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i know everyone hates tes nords, but i love nordic culture and history so i’ll be the brave one and make the headcanons myself then

Nord Headcanons 

- Tattoos are a Big Thing™. Not just warpaint, but like permanent tattoos on the skin type. They range from intricate and awesome designs for the sake of aesthetic, to runes and symbols for a variety of reasons, to artwork entailing a moment of great importance in their life; from something small like their first hunt, to perhaps slaying a dragon all on their own

- Snow shoveling competitions/races 

- Song and dance are big too, mainly due to it’s creative way of storytelling. You’ve heard the bards in the taverns sing those short poems while plucking at a lute, but they’re nothing compared to intense, haunting, awe-inspiring original full-length songs/poems in the Nordic language

- Speaking of song, yes, drinking songs are big too. But they’re big for a reason other than being stupid and shit-faced: I see the origins of drinking songs coming from warriors at feasts the night before a battle, who knew this would possibly be the last time they’ll get to have fun and be free with their kinsmen

- Battle songs were common too, while they marched to their campgrounds or drank around the fires. They don’t sing on the way into battle, though, as to not give away their positions

- Men and women alike grew out their hair and beards so that they could braid them. Hair accessories were pretty common, even among the lower class, as long as they knew how to hit some iron with a hammer till you got something to clasp the end of a braid with. Not only would it keep hair out of their face while in battle/working, it was just a simple and easy way to keep themselves both well groomed and fashionable. Not to mention the knot work of braids has become an artwork all on its own. Flowers, clasps, thin chains, metal adornments, etc were utilized and commonplace

- WEDDINGS. Marriage is a HUGE deal for Nords, as family and heritage are still to this day (in TES timeline) one of the upmost important things to a Nord. It unites families, marks the path of new beginnings, and brings hope for a new generation. That being said, traditional Nord weddings are BIG. 3+ day feast, dancing and song throughout the day, drinks to go around, the whole shabang

- Birth and naming rights are big too, just like for the Mer. While birth is rare for Mer because of their supposed selective fertility (I could be wrong, but i remember reading that birth was huge at least for Dunmer cause its not often they can conceive), the problem for Nords is that birth is dangerous. Humans are already so fragile, and living in a culture that doesn’t often like the use of magic - let alone restoration magic - both mother and child face possibility of death. When a woman is pregnant, family members or friends will often recite words of health and good luck, and monitor her health and comfort closely. When the baby is born, and either just baby or both survive, the family will rejoice and decide/announce the name publicly

- Like the vikings in our culture, the Nords are known for their burning-ship funerals as well. However, this was mainly used by Jarls or other nobility

- The more traditional Nords still utilize very gruesome torture methods, such as the notorious Blood Eagle method. It’s looked down upon now-a-days in many cities, but is not entirely outlawed, and is mainly saved for the upmost hated and evil 

- Runes! Runes! Runes! Not only is it a unique form of alphabet, each rune has their own special meaning. Nords will carve them into small, flat stones or branch cross-sections, either turning them into wearable jewelry or carrying them in a pouch/pocket for it’s intended luck. 

- Reversing/turning a rune backwards gives it the opposite meaning. Nords will carve these in places they see fit (i.e, warn others an area isnt safe), or on corpses of those who wronged them

- Fighting isn’t always a negative thing. Many will fist fight or wrestle to expel energy, settle a dispute/bet, to train, to show off, or to just be stupid Nords having fun and pushing the limits

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Flash Giveaway! We’re giving away one of our calendars, and we’re going to choose the winner at 8AM EST! Simply reblog this for a chance to win!

Please note that a mailing address is necessary to receive the calendar if you win, no shipping costs are necessary.

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Edit: Congratulations to sassy-vanus for winning the giveaway! Thank you to everyone who participated, we still have a few more to give out :)

Flash Giveaway! We’re giving away one of our calendars, and we’re going to choose the winner at 5PM EST! Simply reblog this post for your chance to win!

Please note that a mailing address is necessary to receive the calendar if you win, no shipping costs are necessary.

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Every year, the UESP tries to send out presents to our supporters for the Holiday Season. This year is no different, we’re sending out copies of our calendar!

To be entered for a chance to win the first of several calendars we’re giving away, simply reblog this post! One random winner will be chosen tomorrow!

Keep an eye on our blog for future giveaways, as we have a few more of these to send out! Please note that a mailing address is necessary to receive the calendar if you win, no shipping costs are necessary.

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Don’t turn away now.

I think about Martin Septim a lot, like the fool I am

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I bet hanging around Riverwood didn’t help either. It’s a town that feels like there is no war - in spite of it being right out side. To see the world turn as normal when yours has been torched - I can only imagine how that spurred Delphine’s hate and anger. 

I mean she does have a hidden war room in her inn, so I guess we have some idea--

A small study into Delphine

It occurs to me that, following my flippant (but fucking true) remark about Delphine being a non-heroic bitch, I have had a realization.

It's been 30 years since the Great War, in which the Thalmor brought her world tumbling down around her. For 30 years, she has had true hatred for them sitting in her heart, defining her every action until suddenly THE DRAGONBORN APPEARS.

Now, Delphine may remember the Blades stated purpose, but she's been defined by a destructive hatred for over three decades, and it's a fair bet that the longer she went, the more she yielded to it, and thus the stronger it became.

I don't think many of us can truly understand what that does to a person, or how they view the world.

