Featured Image Credit: Nickelodeon, Bethesda
Topics: Skyrim, Bethesda, The Elder Scrolls
If there’s one thing people love about Skyrim, all the actual gameplay elements and cool questlines aside, it’s making the game look more realistic, apparently. In the decade since its release, we’ve seen countless mods created to enhance the overall look of the game, whether that’s by improving the lighting, textures, or whatever else these modding wizards come up with to transform the 2011 visuals into something a little more up to date.
All those mods have one thing in common, though - they all make the game look better. Generally, you’d think that “more realistic” and “better” would go hand in hand, but one Skyrim fan’s realistic interpretation of everyone’s favourite jester, Cicero, has proven once and for all that that is not the case, and just because you can do something, it definitely doesn’t mean you should.
Before we get into it, be sure to take a look at some of our favourite Skyrim wins and fails below.
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As reported by Game Rant, Reddit user chauzi shared their nightmare fuel on the r/Skyrim subreddit: “I wanted to see Cicero as realistic, but the neural network couldn’t process the photo correctly. So I photoshopped it,” they explained, attaching the image in question.
Now, don’t get me wrong, chauzi’s work here is phenomenal, but seeing an already creepy NPC transformed into what looks like an actual, real person is not my favourite way to kick off the week. I’m not alone, either, as plenty of other Reddit users feel the same: “This will haunt me. Excellent,” wrote Kiggzpawn. “Original: Creepy. Neural Network Render: More creepy. Photoshop: Absolutely terrifying,” agreed Diarkes.
In a surprise twist though, this realistic rendition has also awakened something in some people, something dark, something cursed: “Funny and gorgeous. Cicero is Skyrim’s most eligible bachelor,” wrote 40ozFreed. “Oh no…he’s hot!” added wolfguardian72.
Regardless of whether you’d smash or pass realistic Cicero, this photoshopped portrait is as far as things go - there’s not (currently) a mod to make him look like this in the game, and personally, I’m going to say that we should be thankful for that.