Meet the Crew

Making mods is hard work.
So much harder than you think—until you try to learn how to do it.

Sometimes, it feels like a battle just figuring out what you even need to learn next. Every problem solved uncovers five more. And only the persistent survive.

But here’s the truth: No one survives alone.
Even the true loners—the ones wearing every hat in the modding toolkit—got help along the way.

Shadows is no exception.

When I first started assembling a dream team, real life did what it always does. Some folks had to step back, others took different paths. In a project like Shadows, there’s no paycheck, no guarantee, no reward except the satisfaction of creating something you hope will last.

That’s what makes these six people remarkable.

When the lineup changed and I thought I’d be left standing alone in the dev trenches, they stepped forward. They didn’t just lend a hand—they dove in, built, tested, rewrote, retooled, re-recorded, and stayed.

A year later, they’re still here.
And Shadows exists because of them.

XV-Versus

Quest Implementation and Advising (aka The Person Who Helps Me Make My Scenes Actually Work)

XV got into modding through Sim Settlements, making plots for SS2 Superstructures before leveling up to quest content and branching out into Starfield. He's spent time working with multiple modding teams now, including this chaotic one. His dream job? Working at BGS on Elder Scrolls. The challenge? "Project management and time management for consistent yet realistic timelines." (A challenge we both understand deeply.)

XV has been my friend and ear since the project began. He set up my Discord server and helped me think through the dynamics of running it—because apparently "just wing it" wasn't a solid server management strategy. He's been a terrific friend and brainstorming partner, and I am proud to be lead writer on his project. We talk almost daily, usually about timelines, and occasionally about why the CK hates us. His patience, kindness, and hard work on the implementation of at least two quests in Shadows has been nothing short of phenomenal. Seriously, the man has the patience of a saint. Check out his gorgeous Sedes Requiem Player Home for Starfield on YouTube!

Find XV-Versus: Nexus Mods | Bethesda.net

PointyThunddra654

Thundra

Asset Creator - 3D Plants (aka The Plant Guy Who Makes Everything Look Alive)

Thundra got into modding about four years ago, and plants are his passion. He makes different types of plants. Lots of plants. All kinds of plants. "I love creating something different," he says. His dream job? Modding world landscape environments—basically, more plants. The challenge? Animation. "I'm having a hard time getting that figured out to work right." (Animation is the final boss of modding. We all feel you, Thundra.)

Thundra was there in my server on day one. Before I even knew what I was doing, before the project had real shape, Thundra was there ready to help. He spent countless hours trying to make a location work for us—like, truly countless. Hours upon hours of testing, adjusting, problem-solving. You’ll see that location in his own mod. And when life threw him curveballs that would've made anyone else bail out? He still continued creating the plant assets we needed for the Helix Facility.

This man genuinely loves plants and it shows in every leaf, every vine, every carefully crafted fern. The vegetation in this mod has life to it because Thundra put his heart into it. But more than the beautiful work, his friendship and loyalty to the project mean everything. He stuck around even when things got messy, even when progress was slow, even when I wasn't sure where this was all going. That's real. That's the kind of person you want on your team, and I'm incredibly grateful he's on mine.

Find PointyThundra654: Discord

radbeetle

Faces and Hair (aka The Reason These Characters Actually Look Like People)

Beets got into modding in mid-2018—when "modding" meant making mods, not just downloading 400 of them and wondering why your game won't start. She focuses on character appearances: outfits, faces, hair, all the things that help visualize characters. She also makes poses and props for fancy screenshots. "That's kind of what I love most about modding, really. Being able to bring to life the stories and characters that used to be stuck rattling around my brain. It's really cool to see them come to life in the game itself." Her dream job? Propmaking or Practical Special Effects & Makeup for movies or TV. The challenge? "All the technical fiddly bits that aren't immediately made obvious. Things like file formats or the esoteric bits specific to engines and games. The things we modders don't always get documentation for." (We're all just figuring it out as we go, honestly.)

Beets has been with me since day one, chatting with me about Gloria’s face for the prequel mod. Then she joined the server, cheering me on through every crash, every setback, every "why won't this face work" meltdown. A seriously good human. She's been instrumental in ensuring these characters show their personality in their faces and hair. With over 50 NPCs, this is no small task. I am incredibly grateful for her skill, her patience, and the fact that she hasn't blocked me on Discord despite my constant "I just added one more NPC" messages.

Find radbeetle: Bluesky | Nexus Mods

Mystic Rogue

Producer, Narrative Designer, Writer, Voice Director, Sound Engineer, Level Designer, Asset Artist/Textures, Implementation (aka The Person Wearing Many Hats)

I'm the one who had the audacity to think "I can make a quest mod" without fully understanding what that actually meant. Turns out it means wearing approximately eight different hats, learning skills I didn't know existed.

