years, though she supposes she was too, despite not falling into the artisan category herself. She more considered them Cinnara’s friends, and not hers, but she plays along because it makes Cinnara smile, it makes her happy.  Though she takes her time, it doesn’t take long before the both of them are ready for the day and walking through the Academy’s stone halls. Their chambers were located underground. So while they lacked windows ― something Cinnara occasionally complained about ― their rooms stayed cool during Summerset’s worse summer days. They hold hands as they take the spiraling stairs up and eventually out of the students boarding building. The gentle warmth of the morning sun hits them as they walk through the lush gardens towards the refectory, where most students and staff were likely trickling in on this lazy Loredas morning.  

[fanartbyherd]

Gotham Map

whoo! I'm not 100% done but if I don't stop now I will never stop.

over a month of work and I can now say I have completed my own map on Gotham!

as well as Bludhaven and summer set,

Bludhaven famously being the sister city of Gotham and primary haunt of Nightwing.

Summerset is a community between the two cursed cities that is just extrodinairaly normal. (I don't know what comic it is but I got the name from one I was looking at.) but here's the panel.

(No idea what issue this is from, I was browsing quickly through a large collection of older Batman comics and didn’t have time to sit and read it yet.)

So! Some Good Golly Gosh Context for the existence of this map. Before someone comes at me for non cannon accurate information and BS I'm about to pull.

This map was created for my use for a Transformative work I started toying with the idea of, that now has a hundred something chapters drafted (note: Drafted dose not mean written only one of those chapters is written and available to read. Dandelion puffs)

found here:

this map is a combination of the (mostly taken as) Cannon Map and the map that briefly appeared in "the Doom That Came to Gotham" film. the main inspiration for the Fanfic Idea. as well as things scavenged from Fannon and my own head cannon. some parts of it are also cobbled together from other bits of cannon, things such as the long halloween, Batman Year one, the one Nightwing comic I have read all the way through, a Batwoman and Catwoman comic, The Arkham Knight games, Actual maps of New Jersey (I mentioned that in my previous post about this map), The Harley Quinn Show, Joker (that movie) especially the subway map that apparently appeared in that film. Multiple Batman films... I'm not actually sure what batman movies I have watched just that one of them had Ra's Al Ghul and the scarecrow in them and featured the Narrows, and the 2022 batman film, and birds of prey. I really should have been keeping track of all the inspirations I used. I do that for Original works... but not for fan works as I'm not that used to making them or something.

this map operates with the assumption that the year is somewhere around 2020. and that in 1920 the city of Gotham suffered from a destructive fire. (see events of the doom of Gotham)

and in the late 1950s suffered from a catastrophic earthquake. (haven't read it but heard through the grapevine about Batman: no mans land. lots of the online maps reference it)

Also opperates under lovecraftian horror rules, because that's what this elderich horror AU...

the colors are a bit hard to see unfortunately, but they are mostly for my own use.

Gangs of Gotham:

Lime Green-Jokerz: they have close ties to the cult of the clown posse. operate mainly around the Amusement mile.

Scarlet red-Redhood: Headed by the mysterious Warlock Redhood. the gang is relatively young but rose to power quickly in 2005. most of Park Row (aka crime ally) and some of the surrounding areas are under the red hoods control.

they took their name from an earlier gang that was wiped out by the jokerz. The higher members of the gang jokingly refer to themselves as Red hood's merry men.

Red hood has a deep hatred for the Joker and Black mask considers him his primary rival.

Cyan Blue-Siloni: A Gotham grown mob, that consists of many different families that merged to become a singular mob.

Indigo-Moronei: Major rivals to the Falconies, they also got mostly destroyed in the same incident that destroyed their rival gang, but there where people to pick up the pieces

Gold-Cosa Nosta: a collection of families mobs originating from Sicily

Grey-Falconies: in the early 1940s the family was nearly destroyed following a series of incidents.

Dark green-Thorn: American Gangsters.

Colbalt blue-Penguin: Took their name after the moniker used by a professor at Gotham university. Rose to prominence in the 1920s during probation as the main go too if you wanted to set up a speak easy. under the leadership of Ms. Ollie "the penguin" Cobb. the gang was nearly taken over by the falcons in the 30s but after the destruction of the original falcon famaly managed to establish themselves. even operate as a half legitimate business a good portion of the time.

Orange-Lucky hare: collective term for the Irish mobs such as the Rileys, Sullivans, and so on.

