A grieving girlfriend’s touching tribute moves the Skyrim community to action
It had been many months since Raven had been able to play Skyrim, the game that had given her boyfriend, Colt, so much joy. “He had an XBox 360 for the longest time, and Skyrim was one of maybe three games he owned,” she told HeyPoorPlayer. He had spent countless hours engrossed in the fifth installment of The Elder Scrolls franchise, released nearly ten years prior. Raven recalled how they had bonded over the game, Colt at the controller with his girlfriend by his side. In fact, that’s the last memory she has of her boyfriend — playing his beloved Skyrim.
On April 25, 2020, he proclaimed his love for Skyrim on his Facebook page, stating that he would “give up literally anything to just be in Skyrim.” Unbeknownst to his friends and family, that would be his last post, as he sadly took his own life shortly thereafter at just 24 years old.
Those close to Colt would describe him as a compassionate soul who loved Skyrim and rescuing animals. “He was an incredibly kind person,” Raven stated. “He once found a hummingbird on the ground and nursed it back to health until it was ready to return to the wild,” she said of his kindness, adding that he had named the small bird “Drumstick.” The two had met in 2015 when they both happened to LARP in the same park, and quickly bonded over their shared interests.
And so, months later, Raven booted up Skyrim once again, thoughtfully honoring Colt by creating a character in his likeness. It took time and a lot of patience, but Raven was able to successfully create a character that looked like him. In this small way, Raven was able to fulfill Colt’s wish, the heartfelt tribute easily understood by any gamer.
It was then that a friend suggested that she tweet out to Bethesda in an effort to gain the company’s attention and possibly add Colt as an NPC in The Elder Scrolls VI. In this way, Colt would truly live on within a world he cherished deeply. “My hopes are low,” she said in her Facebook and Twitter posts, “but if the posts get enough attention I’m sure they’ll at least see it.”
This was the last post my boyfriend made before he died..
It’s been on my mind for a while, so I booted up Skyrim for the first time in years to make him.@BethesdaStudios I know it’s a long shot, but if you ever need an npc design, I know it would have meant the world to him. pic.twitter.com/JPOcd6dKSC— Raven Ash (@Pyo_Desu) August 31, 2020
Immediately, hundreds of fans on both platforms rallied to Raven’s side, agreeing with her sentiments and tagging Bethesda in an effort to gain the company’s attention.
C'mon @bethesda @BethesdaStudios you can do this right? One little piece as homage to a fan who loved your games more than anything.
— La Morte (@senjithedark) September 2, 2020
@BethesdaStudios now is your time to do something right, Todd Howard, make it happen, we know you can, we've seen it before in other games. This is what he wantes and would be everything to his family and friends to see him where he wanted to be!
— Joseph French (@HitTheWallHard) September 2, 2020
@BethesdaStudios would be pretty cool if you could make this happen. Its not any loss to you, simply making one npc look like him, and would mean everything to someone who lost a loved one
— james (@jami3oz) September 3, 2020
@bethesda @BethesdaStudios You HAVE to do this. I stand with everyone when I say this. Grant this guys one last final wish.
— Heeheehoo :^) (@wdalton375) September 2, 2020
Some even referred to Bethesda’s effort to make the beloved “Skyrim Grandma” Shirley Curry an NPC character in TESVI, hoping the company might make them related in-game due to their shared love of Skyrim.
Make this shit happen right now. And make him Skyrim Grandma's NPC's son.
Right. Now.— Conquerer (@Suck_My_Conq) September 3, 2020
Bethesda did not immediately respond to our email about Colt’s final wish; we will update the article when/if we hear back from the company.
If you or a loved one are contemplating suicide, we implore you to reach out to a crisis hotline for help. Please see this list of crisis hotlines you can call depending on your country.
All images were provided by Raven and used with permission.
