It's Zhellday in Hell

Rowen- 26, she/her. Lesbian. TheSmilingDungeonMaster on Ao3.  I write (occasionally) and draw (sometimes). Wife (to be) of @Necrophatic . Predominantly Star Wars, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls and Lord of the Rings, but no promises. I ship who I want.

[necrophatic]

If I had a credit for every time a psychometric jedi fell in love with a nightsister, I would have two credits, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[beastiesandsundries]

You might need to draw this, baby

[beastiesandsundries]

Skyrim (or any game, tbh) Modding Hot Take: if you are gonna be downloading/using mods in your game, you have to be willing to learn new skills to customize your experience...

✨️For Yourself✨️

Mod authors are doing this for free. You are not a customer. They are not a service. Before you report a bug, take time beyond uninstalling/reinstalling to use other tools to troubleshoot to make sure it's not a conflict in your own load order. If it is a bug, then using those tools will at least help you make a useful report. Learn to make your own patches. Get familiar with xEdit. Make your own outfit/object distributions with Skyptcher and Base Object Swapper. Figure out how to add HDT-SMP physics to clothing and hair YOURSELF. Modding is its own hobby, and learning new skills is half the fun. You owe it to yourself to take the time to think for yourself.

[dawns-beauty]

Some resources for anyone who wants to pick it up:

Beginner's guide

GamerPoets - lots of handy videos on getting stuff set up

SSE Edit (aka xEdit): best tool for making simple patches, your new best friend. Essentially turns your mods into readable spreadsheets.

A mod organizer: personally, I recommend Mod Organizer 2 over Vortex. The learning curve is steeper, but the utility and additional tools/support it has is awesome. Here's a link to some addons that I use.

Synthesis - generates patches that have their own Synthesis patchers, all in its own UI.

More Informative Console - makes the console screen give you more detailed data

A bit more advanced:

WryeBash - among other things, allows you to automatically build a bashed patch, which resolves conflicts in a lot of records (especially leveled lists.)

Creation Kit Platform Extended for Skyrim: gets rid of a TON of the CK's annoying bugs and crashes

DarkFox127 - has very well done CK tutorials

SkyPatcher - allows you to swap a LOT of different record types dynamically, preventing conflicts. Be sure to check out the Articles, they are very detailed.

Base Object Swapper: allows you to swap in static meshes for stuff that's already in-game dynamically, with no direct record edits, therefore cutting down on conflicts.

Outfit Studio - can be used independently of BodySlide, and can be used to edit ANY kind of mesh, not just clothes. Also the program you can use to add physics to stuff.

New programs with cool features:

Boutique - a program that helps you write Skypatcher or SPID outfit files in it's own UI

In-Game Patcher - lets you generate a Base Object Swapper patch through in-game interaction.

Other handy tools:

NifSkope - lets you view and edit meshes (in a limited way.) Good especially for quickly changing textures, can be used to edit UV maps.

Cathedral Assets Optimizer - can be used to pack/unpack BSA files, optimize LE meshes/textures, and batch downscale textures, among other things.

NPC Plugin Chooser 2 or EasyNPC: I font have a lot of experience with these, but they can help if you want to mix and match NPC overhauls.

--

Keep in mind, you can always crack open existing mods to take a look at how things work! That has probably helped me the most.

[beastiesandsundries]

Reblogging with these awesome recommendations for tools. Modding can sometimes make you wanna throw your computer through a wall, but when it works and you are able to load up a game that you tweaked to your own preferences with your own hard work, but makes it all worth it. You are worth the time it takes to learn new skills.

[beastiesandsundries]

Skyrim (or any game, tbh) Modding Hot Take: if you are gonna be downloading/using mods in your game, you have to be willing to learn new skills to customize your experience...

