Modding on the Spectrum

Gooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Loredas the 25th of Second Seed and a quiet predawn here on warm sands. Wage slaves rejoice, the weekend has arrived. The blessed moons have set and it is once again time for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the ash pits are emptied and the fires rebuilt. Ah'vrie always likes to begin the weekend with happy fires. They warm more than the room as his mother oft said. You may wish to cover your tankards for a bit. This can get a tad dusty... There, much better no? Now to compost the ash, check the garden, scrub the kettles and put fresh water to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Istanbul espresso, and the biscuits are oatmeal raisin. Checking the hot sheets we have 51 new with plenty of jiggles, patches and pointy sticks. Let's see what catches the eye of the old cat over a fresh cuppa or two.

BigOleHappyMonkey released Honeydew Shack - Player Home
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120207
"This replaces the Bandit camp within the pine forest (between the exit from Helgen prisons and the 3 standing stones) with a small player home."

While the loss of a couple of low level bandits is not going to bring a tear to anyone's eye. that camp is the location of a favor quest book, and the old cat questions the wisdom or the need to remove a vanilla camp and spawn for a shack. Your game your way. Pass

Likenstien released Halls of Stories Retold
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120176
"Use the murals to decipher the puzzle door, not the claws." Built on the same premise as Solvable Dragon Claw Doors in oldrim. You use the murals in the hall of stories to decipher the combination to the puzzle doors not the claws.

Some assembly required. You need claws without the codes, and higher resolution murals or you'll have a really tough time. The old cat likes the concept... Unlocking the puzzle doors should have included solving a puzzle ;-) Have a cookie.

MibuK released Whiterun better architecture and Jorrvaskr
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120159
"This fixes various architecture points in Whiterun, so it is filled with holes anymore. This includes Jorrvaskr, dragon bridge, guard house entrances, shacks and the stable house."
Small changes that make a difference. Thanks. Have a cookie

sothasimp released Oddments and Miscellanea
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118859
"An eclectic collection of furniture model replacers. Plus a tent" This one needs to learn the difference between a title and a description LOL Worth a look. Thanks

Halffaces - a few dwemers stuffs
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120218
"My version of dlc2dwehitchpost01.nif and dwehitchpost01.nif" Only 171 meg. This one never learns. Pass... again.

Evan719 released Malacath's Forge - A Markarth Blacksmith
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120170
"Malacath's Forge is a fully stocked blacksmith shop in Markarth, with a brand new shopkeeper and a familiar resident."

This is a WIP preview of a larger Markarth overhaul. You'll want to read the mod page for backstory, this fills in a few gaps in the vanilla game, and alters the AI packages of Ghorza, Tacitus, Ulak, and Moth, with added dialog using Eleven Labs.

And finally Dawnstar Fish Market by Socalista
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120161
"Adds a small fish market to Dawnstar with two new fish merchants"

A Breton, and a Redguard, standing outside all day in Dawnstar in fishing clothes... Okay

Nicely done actually, both the new vendors have appropriate AI packages, and are married to existing residents and therefore have homes. Adds a little life to the docks. Not exactly mod of the day material, but worth a look and a cookie.

And that will do for today. The fresh casks of ale were delivered last night on time, and the new batch of mead is ready so drink up. We're serving medallions of marinated venison on a bed of roast potatoes and caramelized onions for the early meal, And Wolf chops with a tart jazbay drizzle, twice baked garlic potatoes, and fresh carrots sauteed in herb butter for the late meal. We'll also have a hearty carrot, potato, and dragon stew simmering for those that need something to ward off the chill.

The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept and mopped. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open!

Gooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Fredas the 24th of Second Seed and thank the divines the weekend is nigh. The blessed moons are gibbous, but best to keep those silver weapons handy for a day or two longer just in case. Anyway, it's time for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Stockholm Lungo, and the biscuits are Bordeaux. Checking the hot sheets we have 45 new with plenty of jiggles and dangles as always. Let's see what catches the eye over a fresh cuppa or two...

