#shellbug

[nauteno]

Forgotten Vale's Friend(TES:V)

[falmerbrook]

Falmer appearance and attire headcanons

(click on drawings for more details and notes!)

Hair

In Skyrim, we pretty much only see two hair styles to go off of: completely bald and the hair the "shaman" have (which are also the only females we see (a post for another day)).

In concept art, particularly Adam Adamowicz's, we see more potential hairstyles. He draws it as wispy and messy, as well as containing braids and the ties we see in the shaman in the game. This art is largely what defines my own interpretation of their hair.

I picture the typical Falmer hair as wavy, thin, wispy, and looking frizzy. Given the high number of hairless Falmer we see, I imagine baldness is common, particularly among males, and sometimes among females. Their hair can be commonly styled into braids or knots to keep it under control.

The ability to grow long, thick hair is less common, but those who can tend to style it in other unique ways. Especially among females, long hair is commonly styled into large dense locs (akin to a Polish plait) and held into shapes using ropes or leather ties.

(While I think the intention with the way their hair is drawn and modelled in the game models and concept art was that it was braided and held up with those ties, before looking at it closely I always sorta interpreted it as too stiff to just be braided. As a result, I developed the locs headcanon and have become kinda attached to it even though I have 0 in game or lore support for it)

Materials

The material used in their clothing is obviously dependent on what is accessible to them, and given their unique situation that makes the materials they use and value unique as well. In Skyrim, we see that almost all of their armor (which is mostly what we see them wearing) and homes are made of chaurus chitin (and potentially shellbug chitin), so this is likely the most common resource available to them for non-combative coverings as well. Other materials from their arthropods companions could include their cocoons, unhatched eggs, etc.

Bones from other creatures (draugr, skeevers, trolls, adventurers, bandits, etc.) underground or from aboveground raids could also be used fairly often. These could also provide a source of leather or fur, albeit not a lot of it.

Falmer groups and subcultures inside or in close proximity to Dwemer ruins probably make regular use of the materials present in those ruins as well. With all the metal and machinery present in Dwemer ruins, metal probably makes regular appearances in their clothing (and general decorations) even if they can't manipulate it themselves. Falmer more separated from Dwemer ruins would make much lesser use of these materials, however. Additionally, We see implications of Falmer preparing, cooking, and potentially cultivating fungus in-game, but see nothing indicating they have any plants in their diet, and therefore it is unlikely they regularly make or use textiles or fabrics in their clothing, and if they do they likely come form Dwemer ruins or raided adventurers/bandits/settlements from the surface.

On that note, we know that there have supposedly been incidents of Falmer coming to the surface to attack its inhabitants and travelers, as well as instances of them killing bandits, adventurers, and researchers who venture below, so it's not far fetched to believe that they have access to some materials from the surface. This could give them some access to furs from surface animals, beads, glass, jewelry, textiles, metal objects, etc. they might not otherwise have access to. The rarity of these material among the Falmer would depend on the amount of access any given group of Falmer have to the surface, but among many of them these materials could be seen as more valuable for their rarity and the difficulty to gain them.

While gemstones and ore might be accessible from both natural deposits and underground ruins, unless they had some kind of auditory function or unique texture, they might not have much value to Falmer.

General Attire/Accessories

I like to imagine that the Snow Elves, and by extension the Falmer, have an innate cold resistance in the same way Nords do, and therefore don't require clothes for the purpose of warmth even in the chilly caves of Skyrim. Additionally, their blindness likely means that wouldn't dress for visual aesthetic either. My thoughts are that they are then left with the sense of sound and touch to communicate with each other, and their clothing and accessories could reflect that.

Falmer clothing, decoration, and society in general is very heavily based on touch and texture and little on appearances. They touch each other very often for both communication, movement, and just general day-to-day interactions, and their clothes isn’t very modest, but the tactile patterns and materials used can communicate certain things such as position in society, “wealth”/power, whether they are taken, single, pregnant, with a child, etc., their roles, their age, notable achievements/skills, who is who, etc. on both their clothes and buildings. The more noise one makes, the more attention they draw and the more they drown out other noises, and the more noise making things they can “afford” to have, so the amount of noise one makes in a Falmer settlement is a status symbol. Certain types of noises or noise makers are more coveted than others (chitin beads are common, while furs are less common, and materials only gained from raiding the surface are rare and coveted).

