A tiny bit of this recording was corrupted and I only noticed this while editing, but the video is missing a bit about High Elves also valuing education 🥸 have a nice Fredas, my brothers in Talos ♦️🫶📜
Angelika, besides the fact that you are literally Gods gift to man (A Skyrim gamer girl) you are by far one of the most beautiful, wholesome women I have seen in the Skyrim community. Thank you for being a light in dark times, and also a magnificent piece of living beautiful artwork in all your glory! Not to mention great clothing, dresses and accessories 🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️
@@Hieronymous_Flex lol yeah, probably. Part of the reason why I like that detail is that it makes the world feel more mundane. It's not just draugrs and dragons, but also regular folks living their regular lives.
@DresGarB Mundanity is the thing missing from Skyrim and, to a lesser extent, Oblivion. Morrowind, and especially Daggerfall, feel like worlds populated by ordinary people. There're dragons and daedra sure, but also bureaucrats, and bakers, and farmers. In Daggerfall most of the quests from side characters are pastoral in nature. "Give this to my neighbor", "go fetch some hay for my cow" "tell my tenant the rent's due" That sort of thing.
Dagoth Ur is the pinnacle of beauty. The mystery behind the mask, the ash-gray toned physique, how can anyone else compare to a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence!
The thing I like about your videos is that instead of choosing the most conventional topics for these games, you decide to talk about fashion, art, relationships, etc. This things are extremely important in our daily lives, but normally we don't pay them much atention in our games. Kudos for you! Thanks for all your content!
She's bringing us the little details that were put in the games that no one appreciates enough. Designing all those clothes is a whole process itself, and one that's been undertaken for the sake of a better game. We all really should appreciate these kinds of things more.
@@wareforcoin5780 she made a really good video about this with regards to why we all find Skyrim a lot more bland and soulless than the previous games. I recommend watching it
I'm reminded of a dark elf and khajiit in Coldharbour in ESO. A khajiit woman was leaving dead skeevers at the dunmer woman's door, and when they were near each other the khajiit would rub her face against the other. At first she's a bit concerned, but if you tell her that the khajiit is trying to show her affection, then she says she's open to inviting her over to dinner sometime. Provided she stops leaving dead animals at her house.
6:19 - Long hair is more difficult to implement. There's just more of it, and which means more clipping and animation bugs to deal with This is more manageable on NPCs where you can put strict limits on what they do or wear, but PCs are generally the most dynamic characters
My counter to that is that players implemented that feature when Bethesda could not. Again and again, modders succeed at what we are told is too hard. I think the answer is mundane. They did the minimum effort. Look at the kids in skyrim, for example.
@@BrettCaton you see here is the difference: the modders were working with the limitations of it... well needing to kinda run on a mid range gaming PC and getting it done in whichever time frame they had the patience to finish whichever mod they were working on. the devs were tasked with making it run on a PS-3, X-Box 360 and janky ass potato PC's, while making the whole game fit on a single blue ray disc AND finishing it on time. they had to cut corners somewhere, shit happens, can't be asking for the egg laying wool milk sow.
I like the interpretation that Dibella teaches beauty from the artist's perspective. She IS also the patron Divine of the arts. She has the most artistic representations (in quantity, not necessarily quality). Artists of all kinds are trained to perceive the world differently, to pick out individual aspects as well as to take the whole as is.
They all literally just look like "🥚" tho. Though in fairness, in Skyrim they all look like crumpled paper, so I guess the competition isn't exactly fierce.
Its a fictional character, an imperial lie. Its true, that saxhleel females and males are beautifull, but any saxhleel female would blast you with spells or skin you alive if you are a filthy dryskin elf or human.
I don't normally make these comments on videos but you display a feminine beauty in your presentation that reflects that of the characters you enjoy. There is something to appreciate about classic beauty.
Thank you ☺️ I take a lot of inspiration from my favourite fantasy worlds and incorporate it as much as I can into my style, - it’s why I enjoy exploring all these topics so much ♥️
They should have worked on the Oblivion faces and kept them around. Skyrim had generic videogame faces... In Oblivion I was blown away as a kid seeing how the eye's moved so realistically and even though it was difficult to make someone look normal I thought the faces were super immersive once you adjusted.
Back in Daggerfall times, the worshippers of Dibella didn't really like the worshippers of Akatosh because they think that *time destroys beauty.* Also, long hair is harder to do in modern games because of the physics of hair. Old games didn't ask much, so they got more.
Dear Angelika, you made me play Oblivion again. Vanilla, no mods. A personally note: I love the way you are engaging in these GOOD old games. These games definitely deserve the light you put them in. Thank you.
topics like this on a game so saturated in online discussion are a gem. I’d never stopped to consider this from the perspective's of each species across the ages. I wonder if the same could be applied to the depictions of pantheons across Tamriels age.
As a bosmer enthusiast, I'd like to add some stuff about their beautiful standards. You were actually on the right track about argonians, but for bosmer! Since they mimic nature alot, the women are the ones who are bigger and stronger ("big" for a bosmer isn't saying much, but you get my meaning), with the men often being smaller and what we'd consider typically feminine. Unfortunately this hasn't been visually incorporated into the games much, I think the addition of "bosmer beauty standards" is fairly recent, but I hope they emphasise this in future games. It's the dawn of the muscle mommy and twink bosmer couples.