ThePrincelyFae released two first mods today. Welcome. Both are patches for Leito's 'dangles' to work with The new gentleman, and remove the dependency on SOS. (NSFW)
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/ThePrincelyFae/mods?gameId=1704

Czechpharmacist released A Dwemer Storage Dimension - Portable Player Home Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119757
"A portable pocket home. Remake of the great Dwemer Storage Cube. This time it's bigger." And very noobishly over done LOL. Thanks

Foamimi released Masculine or Feminine Animations - DAR - OAR
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120140
"A collective of assets from various animators and creators re-applied to the player character. NPCs are not affected." Basically allows the player to use gender reversed animations. We love choice... Want to play a butch Amazon? Foamimi has you covered. This only affects the player. Nice and unexpected. Have a cookie

rhonjhonson released Learning spells differently SE
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120101
"Allows you to learn spells without eating the books. You learn the magic spells as your skills evolve. Compatible with everything and in all languages, without added external script."

So you get 'school of magic' books at game start. You can choose one or all, Equip the book once and as you level up you automatically have spells added. One look at the example and It's not anything Ah'vrie would even try. Soul trap at level 25? PASS, but it doesn't stop you from vanilla spell learning, and it is inventive and different... The old cat gives it a cookie just for that. Thanks

Lets see... demifish patched CC reindeer to use Frank Black's antlers. Thanks

Halffaces - small edit of Barrel01
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120111
The wood textures are almost toonish, top and bottom bands replaced with rope, and very noticeable repeating scratches... At least it's only 128 meg. Hard pass

And the mod of the day goes to TheEachUisge, and it's their first mod.

Steeds of Skyrim
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120141
"A mesh and texture overhaul for horses based on a mishmash of Scandinavian breeds, featuring unique player horses and entirely new handpainted textures/normals."

I don't think we've seen new horse textures come out since light breeds. And while 'NO ONE' has ever got the manes to look good, the over all look of these is generally really good. Ah'vrie likes that the player horses got a little extra attentions and are separate models from NPC horses.

While the old cat has been using Kritta Kitties 2K textures on top of CH for a long time, I have to admit the appaloosa and spotted grey textures for the player horses look pretty darn good. tracked for now. Worth a look and a cookie. First mod? color an old cat impressed

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Turdas the 23rd of Second Seed, and a very quiet predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons are full, expect the goddess' puppies to be going mad tonight. Best to stay indoors and keep those silver weapons handy. Anyway, it's time once again for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil...

Our brew of the day is Inspirazione a Napoli, and the biscuits are almond biscotti. (Almond flour... who knew) Checling the hot sheets we have 25 new mods, and a handful caught the eye. Let's have a look over a fresh cuppa.

MissCorruption released Crash Log Tools for MO2 - Updated
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/113668
"Updated version of Parapets Crash Log Tools to work with MO2 2.5.0+ and earlier." That's going to make some people happy. The update to QT6 did break a few things. Nice to see this go version independent, Thanks, have a cookie

Zenteon released Fast Ray Tracing SSE - DampRT
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120067
"Fast RT SSE is a ReShade preset built around my ray tracing shader - Damp RT. The shader itself is 4-8x more performant than alternatives. I normally wouldn't upload presets, but I realized if anyone knows how to configure the shader it would be the person that wrote it."

The old cat sees increased saturation and brightness without over sharpening. Not a bad preset, but a little over saturated for the old cat's taste. Thanks

shazdeh2 released Crafting Crossroads - Only One Crafting Skill
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119962
"Alchemy, Smithing, Enchanting. Choose only one."

Adding complexity to the crafting system is one thing, Requiring you to take the first level of the perk tree to use the stations is a bit draconian but okay, But the entire concept of shutting down 2/3s of crafting just silly and unbalanced. Case in point for a new player. Adrian in Whiterun, your very first taste of the smithing tutorial. BROKEN. You can't even make a dagger without already having taken a perk point. And if you do, you can't make any potions... ever?, you can't enchant or unenchant anything ever?

Choice is everything, and we applaud choice, but this...

dBottle released Street Lights
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120076
"Replacers most light sources in Whiterun with better street lights."