Some noise making accessories could include:

Dangling metal, bones, beads, chitin, etc. that hangs off of their clothing or ears and jingle/clank against each other (in my drawing I show them as pretty uniform in shape and size, but they would probably be much more irregular than I depicted them)

Bells (metal or other materials) that are affixed to or dangle off of their clothing or as earrings.

Hollow bracelets, anklets, necklaces, or other accessories that are filled with rocks or beads.

Rattles tied to the body (made of chitin, dried hollow chaurus eggs, dried chaurus cocoons, beads, etc.) with leather or rope.

Flute or whistle like tubes made of metal, chitin, or dried and treated tube-like fungus that makes a woodwind-esque noise when air passes through it in a certain way. They have been designed to make noise easily from even the slightest movements.

Dried grasses (more temporary) tied to the body that make a swishy noise. More permanently, a similar thing can be achieved with hair. The hair can be sourced from Falmer (either through just cutting hair or through taking it from fallen enemies) or killed humans/mer/draugr. That sort of thing can also act as a kind of trophy.

Necklaces with various materials dangling close together that jingle against each other.

Various materials can be tied into braids or the leather ties in their hair as well.

Some textural accessories could include:

Beads. Since they wouldn't have the ability to tell the color of the beads, the patterning of beadwork would be based on the roughness, material, size, or shape of the beads. (I'm sorry I suck as drawing beads)

Furs. This wouldn't be as common since the Falmer likely don't have too much interaction with furry mammals, but some they may have access to that are big enough to make clothing/accessories out of include skeevers or trolls (and potentially rarely animals from the surface). A potential meaning of wearing furs could be as hunting trophies, but it could have other meanings as well.

Chaurus chitin would like be the most common material in Falmer attire, and depending on the part of the chaurus body, the size of the chaurus, or the life stage of the chaurus it was sourced from it could have different textures. Some chitin parts could include large spikes and deep groves, while other parts could be smoother and less rough. The use of this chitin in clothing could take advantage of this contrast in textures. Additionally, chitin or shells from shell bugs might be a different texture from the chaurus chitin. (it's unclear to me whether shell bugs are exclusive to the caves around the Forgotten Vale or if we should consider them distributed throughout Skyrim's underground)

The placement of textured components on the body could have their own meaning to it alongside what accessories or textures are being used.

Specific Falmer Subcultures

While most Falmer settlements we see in Skyrim are just a small-ish collection of huts and chaurus corrals, there are two distinctive settlements that are larger, seemingly more organized, and I like to think have their own distinct subcultures worth mentioning: Blackreach and the Forgotten Vale. The unique scope and environment of these Falmer cities (as I like to think of them) could lend to unique clothing cultures as well.

The Falmer of Blackreach have access to a vast Dwemer settlement and have has the space to spread out throughout it more fully since it seems to be more in tact than other Dwemer ruins we see. These guys would likely have a clothing culture much more heavily based on what the can access from these Dwemer ruins (metal scraps, leftover fabrics, etc.)

The Falmer of the Forgotten Vale would also have access to unique resources, such as Vale deer, Vale sabre cats, and frost giants for fur and leather. Additionally, materials accessed from the Chantry of Auri-El such as textiles from clothing, bedding, tapestries, etc. could give them a greater access to fabrics than other Falmer groups. We don't see many close Dwemer settlements to the Vale, so they would have less Dwemeri influence in their clothing than other Falmer groups.

I like to think that the Falmer's evolution exclusively underground has made them poorly equipped to handle the outdoors during the day and has made them particularly susceptible to sunburn, necessitating the need for covering for those in the Forgotten Vale who have significant settlements outdoors. With greater access to textiles and leather, they could use them as coverings when outdoors.

Armor

I actually have very few notes on armor, for two reasons. 1) I hate designing and drawing armor. It is the bane of my existence. 2) I really like the armor they have in game! I think they look awesome aesthetically, and I like how clearly they are made from chaurus chitin. Per usual, Adam Adamowicz's designs seem to have been the major inspiration for the Falmer armor, and he did a great jobs (even if it isn't the most functional looking armor ever).

(off topic but I also just want to add that he draws them with little hairs and tufts on their ears and I love it. ok that is all)

I do have a few thoughts about armor though.