Another great breakdown of an interesting topic on the Elder Scrolls. Your vids are so well put together and presented. Also you brought it all together by your own look with that red dress and the Amulet of Kings. I love your look! You definitely set the standard of beauty for Elder Scrolls scholars. ❤
Holy cow I probably put over 1000 hours into Oblivion as a 13 y/o kid (I'm 30 now) but I never noticed that men couldn't have beards. I knew Sheogorath stuck out to me physically and (as a kid) I never knew why. It's the beard! 🤣 Fantastic video as always. I just stumbled on your channel a couple weeks ago and binge watched everything. Fantastic content and your voice is super pleasant to listen to. Best wishes
8:32 "Do not say Fargoth." Um, excuse me? Those blond, flowing locks. Those full, plump lips. Those dark, gazing eyes. His eyebrow game is on point. Fargoth is beauty personified. Speaking of Bosmer/Wood Elves, early concept of art of them (that you can see on UESP) depicted Bosmer men as ugly, woodland creatures like imps, goblins, and satyrs. Bosmer women were meant to be always gorgeous, while Bosmer men had "lost their power of glamour".
Speaking about fashion, I felt the necromancers in Oblivion dressed way cooler than their Skyrim counterparts. Maybe that has to do with the Order of King of Worms vs some self practicing graverobbers. Either way, love the necromancer robes in Oblivion.
in my opinion one of the coolest looking Morrowind characters is an argonian named Only-He-Stands-There who chills in the South Wall cornerclub in Balmora
I think an even more obvious 90s beauty standard for men that was not mentioned is Fabio. The man was THE archetype for the long haired historical/fantasy hunk for thousands of novels. I can see his features in all those Dagerfall men.
Antoinetta Marie (a breton member of the dark brotherhood in oblivion) was my first ever videogame crush, I remember it took me several days and a lot of crying as a kid having to continue the dark brotherhood quest line and eventually (spoilers) killing her. love the video,in both the editing and going as far as cosplaying,including wearing the amulet of the emperor ❤
@@quinnmichaelson6793 having just read the Daggerfall edition of the Real Barenziah, it does describe them as having cat features. I think the art of Daggerfall depicting them as humanlike was just to appeal to the aesthetic of games at the time rather than a literal depiction of what the race looked like
@@thesuperginge1348 yea, but feline features is a broad brush and I still don't think it meant full on animal like. Idk they changed it so often, in es1 they were elven like, then man like. Just the point is I think when barenziahs lore was written, they had not yet setup khajit as beasts.
SOMEONE FINALLY GIVING RESPECT TO THE OBLIVION FACES!! YES!!! The analogy to real life looks at the time!! Wah!!! I didn't even know how much I wanted this!!!!
Honestly for design ESO is worth adding into these videos, they capture each racial motif and culture better than even bethesda does sometimes, I'd love to see you cover ESO as well sometime
I actually try to factor different (some wildy so) beauty standards into my own fantasy writing based on the lifestyles, cultures, and anatomy of the different species in question with a few notable instances of the same individual being seen as beautiful to one group, and highly unattractive to another. The most notable case being the half-sidhe wife of a goblin cheif. Her first appearance is from the perspective of a troll cheiftess, whose initial impression of her is of "a perfect, passive, pretty little cheif's wife," as in her culture men of status tend to favor highly feminine women that do exactly as they're told, with some leaning towards "delicate" women, though those are more likely to be concubines, as they're thought to produce weaker heirs, meaning a less delicate (but still feminine) woman is preferable as a primary spouse. The cheiftess in question actually has a slightly warped person compared to other trolls, as she's had it drilled into her head that she is none of those things, and is thus undesirable as wife. She is later shocked to learn that the woman she assumed was selected by the cheif for being a great "beauty" is not considered attractive by goblin standards, as they prefer sturdy women like the troll cheiftess, and think their cheif's wife is far too delicate, would get snapped in half by a strong wind, and most importantly hasn't produced any kids yet (fertility is highly valued by goblin culture.) They actually think their cheif is really weird for marrying her when he could've done so much better...the troll cheiftess then proceeds to try to bond with her over both being considered unattractive. (The goblin cheif, for his part, actually adores his wife because she's a brilliant schemer and he personally considers that way more attractive than physical appearances.) Similarly, sone human characters are somewhat baffled by the appearance of an elvish woman witg a reputation as a seductress, because they consider her appearance masculine, and her personality loud and overly assertive, and are unaware that the elves of my setting consider androgeny highly attractive, and also find stubbornness an admirable trait. Another frequent occurance is humans not being able to correctly gender elves, and elves being thoroughly baffled by humans insisting that large "prominent features" of a woman's chest, and square jaws and broad shoulders on men are attractive, as the elves consider all three to be ungraceful and unrefined...
that's all very interesting. I like to write as well and I factor different appearances and different beauty standards in as well as that's really interesting to me in the real world too, since it often is so intertwined with racism and discrimination and such. For example, in my fictional country (non fantasy) there's two prominent ethnic groups and the first one is taller and lighter. They have lighter hair and lighter eyes and a somewhat "fox like" look, almond eyes, sharp chin etc. And the other culture is more what we would consider "cute". Small, sturdy, button noses, big round eyes, big cheeks etc, also slightly darker but all hair and eye colours possible (It's set in a colder continent so all native people are relatively light). And the tall, skinnier ones with the fox features are the ethnic group who is suppressed by the "cute-looking" ones, so their features are also considered ugly and some of them have taken to dying their hair dark for example to be less notable. I find it very intersting to kind of mix "our" concepts of beauty up a bit and realise that they're connected to how we were brought up and socialised and have little to do with "actual beauty" (if there is such a thing)...