Maroon-Black Mask: Run by the ambitious warlock Roman Sions Aka Black Mask. dominating he aria of the Bowery, He and the Red hood have a very violent Rivalry. He covet's Red hood's "red burial shroud." and territory. The black mask gang has ties to both the older sionis mob and the false face society.

yellow-Maxia: the gang Run by Maxie Zeus and the twelve olympians. the gang was founded by Greek immigrant Maxine Seuss. former Archeologist who went a bit mad after the death of her husband and daughter. she immigrated to the United States in 1922, after her American husband's death. her son Maximilian took over after his mother.

pale pink-Yakuza: are what they say on the Tin, operate both in Gotham and in Bludhaven.

purple-Scareface: one of the old Gaurd of street gangs. Is headed by “scareface” and his Vantriliquist. Scareface is a man who was opporating in Gotham back in the 1890s and 1910s but was hung by the place that later became Blackgate Penitentiary. He was also the man who ordered the death of Cyrus Gold and the subsiquent dumping of his body in Slaughter swamp.

brown-whispers: the collective name used for the Russian and Ukrainian mobs in the area. They operate partly out of the old subway tunnels. Mainly consists of the Ibansscas and Odessa gangs but there are others referred to by the collective term.

jade green-Evening Dragons: collective term for a good deal of gangs and organizations that have East Asian origins or influences.

this includes the East side dragons, Ghost Dragons, Golden dragons (might see where the name came from) the Lucky Hand Triad, Hanoi tan.

sky blue-Whites: A merger of the Black gaters gang and the Gangs run by Warren White "the shark".

pink-Other: a bunch of smaller gangs, gangs that are not organized or seen as being one of the largest players. gangs that are less well established or gangs that are extremely local to a certain neighborhood.

Intergang (metropolis baisses), street Demonz (local biker gang), the Mutants, sprang bridge soldiers, Burntly Town Massive, Decons, Escabedo Cartel, The stonewall Drug lords, Pealuan cartel, Skevers, Moon, and para military groups like Bane's and TYGER. and on rare occasions when Two-Face's Gang on the periodical basis that they become an issue.

Cults of Gotham:

I'll probably make some other post on a more in-depth chat about the cults of Gotham, the Occult comunity, and how they interact with the gangs, elite and citizens of Gotham. but that's not this post. here's a quick overview.

-Cult of Ghul: its leaders were destroyed in 1920. prior to this they had a lot of influence in Gotham as the guardians of the Lazarus pits that exist below the city. after the 1920s they lost most of thir influence, they still ave plenty of influence in other parts of the world with the surviving al ghul daughter.

-Court of Owls: been around forever want "what's best for Gotham" at least what they think is best, after the dismantling of the Cult of Ghul took over as the head honchos in the city.

-Baset's cats: Catwoman runs this cult, its a sect that broke off from a cult in New Orleans.

-Court of the yellow sign: They're a problem, and looking to make themselves everyones problem. very popular among the elite as it is a lot about pleasure and indulgence, and theatrics. work often and closely with the cult courts and the wounderlanders.

-She who Breaths: has a few other names, but is primairly a fertility and prosperity cult dedicated to Shub Niggurath and simular entities. they have a close and cordial relationship to the Green lady and is well respected among the Gotham and surrounding areas cults.

-Court of winter: the local fairy court.

-False face society: have a lot of pull and sway in the criminal underworld. also deal with the fay and vampire population of Gotham.

-Rail hoppers: A strange and loosely organized secret society whose worship revolves around the public transit system... people aren't really certain what thier deal is. but they're normally harmless.

-Pain: pain anyone? sort of your typical demon worshipers.

-Dead's Dawn Society: they have some weird beliefs around necromancy. the bats and birds is a decisive topic.

-Clown posse: people who believe that they can somehow appease the Entity known as the Joker. its a bit more complicated than that.

-Green Lady: Worshipers of the green.

-Bat and Bird watchers: one of the most yet least organized cults on the list. they aren't always considered a cult by the other cults in Gotham and has many facets to them. the

-Torch bearers: worshipers of Yeb and Nug. more so Nug than Yeb.

-Mad Society: AKA the brotherhood, a section of Gotham vampires worship here and seek to bring about the end of humanity and have vampires rule the world. or something along those lines.

also might want to create an army of werewolf women. this causes issues with the wounderlanders.

-wonder landers: in reality encompasses a great number of smaller cults who are all associated with the dreamland and dreamland deities in some way or another. but the main part style themselves after the book Alice in wonderland, the Avatar of the Elder God Hypnos. the current Batwoman's sister is a member.

-Triad: worshipers of the Earth Gods Lobon, Zo-Kalar and Tamash.

-Court of Dagon: Mostly dock workers and Deep ones who worship Dagon and Mother hydra.

-Court of truth: primarily worshipers of Aletheia, have some loose connections to the order of Saint Dumas.

-Court of stone: a group who seeks the caves of Solomon. spend a lot of time spelunking in the tunnels and cave systems of Gotham.

Stops on the Railway system.

H. Red Line: Redwall, Avalon hill, bludhaven port, the spine, old station, Melville station, Drawbridge station, Mealtide park, span bridge station, Gotham university, Cemetery hill, city council, Gold Gotham station.

8. Sea Line: Arkham, Arkham bridge park, Eastside, dockside, old city hall, memorial park, old Gotham, city council, Cemetery hill, Southside, span bridge station, lainly point station, Mealtide park, train yard.