The old cat loves the concept especially if you're already adding streetlights to the exteriors, and it looks rather nice and blends in well... This is going to be a patching nightmare for lighting mods 'NIGHTMARE' LOL The old cat could seriously see this being added to LOS build. But as mentioned, be prepared for a lot of work if you use any of the major lighting mods.

Well give the top slot to a relative new comer... Humongous and pretty, Your game your way is not just a saying LOL

Replacer for Wigfrid's Erdtree Gildergreen Replacer by ImABotBeepBoop
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120064
"Makes Wifgrid's Erdtree Gildergreen fully Gildergreen Regrown and/or Open Cities Skyrim compatible! It also adds falling flower petals." And why not? You will need to run xLodgen if not a full Dlod update obviously. Have a cookie.

And that will do for today., The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open!

Goooooood morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Middas the 22nd of Second Seed and another calm but crisp predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons are gibbous tonight and the goddess' crazy puppies will be causing all sorts of mischief through to the weekend. You have been warned. Anyway, it is once again time for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is from India, and we'll have fresh biscuits later when the old cat returns from the markets. Probably oatmeal raisin. Checking the hot sheets we have 57 new with all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches the eye today over a fresh cuppa...

Halffaces - HQ buckets All-in-One
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119981
More rusty metal inserts in wooden buckets. 321 meg?

StoneSpiralGaming released Khajiit Has Tents Animated
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119988
"A Base Object Swapper based Mesh Replacer for tents in Khajiit Has Tents. ESL Flagged." A welcome addition to the mod. Thanks, have a cookie.

We love choice, and it always amazes the old cat how the universe tends to provide balance. It happens more than one would think... Here's an example.

Tentrion released Smithing Recipe Remover
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120001
"A simple Pascal script, to use with xEdit, for removing all the smithing/tempering recipes from a plugin." being listed as a modding resource for removing unwanted crafting recipes without removing the items, and forcing you to use the console or Add Item menu.

This seemed odd to the old cat until he realized the author was one of the light saber crowd. I guess if you're forging blasters, sword recipes just get in the way

Speaking of crafting MannyNames released Smithing Updated Anniversary Edition
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/113802
"I find some area of Skyrim that the devs don't seem to have fully fleshed out and do it myself, for my own satisfaction. Today, we have some smelting, crafting, and mining fixes, all done to my specifications and no one else's."

Let's dive into real estate a bit...

Socalista released Solitude Weaver's Lane
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119955
"Adds a new district to Solitude just outside the gates - with a tavern, a bookstore, and four houses." While this will conflict with quite a few of the major Solitude overhauls, the old cat happens to really like this one. It makes use of the wasted space between the inner and outer gates, and it's very well done. This one gets a cookie.

SKYKLFS ALCHEMIST SHACK
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119997
"This will give you a quest to discover what happened to the alchemist, so that you can reclaim his shack for yourself."

This is their first quest mod, and as such, it's a bit clunky and has no quest markers. It appears to completely replace the Alchemists shack with a small player home. The old cat is not thrilled with some of the textures, and all of the quest stages are updated by finding and reading notes. Not for old cats, but we do applaud the effort. Keep working at your craft and someday...

We'll finish up today with another early WIP release

Ilinalta Fish and Game by saincai
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120012
"Mod will add a "guild" for those who wish to hunt and fish. This is in its initial stages of development, only the buildings and default interiors are present. Dock with a fishing spot is also present. Uploading for testing purposes" You'll want to read the mod page. It's an interesting choice to add a hunting and fishing guild. The old cat looks forward to following the development.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked yada yada We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Tirdas the 21st of Second Seed and a crisp desert predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons are gibbous tomorrow and full on Turdas so keep those silver weapons close until the weekend at least. Remember if you enter the inn smelling of wet dog you'll be tasting the old cat's mace not his mead. Those silver inlays are not decorations... It's a cat thing. Anyway, it's time once again for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Inspirazione a Napoli. The village shaman has spoken so no biscuits for the old cat, but we have plenty of Toll House for our guests. You can never go wrong with a classic chocolate chip. Checking the hot sheets we have 54 new, and divines be praised a few don't have a cup size. Lets see what catches the eye over a fresh cuppa...

kuroishitam released More Pond Fish
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119886
"Adds more pond fish variety for more immersion!" This uses Form list manipulator and some manual renaming to turn Renthal311s low res replacer into 5 new fish. Some assembly required. Thanks, maybe Xtudo will upscale and optimize this one as well.

tcbflash released Blacksmith Apron Practicality
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119937
"Your smithing is 10% better when you dress properly for the job (wear the apron), and an additional 10% with the proper tool (have the hammer)."