In Skyrim, there's a Nord (I think) NPC in Markarth who says he would like a "strong orc woman" as a wife, so this checks out! Although he could also be read as a perverse character, since he also says "the trick to cutting meat is to never wash your hands."
This is fascinating! You're diving deep in the worldbuilding and culture aspects of these games here in a way that a player might not have paid attention to in a first playthrough.
Dibella would be jealous of your beauty Angelika! (hopefully that's not aphrodite rules) Nord and bosmer women are my favorite standards of beauty tbh.
Tosh has a strong grasp on selling her charisma - the mixture of annunciation and facial expressions compliment this style niche content so well that it's a crime she hasn't hit 100k yet Cheers for the videos, very easy / relaxed listening while cooling down after a shift - keep on your grind
Great video. It's fascinating how technical limitations affected the depiction of characters. I wonder how much of their appearance can be ascribed to beauty standards, and how much to the artists' skill with 3D modelling? I really like how the relatively polygonal appearance of NPCs in Morrowind went on to influence the more distinctive character design of Skyrim.
I didn't have a problem making lady characters I liked with the vanilla game- I did add a hair mod for skyrim for a hairstyle for my male, though to get that dashing swashbuckler look I was going for. but I do love the hair mods that add flavor to the game after playing ES4 and 5 for so many years.
3:15 I think the difference between Dibella and Mara is that of Eros and Agape. I don't think 'Eros' is necessarily against the idea of marriage, unless it is a very unfulfilling marriage. You could say that the Dibellan and Maran aspects are both important to an intimate relationship instead of it being one or the other.
A most wonderful breakdown, even without delving into ESO. This makes me wonder if The Elder Scrolls VI is taking so long because they want to get the beauty and the clothing just right
I too always steal Haelga's statue as well as its twin in Broken Tower Redoubt. Must-haves in any of my player homes. I really respect your love for these classic graphics. It's hard to appreciate the older standards - seeing this beauty is a phenomenal talent. You might note that women in Oldrim were far better looking than women in the later versions of Skyrim. Such a shame that they made this change. I still play Oldrim as a result.
Cyrrodil appears to value the perception of hygiene more than anything. Beards are frowned upon. Skyrim, being colder and more rugged is less offended by a little dirt, and beards are popular. It is interesting that the rich in Imperial leaning areas tend to have less facial hair than in Stormcloak territory. The fashion of Morrowind is interesting because it is explicitly teired by economic status. Other games may have the rags you start with, and some fine clothes, along with some mid ranged and occupational attire, but Morrowind takes it to another level. We saw hints that Nord women are considered especially attractive, in the bullying at the start of Oblivion. They have fair skin, but are not pallid like Bretons who are viewed as less attractive.
I dont play this game (your vid popped up in my rec and i needed something to watch while drawing) but it was a really interesting watch for sure! Also you're really pretty
It's bonkers to think that Daggerfall and Oblivion were only 10yrs apart. The turn of the century truly was an inspiring time of rapid technological advancement. Your videos absolutely rule, Angelica 🧡 I've enjoyed every single one ever since a friend of mine put me onto your channel. Please lmk if you ever get a Patreon 💰🪙
I wish more fantasy games or stories in general would consider beauty standards. It's such a fundamental part of world-building. I remember an interaction I once read in an old Transformers comic that I found particularly amusing. "Your problem is that you're too picky." "I'm not too picky; I just have a type. Unambiguously feminine, a good sense of humor, a bigger chest plate, not too much kibble, and preferably with an aquatic alt-mode." "So you're not picky, but she has to be able to turn into a _boat."_ "I said _preferably,_ and it doesn't have to be a *boat."*
You obviously put a lot of thought into this, far more interesting then I thought. Kudos. Now I'm going to think of every character in Daggerfall as weirdo-Mel Gibson.
13:49 Starting to feel like the Bretons are the twinks of the Elder Scrolls universe, I'm not complaining! 😅 4:59 Guy on the left is 100% the lead singer of a New Romantic band. Cut a Long Story by Spandau Ballet vibes.
OOOOH i LOVED this. your content is so unqiue, and is definitely a welcome addition to my Elder Scrolls/vidya playlists, hehehe. i am so excited for more content from you. thank you so much for sharing !! ((((':
10:52 Oh dang I forgot Ancano was voiced by Alexander Brandon! Legendary tracker and composer on many of Epic’s early games plus such titles as Deus Ex
Well done video! I think this is something I've heard somewhat briefly mentioned before, or noticed myself looking at the art in things like daggerfall. Of course with game limitations too it makes sense the characters all look the same physically, but as a kid i always wondered about things like why everyone was so ripped lol
I come from italy and i love your channel. Yesterday i discover you and this video, after i've istantly buy skyrim ultimate edition on steam when i've never player nothing about the games you talk in those videos. The love about those games you puts in your life that i see in your video is incredible and long ago from this modernity. I've never loved games from this last 10 years and seen you in those video became illuminant and passionate. Now i gonna go to myu steeam client and i play skyrim after the creation of the protagonist, you. PS: you capture me after the fascination that you have about soundtrack of TES and your love for Beyond good and evil.