0. Silver line: Steel st, Wayne Central, clock tower, city hall, central library, Roman st. Ottisburg, Park row, old Gotham

J. Tree line: Ash st. Oak st. clock tower. chinatown, Alder st. park row, Lemur park, spring st. cherry lane. Robinson park, Ottisburg, Roman st. Old Town

K. Central line: Wane central, clocktower, Penguin station, Millers Harbor, china town, old town.

9. the Loop: Wayne Central, Owl station, Burnley, Penguins station, Elliot Center, Precinct station, justice station,

A. Amusement line:Airport terminal, Kane street, Riverside, stadium, blackgate, Sheldon park, city hall, clock tower, Wayne central.

(some stations are not yet named, especially on the silver line, central line and tree line.)

the city also has an extensive Bus and Tram system, but if I drew that I may actually go crazy and try to bite someone's head off.

(stuffs mislabeled slightly on this map below but its accurate enough)

Parks

Robinson park- a park just outside of park row. its said to be the domain of some strange being known as poison ivy.

Memorial park-houses the 1920s fire memorial.

Wayne park- between North City park and Southside park. its located in the Financial district.

Sheldon park- the park next to the amusement mile. it could use some clean up, but is popular with teens and explores as it allows for an easy access to the cave systems of Gotham.

Southside park- houses the Gotham City zoo. and just outside of the flood area of the Cauldron.

North city Park- near the Gotham central hospital.

Lemmars park- in the cherry hills district. it was converted from the old Lemmars and other farm lands when the city expanded.

Arkham bridge Park- a rather large and wild park that takes up much of the eastern coast of Old Gotham Island.

Anders park- a small park south of Robinson park. its well known for cult activity.

I'll figure out the bridge situation some other time, just know that for this Span Bridge is the one that connects Bludhaven to Gotham.

Districts.

1.Bristol- Island home to Gotham's Elite and Wealthy. the entire island essentially acts like a gated community. there is no metro trains to Bristol but there are a handful of bus stops. home to Gotham Academy a prestigious K-12 private school. Wayne manor and Drake manor are both located in Bristol.

2. Old Gotham- Mostly destroyed in the 1920s fire. the revitalization and rebuilding of the district left it with a very Art deco look.

home to the city council, the old city hall, and the Old Library.

3. Downtown-Built in a gothic revival style as an honor to the cities name and legacy. its history has been shifting with its demographic for years. still a rather populated and well lived in neighborhood, even if some businesses have moved to the financial district.

on the other side of the water to the area known as the Cauldron

4. Arkham City- Relatively unpopulated compared to other other parts of the city. is notable for its unique Victorian Gothic revival architecture. a lot of the structures are original to the area as Arkam Island survived relatively unscaved from the 1920s fire and the earthquake in the 1950s. the more populated parts of the island are heavily crowded and home to the failed "ark project" and the failed "wounder city." the most famous feature of this district is located on a small island just off the coast of the larger Arkham Island, and that is the infamous Arkham Asylum.

north of Arkham island are three islands of Founders, Bleake, Miagani Islands.

5. Docks- the main Port and Docking Area of Gotham. there are a lot of warehouses and industrial buildings in this area. also home to plenty of famous food stands and hole in the wall places like Mama Mathew's shrimp, as well as a good assortment of Bars and Dives, such as Sandyhood, Noonan's and Siren's whale (favorite bar of the Gotham City sirens).

the docks also hosts the Empty water tower that has Become one of Omen's Roosts. (note: Omen is Red Robin)

6. Parkrow- More well known as Crime Ally. once a prosperous neighberhood, it survived both the 20s fire and the 50's earthquake and fallout of both incidents. in the 80s, some of the area was redeveloped into "projects", though crime had already been on an upward spike since the 30s. some classic revival buildings survive from the cities heyday.

the old courthouse that hadn't been in use since 1903 was in this district as well as the famous monarch theater. and Leslie's Clinic.

the district has the cheapest renting all of Gotham but also a huge homeless population.

home to the Oldman building, the abandoned fire station, and is well known to be the haunt of the Red hood and the strange spirit known as the red wraith.

park row has its own community culture. you are likely to get stabbed.

7. Narrows- A narrow strip of land between the South (old Gotham) and North (new Gotham) islands. it is densely packed with buildings that frankly are not up to code. its just as densely packed with people. people make the best of the situation they find themselves in.second cheapest rent in the city, largely lawless.

jacks junkyard is a bit of lifeline in the area.

8. China Town- this districts architecture and open-air markets are what the it is famous for. Alongside its colorful nightlife (and we aren't talking bats!) Traditionaly played host to the cities east Asian immigrant communities. some parts of the districts are known as Korea-town or little Japan, there is also the statue street, that traditionally housed a lot of immigrants from India. the district is well known for having its own spin on the cities beloved gargoyles.

9. Little Italy- little Italy and the surrounding areas play host to many immigrant communities from the 1830s to 1950s. it rebuilt stronger and better both after the 1920s fire and the 1950s earthquake.

home to Maroni's pizzeria, leaty tile bar and the falcon statue.

