New lore books, letters, clutter, and a craftable necklace to establish background details for the existence of trans and genderqueer people and their various methods of transitioning within Tamriel (as confirmed as canonical in ESO). ESL-flagged!
Requirements
This mod does not have any known dependencies other than the base game.
Other user's assetsSome assets in this file belong to other authors. You will need to seek permission from these authors before you can use their assets
Upload permissionYou can upload this file to other sites but you must credit me as the creator of the file
Modification permissionYou are allowed to modify my files and release bug fixes or improve on the features so long as you credit me as the original creator
Conversion permissionYou can convert this file to work with other games as long as you credit me as the creator of the file
Asset use permissionYou are allowed to use the assets in this file without permission as long as you credit me
Asset use permission in mods/files that are being soldYou are allowed to use the assets in this file in mods/files that are being sold, for money, on Steam Workshop or other platforms
Asset use permission in mods/files that earn donation pointsYou are allowed to earn Donation Points for your mods if they use my assets
Author notes
Any use of this mod or of the necklace mesh created by Redd must give credit and link back to their mod page: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/22234
No part of this mod (or any of my other mods) may be used for any homophobic or transphobic purpose.
File credits
Redd for Azura's Pendant SSE.
Donation Points system
This mod is opted-in to receive Donation Points
Changelogs
Version 1.2.1
Fixed a bsa naming issue that was impairing texture display.
Added "A Grand Transformation" from ESO to the lore books.
Version 1.2
Added three more lore books.
Changed the mod's category from "jewelry" to "immersion" now that it's more lore-focused.
Version 1.1
Updated the ground/inventory model to a better version.
If you're familiar with my previous Queering Skyrim mods (Lavender Menace and Blue Flower necklaces), you probably already know that there was discussion about the possibility of creating an entire flower culture for Nordic queerness. I thought it was a brilliant idea, and I've wanted to do more with it ever since, but I've struggled to figure out what and how. It was especially difficult to come up with something that would connect nicely to gender transition since all of the plants in Skyrim are pretty, well, static. They don't even change with the seasons! Fortunately, another option presented itself: Azura and her star.
"Afterwords, I reintroduce the newly transformed soul to the tribe. They are greeted by all, and a great celebration will follow; for someone beloved has left us, and someone beloved has arrived." --A Grand Transformation
Lore: This mod started as a necklace, and quickly turned into a mod devoted to lore books and character letters that happens to include a relevant necklace. We know that gender transition is canon in Elder Scrolls lore (see the ESO-based Argonian account A Grand Transformation -- which has been added to the mod itself as of version 1.2.1 -- and the character of Alchemy for examples) there's not a lot of detail about the background or process for non-Argonians who don't have access to the Hist. However, given the amount of magical transformation and alteration within this world, it seems to me like there would be several methods by which a person might transition physically if they so desire (and of course nothing to stop them from transitioning their life and presentation regardless). This mod doesn't actually do anything to implement such a transition (my limited skills don't dare muck-around with something so hard-coded into the game as gender yet, but check out Immersive Gender Reassignment!) but it provides a way for characters to acknowledge their transition for immersion purposes.
Since Azura, being the Daedra Prince of dusk and dawn, is associated with transitional times and phases, it was suggested to me that she would be an excellent "patron" for transgender characters within this universe and I agree! Hence, I have used Azura's Star as the foundation for the aforementioned necklace. I've also chosen to implement the idea that many transgender people in Elder Scrolls refer to themselves as honorary "Children of Azura" as a way to reference their own transitional process, history, or identity. This idea and label are, of course, not actually in the lore -- but they don't contradict any established lore either, so we're going with it!
I have written a few lore-books to scatter throughout the world to add that background information into the game. I've also stashed a few notes and copies of the necklace itself around in various locations. These new books and notes contain numerous homages and easter eggs from both real world history and fiction and from other parts of the Elder Scrolls. See how many you can spot! The lore is not meant to put any one transition method or identity forth as superior to any other; they have been designed to represent the opinions of their writers, and thus (as is traditional of ES game books) sometimes argue with or even contradict one another. This is purposeful, to allow everyone to see themselves and their identities and opinions represented in the game...and to that end, I will be adding more such books and letters to continue to expand the breadth and variety offered.