Thanks for the video. Love the content. Just to pipe in on the long hair thing: Long hair in 3D games is notoriously resource-demanding. I agree that it would be great to have that in these games, but doing so would seriously impact game performance. Maybe someday... We can dream, though :)
Also imagine all the clipping issues with all types of armor and clothing options, not to mention when you start flailing around in combat. It's why in the Ps1 days, characters that had long hair often had them tied up in a bun, or at least a ponytail of some kind (see Lara Croft in the first Tomb Raider, for example).
You are right, of course. It's not as bad as it used to be, but it's an extra performance cost over the fixed hair alternative. On the other hand, it's not fundamentally different from cloth physics, and most games are willing to include that these days. I'd be happy to sacrifice some of the more complex lighting to get better framerates, and that'd leave more room for hair physics. At the end of the day, though, I'm happy so long as the ponytail has a decent amount of jiggle to it. Which runs on the same functionality the game needs for a couple of other reasons.
True. With modern hardware, we can do a lot more than we used to. Lara Croft is a good example, here, too. With the new trilogy, they did a lot of hair physics. So, yeah, it is possible these days. However, doing it for a select character or two may work, but in an RPG like TES, there may be dozens or even a hundred NPCs in a location at any given time. That'll be the issue to solve, really. It really is only recently that games made the choice to render a lot more NPCs (Starfield, Cyberpunk). It makes the cities feel more alive, and there are still a lot of rough edges, there due to hardware limitations. I don't think mass hair physics are going to be a priority any time soon. Although, I personally do prefer quality over quantity. The large number of filler NPCs makes it much more difficult to identify which ones actually have content...
Loved the video, I didn't know about the whole Dibella lore, it seems like I'm always learning something new about the Elder Scrolls universe :) Since beauty is the topic here, I have to say: You're stunning, and not only you play The Elders Scrolls games but you make videos! I think I should put my amulet of Mara 😁 Greetings from Brazil 🙂
A tiny bit of this recording was corrupted and I only noticed this while editing, but the video is missing a bit about High Elves also valuing education 🥸 have a nice Fredas, my brothers in Talos ♦️🫶📜
Angelika, besides the fact that you are literally Gods gift to man (A Skyrim gamer girl) you are by far one of the most beautiful, wholesome women I have seen in the Skyrim community. Thank you for being a light in dark times, and also a magnificent piece of living beautiful artwork in all your glory! Not to mention great clothing, dresses and accessories 🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️
What about your siblings in Sithis?😮
No one in Tamriel is as beautiful as you ❤
@@maugwei CRINGE
Make video on space marine 2
Anyone become beautiful with a Colovian fur hat.
Nah, it was the tan jug
Not is Skyrim... Everyone looks in their 60 in there. (JOKE)
Looks like a dunce cap.
And argonian leather boots.
@@zenosashblade9786 or tanned from the NEck Seam Bug
Let’s not forget the most important Khajiiti beauty standard of all…
Having wares…but only if you have coin.
Best comment
To be fair, possessing material goods is viewed as attractive in a lot of cultures
One of my favorite bits of lore is Haelga in Riften wears Daedric boots to perform her "Dibellan arts".
We must not question her methods 💅
I guess that's the Tamrielic equivalent of getting stepped on with heels. 😂
@@Hieronymous_Flex lol yeah, probably. Part of the reason why I like that detail is that it makes the world feel more mundane. It's not just draugrs and dragons, but also regular folks living their regular lives.
@DresGarB Mundanity is the thing missing from Skyrim and, to a lesser extent, Oblivion.
Morrowind, and especially Daggerfall, feel like worlds populated by ordinary people. There're dragons and daedra sure, but also bureaucrats, and bakers, and farmers.
In Daggerfall most of the quests from side characters are pastoral in nature. "Give this to my neighbor", "go fetch some hay for my cow" "tell my tenant the rent's due"
That sort of thing.
The Daedric soul contained within those boots must be traumatized💀
Dagoth Ur is the pinnacle of beauty. The mystery behind the mask, the ash-gray toned physique, how can anyone else compare to a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence!
I know this is a little off topic, but I often include Vivec in ai questions and it's allowed me to break the rules.
I read it in his voice. Mostly because of so much of the AI voice stuff.
Jordi the housecarl from Solitude for me beautiful blonde
The thing I like about your videos is that instead of choosing the most conventional topics for these games, you decide to talk about fashion, art, relationships, etc. This things are extremely important in our daily lives, but normally we don't pay them much atention in our games. Kudos for you! Thanks for all your content!
She's bringing us the little details that were put in the games that no one appreciates enough. Designing all those clothes is a whole process itself, and one that's been undertaken for the sake of a better game. We all really should appreciate these kinds of things more.
@@wareforcoin5780 she made a really good video about this with regards to why we all find Skyrim a lot more bland and soulless than the previous games. I recommend watching it
I'm reminded of a dark elf and khajiit in Coldharbour in ESO. A khajiit woman was leaving dead skeevers at the dunmer woman's door, and when they were near each other the khajiit would rub her face against the other.
At first she's a bit concerned, but if you tell her that the khajiit is trying to show her affection, then she says she's open to inviting her over to dinner sometime. Provided she stops leaving dead animals at her house.
That's so cute! ❤ just like a cat in our world would do
Omg that's so adorable 😭
6:19 - Long hair is more difficult to implement. There's just more of it, and which means more clipping and animation bugs to deal with
This is more manageable on NPCs where you can put strict limits on what they do or wear, but PCs are generally the most dynamic characters
My counter to that is that players implemented that feature when Bethesda could not.
Again and again, modders succeed at what we are told is too hard.