10. Bay Ridge- another mainland district on the east side of the river.

11. Dimond District- the crystal, and glass facade that covers up much of the corruption of the city.

a popular district with locals and tourists both.

houses the main precinct of the GCPD, the County court house

12. Fashion district- An extension of the Dimond district but houses many more shop and places of entertainment. it's known for its 1950s futuristic appearance as it had to be rebuilt after the 1950s earthquake. has few fewer gargoyles compared to the rest of Gotham. relies on a series of flood dykes to keep from flooding. less prone to flooding compared to the poorer district of Coventry.

part of the area known as the cauldron.

13. Burnly-a large district that is a mix of residential, financial and industrial. it's a safeish neighborhood. though there's plenty of issues, but if you follow common sense rules for Gothem you should be fine... probably. its not as safe as some of the rich neighborhoods, or the mainland neighborhoods.

Gotham cathedral is in burnley, the watchtower is at the edge of the district.

14. Coventry- home to the Central library, the Elliot center, Iceberg lounge and millers harbor.

Millers harbor was created by the use of floodwalls and dykes in order to drain portions of the once marshy land and create a new part of gottam city. as a result most of millers harbor and coventry sits below sea level and is prone to flooding.

part of the area known as the cauldron.

15. City hall district- has a lot of crossover with the financial district and Dimond district. City hall, Gold hotel, National history museum are all located in this district.

16. Financial district- home to office buildings of most of Gothams companies. including the influencial Wayne industry. there are also several upscale apartment buildings in the area. Wayne tower is located here and the cities Subway system has its central station

the historic clock tower is towards the edge of the district.

17. Tricorner- a handful of small neighborhoods but the island is less populated, there is several industrial areas here, such as Kane industry having their plant in the area. Fort Damas is located on this island. its an inactive fort, and is now a historical site.

18. Newtown- a residential neighborhood with classic brick houses, different areas of knew town have different and rather recognizable styles.

19. Cherry hills- once upon the time used to be orchards. though there was space city earlier, the area was built up a lot on the 1970s. it is a pleasant area famous for the flooring trees that are in the area some still around from when the area was farmland. its also a testament to the fact that Gargoyles never go out of style in Gotham, even when the city dose brutalism. its a popular place especially during in spring. Bech tower is located in cherry hills.

20. the Bowery- the third cheapest place to live in in Gotham. the Bowery suffers a lot from the same issues that its neighboring district the Narrows and Park Row. Most buildings in the Bowery are Brick or stone. Gargoyles are quite popular here.

Black mask dominates the streets. Sal's Dinner and Hogan's ally Bar.

21. Upper Gotham-part of West Gotham

22. Lower gotham-part of West Gotham

23. Robbinsville-East side of Gotham river.

24. Lesser Gotham- the largest district on the new Jersey main land. it's practically its own city and was built up during the 1950s. its got its own police precinct (I feel like that's the wrong word) hospital, fire station and schools. probably one of the safer places to live in Gotham, but its still Gotham. people who move into Gotham from outside and can afford it tend to move here. largest issue is that

25. Gotham town- facing The Atlantic Ocean, its a relatively industrial area housing Star labs, Orion chem, Cobolpot steal and one branch of Wayne enterprise.

26. Ottisburg- A quite popular neighborhood, fox tech is located here.

27. Gotham Achors-located on the east bank of the River. A good deal of bridges that go into Gotham proper are here.

28. Midtown- part of West Gotham. location of Gotham general hospital.

29. Gotham village- part of the suburbs of Gotham, located in the west bank of Gotham River (seriously that's what it's called?) the Gotham Aquarium is found here.

30. East side- connected to the down town area, east side is a nebulous region that includes districts like the docks, millers harbor and down town.

31. South side- relatively industrial area. in recent years has seen revitalization in the form of parks and green spaces. relatively considered a tourist attraction as people from bludhaven will actually visit the area. its water front is relatively clean, and its proximity to Gotham university means that entertainment venues get a good deal of traffic.

the ferries to Gold Island and metropolis leave from that area.

gold island hosts the "statue of lady justice" that stands at the entrance to Gotham Bay.

within south side is the rust district. its still largely industrial and

32. Amusment Mile- Createdwith the intention of it being a boardwalk, it has several venues and pairs that fulfill the purpose. it is mostly safe during daylight hours, but should be avoided by anyone who's not looking to risk thier life at dawn or dusk, and especially it is ill advised to go there at night unless accompanied by a member of the clown posse, even then... the chance is high of encountering a certain clown prince of crime and his carnival of fools.

33. Harthrow Docks- part of East Gotham. A private docking area. was rebuilt in the 1920s. unlike millers harbor in coventry its a natural harbor.

((Also I welcome suggestions and idea on the "personality" of the different districts and locations that exist there and what the places look like.))

A huge thank you to @downtherabbittrail and @theredhoodedcryptid.

the red hooded cryptid gave suggestions on maps to use as resources.

I recommend checking out her cryptid batfam fic its quite nice.

meanwhile I stole (got permission from) Downtherabbittrail to use a lot of the street names they invented for one of their fics.

other street names are scavenged from other sources (cannons or cannons) as well as me just making stuff up.

Here are several closeups of the parts of the maps. Still illegible but it is what it is.

Here is a close up of bludhaven. It’s a lot more accurate to the maps I found online. especially compared to the maps I used for Gotham.

