About Ashe - Design and Development

Ashe's Design Philosophy

Ashe's design reflects my passion for creating visually striking and memorable characters, inspired by the beauty, elegance, and stylized aesthetics found in JRPGs, Western RPGs, various games, and anime as well, renowned for their distinctive art styles.* I've always been drawn to characters whose appearances convey personality, strength, and complexity. With Ashe, I aimed to embody this spirit within the world of Skyrim.

I understand that "lore-friendliness" can be subjective, with different players holding unique interpretations of what fits Skyrim's aesthetic. Drawing from my experience creating immersive characters—like Serana from the Serana Dialogue Add-On mod—I approached Ashe’s design thoughtfully, balancing creative expression with Skyrim's established tone.

Community feedback has played an important role. Adjustments, such as revising the skirt length, reflect my commitment to balancing artistic vision with grounded realism. Additionally, the mod’s outfit management system allows you to tailor Ashe's look to your preference, and an upcoming original outfit will offer even more options.

Ultimately, Ashe’s alluring, feminine appearance isn't simply aesthetic—it’s tied intentionally to her internal struggle for identity, self-expression, and autonomy. While I personally enjoy designing attractive characters, Ashe’s beauty also serves as a meaningful reflection of her empowerment and complex inner world, directly informed by her backstory.

*Inspirations include, but are not limited to: Berserk, Claymore, Hoyoverse Games, the NieR series, World of Warcraft, The Witcher 3, Black Desert Online, Tera, and some designs in The Elder Scrolls games, including Skyrim.

How Did This Mod Come To Be?

While Bethesda's Skyrim offered an expansive and immersive world, it often lacked depth in character development—feeling as wide as an ocean but as deep as a puddle. This gap inspired me to create the Serana Dialogue Add-On (SDA) mod. As an inexperienced modder and writer at the time, the early versions of SDA reflected my learning curve, and the writing left much to be desired. Through this process, I learned the importance of focusing on quality over quantity, recognizing that even in a free, community-driven endeavor like modding, players have high standards.

Ashe is the culmination of everything I’ve learned as a writer and mod author—a deeply personal project showcasing my growth. For what lies at the heart of this project, think of an SDA-esque experience but with a much bigger development scope, and much more complex, intricate writing. With Ashe, I challenged myself to create an original character with a compelling story, not just a quick release. She embodies all the features, passion, and technical prowess I've developed over the years. Ashe is both the culmination of my modding journey and a prototype for future projects, including my aspiration to develop an indie game inspired by creators like the person behind The Forgotten City. 

Feedback and Continuous Improvement

I've poured my heart and soul into Ashe, but I believe that with the community's help, she can reach her full potential and become a cornerstone mod for even more people. No mod is perfect from the start, and your feedback is crucial to helping Ashe grow and evolve. Please feel free to share your thoughts - whether it's on the Nexus page, my Discord server, via DMs, or even on Reddit. I genuinely value your input and appreciate your help in making Ashe the best she can be!