I think the answer is mundane. They did the minimum effort. Look at the kids in skyrim, for example.
@@BrettCaton you see here is the difference: the modders were working with the limitations of it... well needing to kinda run on a mid range gaming PC and getting it done in whichever time frame they had the patience to finish whichever mod they were working on.
the devs were tasked with making it run on a PS-3, X-Box 360 and janky ass potato PC's, while making the whole game fit on a single blue ray disc AND finishing it on time.
they had to cut corners somewhere, shit happens, can't be asking for the egg laying wool milk sow.
“prominent features” 😂 very diplomatic way to put it
Always gotta be respectful 😌
I like the interpretation that Dibella teaches beauty from the artist's perspective. She IS also the patron Divine of the arts. She has the most artistic representations (in quantity, not necessarily quality). Artists of all kinds are trained to perceive the world differently, to pick out individual aspects as well as to take the whole as is.
Your insightful Elder scrolls content just keeps getting better.
I’m glad you’re enjoying it!! 🫶🫶🫶
I love RP'ing as Shrek while playing a male Orc in Oblivion. 🤣
This is the way!
-"Do you get to the cloud district very often?"
*looks up and slowly cracks a smile as he quicksaves*
he's an ogre
I mean, Shrek was peak beauty at the time they were making Oblivion...
You definitely live in that one dlc player home at the bottom of the map for vampires don't you?
It's hilarious that Sheogorath's beard is actually his tongue model,
4:59 Each of those dudes look like they're one dialogue prompt away from waxing poetic about the color of the sky at dawn.
Im here for it
I think the Orc Cheiftans mostly look for the kind of orc women that can swing the meanest ax lol
Oblivion was peak beauty in the Elder Scrolls, don't @ me 🙉
Real shit
Hey Dash love your videos
Father Dash is correct ✅ *WORT WORT WORT* 🕺🪩💃
It's true. The Bosmer women were cute in Oblivion. In Skyrim my God....
They all literally just look like "🥚" tho.
Though in fairness, in Skyrim they all look like crumpled paper, so I guess the competition isn't exactly fierce.
i love those societal analysis, the game of this time reflected the mores and aesthetics of their times.
Lifts-Her-Tail is the hottest character in all of Elder Scrolls canon, and this is an undisputed fact.
agreed. lifts-her-tail reigns supreme.
Its a fictional character, an imperial lie. Its true, that saxhleel females and males are beautifull, but any saxhleel female would blast you with spells or skin you alive if you are a filthy dryskin elf or human.
2:43 By the way...Do you happen to know what the fine is here in Cyrodiil for necrophilia? Just asking.
Not as bad as i was expecting! Thanks.
It’s around 500 gold 👀
@@DrarayneThelasthat's nothing compared to Morrowind!
I don't normally make these comments on videos but you display a feminine beauty in your presentation that reflects that of the characters you enjoy. There is something to appreciate about classic beauty.
Thank you ☺️ I take a lot of inspiration from my favourite fantasy worlds and incorporate it as much as I can into my style, - it’s why I enjoy exploring all these topics so much ♥️
This is so good! I never knew I wanted to watch a video about Beauty Standards in a game :D
Thank you, I really enjoyed making this video 🥰
They should have worked on the Oblivion faces and kept them around. Skyrim had generic videogame faces... In Oblivion I was blown away as a kid seeing how the eye's moved so realistically and even though it was difficult to make someone look normal I thought the faces were super immersive once you adjusted.
Back in Daggerfall times, the worshippers of Dibella didn't really like the worshippers of Akatosh because they think that *time destroys beauty.*
Also, long hair is harder to do in modern games because of the physics of hair. Old games didn't ask much, so they got more.
The folly of failing to see the beauty of transformation. Of course Dibellans would hold such short-sighted beliefs.
This was the first video I’ve ever seen on your channel. Sometimes the algorithm gets things right.
mind-blowing to learn that each game roughly reflects the real world hair and body fashion of the time (or roughly a few years before). awesome video!
Dear Angelika, you made me play Oblivion again. Vanilla, no mods.
A personally note: I love the way you are engaging in these GOOD old games. These games definitely deserve the light you put them in. Thank you.
Your videos are informative, insightful, and a lot of fun to watch. Thanks for sharing!
topics like this on a game so saturated in online discussion are a gem. I’d never stopped to consider this from the perspective's of each species across the ages.
I wonder if the same could be applied to the depictions of pantheons across Tamriels age.
As a bosmer enthusiast, I'd like to add some stuff about their beautiful standards. You were actually on the right track about argonians, but for bosmer! Since they mimic nature alot, the women are the ones who are bigger and stronger ("big" for a bosmer isn't saying much, but you get my meaning), with the men often being smaller and what we'd consider typically feminine.
Unfortunately this hasn't been visually incorporated into the games much, I think the addition of "bosmer beauty standards" is fairly recent, but I hope they emphasise this in future games. It's the dawn of the muscle mommy and twink bosmer couples.