All those roles listed are really just a fancy way of saying "I do all the things that don't have someone else's name on them." And honestly? Some days that list feels ridiculous. Other days it feels like proof I'm either very dedicated or very stubborn. Probably both.

My dream job? Writing my fantasy trilogy that's been living in my head for 15 years. Having the leisure time to actually do it is the real goal. (Maybe in a year or two I'll tackle that novel writing.) 

The blessings? They're numerous. Seeing all those hours of hard work turn into a full scene in a new environment—characters, dialogue, everything that started out just rattling around in your head, suddenly real in the game. That never gets old.

Meeting passionate, brilliant people who do work most of the world sees as a silly hobby, but who pour their hearts into it anyway.

Being mentored by several of the smartest people I've ever not met. 

And those voice actors. The love and dedication they bring to these characters truly keeps me going. When I have those days where I doubt we’ll finish this mammoth, there they are, asking, “What’s next?” 

What’s hard: Papyrus. Hands down.

Find Mystic Rogue: LINKS

Pesky Fox

Level Designer | Asset Artist (aka The Guy Who Turned My Vague Ideas Into Actual Places)

Pesky got into modding through Sim Settlements 2, where he started designing plots and HQ rooms before expanding into player settlements and even coding. He loves bringing ideas to life and fixing things to work exactly the way he wants. "It's extremely rewarding," he says. His dream job? Lead Designer in his own game dev company. The challenge? "Searching for the right tutorials or documentation can be a real hassle if you aren't sure what exactly to search for." (Preach. The number of times I've Googled "Fallout 4 CK how to make thing do thing" is embarrassing.)

Pesky dropped into the server eager to help and immediately started building furniture we desperately needed. Then he created an entire build set to make the shack structures feel unique and homemade (because they are). When a level designer had to step away from the project, I went to Pesky with what was probably desperation in my tone. He didn't hesitate. Within weeks he had a workable structure. Several more weeks and he handed over a working location we could implement in, and an exterior. The man is a wizard. Also a good friend and dedicated team member who hasn't run away screaming yet, which I appreciate.

Find Pesky Fox: Nexus Mods

Ravenswift

Editor and NPC Banter Writer (aka The Person Who Saved Me From Plot Holes and Typos)

Ravenswift started modding by designing plots for Sim Settlements 2 in late 2023. She loves making realistic, rustic-looking spaces for settlers in the Commonwealth, building and decorating and then seeing her work come alive in-game. "I've also met a lot of nice people along the way," she says, which is the most Ravenswift thing ever. Her dream job? Level Design, UI Design, or maybe even a Project Facilitator/Manager. The challenge? "Actually making time for modding... I have a hard time just 'spending a couple hours’ in the CK—if I sit down to work on a project, I get sucked in and lose several days!"

(This is a problem we all have, honestly.)

What can I say? She's my pal. I met her over in the We Are Builders server when she was making a contest-winning SS2 plot entry, and we just clicked. She's helped me with countless things — posters for my plot add-on, idea spinning, life conspiring, moral support when the CK decided to be evil. She's a true friend. On the project, Ravenswift has been my editor for more than 51 documents. Fifty-one. She checked storylines, made sure characters were consistent, caught my typos (there were many), and then took on the monumental task of writing perfectly timed NPC banter. We may expand it as we update the mod, but in early testing? Those moments are chef's kiss.

Find Ravenswift: YouTube | Nexus Mods

Veta Phoenix

Voice Director and Voice Actor

Veta has been involved in game development and modding for years, starting with The Sims before finding her way to Fallout 4. She worked with Sim Settlements 2 on their wiki team, alpha testing, and script editing before branching into level design and voice acting. After taking voice acting classes, she built a home studio and began auditioning for roles. She now works as a casting and voice director for multiple modding projects, and voices two characters in Shadows. Her dream job? "Exactly what I'm doing right now, but I wish it paid more of our bills." The challenge? "Time management, especially when life has been throwing me more curve balls than I could have ever imagined possible lately."

Veta Phoenix came on board early in the project as Voice Director. She helped navigate the overwhelming process of making the final selections from the 150+ shortlisted auditions. She shared resources, offered guidance to some of our actors, and provided insight during those early days when I was figuring out how to manage voice talent. 

Her involvement taught me a lot about the casting process and what to look for in performances—lessons that shaped how I approached the rest of production.

I'm looking forward to joining her and other talented modders at the Fallout Fan Celebration's "Meet The Modders - A Fallout Mod Creator Roundtable" at the Goodsprings Community Center later this month.

Find Veta Phoenix: All My Links

Teamwork

More to come

This team is the backbone of Shadows. They've stuck with the project through the chaos, the CK crashes, the "wait, where did that file go" moments, and all the times I've said "what if we…" as I feature-creeped another thing into the mod. I couldn't do this without them.

There are more contributors to highlight—voice actors, additional artists, and collaborators who've brought this world to life. Stay tuned.