Even attire made of textiles make noise when someone moves in them, and I can imagine moving around in armor, especially armor made of hard, insect shells would make a lot of noise when someone moves around in it. When you're relying on sound to navigate your environment and pinpoint potential threats or targets, wearing something making a lot of noise would not be ideal. On the other hand, getting into a fight unarmored would be a problem.

So here's my solution: heavy armor (see below) would only be worm within the camps/settlements where noise was already high and space is more cramped (and therefore more risky in a fight) as a sort of guard in case they were attacked. Those guarding the settlements along the outside might still wear armor as well, but less of it. Those going out to scout or hunt (if they do hunt) would wear as little armor as possible, and try to wear it strategically so that it wouldn't rub against itself and make noise. This is why most Falmer we encounter in the game are wearing little except for loin cloths and kneepads.

One more idea I have for armor is a specific armor piece. On the note of guarding or protecting a camp or settlement, I imagine the noises of it all (especially with the noise based headcanons I've laid out here) would make it hard to actually catch any potential threats when you can't see. A large slightly concave piece of armor worn behind the head could block out noises from behind the wearer, as well as a help focus sounds ahead of them.

That is all! Thank you for reading! A lot of these concepts around the culture of sound I think could also be applied to their buildings and even a culture of music, but those are posts for another time.

All of the concept art I used was taken from here and all of the Skyrim screenshots are from UESP.

[vokriid]

serenading the shellbug because he's an idiot and a dope, your honor.

[uesp]

Did You Know: Shellbugs are peaceful creatures?

[aethuviel]

Your face (probably) when you saw this thing for the first time.

[alexaberkeley]

Shellbug

Forgotten Vale

[lionsongfr]

Feast of the Eleven

While Earth Flight is renowned for their hospitality and numerous feasts during Rockbreaker’s Ceremony, one feast during this time is a celebration of every Flight. Inspired first by Earthshaker’s desire to see his family once again and a call for unity amongst dragon kind, this celebration has slowly grown in popularity throughout all of Sornieth.

Oddly what really made this celebration prevalent was an incident in which Ice Flight faced an overabundance of Woodland Turkeys. While the Gaolers (hidden at the time) did eat meat, their numbers where much fewer than the plant eating Tundra cousins. Ice traders thus shipped numerous frozen turkeys to Earth’s markets for later resale to Nature and Plague Flight’s meat-loving dragons (mainly because Earth had more established markets that both used).   Four Flights coming to together to feast and celebrate eventually lead to invitations to the other seven Flights in a celebration that would eventually be called “The Feast of the Eleven.”

One of the main customs of the feast is a potluck in which dragons of each Flight make a specialty from their home. Below is a list of the most common of dishes for the feast:

Roast Woodland Turkey- a staple and main event of the feast is the Turkey Dinner. The cooking and slicing of the fowl are often commandeered by the nearest Fire dragon, though the bird mayyyyy become charcoal. The main seasoning is Siltivine, Cindervine, and Potash Peach, a mix of sweet and herbal with a tinge heat. Alongside the Turkey it is common to have roasted pods of Smolderpetal and Speckled Firelilies.

Charcuterie Pickle Board- food in the Scarred Wasteland is often preserved in many ways- from pickling to smoking to fermenting to curing to drying, every speck of food is not wasted. This dish has many varieties, but the popular are: Butcher’s Fig balsamic, Dubious Cucumber pickles, roasted Greenpod blooms, salt dried Shellbugs, honeyed Wasteland Pear slices, Mossy Cerdae cheese with live Maggots, Bonebark Mold sourdough rolls, and more cured meats than an Imperial could eat.

Spiral Milk Buns- a soft, fluffy, and almost elastic roll, these steamed or baked buns have a variety of filling spiraled within. Some are savory like Sour Spinach, Dried Anchovies, and Green Shoots and others filled with sweets like Sugarbees, Blackberries, and Jumbo Shrimp. Unfortunately, Wind dragons have a habit of mixing the buns up, so it is a surprise what kind you will get!

Sautéed Winter Brussel Sprouts- much like Plague, Ice Flight is rather scarce on food resources- especially during winter. However, Winter’s Delight and Winter Brussel Sprouts are only picked during the fall and winter months.  The Brussel Sprouts are browned in Spotted Seal oil and then glazed with a Winter’s Delight sauce and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Mountain Mash- an Earth dish of mountainous size, it is made mainly of a Turnip and Potato Onion mash which is dotted with slices of roasted Ancient Mushrooms and topped with Bell Goat butter and deep-fried Wild Onions.