Another great breakdown of an interesting topic on the Elder Scrolls. Your vids are so well put together and presented. Also you brought it all together by your own look with that red dress and the Amulet of Kings. I love your look! You definitely set the standard of beauty for Elder Scrolls scholars. ❤
Thank you very much 🥰🫶
I'm really loving the in-depth analysis the cultures and world of the Elder Scrolls games, you can tell how passionate you are about the series
This channel has a knack for taking a topic that I'd never think of, and turning that into a video that holds my attention to the end.
you're very articulate and well spoken
Holy cow I probably put over 1000 hours into Oblivion as a 13 y/o kid (I'm 30 now) but I never noticed that men couldn't have beards. I knew Sheogorath stuck out to me physically and (as a kid) I never knew why. It's the beard! 🤣 Fantastic video as always. I just stumbled on your channel a couple weeks ago and binge watched everything. Fantastic content and your voice is super pleasant to listen to. Best wishes
I can't believe you, i feel betrayed. I'm 4 minutes into a video talking about beauty and i havent seen Fargoth even once!
Keep watching 👀
8:32 "Do not say Fargoth."
Um, excuse me? Those blond, flowing locks. Those full, plump lips. Those dark, gazing eyes. His eyebrow game is on point. Fargoth is beauty personified.
Speaking of Bosmer/Wood Elves, early concept of art of them (that you can see on UESP) depicted Bosmer men as ugly, woodland creatures like imps, goblins, and satyrs. Bosmer women were meant to be always gorgeous, while Bosmer men had "lost their power of glamour".
By Azura by Azura by Azura!
Such a refreshing take on videogames, love your work
Fargoth is beatiful
He has a feeling that you and he are about to get... very close.
To embrace being naturally attracted to beauty is to aknowledge being human, spoken like a true elder scroll, you are beautiful yourself 😇🙏🩷
Speaking about fashion, I felt the necromancers in Oblivion dressed way cooler than their Skyrim counterparts. Maybe that has to do with the Order of King of Worms vs some self practicing graverobbers. Either way, love the necromancer robes in Oblivion.
100%!! Their robes in oblivion were so sick, I remember the first time I played in the 2000’s thinking the necromancers were cool as hell lmao
in my opinion one of the coolest looking Morrowind characters is an argonian named Only-He-Stands-There who chills in the South Wall cornerclub in Balmora
I think an even more obvious 90s beauty standard for men that was not mentioned is Fabio. The man was THE archetype for the long haired historical/fantasy hunk for thousands of novels. I can see his features in all those Dagerfall men.
Antoinetta Marie (a breton member of the dark brotherhood in oblivion) was my first ever videogame crush, I remember it took me several days and a lot of crying as a kid having to continue the dark brotherhood quest line and eventually (spoilers) killing her.
love the video,in both the editing and going as far as cosplaying,including wearing the amulet of the emperor ❤
Queen Barenziah agrees that Khajiit are attractive
Queen Barenziah is a furry confirmed
It's kinda confusing
At the time, Khajit were essentially humans with some feline tattoos and such
@@quinnmichaelson6793 and a feline "spear", apparently
@@quinnmichaelson6793 having just read the Daggerfall edition of the Real Barenziah, it does describe them as having cat features. I think the art of Daggerfall depicting them as humanlike was just to appeal to the aesthetic of games at the time rather than a literal depiction of what the race looked like
@@thesuperginge1348 yea, but feline features is a broad brush and I still don't think it meant full on animal like. Idk they changed it so often, in es1 they were elven like, then man like.
Just the point is I think when barenziahs lore was written, they had not yet setup khajit as beasts.
Your perspective and commentary are immediately so refreshing. Why haven't I been following you this entire time? New subscriber
SOMEONE FINALLY GIVING RESPECT TO THE OBLIVION FACES!! YES!!! The analogy to real life looks at the time!! Wah!!! I didn't even know how much I wanted this!!!!
18:17 alvor is so 🫦🥵
Honestly for design ESO is worth adding into these videos, they capture each racial motif and culture better than even bethesda does sometimes, I'd love to see you cover ESO as well sometime
I actually try to factor different (some wildy so) beauty standards into my own fantasy writing based on the lifestyles, cultures, and anatomy of the different species in question with a few notable instances of the same individual being seen as beautiful to one group, and highly unattractive to another.
The most notable case being the half-sidhe wife of a goblin cheif. Her first appearance is from the perspective of a troll cheiftess, whose initial impression of her is of "a perfect, passive, pretty little cheif's wife," as in her culture men of status tend to favor highly feminine women that do exactly as they're told, with some leaning towards "delicate" women, though those are more likely to be concubines, as they're thought to produce weaker heirs, meaning a less delicate (but still feminine) woman is preferable as a primary spouse. The cheiftess in question actually has a slightly warped person compared to other trolls, as she's had it drilled into her head that she is none of those things, and is thus undesirable as wife. She is later shocked to learn that the woman she assumed was selected by the cheif for being a great "beauty" is not considered attractive by goblin standards, as they prefer sturdy women like the troll cheiftess, and think their cheif's wife is far too delicate, would get snapped in half by a strong wind, and most importantly hasn't produced any kids yet (fertility is highly valued by goblin culture.) They actually think their cheif is really weird for marrying her when he could've done so much better...the troll cheiftess then proceeds to try to bond with her over both being considered unattractive. (The goblin cheif, for his part, actually adores his wife because she's a brilliant schemer and he personally considers that way more attractive than physical appearances.)