Things to know about bludhaven.

It’s the sister city to Gotham and is on the other side of Gotham Bay.

Bludhaven was founded as a port for whalers. It never saw as large success as its sister city. As the city of Gotham is practically a city state in some regards. The city of bludhaven survived in part thanks to its close relation with Gotham and its businesses.

As well as seeing a steady stream of crime in its waters since the very early days of the settlements existence. The Span bridge crossing over into bludhaven ascos the Gotham straight was built in 1878.

the overall architecture of the city is more modern, but a lot of Americana style brick houses and apartments are around.

Bludhaven districts- I can tell you less about these, as I'm having harder time finding info, might have something with bludhaven blowing up in cannon at some point?

Centeral business district- is what it says on the tin. houses both bludhaven's main hospital and the BHPD (bludhaven police department.)

2. Melville-the older parts of Bludhaven and Bailey's church. (had a goat named Bailey once, my uncle named her because she stared at him the same way his at the time GF did.)

Melville is also the place where Nightwing's apartment and Roost is.

3. Caernarvon- a more inland portion and houses a great deal of industrial areas as well as many places of worship.

4. LAnely- the peninsula its mainly a residential area

The Spine: is what Bludhaven has instead of a Main Street. It is the largest street in Bludhaven and Acts much like a Strip. with clubs, restaurants, hotels and other establishments. it has a reputation but most of the businesses are legitimate during daylight hours. some business or another is open on the Spine 24 hours of the day. the spine goes right along an industrial area of the Bludhaven port and officially ends just before Avalon Hill

The largest crime boss In Bludhaven was BlockBuster between the years 1989-2007

the largest cults in Bludhaven

-Blood hounds: a local vampire cult. they actually have quite a bit of bad blood with the Mad Society.

-Cormorants: An odd Cult who are the self-proclaimed guardians of Bludhaven. thier opinion on Nightwings presence is a bit split and has caused a schism in the cult.

-night doctors: bad news.

-bird watchers: made a jump over from Gotham when Nightwing moved cities. they also watch the activity of the cormorants

-Rail hoppers: because the Bludhaven Metro and the Gotham Metro connect to each other the Cult of the Rail Hoppers extended their reach with the reach of the public transit.

(There’s a good bit of lacking information online about Bludhaven when I went digging, which is surprising as the city has been in publication since 19, certainly it’s not Gotham that’s been a thing since 19, but still. )

Final note about this map is that it likely will have updates, especially as I get around to writing and growing more confident in my research on the whole thing.

[wispstalk]

Which culture in Tamriel might give good massages?

Probably anywhere you go you'll encounter good massage, though the modalities differ from place to place.

Khajiit, being generally more flexible than other folks, pay particular attention to the connective tissues and use rolling motions to work out tension. If you make jokes about kneading, though, you might get a light smack upside the head.

In Skyrim and High Rock, where the climate is more cold, masseuses will start by drumming on the body to increase blood circulation and warm stiff muscles.

In Valenwood, massage is done with rendered tallow which makes the skin incomparably soft. It's important that the tallow is rendered very slowly, so it turns pure white and odorless; otherwise you are gonna smell like dinner. Various musks might be used to scent the tallow, and pots of this salve are often found outside Valenwood in the kits of more high-end masseuses.

In Cyrodiil, massage forms a part of the public bathing culture and many types of scented oils are used after one has thoroughly sweated out impurities. This is also the case in the Summerset Isles, though typically these experiences are more private.

Warrior training in Orcish culture incorporates a type of massage that uses assisted stretching -- even the biggest muscle-bound fighter is not considered very strong unless they are also flexible. Massage as a form of physical training is also utilized in Hammerfell, though practitioners use tools -- such as stones or smooth dowels -- to work the muscles. More healing-oriented masseuses have a particular focus on circulation, and match the pressures of their hand to the heart's rhythms.

Argonian massage is done with a soft brush and scented soaps and is done very carefully and slowly. Though this style was designed with scales in mind, many outsiders find the experience luxurious and pleasant, and their skin will glow for days afterward. And in Morrowind, styles of massage vary highly from region to region, but they're almost always preceded by a long soak in the geothermal baths, which loosens the muscles considerably. Work smarter not harder etc etc.

[jag-rat]

Merethic Era Falmer (snow elves)

I was thinking of doing a mini project about Merethic Tamriel and a documentation of the people that were living there in a sort of semi-historic way.

Of course most of it would probably not be entirely lore accurate and there will be a lot of headcanoning but it's fun regardless. So enjoy the first addition to this series.

Falmer: The falmer during the Merethic era were the tallest mer race on Nirn growing on average between 6 - 7 feet. They were also the hairiest and bulkiest on average due to the cold climate. Their culture and practices during this time were very similar to modern day nordic ones due to the cultural overlap and assimilation on the atmorans end when they first arrived to Skyrim.

They valued strength and honour. Their original gods are long lost now however historians speculate the modern nordic gods could share traits with the Falmer's old gods.

In the early Merethic era the snow elves invaded and seized what is currently the Summerset isles. This is how it is assumed Auri-El (An Altmeri/Aldmeri God) was introduced to Skyrim and later would become the primary god in the snow elven pantheon.