Surprise Stuffing- this Quinoa stuffing has Leechroot mushrooms, Golden Peppers, and Sour Green Apples- which is delightful but not the surprise. The surprise is where the Shadow dragons have managed to stuff it. Turkey? Nah, too traditional. In the mounted Anglerfish on the wall? Hmmm…maybe. In my piggybank hidden underneath my bed? Yep!

Noon Noodles- a baked dish of handmade Amaranth macaroni, loaded with Featherback boar ham, slices of spicy Tendrilback Caterpillar, and hunks of Sparkling Crayfish. The dish is topped with a rich, golden Longneck cheese (made by the beastclans and not… from them) sauce and garnished with fried sprigs of Senecio Haworthii. Dragons question if the name is because of the golden color or the fact it takes till noon to make.

Red Sea Stew- a simple stew with a base of Crimson Jadevine, Sugarmelon Wine, and roasted Blacktongue Peppers. To this base any seasonal seafood is tossed in, like Clown Shrimp, Swimmer Crab legs, Chewy Tentacles, and Eel Larvae. Often served with a side of flatbread stuffed with laverbread (a purée of salty Rotala).

Parda Eggs- not actually Parda eggs (and they do lay eggs), but rather a dish made of fried Green Plantains, Game Fowl broth, and Apples that is pounded in a mortar and pestle and then stuffed with Barkback Boar cracklings. The whole mash is then shaped into an egg and then braised game meat is poured over top. A sweet variation is made with Plantains and Red Bananas stuffed with a sweetened Paradise Seed tahini and covered in a coconut broth.

Bug Nut Pie- after an infamous episode involving Satin Mice and exploding gelatins, Arcane offerings have become more traditional and less experimental. The most traditional is a puff pastry pie filled with Cicada, Pharoah Ant larvae, Glittering Lacewing carapace, and oats in a Blood Acorn and Raspberry syrup. Frequently paired with a Hippalectryon egg nog, which leads to many questions and fugitive answers.

Boss Banned Punch- even more infamous than the previous dish, this punch is banned from all office parties in Lightning…but one can make an acceptance for the Feast of the Eleven, right? The punch starts off with Stonewatch Scrub Tequila, then Charged Duneberry sparkling soda, Prickly Pear liquor, and Java Sparrow cola.  Please drink responsibly.  

[lights-on-why]

i love woodlice (shellbugs?) They're like the tiniest lil guys

[beatcroc]

monster thoughts: hakolo

velociprey/drome | prior familiarity: none | name: [Ranmar] honest to god the most boring monster so far. it’s not particularly strong as a concept, a design, or an Animal. lacks flavor and feels like it was only made as a “cool” design in the most basic/generic sense. 3.5/10.

aponoth | prior familiarity: none | name: Ronus kind of just a dinosaur. there’s times when plunking a cool crest on a guy makes for a standout design, but this is not one of them. still, nice to look at and very Animal. 7/10

kulu-ya-ku | prior familiarity: somewhat | name: Little Man LOVE THIS DUDE. dodo/cockatoo is a WONDERFUL vibe and i like his floppy waggly walk. wish they’d given him a feather tuft or anything notable on the tail but regardless his colors are very nice and he is my friend. 10/10

bullfango/drome | prior familiarity: maybe? | name: Pola as much as they’re just boars with some extra bits i really fuckin love these guys. they’re SO pissed. i love a guy who just looks so pissed. i like fango’s colors and shapes more than drome’s, but the asymmetric tusks are a big plus. i do wish they’d stop blindsiding me from across the map though. 9/10

yian kut-ku | prior familiarity: maybe? | name: Keet i feel like i SHOULD like this this way more than i actually do. it’s got a lot of cool traits but none feel particularly cohesive? the head shapes are so ornate and distinct but then they whole rest of the body is just kind of naked. i don’t particularly care for its colors and the wing support spine things are also... questionable.  5/10 blue yian [name: Keeter] gets one additional point for being blue.

pukei-pukei | prior familiarity: yeah | name: ZapSplat [discord call joke] i have nothing objectively negative to say about this concept or design i simply do not like it at all. its face bugs me. 8/10 for being a distinctive design, 3/10 for i do not like it.