Similarly, sone human characters are somewhat baffled by the appearance of an elvish woman witg a reputation as a seductress, because they consider her appearance masculine, and her personality loud and overly assertive, and are unaware that the elves of my setting consider androgeny highly attractive, and also find stubbornness an admirable trait. Another frequent occurance is humans not being able to correctly gender elves, and elves being thoroughly baffled by humans insisting that large "prominent features" of a woman's chest, and square jaws and broad shoulders on men are attractive, as the elves consider all three to be ungraceful and unrefined...
that's all very interesting. I like to write as well and I factor different appearances and different beauty standards in as well as that's really interesting to me in the real world too, since it often is so intertwined with racism and discrimination and such. For example, in my fictional country (non fantasy) there's two prominent ethnic groups and the first one is taller and lighter. They have lighter hair and lighter eyes and a somewhat "fox like" look, almond eyes, sharp chin etc. And the other culture is more what we would consider "cute". Small, sturdy, button noses, big round eyes, big cheeks etc, also slightly darker but all hair and eye colours possible (It's set in a colder continent so all native people are relatively light). And the tall, skinnier ones with the fox features are the ethnic group who is suppressed by the "cute-looking" ones, so their features are also considered ugly and some of them have taken to dying their hair dark for example to be less notable. I find it very intersting to kind of mix "our" concepts of beauty up a bit and realise that they're connected to how we were brought up and socialised and have little to do with "actual beauty" (if there is such a thing)...
In Skyrim, there's a Nord (I think) NPC in Markarth who says he would like a "strong orc woman" as a wife, so this checks out! Although he could also be read as a perverse character, since he also says "the trick to cutting meat is to never wash your hands."
Angelikatosh, I really enjoy your unique video topics. Your research and insight really bring the Elder Scrolls world to life, and I really love that.
Glad I found this channel. i love random deep dives like that!
This is fascinating! You're diving deep in the worldbuilding and culture aspects of these games here in a way that a player might not have paid attention to in a first playthrough.
Dibella would be jealous of your beauty Angelika! (hopefully that's not aphrodite rules) Nord and bosmer women are my favorite standards of beauty tbh.
This is one of my favorite vids you've done so far!!! ❤❤❤
Caius the blades spymaster in balmora has some mussels just saying...
@@lorvaton does he have oysters and clams as well? What about mudcrabs?
He's definitely got a pair of oysters, no clam 😂
Tosh has a strong grasp on selling her charisma - the mixture of annunciation and facial expressions compliment this style niche content so well that it's a crime she hasn't hit 100k yet
Cheers for the videos, very easy / relaxed listening while cooling down after a shift - keep on your grind
Something happened in Cyrodiil in the late third era that led to everyone looking like potatoes
Must have been the same thing that changed the landscape to whatever it is today
Great video. It's fascinating how technical limitations affected the depiction of characters. I wonder how much of their appearance can be ascribed to beauty standards, and how much to the artists' skill with 3D modelling? I really like how the relatively polygonal appearance of NPCs in Morrowind went on to influence the more distinctive character design of Skyrim.
This is so awesome! So cool to see this looked into regarding TES! Glad I found this and your channel!
I've been waiting for this
Elder Scrolls is my favorite series of all time, it’s nice to see a stunningly beautiful woman enjoying the good old games.
I love The Elder Scrolls, the way you talk and your natural prominent features… this is perfection xD
Very interesting topic imo. I haven’t seen such a unique video about the elder scrolls before, i’m definitely gonna check out more of your videos
6:17 It is because long hair can cause clipping problems and glitches sometimes, especially if there's a lot of movement like running or jumping.
I didn't have a problem making lady characters I liked with the vanilla game-
I did add a hair mod for skyrim for a hairstyle for my male, though to get that dashing swashbuckler look I was going for.
but I do love the hair mods that add flavor to the game after playing ES4 and 5 for so many years.
3:15 I think the difference between Dibella and Mara is that of Eros and Agape. I don't think 'Eros' is necessarily against the idea of marriage, unless it is a very unfulfilling marriage. You could say that the Dibellan and Maran aspects are both important to an intimate relationship instead of it being one or the other.
A most wonderful breakdown, even without delving into ESO. This makes me wonder if The Elder Scrolls VI is taking so long because they want to get the beauty and the clothing just right
I am Living for the Morrowind love in this video!! What a fun watch
This is such an interesting look at Elder Scrolls world and people ! Thanks for sharing
i never played most of the games you talk about on your videos
but still you keep me interested on watching more
That Talisman ye wear is beautiful my Lady Angelika! Always love seeing that cool and beautiful item! And your videos!
Finally, an elder scrolls TH-camr answering the REAL questions. Like: what exact color and texture are the lusty argonian maidens scales?
I too always steal Haelga's statue as well as its twin in Broken Tower Redoubt. Must-haves in any of my player homes.
I really respect your love for these classic graphics. It's hard to appreciate the older standards - seeing this beauty is a phenomenal talent.
You might note that women in Oldrim were far better looking than women in the later versions of Skyrim. Such a shame that they made this change. I still play Oldrim as a result.
Cyrrodil appears to value the perception of hygiene more than anything. Beards are frowned upon. Skyrim, being colder and more rugged is less offended by a little dirt, and beards are popular. It is interesting that the rich in Imperial leaning areas tend to have less facial hair than in Stormcloak territory.
The fashion of Morrowind is interesting because it is explicitly teired by economic status. Other games may have the rags you start with, and some fine clothes, along with some mid ranged and occupational attire, but Morrowind takes it to another level.
We saw hints that Nord women are considered especially attractive, in the bullying at the start of Oblivion. They have fair skin, but are not pallid like Bretons who are viewed as less attractive.