Furs, beards, and long hair was the norm in terms of falmer fashion for a long time due to the extreme weather however the shorter hair and beardless look though impractical in such weather was popularised in later years. Again influenced by the fashion trends on the much warmer summerset isles.

Generally speaking when the Falmer weren't invading distant lands or declaring wars with other clans they were a prospering civilisation and in the early days were much like the nords not particularly interested in magic. This was partly due to the fact Skyrim has large iron deposits meaning smithing and weaponry were the most practical but that didn't mean there was no magic at all.

Healers generally could manipulate the weave and tell or even change the future. But when Auri-el was popularised magic become a much larger part of the Falmers lives being combined and assimilated into what they already had. For example enchanting among smiths and manipulation of elements specific to Skyrim (Ice magic mostly).

These changes didn't come fast of course, the falmer were quite stubborn. But over time a cultural shift did happen going from axe-wielding barbarians (As the Aldmer called them) to a slightly more tame society that we know a little bit today.

This didn't come without its challenges however as while the falmer were changing the Atmorans living there were not and in fact had taken on a lot of the cultural aspects or even gods of the traditional falmer. This inevitably was the beginning of the end as tensions got higher with these cultural and religious differences it ended the only way it could, in a war. And well, you know the rest.

Currently the ancestors of the Merethic snow elves thrive in cave systems below ground. While the nords toil above ground, the nords frost resistance of course being a product of falmer and atmoran ancestors. Regardless both societies still hold the values the early Snow elves held. Strength and Honour.

[tastesoftamriel]

Are there any accommodations for people with disabilities? For example, accessible entrances for those who require mobility aids? I would assume there would be a lot of injuries from the war or at the very least from wandering monsters.

In terms of physical disabilities, there are a wide range of accommodations for helping the disabled! Accessible entrances to most shops, temples, and homes are just the beginning.

Hearing aids for the partially deaf are in the form of ear trumpets, a rather crude device into which one shouts to be heard. Enchanted pocket ear trumpets magnify the sound further, using soul gem magic to power a Dwemer-inspired... actually, I'm not even going to pretend I know how magic works.

For the fully deaf and mute, sign language is fairly commonplace around Tamriel, albeit with certain regional variations. Thieves and assassins in particular are great with sign language as it allows them to communicate silently and effectively, and the trend of learning sign language across Tamriel started with those who seek to mimic the cool demeanour of a criminal. As such, it's very practical for those hard of hearing when at least one or two people in their community know sign language!

Prosthetic limbs, generally fashioned from wood, have been in popular use for hundreds of years in Tamriel and beyond. Ranging from crude stumps to finely carved realistic or ornate limbs, it is not an uncommon sight on war veterans and victims of violence, or sick amputees. Prothestic limb wearers who are skilled in magic are also able to meld their minds with their wooden parts, making them function just as well, if not better than the real thing.

While glass eyes have always been common for the blind, but aside from realistic replicas, some Tamrielic citizens have begun wearing polished gemstones instead, a trend said to have started in the Summerset Isles. For those with poor eyesight, spectacles are the most common way to correct vision without magic. ~Talviel

PS: Here's an ESO NPC (Amalien in Solitude) who uses a wheelchair!! Which I think is very cool.

[pocket-vvardvark]

WIP Wednesday

Ty for the tag @skyrim-forever @thequeenofthewinter <33

I'd like to tag: @aviel-the-trans-bucket @hircines-hunter @fangsandsoftgrass @kiir-do-faal-rahhe @scholarlyhermit @sanza-17 @sulphuricgrin @changelingsandothernonsense @progmetol @varlaisvea @yansurnummu @yewphoric @lucius-the-sinful no pressure as always!! ♥️♥️♥️🥰 Love ya'll with my whole heart

I've got a new chapter in the works for sweet decay 🤪 so, here's the WIP under the cut bc it's sorta long

Rivenspire is cloaked in the warmth of the sunrise. Blooming across dry earth, it softens the land’s foreboding appearance into something habitable. Having been awake for far too long, Verandis palms his sunken eyes as the soft glow filters in through open windows behind him. At the very least, the weather was somewhat pleasant in favor of the most recent heatwave. His body is no longer among the living, but the heat still drove him onto the edge of exhaustion just as easily as it would to a human. Voyage to Lillandril would be a pleasant escape to the lingering heat, and a part of him missed Summerset. Among the cities in Summerset, he supposed Lillandril was the fairest. Cradled upon the sea, the wind which swept only the most beautiful flowers was tinted with a satisfying chill against the heat. His thoughts shift to Angelica; briefly imagining her time on the island. Yesterday, she mentioned her distaste for Altmer culture, which was fair in its own right. No matter how hard a half-breed attempted to live up to their purpose, no full-blooded Altmer would label them anything but an Ephem. As saddening as it was, this was the way of his people. Thumbing over a groove on the hardwood of his desk, Verandis mulls over his relationship with the pesky minx. It was growing, that's unfortunately true, but to what extent? It had been an incredibly long time since he called another his lover, and oddly enough, Angelica didn't seem the type. She seemed content to toy with him, refusing to acknowledge him as anything other than good fun. Although, her gentleness from the other day did start to confuse him. The whole situation vexed him; feeling like a bumbling idiot left in the dark of some grand plan. Years of building House Ravenwatch softened him, and maybe that was why he was far too slow on the uptake. Regardless, the job needed to be completed, and he supposed he should use her…talents she so dramatically bragged about. The sun rises above the trees, signaling it was time to move. Verandis does so, gathering the bare essentials and finally roaming the halls until he reaches Angelica’s room. Raising a hand to knock, his knuckles fail to reach the door as it's opened before he can. 