non-rideable under cut wahoo

larinoth | prior familiarity: none plunking a cool crest on a guy does in fact really work here. 7.5/10

kelbi | prior familiarity: none run of the mill fantasy deer thing. looks good but nothing really standout about it. 6/10

bnahabra | prior familiarity: none cool colors and the body plan is neat but there’s not much to say here, it’s more a game mechanic than its own entity

konchu | prior familiarity: none obligatory fantasy shellbug. i do like it tho, the singular big pincher is fun and the claw shapes are pretty distinct. 7/10

[nauteno]

Are you a beast or bug, or...? / Shellbug in Forgotten Vale Cave (TES:V)

for @tes-summer-fest back to Day1 : beast

[seeliragh-fr]

i make a list of every canon fr flora or fauna species that exists in the Seeliragh-verse Shifting Expanse

hi . links to the respective database entries and lore under the cut

Amber Gulper: most of the aquatic species of the Shifting Expanse are in fact semiaquatic extremophiles capable of surviving periods of intense heat and little to no moisture, as well as torrential rain and flash flooding. The amber gulper is named for its ability to breathe outside of water, and for its thick red-gold plating.

Blackshield Cockroach

Blue Tang Hippogriff: hippogriffs are smaller than gryphons, but make up for it in formidable pair and pack hunting formations.

Bluetipped Shellbug

Bobwhite Quail

Brown Bat

Brown River Flight: Seeliragh-verse Shifting Expanse has three different species of river flight, and brown and grey river flights are closely related enough to interbreed

Brush Dodo: these things run a lot faster than they look like they do.

Buff Dunerunner: often seen skirting the edge of cliffs along the edge of the Carrion Canyons. Mainly prey on buttersnakes they flush from the scrub.

Canyon Ruffage

Cave Gecko

Charged Duneberry: the name is misleading- duneberries are actually the fruiting bodies of a type of lichen. they can be juiced for a source of clean, if slightly tangy water.

Clouddancer: usually avoid clashing with territorial hippogriffs by occupying a much higher altitude in mesa outcroppings, because they have thicker plumage and can withstand colder temperatures. early morning hunters for this reason as well

Common Sparrow

Corpse Cleaner: found at the bottom of canyons. you can hear their legs clicking on the rocks from far off and it’s kind of fucked up

Cragside Mussels: also called “muck mussels” for their ability to continue to grow in moist silt as water sources dry up for the season. they can often be spotted by the telltale deposits of ore dust around them; cragside mussels will spit out any grainy irritant with a jet of water, rather than forming pearls.

Crested River Flight: crested river flights are larger than both brown and grey river flights

Crow: crows, magpies, and squall seekers will all roost together in large flocks that nest in alcoves in the canyon walls. they look pretty big until you put them next to a storm seeker

Dark-bordered Beauty

Desert Cactus

Desert Scrub

Dire Vulture

Dune Vampire: in the Seeliragh-verse, huge sandstorm-like swarms of dune vampires are fabled to sweep across the northern canyons and the highland scrub, killing everything in their path including dragons. “death by inhalation-based internal mosquito bites” is bad enough but people also say that anything that manages to survive the swarm will be killed by the reaction to sun exposure to all the bites

Duskthicket Bonepicker

Dustwing Hummingbird

Dung Beetle

Emerald Cave Jewel

Engorged Skytick

False Veneer Moth: these moths migrate like monarch butterflies, except to the north for the dry season instead of the south for the winter. seeing big groups of them migrating is kind of a spectacle; their wings reflecting and refracting light create the appearance of a mesmerizing, glittering cloud. this is also some of the first Seeliragh-verse lore for some reason

Fanned Cockroach

Fissure Crawdad: found in fast-running underground streams in deep cave fissures

Giant Desert Centipede

Goat

Golden Roc: Seeliragh-verse rocs can live as long as dragons, and grow as big as some of the larger ones. Rocs in the Shifting Expanse usually have known names, like how people name hurricanes, and their respective ranges are marked out on maps

Greater Sandstrike

Greyback Sparrow

Grey River Flight

Grouse

Grouse Basilisk

Gryphon’s Blood Sempervivium

Hardshell Moonsting

Highreach Bonepicker

High-Voltage Almonds: dragons make fucked up almond milk out of these. it’s a delicacy in the great Southern lairs, along with volt almond liqueur

Hippojay: a lot of raptor species in the shifting expanse are blue-black toned, for camouflage against stormy skies. these guys are highland predators, and aren’t found in the canyons as much

