Being a mod author vs. being a gamer

TL;TR: I’ve gone from being an almost full-time mod creator to an almost full-time gamer. Now I want to create more mods but I still want to play games in a casual way. I’m asking for tips on how I can balance both better without exhausting myself.

2024 is slowly coming to an end. So far this year, I haven’t written any new articles on the site, only comments. I had published new mods on Nexus Mods, but these were only re-uploads of old mods or extended versions of these mods, … Read more

Back to Oblivion?!

Last updated on October 20th, 2024 at 12:08 am

A couple of years ago, I played the game The Elder Scrolls IV – Oblivion and created mods for it. Then I moved on to various games like Fallout 4, Skyrim and Starfield. After playing Starfield for about 80 hours I noticed that my interest in this game dwindled. I probably wait until the official mod support is there. In the meantime, I have some things regarding my Oblivion stuff in mind like re-uploading mods on Nexus Mods that I have taken down many years ago. And … Read more

Aimless in Space

That’s the name of my series of adventures in Starfield which I regularly document on Modding on the Spectrum. My character Charon Seren and I are aimless in space because we let ourselves drift, we let ourselves be surprised by what the next day brings.

You won’t see me doing the main quest for now (I paused it after speaking to Sarah the first time) because I find following side quests and exploring the planets more interesting. Just like in the thread about my adventures in Two Worlds II, I’m going to put words into the characters’ mouths … Read more

Ghostly Masonry

Last updated on December 16th, 2023 at 02:56 pm

I put all posts into a masonry and gave the masonry a ghostly touch via modifying the box shadow with CSS.

Here’s my code snippet:

CSS Code

.bdp-post-grid-content {
box-shadow:
inset 0px 0em 2em 4px rgb(134 255 231 / 10%), 0px 3px 2em 1px rgb(77 146 107 / 33%);}

The plugin that inserts the masonry into the static WordPress page using a shortcode is called News & Blog Designer Pack. It also comes with a “Load More Posts” button as well so you don’t need click … Read more

Spectral Music Player

Last updated on October 20th, 2024 at 12:26 am

A new update with bug fixes for the Anniversary Edition is available (released on May 18, 2023)!

Version: 1.4

The mod turns the Spectral Drum from the Untold Legends quest into a “walking” music player which will accompany you on your journey. Just summon it via the “Bardic Knowledge – Advanced Music” summoning spell and talk to the Drum afterwards.

The spell can be crafted at the Tanning Rack if you have at least … Read more

Samuel – Master of Dark Arts

Last updated on December 16th, 2023 at 02:59 pm

He’s the protagonist of my short story Samuel’s Story, my first Skyrim character and now a follower. You can command him with a Quick Menu, turn off his idle chatter anytime, change his combat style on the fly giving him the appropriate weapons and much more. He comes with a modular custom outfit* which means you are able to toggle some of the equipment parts like the scarf or the harness via the Quick Menu. You can find him in the Bee and the Barb in … Read more

Endorsements and me

Last updated on December 16th, 2023 at 02:41 pm

When you are on Nexus Mods, you can like a mod or a screenshot by clicking on the “Endorse” button. If you ask me as a mod/screenshot author, it’s a curse and blessing at the same time – it can boost my ego, and decrease it when I don’t get any or only a few endorsements. I don’t know how many authors made the “mistake” to connect their self-worth with the amount of endorsements (or likes, thumb-ups, …) they receive. It will be a long journey until I can disconnect my … Read more

Patience

Last updated on December 17th, 2023 at 12:16 am

On November 17, 2022, I believed that my forum “Modding on the Spectrum” was the next big thing – 42 users were online at the same time. I did my best to attract new users by promoting the Spectrum in other forums.

What I actually did is working against my true nature. I rather stay in the background and not in the center of attention. This applies to many areas of my life including mod releases. Yes, I did and do release mods but the main reason is that I simply … Read more

Fear or the inner critic

Last updated on December 16th, 2023 at 03:07 pm

A mental health topic on Selene’s Shadow Realm (again)? Did you post on the wrong site? This blog is about your mods and projects. Why don’t you post it on Modding on the Spectrum where these subjects belong?….

What do you think after reading those lines? That I’m not sane? Sure, I have some more or less serious problems. And one of them is my inner critic. The first paragraph of the article shows you how his monologue can look like.

 

Before I go into … Read more

The #AskSelene31Something advice series

Last updated on December 17th, 2023 at 12:18 am

The hashtag stands for my deepest wish to help people with matters concerning mental health and the life with neurodivergent/neurodiverse conditions – be it for example Autism or ADHD/ADD (see the glossary on Modding on the Spectrum for more info). No, I’m not a psychologist. I’m just an “old” girl that experienced things in her life that nobody shouldn’t have. If you want to know my story, you can find a summary here. I developed strategies to cope. Some did work, some did not. Since I … Read more