✨️For Yourself✨️

Mod authors are doing this for free. You are not a customer. They are not a service. Before you report a bug, take time beyond uninstalling/reinstalling to use other tools to troubleshoot to make sure it's not a conflict in your own load order. If it is a bug, then using those tools will at least help you make a useful report. Learn to make your own patches. Get familiar with xEdit. Make your own outfit/object distributions with Skyptcher and Base Object Swapper. Figure out how to add HDT-SMP physics to clothing and hair YOURSELF. Modding is its own hobby, and learning new skills is half the fun. You owe it to yourself to take the time to think for yourself.

[kimyoonmiauthor]

US Book ban on LGBTQIA books

The Nationwide Book Ban Bill Moves to the House: How to Take Action Now

The nationwide book ban bill, HR 7661, has progressed out of committee and into the House. Here's what you need to know to take action.

At least hit the shiny repost button if you're going to do nothing else. This should not stand.

Stop the bill dead in its tracks. LGBTQIA people have a right to be represented in books.

[daysleftofsecondterm]

1,034 days left

[eachuisge-cc]

getting there

[beastiesandsundries]

Finally, hope for the shoulders of skyrim's carthorses. Plus, a bridle so they can be steered by means other than telepathy.

[dawns-beauty]

Sorry to complain, but like

i like the idea of some of Mihail mods. I would love to have some rats scampering around.

But like. The originals are 9k polygons. And it adds SO. MANY. Of them.

For context, Skyrim's original dragon meshes are around 17k. A rat (the size of a rat), ~52% of the polygons as a dragon (the size of a dragon.) Two rats on screen have more polygons that 1 dragon. And there are MANY of them, casually walking around in cities (including the FPS-intensive ones.)

Even with someone else's mod cutting them down to 2k polys, it's still rats, the size of rats.

Don't get me started on the 4k ant mod.

I guess I just don't know why everything has to be high poly with 4-8k textures, when even modern games cut down on detail of tiny objects.

[beastiesandsundries]

I got some of mihail's older mods like the guars/kagoutis and the giants, but you're exactly right. Why the heck are they so high poly!? You know it's crazy when you can set scale on one of mihails chick models and make them absolutely massive (something I 100% recommend doing if you have the chicks mod, it's hilarious) but they still look absolutely perfect, no pixels whatsoever. The darn chicks are normally the size of an apple, they dont need to be that perfectly detailed. Also the eyes. I got the goose mod because geese are such a staple in a medieval-esque agricultural setting. Thank goodness someone else remodeled the goose head because WTF is with those eyes!? I get it's kind of become part of his style but it is very jarring in-game. Which is a shame because Mihail is incredibly talented. I'd have more of their mods if it wasn't asking for performance issues for something as small as rats/chicks/pigeons or massive creepy doll eyes on every animal.

[dawns-beauty]

WIP: Children of the Wave - A Redguard NPC Overhaul pt 5

After weeks of battling with a litany of issues with my mod order, I can finally release screenshots of the Redguards in Soitude.

This is hopefully the penultimate update, though at the moment I'm working my way through patching my location mods (and publishing them) before I run NGIO.

Fihada - the fletcher of Solitude. Didn't really set out to make him a silver fox but sometimes these things just happen.

Jawanan - Fihada's apprentice. I wanted to make a few characters with albinism, and decided to make him one of them. Albinism tends to come with poor eyesight, so I also gave him some glasses.

Sayma - shopkeeper, owner of Bits and Pieces.

Ahtar - Solitude's headsman and (somehow?!) the only male Redguard follower. He has a pretty distinctly broken nose.

Ataf - the youngest student at the Bard's College.

Azzada Lylvieve - a farmer and family man living in Dragon Bridge.

[beastiesandsundries]

Every time you post a mod wip update

I love how you integrated albinism with Jawanan. It's realistic and recognizable and does not whitewash him. The glasses are a great touch. Also, Fihada now actually looks the part of a dashing swordsman.

[dawns-beauty]

A new example of a Skyrim mod you do not want to download has appeared.

Huge Promise of changing the way a ubiquitous mod works (specifically USSEP) : check.

ChatGPT-ass description:

Check.

Mod creator not even sure if it works:

Check.