Juvenile Prairie Skink

Leucistic Crow

Magpie

Manyleaves

Masked Gryphon: there are actually some rivers in the Seeliragh-verse Shifting Expanse, even though the majority of them only run above ground for about a quarter of their length. in the dry part of the year, the riverbeds are mostly mud, which is why masked gryphons have such silly little sandpiper legs and raccoon hands for digging out lungfish-type creatures

Meal Moth

Mimic Buttersnake

Murkbottom Gull: found only in the very north and south, by the ocean and the Sea of a Thousand Currents. seen in a lot of heraldic designs for the nomadic highlands clans, as a symbol for fair winds, luck, and locating water

Notocactus: these cacti can be harvested for water, but the outer skin has a poisonous coating that will numb the mouth and irritate the insides if not scrubbed or peeled off first. this was some of the very first Seeliragh-verse lore for some reason

Oasis Songbird: it’s bad luck to eat oasis songbirds in most of the Expanse. their feathers are worn by canyon travelers for luck, and used as offerings at springside shrines

Peacock Scorpion: peacock scorpions turn a different color when they mate, like salmon

Polarized Bell Goat: Closely related to common bell goats, but specialized for a diet of static-charged scrub and lichen species

Polarized Mushrooms: glow brigher around copper deposits in cave walls

Prickly Strangler

Sanddrift Aconite

Sanddrift Fuiran

Sand Sucker: mud leeches. the beast is demonic in nature. very icky, no good.

Shiny Anole

Sparkling Crayfish

Sparksylph: ridiculously rare apparitions. it’s like seeing ball lightning. they feature in a lot of ghost stories and folklore. people regard them as either an ill omen or a sign of the desert’s favor, which can sometimes mean the same thing.

Spore Spreader Moth

Squall Seeker

Star Moss

Stonewatch Flatblade

Stonewatch Scrub

Storm Seeker: will sometimes flock with smaller corvids, especially in high places with a lot of storm activity. leucistic storm seekers are rare, but possible. also show up in a lot of heraldic designs, but mostly ancient ones from the beginning of the fourth age. there are ancient cartouches a quarter mile tall carved into the walls out in the canyons that depict storm seekers alongside long-dead pictographic languages

Striped Monitor

Subterranean Termite

Swallowtail Buttersnake

Thistle

Thunder Scarab

Valley Quail

Warmwater Twister

Wild Catsup

Winged Barb

Wispwillow Peryton: I also kind of wanted to include the petal peryton, but I think in general the Seeliragh-verse Shifting Expanse has a variety of peryton species and color morphs. they’re the main large prey animal for the region, although hippogriffs and other predators routinely die in conflict with them. wispwillow peryton are mostly nocturnal, and are nicely camouflaged against the voltaic foliage they eat. other types are smaller and hardier canyon species that behave a little bit more like mountain goats.

Wood Shrimp

[blookmallow]

time for some spooky cave adventures, moths, and That Week Where I Was A Vampire 

also i realized you can wield a knife and fork like weapons 

,,,oops

i. forgot neloth had a spell on me to see my memories so he could get my info on the briar heart warriors 

while i went to do like 900 things that were not that 

this. this is like 3 years worth of memory he’s going to have to go through trying to find the one single quest he had me on im crying

this is game hours not real world hours but boy that really puts in perspective how long things are actually taking in the game world lmfao

hey neloth remember that errand you asked me to run three years ago. well I’m back 

hell yeah My Durnehviir

i kept trying to summon him mid-battle because i thought he would come help me but it turns out he just shows up to teach you dragon words. which is also cool, but like, My Dude... A Little Help Here, 

anyway remember how i had to become a vampire to get into the soul cairn. turns out you start needing blood after a while. who could have predicted this 

people actually don’t seem to be able to tell you’re a vampire on sight until you hit “blood starved vampire” levels (i assume. nobody gave me trouble and then i got a “as a blood starved vampire you are hated and feared” message after a while so i figured i better stay outta sight and managed to go undetected)

so i tried killing some bandits to eat their blood. as you do. but for some reason, this does not work. you have to steal blood like you’re pickpocketing someone who’s asleep. i dont know why this is the vampire rules but apparently, this is the vampire rules

i assumed this would kill them, and i didnt want to kill any named npcs for my newfound bloodlust, and didn’t want to go digging around crypts trying to happen upon bandits who were already asleep, so i figured nameless respawning guards were probably my best bet (i mean. i assume they respawn. is it possible to just kill every guard in a city. i dont want to try that) 