The original version had just the apron with a 15% buff. The old cat likes this better. This one is for the immersion, not the buff, but the buff is reasonable if you're a 'right tool for the job' kind of person. This one gets a cookie.

Skyking2020 released Khajiit Has Tents
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119847
"This mod replaces the Khajiit caravan tents with proper Elsweyr tents" And they look really nice, but not very warm. While the old cat is not fond of bringing ESO crap into the 'real' game... Ah'vrie will make an exception for this one. Khajiit has cookies as well.

Blubbo Trees Variations (WIP)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119870
"This tree mod splits the vanilla trees into many variations which I have equipped with many trees, all of which I have created myself. There is still a lot to do on this mod for me, but I am already sharing it."

While the old cat is not fond of some of the models, boy does this add variety to the forests. It will be interesting to see this in a finished state. (Though the old cat would probably hide the ugly dead spider looking thing with all the lower branches cut off... Ugly and way too noticeable even in the pics.)

The focus now moves to Solsteim... mostly

ImperialAgent1992 released skaal hunter overhaul
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119928
"The best skaal hunter npc overhaul." Modest, aren't we. LOL. They do look good, but the old cat does question them hunting the ghost sea on the mainland. Nice though.

Ryokhan released Keep it Clean - Dunmer Soap
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119894
"Add a soap recipe for "Keep it Clean". It doesn't require troll fat, but vegetables you can find in Solstheim" See a need, fill a need. The soul of modding. Thanks, have a cookie

And finally Snazzy Interiors - Morvayn Manor by gutmaw
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119820
"Redesign of Morvayn Manor in Solstheim, with new basement with bathing area, large storage room, and bedroom for the new housekeeper!"

What can an old cat say other than it's about time. This is the counselor's home and the seat of power in Solsteim. It should have been more than just another almost empty house. This one gets a cookie, and will be in the old cat's next build.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open!

Gooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Morndas the 20th of Second Seed, and wage slaves lament, the weekend is over. Hide if you can or work if you must it's Morndas again. Well, the blessed moons have set and it's once again time for Ah'vrie to tend the inn Morndas or no. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is classic Ristretto, and the biscuits are oatmeal blueberry. Checking the hot sheets we have 40 new with all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches the eyes of an old cat over a fresh cuppa...

First a shout out to James T Parker ... It really is about the little things

Herluin Lothaire sells Thieves Guild Potions
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119839
"In the vanilla game there are several potions unique to the Thieves Guild. They can only be acquired as random loot from TG caches. It seemed a little weird to me that the TG would give you them for free but not sell them to you. So I made the TG alchemy merchant sell them. They're a bit expensive but they're some of the best potions in the game."

This is the heart of modding... Have a cookie, and thanks. Downloaded

jbk1000009 released several ports of the Someguy Series this morning
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/jbk1000009/mods
Includes the series master, and three of the mods so far. Thanks

TheLastAkaviri531 released Heir to Coldharbour - A Vanilla Plus Serana Replacer
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119836
"Everyone has their own tastes for Serana but for people who want Serana to keep a more Vanilla Appearance but give her a more modern feel here's my take on it."
"Serana uses BNP-Female as her face textures. While she will use any body texture you use I'd advise to grab BNP if you use this Serana to avoid any unnecessary neck seams or texture mismatches."

I'm not sure she ever looked this good in vanilla LOL, worth a look and a cookie

Let's see... Halffaces - small edit of bucket
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119808
Who puts a metal pail inside a wooden bucket Only 107 meg PASS!