If you've got other ideas for additional queer interpretations and additions to Elder Scrolls lore (or the Nordic Flower Culture discussed in the other mods) both specific to this mod and in general, please share them freely! The Necklace: Craftable: All it takes to build one for yourself is some straw to braid into a cord, a chunk of iron for the pendant, and a petty soul gem to chop into the crystals! No smithing level required; you can literally build this at the first forge you come across in the game as long as you've picked up the right materials along your way out of Helgen (or wherever you started). It will show up under the Jewelry section of your crafting menu.
Built-In Enchantment: Because it's craftable right from the start and the materials are so easily obtainable I made it a pretty mild enchantment to keep it from being overpowered for low level characters (a little bit of Alteration boost, a little bit of stamina regeneration). But like most jewelry it weighs very little, so you can leave it in your inventory while you're adventuring and put it back on when you come back to town and dress-up for a night out at the inn, or a shindig in the nearest palace! (The main file has one respawning non-enchanted necklace stashed in the New Gnisis Corner Club for those who want a blank to enchant themselves!)
Compatibility: This mod does affect leveled lists so you will need to add it to your bashed patch in order to have those books show-up in various inventories/etc. (Not doing this will not cause the mod to break or harm your game; you simply won't be able to find the new books anywhere but in their hand-placed locations.)
It also manually scatters its items (the necklace, notes, lore books, etc) throughout different cells so it may run into issues with overhauls that adjust those same areas -- but there's very little chance of anything game-breaking; at worst you may find the new items floating or clipping in weird places if the other mod moved the table on which they were meant to be laying, for example. (Put this mod above your overhauls so that you don't lose their bigger changes!) If you run into any issues let me know and I'll see if it's something I can patch. You're also allowed to upload patches of your own, of course -- or just delete the offending item in SSEEdit. The mod won't break if any of its clutter goes away; they're just there for fun and immersion!
No NPC records were altered, so there should be no conflicts with character overhauls, quests, etc. Just some new clutter!
*I think it's more fun to discover these little tidbits of lore for yourself unexpectedly as you play. However, for those who absolutely must know every location before installation, or simply if you want to know if you've found it all, check the spoiler-cut sticky on the posts page.
**Worried about conflicts, but don't want to lose all the lore by downloading the Crafting for Compatibility Optional File instead? Open the mod in SSEEdit and delete the records of any cells that concern you. This will not hurt the mod in any way. The only thing done in any of these cells was the addition of a book or note or necklace. Removing them from your game will not break anything. Just delete the whole cell from the mod, no worries!
***UPDATE: I have now uploaded a file that does this for you already! In the Leveled Lists Optional File, all of the cell/worldspace edits were removed but the lore was left in the leveled lists so you'll still be able to find the books periodically. All you need to do to get it to behave with other mods is to make yourself the usual bashed patch for your leveled lists.
Do you have ideas for further clutter placement? Additional volumes of lore to create? Please don't hesitate to share! Trigger Potential: MILD No overtly transphobic hate-speech was included in any of the new lore. (I reject the idea that the only way to "realistically" include queer content in fiction is via examples of discrimination.) That said, the new writings do express the opinions of their characters on various subjects (e.g. the pros and cons of different methods of transition, what "qualifies" as "true" transitioning, etc) and may thus be potentially upsetting. My goal was to include numerous points-of-view to show that transitioning is a widespread and commonplace element of this world, and thus the various processes used are something which the characters debate. I also wanted to show a diversity of options and opinions because there's no "wrong" way to transition -- a reality that I attempted to illustrate by having different characters argue that there is. If you find a book or letter with which you disagree, keep looking; that probably means there are other ones out there that you will find more pleasing. The overall tone of this mod is meant to be affirming and positive!
*There is one case of a character deadnaming himself in a journal. (In a triumphant "no one even believes GirlName existed when they see me now!" way. Given his canonical attitude it seemed to me to be entirely in keeping with his characterization that he would express his satisfaction with his transition like that, but ymmv. If you don't want that in the mod at all, open it in SSEEdit and delete "AzuraTransJournal01" and you'll never see it referenced again.)