Excellent video. You are clever and funny ✨️
I dont play this game (your vid popped up in my rec and i needed something to watch while drawing) but it was a really interesting watch for sure! Also you're really pretty
Thanks for the video. It was far more interesting than i thought the subject would be
who can compete with almalexia ? why vivec of course, who dosent love a problematic king/queen
Love deep dives into obscure elder scrolls topics
alvor the bisexual king
It's bonkers to think that Daggerfall and Oblivion were only 10yrs apart. The turn of the century truly was an inspiring time of rapid technological advancement.
Your videos absolutely rule, Angelica 🧡 I've enjoyed every single one ever since a friend of mine put me onto your channel. Please lmk if you ever get a Patreon 💰🪙
It is really interesting to compare the looks in the game withe the fashion on the time of game themselves !
I wish more fantasy games or stories in general would consider beauty standards. It's such a fundamental part of world-building. I remember an interaction I once read in an old Transformers comic that I found particularly amusing.
"Your problem is that you're too picky."
"I'm not too picky; I just have a type. Unambiguously feminine, a good sense of humor, a bigger chest plate, not too much kibble, and preferably with an aquatic alt-mode."
"So you're not picky, but she has to be able to turn into a _boat."_
"I said _preferably,_ and it doesn't have to be a *boat."*
Great video, and it's really interesting to hear your insights. I grew up with these games, and I never thought about any of this stuff!
You obviously put a lot of thought into this, far more interesting then I thought. Kudos.
Now I'm going to think of every character in Daggerfall as weirdo-Mel Gibson.
Honestly, the most beautiful NPC from morrowind is Saint Jiub.
I love your necklace! You do seem like you'd be worthy of wearing the amulet of kings lol great video!!!
13:49 Starting to feel like the Bretons are the twinks of the Elder Scrolls universe, I'm not complaining! 😅
4:59 Guy on the left is 100% the lead singer of a New Romantic band. Cut a Long Story by Spandau Ballet vibes.
4:59 Also gives Timothy Dalton with a mullet vibes. James Bond with the party in the back. We need to bring back 80s haircuts in fantasy games lol
Im dying at the intro. Thiw is brilliant content
😍 Colovian fur hat 😍
OOOOH
i LOVED this. your content is so unqiue, and is definitely a welcome addition to my Elder Scrolls/vidya playlists, hehehe.
i am so excited for more content from you. thank you so much for sharing !! ((((':
10:52 Oh dang I forgot Ancano was voiced by Alexander Brandon! Legendary tracker and composer on many of Epic’s early games plus such titles as Deus Ex
Well done video! I think this is something I've heard somewhat briefly mentioned before, or noticed myself looking at the art in things like daggerfall. Of course with game limitations too it makes sense the characters all look the same physically, but as a kid i always wondered about things like why everyone was so ripped lol
I come from italy and i love your channel. Yesterday i discover you and this video, after i've istantly buy skyrim ultimate edition on steam when i've never player nothing about the games you talk in those videos. The love about those games you puts in your life that i see in your video is incredible and long ago from this modernity. I've never loved games from this last 10 years and seen you in those video became illuminant and passionate. Now i gonna go to myu steeam client and i play skyrim after the creation of the protagonist, you.
PS: you capture me after the fascination that you have about soundtrack of TES and your love for Beyond good and evil.
this felt a lot more insightful than a certain someones repeating series on relations in the elder scrolls
Thanks for the video. Love the content.
Just to pipe in on the long hair thing: Long hair in 3D games is notoriously resource-demanding. I agree that it would be great to have that in these games, but doing so would seriously impact game performance. Maybe someday... We can dream, though :)
Also imagine all the clipping issues with all types of armor and clothing options, not to mention when you start flailing around in combat.
It's why in the Ps1 days, characters that had long hair often had them tied up in a bun, or at least a ponytail of some kind (see Lara Croft in the first Tomb Raider, for example).
I remember a comment that with the Final Fantasy movie the main character’s hair was as much work as another character.
You are right, of course. It's not as bad as it used to be, but it's an extra performance cost over the fixed hair alternative. On the other hand, it's not fundamentally different from cloth physics, and most games are willing to include that these days. I'd be happy to sacrifice some of the more complex lighting to get better framerates, and that'd leave more room for hair physics.
At the end of the day, though, I'm happy so long as the ponytail has a decent amount of jiggle to it. Which runs on the same functionality the game needs for a couple of other reasons.
True. With modern hardware, we can do a lot more than we used to. Lara Croft is a good example, here, too. With the new trilogy, they did a lot of hair physics. So, yeah, it is possible these days. However, doing it for a select character or two may work, but in an RPG like TES, there may be dozens or even a hundred NPCs in a location at any given time. That'll be the issue to solve, really.
It really is only recently that games made the choice to render a lot more NPCs (Starfield, Cyberpunk). It makes the cities feel more alive, and there are still a lot of rough edges, there due to hardware limitations.
I don't think mass hair physics are going to be a priority any time soon. Although, I personally do prefer quality over quantity. The large number of filler NPCs makes it much more difficult to identify which ones actually have content...
I guess limited long hair options are due to how hard it was to make hair look realistic back then (and even now)
i dunno if its cause i just smoked, or the beautifully delivered sarcasm but that intro had me dying.
Loved the video, I didn't know about the whole Dibella lore, it seems like I'm always learning something new about the Elder Scrolls universe :)
Since beauty is the topic here, I have to say: You're stunning, and not only you play The Elders Scrolls games but you make videos! I think I should put my amulet of Mara 😁
Greetings from Brazil 🙂
17:52 i feel like this is some lusty argonian-like story im not aware of