Butterscotch Cream 2K-8K by iimlenny
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119802
"This is a Mesh and Texture Replacer for Skyrims Butterscotch Creams in 2K-8K"
1) there's no such thing in the game, he must mean boiled cream treats
2) it looks like bread. In fact it looks better than his bread mod... Moving right along

wSkeever takes the top slot today, and this looks really interesting

Skeuomorphism of Skyrim - Immersive Plaque Reading Interface
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119849
"Instead of reading a dialog box, read a plaque."
You'll want to read the mod page. Uses BOS and the papyrus extender. The old cat is calling this an immersion mod. Small and limited in scope, but still a 2 cookie mod

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open!

Gooooood Morning Tamriel! amriel mriel riel el l

Ah'vrie wishes you well. it is Sundas the 19th of Second Seed and another quiet predawn here on warm sands. Not unexpected, people tend to enjoy their mead on Loredas, and pay for it on Sundas. It has always been such. The blessed moons are waxing through the final crescents and will be full on Turdas so it is time once again to hone those silver weapons. The goddess' crazy puppies will be out making mischief the later part of the week. Anyway, it is time for Ah'vrie to tend the in for our most honored guests while they sleep off the frivolities of Loredas. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is from India, and the biscuits are Almond biscotti. Checking the hot sheets we have 48 new with all the usual jiggles, dangles, patches and goofs. Let's see what catches an old cat's eye over a fresh cuppa or two...

AutisticAussie released Bloated Mans Grotto Player Home
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119793
"A player home in Bloated Mans Grotto with some hidden secrets to find."

So this one cloned Riverwood trader, and dropped it in the grotto breaking Ill met by Moonlight, then added a couple of tents as well for roughing it? The location is pretty. Your game your way. PASS

RedguardDisopra released Lucien Flavius Refined
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119768
"NPC replacer for Lucien" (using COTR)

The old cat will leave the last word about anything Joseph Russel to our lovely Gnewna. But in this old feline's humble opinion, the author did justice to the character. It has a real 'The Princess Bride' vibe to the face and the outfits. It's not Lucien, but it seems to fit.

Halffaces - small edit of Lantern
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119748
"Mesh and textures replacer for candlelanternwithcandle01.nif"

Sooo... this puts a round cap on the square vanilla lantern. It looks totally out of place, looks badly painted instead of weathered, and bumps the size to 43 meg in 4K... PASS

FrankBlack released slightly Better Garlic Braids (BOS supported)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119694
"A mesh and texture replacer for garlic braids and garlic." Now these look really good, and the old cat really likes the details. 13 meg for the replacer, and 16 for the BOS version. The difference is these look positively yummy. Downloaded to endorse, Have a cookie

Glanzer released Yet Another Starting Skills Mod
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119762
"Sets the level of your starting skills to any value from 1 to 100 and prevents experience gains for the player until the game has fully started. Works with all alternate start mods (ASLAL, Alternate Perspective, Realm of Lorkhan, etc.). Compatible with SE and AE. ESPFE"

I know, I know, but stop groaning, this one checks all the right boxes for the old cat. You choose each skill level at game start and can even delay it for other early start mods to settle down before it kicks in. You also have don't gain all of the XP when the skill levels are updated, throwing your player level off... When it's done correctly you can tell. This one gets a cookie, and may replace 'Choose your starting skills' in the old cat's next build. Downloaded for testing.

The old cat usually doesn't bother with patches, but this one definitely caught the eye and takes the top slot as our mod of the day. Sound the trumpets!

Simple Hunterborn by DrMonops
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/109288
"A patch which integrates Hunterborn content into the Simple Hunting Overhaul experience."

"I love the elegant simplicity of Simple Hunting Overhaul, with its use of vanilla looting, but I've missed the additional items and tiered harvesting offered by Hunterborn. Simple Hunterborn aims to address this by integrating Hunterborn content into the Simple Hunting Overhaul experience, incorporating Hunterborn's ingredients, meats, and other items, while also reenabling access to several of its abilities, specifically Foraging, Primitive Cooking, and Scrimshaw"

Includes a fair assortment of patches in the Fomod, and frankly, this will be in the old cat's next build. Being able to use JaySerpa's overhaul with all of the additions of Unuroboros' additions to hunting and skinning... Testing this will be a real pleasure. 2 cookies and an instant download. This might just be the reason the old cat finally starts his new build.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open!

Gooooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Loredas the 18th of Second Seed and a peaceful predawn here on warm sands. Wage slaves rejoice the weekend has arrived and it is once again time for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the ash pits are emptied and the fires rebuilt. You may want to cover your tankards for a bit. This can get a tad dusty and Khajiit know not from free refills... There, much better no? Ah'vrie always like to begin the weekend with happy fires and a happy fire needs to breathe. Now to compost the ash, check the garden, scrub the kettles, and put fresh water to the boil. The life of an innkeeper is glamorous no?

Our brew of the day is Capetown Lungo, and the biscuits are Bordeaux. Checking the hot sheets we have 55 new with lots of jiggles, dangles, accessories, patches, and pointy sticks. Let's see what catches the eye of an old cat over a fresh cuppa or two. spoilers... Not much

We'll start with a couple of "I" mods *shudders*

MisterB1969 ported Immersive Alchemy Improvements
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119696
"Subtle, lore-friendly potion-sorting and combining" Make sure to read the mod page. Seems well thought out and useful. There are several more modern mods that allow combining weaker potions into stronger versions. This was one of the first.

RavenKZP released Immersive Backpacks
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119664
"Turn Backpacks into actual containers! You can access their storage by dropping and activating them. Powered by SKSE Plugin - Containerize, 100% compatibility. No ESP!" Not the first, but fairly complete with no vanilla edits. Thanks

Kome's Inventory Tweaks
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/116713
"1000+ Hours in the making, this is a mod that overhauls SkyUI and Wheeler through new Sorting, Icons, and Frameworks." Everyone needs a hobby LOL. Lot's of new nicely made icons for SkyUI. Thanks

LeucisticDinosaur released Oblivioner Oblivionesque - Oblivionesque Lockpicking Redone
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119683
"A reskin for the Oblivionesque Lockpicking Redone minigame in the style of the Oblivion interface." Meh, looks good, but a shiv and pick are good enough for old cats. your game you way.

And finally

HeraclesJones released Lost Passages - The Hidden City
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/117191
"10 Radiant-enabled dungeons that descend into the underbelly of Skyrim's largest cities - secret back rooms, sewers, cellars, crypts and more. Compatible with major town, dungeon and building rebuilds."

And that will do for today. The ale was delivered on time last night, and the new batch of mead is ready so drink up. We're serving mudcrab scrambles for the early meal, Wyvern and chips for the mid day meal, and ale braised sabercat for the late meal. As always we'll have a hearty stew simmering all day for those that need something more filling. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept and mopped. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open!

Gooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Fredas the 17th of Second Seed and thank the divines the weekend is nigh. The blessed moons have set, the paths are closed, and it is once again time for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Istanbul espresso, and the biscuits are Bordeaux. Checking the hot sheets we have 43 new with all the usual jiggles, dangles, patches and pointy sticks. Lets see what catches the eye of an old cat over a fresh cuppa...

CinnaMewRoll released Smart NPCs Pet The Good Dog SSE
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119582
"A wholesome patch that implements JaySerpa's dog petting animations for the "Smart No More Stupid Dog Comments" mod."

Make sure to read the requirements. Thanks Mew... the old cat doesn't usually cover patches but this one needed an 'Awww' moment this morning.

lets see... a few days ago RedxYeti released Ivarstead Source which was very nicely done. Today we have a similar mod from SirDaemon

Falls of Ivarstead
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119604
"The river starts at Ivarstead flowing in both directions. There is no natural source. This mod corrects that oversight by placing a series of waterfalls cascading down from the Throat of the World." So it looks like Niagra falls came to Ivarstead, and the falls have no source. Your game your way. PASS

yoshiki61 released Alftand Railing
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119594
"Add a fence at the corner of the path to Alftand, where many Dovahkiins would have fallen to their deaths." Because I'm sure the expedition fleeing a murderous ice storm would have taken the time to build a picket fence LOL. I wonder how they attached the fence to the ancient glacier? Your game your way

Nyymm released Inveterate Imperium - Complex Parallax Imperial Forts 8K 4K 2K
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119612
"Complex Parallax enabled Meshes and Textures for the Imperial Forts Tile set, both interiors and exteriors (regular and snowy/Icy). Hand crafted with an emphasis on attention to detail and aesthetics." This is nicely done, if a tad over sharpened, but most 8K textures suffer from 'graininess' to some extent. Overall these textures fit well and have a consistent look. This one gets a cookie.