She smiles. It's surprisingly bright for how strangely she acted the other day. Another facade? He'll see in time, Verandis assumes. 

“So…it's time?” Casting red hair aside, she tugs it into a messy bun of locks, then pats her leathers down. Ah, another surprise; that she's actually wearing proper clothes this time.

Prepared to suffer by her hand from whatever acts of mischief she'll no doubt drum up, Verandis answers with the utmost exasperation, “Yes. Bring along what you need.” Squinting, he watches as she disappears back into her room to procure a satchel.

“I do hope that's necessary.” 

Laughing as she peeks into the standing mirror, she makes one final adjustment to push her breasts up. “Oh, hush. We're taking a trip to the market, right? I'll need gold for that…among other things.”

‘Among other things’, that little remark did not inspire much of anything in him but annoyance. She hoists her arm into his, linking together as she bats her lashes. “I’ve been waiting for a chance like this; to come along on some grand adventure with the Count of House Ravenwatch. My sister told me all about you, you know.” 

He's pulled along with her, walking a stride slower due to their height differences. It would seem her younger sister had a bit of a loose tongue. Thinking about Alethia softens his expression, though, he knows there was no ill intent behind her excited story-telling. She couldn't keep a secret, that much he knew.

“Did she, now? I can only pray she had good things to tell.” They pass the doors, already walking down the rough, cracked path to shornhelm. 

Making a sound rivaling that of a disgruntled guar, he’s bewildered enough to glance down at her. She sticks her tongue out once he does, “That's what I think about your stupid attempts at being posh. Or…maybe you're shy. Are you shy, count?”

She snorts, tugging at their linked arms with an impish grin. 

“You-” Verandis scoffs, but he makes no move to wriggle away, only yielding to her kisses placed on his cheek. “I'm not shy. You're just…too overzealous for me. Not even Gwendis is this tiring, I should have you know.” 

Gasping dramatically, she feigns a sniffle, “Breaking my heart so soon? How could you…I thought we shared something special.” 

“Special? Hm, I had the distinct feeling I was but only a tryst to you, Angelica.” Their footsteps halt on the barren path of dirt as Verandis stops. He grazes a knuckle over her cheek, relishing in her sudden speechlessness. There's a hint of intrigue in her eyes, but something much less distinct; embarrassment. 

“Tsk, tsk…” the pad of his thumb strokes the tip of her cheek bone, “Projecting, are we?” 

Life spreads back into her features, moving her lips as her expression excites, “Projecting? No way, now you've got to buy me something like you promised.” 

Nothing gets past her, he's sure of that as she reminds him of what foolish words he uttered last night. It almost worked, if she hadn't been so perceptive. No matter, it would prove useful in the next days they’d spend together 

“A shame you hadn't kept your promise, then.” She blinks, fascinated by the ethereal hue his carmine eyes take against the bright sunshine. It steals her breath away, causing the briefest stirring deep in her belly. Truthfully, she was beginning to fluster at the sight of him like this; gazing down at her with such a romantic expression, like he could dip her back any second for a kiss. There was no love lost between any number of her trysts and herself, as the fickle emotion only served to complicate things. It stood in the back of her mind, though, as if it tempted her into taking that step. Oddly numb, she couldn't make sense whether she even wanted love. Sure, she'd never stayed quite this long with any of her romps, but it felt strange to just up and leave like they never met. Perhaps it was as her mother said, that one day she would want to settle down, to be with the one man who stole her heart. A flush does make its way to her cheeks, so light a dusting that Verandis nearly mistakes it for the sun on her skin. She takes her own embarrassing reaction in stride, smiling to him so lovingly that they both falter in each other’s grasp. Unlike the night they shared, it is him who concedes first, his grasp brushing away so softly she misses it. Clearing his throat, they continue down the path until Shornhelm can be peered at in the distance. The blob grows until she can see the roofs, the people, and of course, the market. Angelica observes the sights, its fairly different from both of her homelands from what she can recall from both Summerset and Western Skyrim. Hard times have clearly claimed most of Rivenspire’s goods and, frankly, the morale, too. Most shopowners looked more like they were proud owners of shacks rather than appealing homes; it went double for their wares, unfortunately. The only exciting things left were the rare pieces of jewelry she spotted along the way, and the occasional sneak she took of the count’s face while he was deep in thought. A local apothecary catches her attention, drawing her closer until several ingredients greet her eyes. The woman looks only to be a few years younger than herself, smiling but ragged after whatever turned shornhelm into turmoil. Hopefully, after her sister’s little adventure here, things would get better. Nevertheless, Angelica wasn’t entirely heartless, so she took what little ingredients were left and paid a little extra. She winks, and tugs the count along before the young woman can argue against the generous amount of coins splayed across the worn market stall.