We can guess, maybe even infer a little from experiences we've had wherein we really were lost in a moment of all-consuming negativity by trying to imagine that scaled up, but I don't think any of us could truly relate to what Delphine feels. We don't know what it's like to live three decades with basically nothing but our hate to keep us going, and I sincerely hope none of us ever do.

Delphine is a genuinely warped individual. 30 years of life-consuming hate will do horrible things to a human's ability to percieve the world and interact with others. To that end, I don't think she's capable of truly interacting with anyone who isn't messed up in exactly the same way. Honestly I think even Esbern can't interact with her on a meaningful level, because he doesn't hate the way she does. All Delphine can do is see other people as assets to be used, and the Dragonborn to her is just the biggest and most potentially useful asset yet, a brute cudgel to be wielded against Delphine's enemies, no matter who she decides that is.

Delphine can only destroy. She can no longer build things, except for the purpose of destroying more, bigger things. I honestly can't think of anyone more driven to rebuild the Blades but less suited to bringing them back as they were actually meant to be. Jauffre would weep if he lived to see the image Delphine is trying to remake the Blades into.

She's been twisted into something exactly as bad as what she hates, being Tyrant Dragons and the Thalmor.

Because that's what hate does.

It steadily, gradually transforms you into the thing you despise.

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

—Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

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but. guys.

this already came to pass

back in 2013.

they literally only made part of whiterun and then bleak falls barrow but. they did. by god they did. 

Todd Howard released Skyrim Minecraft, and it was literally the entire game of Skyrim recreated in Minecraft, blocky Minecraft models paired with Skyrim’s textures (the exact same textures as Skyrim but edited a little to fit Minecraft’s models without looking deformed or squished/stretched). Even the little health, armor, and food bars above your equipped blocks were reskinned into Skyrim status bars.

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I was talking with @the-greymarch a few days ago about the Night Mother and started thinking about the Black Sacrament and the Five Tenets from a Nocturnal and the Nightingales stance, like a business agreement of sorts. And honestly? I feel like it works.

If the Night Mother hears the Sacrament being performed and whispers that information to the Listener, then if the Brotherhood agrees to take the contract, they owe the Night Mother, right? The Brotherhood doesn't have a way of hearing about EVERY Sacrament performed; they only hear about rumors of it being performed. Motierre would never have been found if not for the Night Mother, since he was so isolated in that old Nordic Ruin. Therefore, the Skyrim Dark Brotherhood owes the Night Mother for providing them information about the potential contract.

The terms of service for using the information the Night Mother provides are to follow the Five Tenets, which include not dishonoring the Night Mother. You used the service she provided, now here are the terms. Simple as that. The Five Tenets don't even require worship of her. Simply put: don't dishonor the night mother, don't betray the brotherhood, don't refuse orders from a superior, don't steal from siblings, and don't kill your siblings. The Five Tenets aren't even that bad.

I cannot fault the Skyrim Dark Brotherhood for not following the Five Tenets or "The Old Ways" (whatever that means) during the years without a Night Mother. Having your prayers go unanswered must have been extremely difficult and even painful, but ultimately they were under no obligation to. No whispers of the Night Mother means no services provided means no terms must be followed. So they're off the hook all those years.

However, the second Astrid learned of the Emperor contract meant one of two things. 1) she is either admitting this group of assassins is no longer The Dark Brotherhood, as she rejects a contract by the Night Mother. The religion of the Dark Brotherhood is the only thing that sets them apart of any other group of assassins, so failure to accept a contract from her when finally given the chance is actively turning your back on The Dark Brotherhood. Or 2) She accepts the terms and conditions from the Night Mother by later accepting the contract. That means she does, in fact, have to follow the Tenets. You don't have to worship the Night Mother and Sithis, but not dishonoring her is now something you agreed to. It's not even that difficult, really. But breaking that Tenet (along with all the others) makes your life forfeit, since the penalty for not following the terms of service is "to invoke the Wrath of Sithis".

Essentially, the Skyrim Dark Brotherhood was in fault obligated to follow the Five Tenets once they agreed to take the Emperor contract as payment for the Night Mother telling them about it. If we believe the Tenets work as a sort of agreement in exchange for the services the Night Mother provides.

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any time that the Skeleton Key appears in a TES game but the Nightingales don’t, there is a trio of arseholes running around Tamriel, bickering over whose fault it is that the Key went missing again while Nocturnal sits back and watches the shitshow unfurl

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tes legends make a martin septim card cowards

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Charlotte Heywood in Sanditon - 1.04

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Brynjolf: Apologize to him. The Dragonborn: Fine, I’ll do it. But I warn you that this might make me a better person and that is NOT the person you fell in love with

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“Your Majesty, there is no injury for me to heal. The pain you feel is natural and helpful for the birth,” he was going to add more words of consolation, but he had to break off to duck the mirror she flung at him.

“I’m not a pignosed peasant girl!” She snarled, “I am the Queen of Solitude, daughter of the Emperor! Summon the daedra! I’ll trade the soul of every last subject of mine for a little comfort!”

–From The Wolf Queen, during Potema’s labor with the future Emperor Uriel III

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@nerevar-shid-and-fard, small question, do you think this is supposed to be Baurus? The name specifies him being a attendant to the current emperor, and he’s a redguard, and there is a pretty specific number of those characters, while the card art shows him having killed one of the mythic dawn assassins in a place that looks suspiciously like starting dungeon, before you split up with Uriel and go in the goblin infested cave.

Can’t for the life of me remember his lines.

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Vibe Check!

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Babyface