IKentaI released Goldenhills Plantation - Interior parallax meshes
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119615
Hard to judge from two pictures, looks like the floor changed height and the table is floating... but thanks?

DaveHans released TAPP (Texture and Parallax Poppin)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119586
"Simple Reshade to make Textures and Parallax Effects pop out more visually - look at the pics." Okay, Pushed the dynamic range, saturation levels and sharpening... Not for old cats but worth a look. Thanks

Suinier released Flora Additions - Aloe and Agave
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119606
"Adds Agave to Eastmarch and Aloe to Eastmarch and Solstheim."

"Aloe Vera and Agave are typically found in warm and arid environments. The closest things we have in Skyrim are the Volcanic Tundra in Eastmarch and the Ash areas of Solstheim. So I decided to place Aloe Vera plants in close proximity to Creep Clusters, which naturally grow in both locations. (Perhaps they've developed a sort of symbiotic relationship). Additionally, Agave have been placed near steam cracks within Eastmarch only as though they're seeking out these thermal pockets."

Now this one gets it. Requires the "_ResourcePack.esl" from the .1130 update like all the others. Nicely done. Have a cookie.

and finally markuskarttunen1 released Aloe and Agave - Alternative Textures
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119618
This does a very nice job correcting the colors, and removing the almost glow in the dark feel the base textures have. A noticeable improvement and worth a cookie all it's own.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Turdas the 16th of Second Seed and a quiet predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons waxed through the first quarter last night so we're still safe from the goddess' crazy puppies for a little while yet. Anyway it is time once again for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is from India, and the biscuits are apricot Verona. Checking the hot sheets we have 49 new, and hard as it might be to believe, several did not have a cup size. Let's see what caught the eye of an old cat this day...

q10isarobot released some sword mods and men must have pants mod... Okay next

SpleenofGod released Kynesgarde
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119368
"Medium-sized player home south of Riften. Plenty of storage and features, follower friendly, family friendly (optional), various NPCs (optional), fully navmeshed and cleaned with SSEdit"

Your own mini fortress. Why not? could have been in the mountains above Kynesgrove...

PhantomZerov2 released Just another Skyrim SKill Uncapper Settings
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119573
"The setting is made to make sure that you don't gain level experience upon reaching level 100 so that you would still need to make them legendary at Level 100" Thanks

oldkottor released Maramal Is Aware Of The Civil War
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119542
"If you have started the Civil War questline (by taking an oath) and it is so happen that Rift is controlled by the side opposite to you - bad luck, Maramal will refuse to hold a marriage ceremony for you." The heartbreak would be ... devastating lol

dylbill released Note Crafting - Craft and Write Your Own Notes and Journals
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119569
"Allows you to craft and write your own notes and journals in game" An actual in game text editor, Cool... Why? Make sure to check the requirements.

Satafinix released Oread - Spriggan Sounds SFX Rework -
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119552
"Spriggan Sound SFX Rework" Well there's an audio sample, but evidently it's not the voice you're listening to? The old cat's a little confused. At least it doesn't sound like a dragon

And finally Tomato's V3 Farmhouse Parallax 4K 2K 1K
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119566
"ANOTHER FARMHOUSE. 1k, 2K and 4K options with Parallax. Different to my other farmhouse."
Deja vu all over again? The old cat's not thrilled with the tessellation of the stone walls, but everything else looks pretty good The thatch roofs look very nice. This one gets a cookie, but Ah'vrie would probably overwrite the wall texture in favor of something a little sharper and less stretched.

An old cat might recommend Farmhouse Stonewalls 4K 2k by CleverCharff
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/32582

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open!