Buffy's Basket of Potpourri, Musings, ask Buffy, etc Options

[mALX]

Happy New Year to Buffy, Superian, Kitsune, and other friends!!!! And Buffy's screen of the month looks like she had a lot of fun and Tamika to celebrate the new Era in!!!!

[mirocu]

Oh! How nice to see Buffy play on her lute! I´m sure it sounds very nice

[Darkness Eternal]

Happy New Year Buffy! Six days late, I know. I'm sorry!

Heh. Regarding that bow. It isn't embarrasing. It works quite well I suppose. How fortunate you are to use mods and have them as your disposal.

Thorn is a great name for a bow. You can put a thorn on bandits' side all the time.

And that's a wicked looking arrow, too.

Oh man that is a great shot of the arrow. So she's assalting Bilegulp mine all by herself?

We won't see him complaining, will we?

Interesting. Truly.

A great move. It does come in handy. See, even spells from the west can be very helpful in the north. Good thing that Buffy doesn't rely solely on steel and armor.

[mirocu]

I have a question for Buffy

-Which province is more dear to you - Cyrodiil or Skyrim?

I hope the question isn´t too unfair. You have obviously spent more time in Cyrodiil than Skyrim, but who knows? And that was the drive for me to ask the question

[Grits]

What a perfect title for a perfect February screenshot! This is going to be one of my all-time favorites. I love how Buffy’s dazzling eyes are looking straight at the viewer and the way her hairstyle shows off those exquisite Elven ears. Enchanting, indeed!

[Acadian]

Happy new year, dear friends, and thanks so much for the continuing support of Buffy and her crew!

Lopov- Thank you! I’m glad you like Buffy’s ‘living’ bow. She has always run a balance between mage and ‘creature of the forest’ and the bow seems to support that. That is muffle you see on Buffy’s feet in the second pic and yes, the last one was in White River Watch.

ghastley- Heh, I agree – the ‘Where Am I’ thread has influenced how I look at screenshots as well.

SubRosa- I’m so glad you like the look of Thorn – thanks! Long range shots are very fun to make but a real challenge to effectively portray in a screenshot. Heh, Superian’s significant water needs are always a big factor as Buffy plans her travel – so one more thirsty member of her gang is no problem.

hazmick- Thank you! Buffy used telekinesis in Cyrodiil to recover missed arrows so returning to that habit came easily for her.

mirocu- I agree that the ‘victim’s eye view’ of that arrow streaking toward the camera is disconcerting! Thanks! Her living bow in Cyrodiil was called Willow – it was a ‘softer’ bow with green leaves. By moving north, it seems the bow traded leaves for thorns.

Regarding Skyrim vs Oblivion, gosh, both are wonderful games. Buffy has adapted well to both the cold and hand micromanagement of using bow + magic in Skyrim. I’d say Skyrim is home for her now. The two big draws to the northern province for her are the wonderfully alive ‘presence’ of Skyhorses, and the tender loving care details evident inside the dungeons. Oh, and the magnificently challenging skill of horse archery!

Grits- Thanks so much for your always warm and welcome support! In Skyrim, Buffy ‘dungeoneers’ with a ‘detect any freaking thing bigger than a butterfly that can move’ spell welded to her right hand. She sneaks slowly and pulses her detection spell every few steps. Her left hand default is the spell to call up Thorn, but that hand cycles through all her other spells as she needs them. Happily, ‘summoning’ Kitsune is simply a small whisper – a tiny woodster’s version of the thu’um.

And thank you for the kind words about Buffy’s screenshot of the month. She has settled into three ponytail styles that we change at will. All three are similar enough to support how she decides to wear it on any given day.

mALX- Thank you! There’s a bandit in her sights in the ‘view to a kill shot’ but he is partly obscured by the bow and arrowhead so don’t feel badly. I do use the tfc 1 command a lot and am thankful for its ability to help capture action shots.

Destri- I thank you for the kind and encouraging words. We play a lot and, not surprisingly, probably overthink most aspects of Buffy’s life in Tamriel. Just as in Cyrodiil, Buffy will always try to give herself the maximum range and a safe ‘shooting perch’ when she can. We have mods to enhance vanilla follower dialog and wonderfully manage when they hold back vs attack from stealth. So dungeon crawling with them works well with Buffy’s sneaky style. That said, she only travels with various followers for brief stints or single missions, always defaulting back to favoring summonable help. She enjoys traveling with some combo of Mjoll, Jordis, Erandur, Brelyna and Jenassa as possible followers.

DE- Thanks for the kind words! Buffy continues to be quite happy with Thorn.

*

I’m always nervous about publically introducing things from the fickle elf’s world here for fear she may change our minds. I’m pleased to report that Kitsune the vixen has remained an important addition to Buffy’s world. Though she does no damage, Kitsune's illusion-laden yips that entice foes to focus on her (while protected by potent magicks) continue to magnificently provide the distraction and shield that enable Buffy’s now considerable skill as a horse archer. Similarly, the living forest bow Thorn continues to reliably answer the call to Buffy’s left hand, proving itself both stealthy and deadly.