so i sneak into the guard house in. falkreath i think 

serana had resurrected a random dead vampire at some point, so it was... me, serana, and a zombie vampire who was audibly groaning at regular intervals, just sneaking around a decently lit building full of guards. here you can see that guy looking directly at me from across the room. and somehow nOBODY NOTICED ANY OF THIS. I GOT IN AND FOUND A VICTIM AND GOT MY BLOOD AND LEFT WITHOUT ANYONE NOTICING A FUCKING THING

then as it turns out, feeding on someone apparently does not kill them or even, like. wake them up. i stole some poor guard’s blood and he didn’t even budge

so while i probably could have made a living as a vampire, i still didn’t want to have to deal with this for the rest of my life, so i went seeking a method of curing my vampirism before the dawnguard could find out. the game doesn’t lead you to do this, i just decided to do it bc i didnt want them to like, attack me on sight or some shit lmao 

being a vampire is cool as shit but also i have like, a family, so i dont really want people to Know and didnt want to deal with the sunlight problem and the. y’know. needing to occasionally feed on people. so. i enjoyed my vampire trial run but all good things come to an end 

this was presented as a really dramatic choice where i must decide whether to kill someone to use their soul to save mine or continue my life as a vampire but i just. already had like 5 black soul gems. that i just found various places. like sure it’s rare to find one with a soul already in it but i have... several... already

anyway im not a vampire anymore :’) 

i sold him the elder scroll and then realized i needed it back so i had to buy it back from him which i felt TERRIBLE about to begin with, but why is my literal only dialogue option here the “fuck you I’m the arch mage” option. why couldn’t i be like “absolutely. in fact lets make it 10,000 coins bc i feel really bad about doing this to you” why do i HAVE to be rude to him. i also can’t give it back again now that the quest is done and i think its still flagged as a Quest Item so i guess i just. have an elder scroll forever now 

i am the moth priestess

really into the like... deep sea creature type things way way at the bottom of this cave

h... hm. the falmer sure know their aesthetic huh 

OHHH

the last snow elf...

or one of the last. still

yooOOOOO what is THAT 

[ absolutely just stuffs my pockets full of as many gleamblossoms as i can find ]

i think i had like 60 of them by the end of this 

i dont even do alchemy i dont need these. im just putting them all over my several houses 

Mushroom Time Again 

im SORRY it was an ACCIDENT :( 

killed this guy and tried to shove him off the cliff but he just. wouldn’t fall. hes just hanging there by one foot 

you cant really see this but i found this. underwater cavern thing just full of dead falmer corpses floating ominously in silence 

then somewhere way deep in a cavern i found this MASSIVE FUCKING BUG????????????

it. it doesn’t Do anything. its just there. its clearly alive. but it. it’s just Here. 

something about navigating way far underground and just seeing this. ungodly huge creature just There not moving not doing anything just Existing hit some weird uncanny “something is Wrong About This, this Should Not Be” corner of my brain i love this guy and i am deeply afraid of him 

MINE????? THE????? BUG???? THE BUG???? 

I DONT WANT TO MINE THE BUG. THAT SEEMS INCREDIBLY RUDE 

i dont know if it hurts it to. mine... the bug... but i didnt want to find out 

i. guess this is where shellbug armor comes from. which would be cool to have but i just dont think i can bring myself to MINE a living. creature. that is alive. and apparently harmless

[adony-eats-bugs]

Feed me, Adony~!!!

“This is a ... a ... a common... shellbug. The shell is ... crunchy... and edible. You can have it.” 

Adony has given you a Common Shellbug

[uesp]

Did You Know: Shellbugs are mineable?

[dee-the-red-witch]

Of course we didn't just do small pauldrons for the new builds. There's full on shellbug heavy pauldrons as well for all you barbarians that want to just wear ONE piece of armor. Want to see these on the site? Let us know. #larp #cosplay #armor #leatherarmor #armorbuild #leatherwork #leather #green #black #tormentedartifacts #knight #barbarian #fantasy https://www.instagram.com/winneganfake/p/By-kx50piWy/?igshid=j036crzg7bci

[gwynhyrs-saga]

How is it possible that after all of the Skyrim I’ve played, I’ve never seen one of these things before? Shellbug? I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a screenshot of one, or mention of one anywhere.