“Well…I believe that’s all I’ll be in need of. Never hurts to pack a few poisons.”

If he noticed what happened, which she realizes he must, it doesn’t earn her a conversation. Either perturbed by her shocking display of kindness, or their recently shared embarrassment, Angelica cannot tell beneath his seemingly aloof gaze. 

“We should get a move on, then. Rivenspire lacks ferries, so we’ll have to carriage our way to Glenumbra.” She wants to kick herself for feeling disappointed he doesn’t thrust his arm out for her to hold, but makes due with this new development. It’s not like they were close, but she was finding herself longing for some type of…praise from doing good. Divines, did whatever happened last night really affect her that badly? She hadn’t thought so, until her thoughts soured from every woman which passed their way to ogle Verandis’ human disguise. A part of herself swelled in pride when they sunk back down upon her appearance by his side. That feeling was only doubled when she realized they would never know his secret, and such an intimate secret it was. Jealousy wasn’t her style, but she wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to swathe the Count in her perfume before exiting the castle next time. He certainly smelled better in it than whatever ancient perfume he wore beside her. Curious, she peeks over to marvel at his disguise. Honestly, she preferred how he always looked; with eyes as red as rubies and alabaster skin. It simultaneously enthralled and got her feeling rather heated. Such raw and dangerous intent was no longer evident in his now honey-colored eyes, and that left her feeling quite bored. Although…she could make due with those amber eyes if they watched her with the utmost adoration; that would be her goal for the day.

Grinning, she’s back to her confident self, looking as mischievous as a nixad. He realizes she snickers like one, too.

“Do I dare ask what you’re conjuring up behind me? I fear you, at times.”

Prancing back to his side, her fingers curl into his own, forcing him to slow his stride once more.

“Nothing much, just admiring the view.”

He snorts, “Of my backside? How quaint.”

Nudging him, he gains an eyeful of the sweet little twist of her lips, “It's a very disarming backside.” 

Sighing, he can't help but chuckle at that, “Whatever shall I do with you?”

His eyes jump between her own, searching for the reply her lips twitch with. Angelica settles for a gentle peck on his nose, laughing when he wrinkles it from the tickle. 

“I'm sure you'll dream up some elaborate plan to keep me quiet, darling.” 

[dynamite124]

Would Taliesin's sisters like Skyrim? Are they interested in visiting other places (like for a vacation) or are they content in the Summerset Isles?

Runefaire would love exploring the more dangerous parts of Skyrim, Naarein would stick to Solitude and do some shopping along with trying to paint Elisif the fair.

They would love to see what lays just past the horizon of their home, but haven't had any reason to leave Summerset just yet.

I do have in-game models of his sisters available, but I'm debating on if I want to put them in for Taliesin to see his sisters again, or to have them in a completely separate mod of their own.

[falmerbrook]

I think at least half of my criticisms of ESO’s writing are a result of the game’s attempt to have its cake (have a chronological sequence of events and storylines) and eat it too (make almost all storylines and quests be accessible in any order). Trying to do both at once has just led to them not doing either one very well imo.

They want to have overarching stories that develop over multiple expansions, but because they want players to be able to jump into any expansion in any order, each one's main storyline has to make sense and be somewhat disconnected from the other storylines from different expansions in the same overall arc. Any side quest that relates to the main storyline needs to be understandable without knowing anything about the main storyline. And this makes it feel like the writing is often held back and the dialogue doesn't reflect that I already know what's going on.

On the other hand, they also want any expansion accessible at any time. Overall I actually like that I can go to any zone whenever as long as I own them (I'm not locked out of them until I finish previous ones or something like that) and the difficulty is relatively the same, but from a story perspective it just leads to so much timeline fuckery and, like I said, it feels like it holds them back from having actually solid conflicts and character writing.

So far, of the 2 year-long arcs I've played (Elsweyr and Skyrim), in both the main story of the bigger chapter felt so much better paced, with more tightly woven and coherent narratives/characters, while the DLC felt like we were going on a long tangent in a new conflict that was superficially connected to the story from the chapter (and then a pretty satisfying epilogue tying them together, but I don't think that detracts from my point). At the same time, I'm not sure the DLC stories would've made a lot of sense to me if I hadn't already played through the chapter. They would've been so much better if they weren't stuck making the DLCs their own thing and just embraced having them be the second part of a larger story.

Hell, I know everyone loves the Daedric War arc, but I feel like it almost had the opposite issue, where the overarching narrative felt under-developed in Morrowind and Clockwork City until it was tied together in Summerset (even then, it just wasn't satisfying to me personally. That might just be because I'm not a fan of that story though).

idk if this makes a lot of sense because I'm not good at explaining my thoughts, but it's just an observation I've been having while playing.