Today’s update focuses on another feature we have been using in Buffy’s game that ‘feels’ right enough to introduce to her friends -

In Buffy’s magical Skyrim, we pretend that many of the creatures (foxes, wolves, sabre cats, trolls, bears) readily change their coat coloring at will as they cross into and out of snowy areas. This affords them the ability to blend into their surroundings as they travel and, in the case of their heavy white coat, additional protection from the cold. I readily confess some of my inspiration for this comes from the Tinkerbell movie, ‘Secret of the Wings’. If you want to see what I mean, the footage of this You Tube clip between 1:30 and 2:00 is demonstrative.

Well, Kitsune is no exception. In fact, it is a feat she has taught to Superian. Indeed, both mare and vixen ‘change coats’ as they cross the snow lines. In our game, the entire transition takes about 6 seconds and just a few clicks of Acadian magic. Like this:

Here is the gang just prior to crossing into snow country.

And here they are only a few moments later.

In keeping with the theme of today’s update, here are a few more screenshots that feature the girls’ coats:

Waiting for the Riverwood shops to open.

Sharing the camp of a Falkreath hunter.

Bandit hunting by the light of the moons.

Arctic teamwork.

[hazmick]

Ooh those winter coats are wonderful! It's nice that Buffy Inc. is putting magic to good use, rather than wasting it on something like fireballs or lightning

Superian's 'regular' colouring is still gorgeous though, and I'm a sucker for red foxes too.

Speaking of suckers, that poor Frost Troll probably wishes he'd stayed in his cave today.

[SubRosa]

I do love the coats changing to winter camo when they travel into the arctic reaches. Brilliant!

Buffy looks great on her post perch in the Riverwood pic. It seems no one can take their eyes off her, except the chicken (who Serana probably reanimated anyway... )

The Falkreath campfire looks inviting.

It looks like Superian is flying in that pic on the bandit bridge!

If Buffy's aim had been a little lower, she would have turned that troll into a city guard!

[mALX]

Oh, that vid is so cute! And now I see how Superian and Kitsune do it!


That is very cool! And fulfills some of Buffy's enjoyment of changing things up every now and then,


How cute is the shot of them waiting in Riverwood, you have caught them with such an expression on their faces!

I can barely see Superian in the Falkreath shot; but that is a great one of Buffy!


"By the light of the silvery moons" - love Superian's fancy pose, she is hamming for the camera, lol.


GAAAAAH! Kitsune fighting that huge troll? Urk !!! But she sure looks cute white, though I love her red coat too.

Awesome shots!

[mirocu]

I´m so glad Buffy enjoyes the great white north but at the same time I do miss her presence in Cyrodiil. It´s like a huge chunk of wonderfulness is simply missing. But I know I´m being selfish here and I´ll continue to work on that..


Continue to live long and prosper, dear Buffy and Superian!!

[Grits]

I think it’s brilliant that the elf with the extensive and magical wardrobe has companions who also change their coats! I am utterly charmed by the thought of Buffy summoning Kitsune with a whisper.

I love the trio’s warm-weather and snow looks, right down to Buffy’s fur wrap. The Nord declares that both are his favorite.

That Riverwood scene is adorable! Buffy found a Bosmer perch!

The campfire picture is lovely, with Superian and Kitsune in the background. Buffy finds friends wherever she goes.

Wow, acrobatic Superian on the bandit hunt is a spectacular shot! I love the demonstration of trust between rider and mare.

Arctic teamwork shows how they do it perfectly. I can imagine Kitsune’s yips as she stands her ground and antagonizes the troll, while safely over her head zips Buffy’s arrow.

Thank you for this most welcome update from Buffy’s world!

[Lopov]

So good to read about Buffy (and her companions) again!

Very creative about animals changing coats, I've never seen anything like this before in any TES game.

In the Waiting for shops to open I firstly got the impression that Superian is standing on Kitsune's head.

The Falkreath shot is perfectly pictured, there's Buffy, a campfire and two moons in the background.

I know that Superian can be totally trusted but be careful on that bridge.

Great teamwork of white coats.

[Darkness Eternal]

If only most folks were able to change fur color and adapt at once to their enviornment. Seems that only Nords have that ability or anything native to the north. Like Lopov said, its very creative. Makes me think about the difference between snow bears and regular bears. Are snow bears bears that happen to be born in snow?

I share in the sentiment that Skyrim can be somehow more enjoyable than Cyrodiil. Last I checked, most people in camps were hostile in the Imperial Province. In Skyrim, one can trade/speak/share meals in a nice campfire.

