#for the head of the stormcloaks Ulfric was sure cheerful about me getting married

[nesswrites]

Skyrim Rambles

Okay, so I'm playing skyrim again, this round as an Imperial Khajit, but as I go through this, having played both Imperials and Stormcloaks (I alternate my files to make it more interesting)....I have opinions.

FIRST from a logistical and "connection" standpoint, if you go into Skyrim blind to the internal politics, the Stormcloaks are actually "better" in a lot of ways. Ralof and Ulfric know you were innocent and about to be killed, and no matter how other Stormcloaks feel, they are willing to accept and protect you. Meanwhile, on the other end, Legate Rikke was going to have you executed even though you weren't on the list.

SECOND, FUCKING HADVAR. Look, I love Hadvar, he's great, he and Ralof are ex boyfriends. But he's also a goddamn moron. Man couldn't write us a recommendation letter? Give us a signet? Also like, he heads off to Solitude first, while we play message boy for his family to the Jarl, go through the Barrow, and likely defeat a dragon before we head to solitude ourselves (story wise). Hell, I went and got the rest of my Fus Roh Dah before heading to Solitude this time, and took the scenic route past the college of winterhold. Hadvar arrives after you, who he didn't even write a letter for, after sending you to THE SAME WOMAN that was gonna murder you, and hope she believes you.

THIRD... while everyone likes to compare the Stormcloaks to some unsavory racist types (and it is earned in some ways) they are very much also an equivalent analogy to Native Americans. The Dunmer settled primarily in Windhelm, with the stormcloaks. Windhelm, despite being the racism capital, is the city that opened their gates to the refugees. There's tons of other cities, many far more pleasant, and yet most of the dunmer are in Windhelm. The soldiers also recommend going to the Dunmer shops for buying/selling, and I'm sorry to the shopkeeper but he's just nice Hisoka in my mind. They also never run to the cringey "one of the good ones" language if you're a Dunmer or Argonnian or Khajit, they just accept this warrior based entirely on "Ulfric and Ralof say they are cool".

Adding in I don't think making the Dunmer live in the slums or making Argonnians live outside the walls is cool, but the slums read more like that's where the refugee camp was, inside the walls for protection. I am all for eat the rich but also most family homes in skyrim are probably built by your grandpa. And if we wanna go there, why is the Dragonborn able to own like 12 properties, not rent any out, and never be home other than to get money from their spouse.

Third and a half - while not related, a BIG part of the conflict is after Windhelm was so accepting of the Dunmer / dark elves, the light elves come flouncing in and make it illegal to worship their main god, Talos. The Dunmer don't care and in some cases even think this is a stupidly bad ruling, but they are caught up in the blame. ESPECIALLY since the Thalmor / Altmer themselves are the kind of assholes who would probably run a smear campaign against the Dunmer.

Fourth, the imperials are also fucking racist. Be a khajit sometime and tell me they're not as you hear the same three lines again and again. "Awwh did someone steal your sweetroll", "SKYRIM BELONGS TO THE NORDS" "Watch your back sneak-thief". Also when they defeat Ulfric and take over Windhelm, things do not change for the Dunmer nor the Argonnians, nothing gets better, and that drunk racist douchebag still wanders around town screaming at people because he is essential for a fishing quest. They have almost no Dunmer in solitude. They are not opening their gates to refugees. They're the nice shiny capitol city that doesn't let the rabble pollute the streets.

Extras:

On the things I like about Imperials - Hadvar may be stupid but I love him. Rikke may have wanted to kill me in cold blood, but now I'm her little meow meow, and she trusts me. The high queen of Skyrim is there, as is the Bard's College. The imperial drip is better than the stormcloak drip.

The gay rights is great. Ulfric and Galmar came to my Lesbian Lizard Stormcloak wedding in my other file. I presume Legate Rikke or someone similar will come to my lesbian cat's wedding. No comment about how i only play lesbians. I used to have a gay boy cat married to Derkeethus but.....my himbo lizard husband and the only man I enjoy courting.....He's SO broken and stupid. Man running from Solitude down to his original home every single day. At normal running speed. And hope I don't follow him because dragons always love attacking. Meanwhile my preferred wives are lizard lady what sometimes gets murdered if you don't solve the Windhelm murders asap, and strong orc woman whose one desire is to NOT marry a man, but if you are a guy character don't worry she doesn't mind marrying you for the alliance (though she reads very lesbian)