Not included, but another thing to be wary of:

Dummy esp replacers: stuff that spoofs stuff like USSEP or a Creation Club plugin so you can use mods that require it without having the actual mod. This is a terrible idea, as if anything is actually called on from the requirement mod, you will crash or freeze or have other issues.

[beastiesandsundries]

This makes no sense?? I can't even imagine why they'd think USSEP even needs a skypatcher version, let alone what amount of AI-encouraged hubris it takes to think it's at all possible or practical???

[bootdork]

Seranaheads please share your favorite Serana appearance mods please please

[beastiesandsundries]

I really like Baobhan Sith- Serana Refined. It is an evolution of the design in the authors Fabulous Followers mod, but with a bunch more options for her appearance. It even comes with a custom hood built in. IMHO its super elegant, and doesn't make her uwu anime cute vampire girly.

Baobhan Sith - Serana Refined

A modest makeover for Skyrim's favorite vampire, Serana.

[dawns-beauty]

Oh boy! they're making Skyrim mods with scripts made by genAI now. That will certainly make things more stable and effective and not casue any issues at all! 🫩🔪

[dawns-beauty]

[beastiesandsundries]

Ah yes, let's use the infamously disastrous brainrot robot to write horrendously awful scripts to shove into the already awful scripts of a game held together with marshmallows and toothpicks. That will end well /s

[beastiesandsundries]

Amazing Digital Circus Episode 7 spoilers and theory ahead

I have a theory as to why Abel ‘dislikes' Kinger. I don't think Kinger is hiding anything, at least not purposefully. This episode definitely shows us that the light/dark switch isn't under his control (him reaching out to Pomni as if to warn her about something, only to go into the light and immediately forget). I still trust my dad (Kinger)

But we also know he has some kind of advanced knowledge of the circus and how it works.

Episode 3, he says “Seven years of computer science for this?”, hinting at some kind of job in the development of the circus. In episode 6, he gives Ragatha a healing butterfly he “made up”. There are a few other hints, but these are the most obvious.

Let's assume this was actually a very deep adventure Caine created out of his need for validation. Between the endless loop exit door in episode one to his pondering of the photos of the office building in episode 6, we know Caine definitely has a fixation on the outside world. The reveal at the end of this episode does start to make sense rewatching all the previous episodes.

If he knows about Kinger's knowledge of the circus, would it not make sense for his NPC, Abel, to isolate the rest of the group from Kinger? Just in case he could have a moment of lucidity and collapse Caine's storyline. If Kinger knows more about the macroverse (real world) and the programming behind the Circus than Caine does, he could easily destroy the immersion of the adventure by poking holes in the story being told. Kinger’s mind is unpredictable at best, and if Caine wanted this to be his magnum opus adventure, he wouldn't want to risk Kinger becoming lucid at the wrong moment. Therefore, he gave Abel a complicated backstory that implicates Kinger in order to reduce the risk of the immersion being broken.

[dawns-beauty]

theoretically... if I were to make some human NPC overhauls... names?

Nords already have the 'children of the sky' moniker

Imperials. Children of the Empire? the Heartland? Alessia?

Redguards... of the Ra'Gada? Ehhhh...

Bretons. Hm.

[beastiesandsundries]

Children of the Heartland works very well for Imperials, I like that it doesn't center the Empire as an institution and implies the two groups of the Colovians and Nibenese

Redguards could be Children of the Ra'Gada, but I think Children of the Sword might work a bit better to pay homage to their tradition of sword-singing, and a little less on the nose. Children of the Wave is another option- referencing the Ra-Gada's other name of The Warrior Wave.

Bretons are tough, too often dismissed when there's some really cool potential there. Children of Galen? Referring to their early identities as druids?

[dawns-beauty]

Children of the Ash - the Dunmer of Haafingar and Hjaalmarch

The last of the (non-hostile) Dunmer NPCs from Haafingar/Hjaalmarch. One more mainland hold, some radiant NPCs, enemies, and then once last batch of Solstheim fellers to go.