*There is one case of an unsupportive father in a book. (He's the one who suffers for it in the end and the character in question gets a happy ending, but I know it's a sensitive subject that might be painful to read regardless. If you don't want that in your mod at all, open SSEEdit and delete "AzuraTransBook07" and you'll never see it referenced again.)
Known Issues/Shortcomings: I'm sorry this mod took me so long to make; I started work on it almost immediately after I finished the Blueflower Necklace but unfortunately my 3D editing abilities are let's say lacking. I only recently figured out the basics of Outfit Studio and as stellar as that program is, chopping up and combining a necklace chain with the Star of Azura was beyond both its capabilities and my own lackluster skills. It wasn't until I stumbled quite by chance across the stunning Azura's Pendant mod by Redd that this mod had any chance of being made -- so thank you, Redd. This wouldn't wouldn't have been possible without you.
Thanks are due also to DrMonopsand megapatato, whose generous assistance has provided us with a greatly improved inventory model. Unfortunately due to the singular properties of the Skaal necklace and the limitations of programs like Nifskope and Outfit Studio, it is still weirdly rigid so it doesn't play nicely with havok when dropped (bounces around a lot!) so maybe avoid trying to use it in display cases etc. just to save yourself the potential headache... Besides, in the words of megapotato: "If your amulet looks ugly when you drop it, it's because it is not meant to be abandoned, but worn with pride!"
Legendary Edition: Yes! terminetwork has created LE backports of all three Queering Skyrim necklaces. You can find this one here.
Open Permissions: This mod is completely free and open for community use! Do anything you want, put it in anything you want; just make sure you give credit, especially to Redd for building the mesh! Add it to your own mods, rewrite it, retexture it, add it to your npcs, put it in your quests...anything.
(Well, anything as long as it isn't homophobic or transphobic, please. We're too busy including everyone else to have any room for bigots thanks bye!)
Credit & Gratitude: TaiWind for suggesting the Azura's Star connection. summerwolf for pointing me to the lore about both Alchemy and the Hist. Redd for creating Azura's Pendant and generously allowing it to be used in other mods. DrMonops and megapatato for helping me make a better ground/inventory model. GrimJudgement012 and 903w for additional lore inspiration.
QUEERING SKYRIM: Not what you would call a project or a mission, exactly, given that I'm new to the idea of mod-building and I don't have the talent or the time to match an ambition like that...but. It sure would be fun, huh?
The ESO has been making great strides in the area of realistically diverse identity, but Skyrim? Well, Skyrim is a little older. And that sadly means it's a heck of a lot more heteronormative. Skyrim gives us a gameworld that accepts same-sex marriage without blinking over our Dovahkiin, which is great! But what it doesn't give us is much in the way of in-world queerness. Is everybody else in Skyrim living in the closet? (They don't even have closets!) Why, when no one raises so much as an eyebrow at the player's loving gay family? It doesn't make sense. And if there's anything more immersion-breaking than the idea that everyone in Skyrim except our character and their spouse is straight, I have yet to hear of it. (Maybe it's just hard for them to meet other queer people without internet apps and pride-flag pins or handkerchief code...certainly there seem to be more than enough offers the minute our Dovahkiin puts on that Amulet of Mara, huh? Maybe we should arrange a queer meet-and-greet after we're done dealing with the dragon problem...) Basically, Skyrim needs more of a queer presence to feel like a properly developed worldspace.
So...let's fix that oversight ourselves I guess?
For my part, I don't know enough modding yet to make much of a dent alas. But I'm working on it! And in the meantime, I can help point people to the content that's already out there, starting with this short list of all the queer mods I've found so far:
If you know of any mods to add to this list, either hosted here at the Nexus or elsewhere, please send them my way and I'll do my best to keep this maintained and updated!
P.S. there's nothing explicitly queer about them so I'm not adding them to the list, but check-out the "matching version" mods I've been working on lately to reshape existing single-gender outfits and armors so both of Skyrim's bodies can wear them. A few of the new versions do an excellent job of refuting gender norms imo. Especially if you're looking for some femme outfits for your fellows, there are some really nice ones!
Go forth, queer adventurers! Bring a little more Rainbow Love to this grim and wintry land!
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