The Falkreath shot itself with Superian is both lovely, but the backround is somehow foreboding. Falkreath Hold is a dangerous place . . . the legion of the deceased speak highly(yes, I know it was once a war-torn hold). But a nimble hunter, and archer like Buffy, deep forests are a walk in the park I reckon.

Say, does Fennec Fox and Superian get any treats and food for waiting, too? They seem eager hehe. Curiously so.

[mirocu]

If only most folks were able to change fur color and adapt at once to their enviornment. Seems that only Nords have that ability or anything native to the north.

Heh, that is true. We even have guns in snow camo here

This post has been edited by mirocu: Feb 14 2016, 05:53 PM

[Darkness Eternal]

If only most folks were able to change fur color and adapt at once to their enviornment. Seems that only Nords have that ability or anything native to the north.

Heh, that is true. We even have guns in snow camo here

Hahaha!

[ghastley]

Is that a mod texture on the fox's summer coat? I don't remember the darker legs in my game.

[Acadian]

hazmick- I’m so glad you enjoyed the color changes! Buffy’s always been more focused on utility more than destruction when it comes to magic. After all, her bow is her only real direct damage dealer.

SubRosa- Thank you! Of the three girls, Superian is actually the most cooperative at looking into the camera. The mare really head tracks a lot. And I just love that horses can rear on command in Skyrim.

mALX- I’m embarrassed to report that I quite like Tinkerbell. You are spot on correct about the color changing satisfying some of Buffy’s fickleness about mixing things up. She has enjoyed it, even changing outfits to ‘match’ her horse. Buffy is greatly concerned about the safety of both mare and any critter she uses – we work hard with imagination, auras and/or armor to try to help account for that.

mirocu- Thank you. I’m happy that our elves can still exchange letters and enjoy (admittedly rare and brief) visits in Cyrodiil.

Grits- Thank you for your ever warm and supportive endorsement of the choices that Buffy makes as she flits and frets about the details of both her gear and her pals. Being able to ‘summon/unsummon’ help from the saddle and/or with both hands full of bow is ever so helpful. As you know, Buffy is acutely aware of coordinating her accessories to her location, and it factors heavily into the various combinations that she works with.

Lopov- Thank you! Buffy often spends the night at that hunter camp near Sunderstone Gorge. She’s has grown to quite love horse archery – and she’s pretty good at it as long as she has a critter to help distract.

DE- Thanks! The random encounters are neat – sometimes they’re peaceful and sometimes they’re ‘Fight’s on!’. Oh trust me, Buffy’s critters eat better than she does! And she can’t carry enough water for her mare – so watering holes are a big part of her navigational planning. Happily, her destruction skill is adequate to melt snow into drinking water.

ghastley- Yes, the snow white and black-footed red fox come from a mod called ‘Real Foxes’.

*

Well. . . not so fast, Buffy informs me. She is reevaluating the whole fox and color changing concept, and changes may be forthcoming. One thing that is clear from our foray into color changing is that coordinating the coloring and gear of elf, horse and critter are quite important to Buffy. While we continue to evaluate differing combinations, let me provide a few fun shots today that do not focus on her four-legged pals -

First up is another shot showcasing the effectiveness of Buffy operating at her preferred range. The candlelight spell she cast on herself after the shot reveals her location in the dead center of the picture. Sniper.

The power of a frenzy spell in the hands of a stealthy elf. I count about a dozen foes tearing each other up while Buffy waits patiently. Although she backed out of sight as soon as she cast the spell, the resultant din of Falmeric screaching, crashing and spellcasting was impressive.

So now that we're blood kin sisters, do you think folks will be able to tell us apart?

Trust me, kid. You’re invisible.

Buffy thought he said 'arrow out of his butt'.

Nobody puts Baby in the corner! This band of Falmer discovered that cornering a predator (even a small one) can be dangerous.

[mirocu]

Even though I will always miss Buffy in Cyrodiil, I´m so glad to see her thriving in the north and taking care of business as usual


Never change and always be watchful, dear friend!

[Lopov]

She looks like a will-o'-the-wisp in the first screenshot, nicely done.

Well, they really are alike with that Orc, everything matches, from hair, to skin, even their nose is the same.

I actually don't recognize the location in the 3rd pic. Invisible kid? Nope, doesn't sound familiar, I've probably haven't been to that place yet.

Haha, the fourth shot made me laugh. Awesome timing and the matching caption. This time he'll feel "more than just a wind".

Wood Elf vs Snow Elves ---> 5:0 for the Wood Elf.

This post has been edited by Lopov: Feb 20 2016, 12:49 PM

[Renee]

I can't see her in the first shot.

Whoa, that poor baddie, gettin' a shot in the [censored]!

I totally get your comment on Buffy waiting "patiently". Saga on PC is pretty much the same. She'll cause all this madness, get an entire room riled up, yet often manage to kill them with her bow while barely moving at all.