Jiub

Even in Soul Cairn, I'm the ghostwriter for your favorite rapper.

Maluril

Dodgy Dwemer scholar, holed up in a ruin protected by bandits.

Feran Sadri

Resident Volkihar alchemist. I love how this particular elf hairstyle is just a widow's peak away from the classic Dracula hair (and naturally I added it.)

Garan Marethi

Former member of House Dres, a high ranking vampire, and your righthand dude, Garan gets some love with a new hairstyle and tattoos.

[beastiesandsundries]

I get hit with so much joy whenever you show off a new batch of elf designs. Each character is so distinct and unique, really shattering the copy paste vibe some characters can have. And that's even before considering how each design considers and elevates their connection to the lore. Juib in particular looks like he just fell out of Morrowind. The Nostalgia is so real.

[dawns-beauty]

Children of the First: the Last of the Altmer NPCs

I decided to just polish off the last redesigns for Altmer in one go, as most of them are one-off baddies.

Viarmo

I wanted to make Viarmo look a little more dandy plus give him some subtle Nord features (maybe a lil' too subtle, but, eh.)

He also has heterochromia. TES 6 better add curly hair, because with what we're seeing in BG3 and Clair Obscur etc I feel SEEN for once.

Outfit is from Cultural Bards - A Bard Themed Clothing and Accessory Collection.

Melaran

A wizard in the employ of Erikur (ugh.) Gave him gilded markings and a young wizard's beard, befitting his station. Outfit is from Styles of Skyrim Mashups - Court Wizard Robes Variations.

Vingalmo

Vampire mage. He has some dazzling pearl earrings now.

Curwe

A farmer living a simple life near Whiterun.

Agent Lorcalin

Have you seen any heretics lately??

Naris the Wicked

With a name like that, how could you be anything but a nastyman.

Linwe

Isn't it kinda weird that you have to kill this guy for the Thieves "try not to kill anyone" Guild? Too bad there isn't some sneaky thieving quest that would ruin his reputation. Oh well.

Arondil

Hate this fucker, but I like that you can make the ghosts of the women he killed tear him to pieces.

Minorne

Warlock who has charmed a bunch of Vigilants into believing she's a god #bossbabe

The Caller

I, too, wish I could lurk in an abandoned fort and have people steal books for me.

[beastiesandsundries]

These are all flipping incredible, once again you ate and left no crumbs! So much visual interest, and I love the cool subtle features you add here and there like heterochromia, gilded tattoos and such (I also love the vitiligo and piebaldism you've added as well, and the Azuras stardust freckles- so much detail just asfgjkdkfbs)

[dawns-beauty]

my first elf outfit mod is a flop, but i'll be damned if i'm not making more. I like dressing little guys up like dolls.

[beastiesandsundries]

Wait...is skyrim NOT a dress up doll game? Huh. Anyways, I really like the outfits you put together. I use about half of them (missing some of the required mods for them, i absolutely love adjiring them in screenshots though) then I fill in the blanks with my own little dolly outfits. What I am REALLY excited for is your dunmer mod plus your outfits for Raven Rock in particular. F**k the uniform. Give me more hats made out of B U G.

Your mods are amazing, I'm very excited for the Dunmer and Altmer. (Zero rush, they're worth the wait)

[beastiesandsundries]

[eachuisge-cc]

in conclusion, fuck the ancient romans and their stupid complicated tack with multiple conflicting archeological reconstructions

[eachuisge-cc]

update: I realized that weight painting a metal nose piece will be a nightmare so for now I made an alternate snaffle version of the bridle with a leather noseband from some other reconstructions. which looks deceptively like a modern cavesson but I guess nosebands are one of those if it ain't broke don't fix it situations. I did spend several hours making the hackamore though so I'll find a use for it in the future.

but yeah I think it's finally ready for texturing, and some of that is already done because I was able to re-use a few straps and like half the bridle from the Nordic set.

[beastiesandsundries]

Very important question: are you gonna add the peener motifs that some Roman tack had? (Just kidding....mostly)