First of all, why?
After the success of my other mod Zombie Waifu Race Redone, I decided I'd tackle another open-permissions race mod to see if I could improve it in any way. That's when I remembered another race mod sitting in my load order for a while: the Yami Neko race mod by Benzkool. Upon loading the race in the Creation Kit, I noticed some glaring issues with the race that I felt could easily be addressed--hence, this mod. Consider this my second entry into what I'll call my "Races Redone" series, as I plan to redo as many dead open-permissions races on the Nexus as I can find, and breathe new life into them!

So what does it do?
This update modifies the Yami Neko race by replacing the "YamiNeko.esp" plugin with a modified version that introduces several bugfixes and balance changes. What's more, this update and all included add-ons are flagged as ESL to save a slot in your ever-growing load order. Below is a complete catalogue of what this update brings to the table:

BUGFIXES

• The original mod only used the "GenericRaceController" script for their RaceMorphs. A new "YamiNekoRaceController" script was written and added according to Creating a Playable Race - Revised. The source script is also available for anyone who wants to improve it in some way or another.
• Yami Neko had no copied RaceMorph data. This has been updated according to Creating a Playable Race - Revised; they now use Nord RaceMorph data.
• Yami Neko vampires were missing the "Vampire" keyword, and they used Nord face textures instead of their dedicated face textures. This has been fixed.
• Since this is meant to be an ESLified plugin replacement, the High Poly Head patch for Yami Neko included in High Poly Head For Custom Races will obviously no longer be compatible, as it depends on the original heavy plugin. As such, a separate High Poly Head patch, made specifically for this mod, is included via FOMOD.
• Leftover/unused FormList and TextureSet data from the original mod has been removed via xEdit.
  

REWORKS

• Yami Neko starting skill distribution was essentially a fusion of those of Nords and Khajiit:
  

+10 One-Handed
+10 Two-Handed
+10 Sneak
+5 Pickpocket
+5 Light Armor
+5 Archery
+5 Speech

• This skill distribution has been reworked into something much more vanilla-friendly, tailored towards thief/ranger playthroughs. This distribution keeps Yami Neko in line with the other vanilla races while still maintaining the original spirit of the race, them being Nord-Khajiit hybrids and all.
  

+10 One-Handed
+5 Archery
+5 Block
+5 Light Armor
+5 Sneak
+5 Alchemy

• Yami Neko now have a detailed description of their abilities and powers when in character creation, including a small nod to one of my favorite follower mods, M'rissi's Tails of Troubles.
  

BUFFS

• Yami Neko originally had no racial powers or abilities whatsoever. They now have the Khajiit Night Eye ability, as well as +12 unarmed damage and +50% Frost resistance. I didn't want to give them two racial powers, and I felt that a Lesser Power would be overall more useful than a Greater Power, especially considering typical playthroughs would result in the player obtaining a Fear spell much more powerful than the Nords' Greater Power.
  

ADD-ONS

• Full support for HDT SMP fluffy beast race tail replacer is included via FOMOD; just like with vanilla Khajiit, you can now fluffify your Yami Neko tails. I chose support for this mod over Slof's Fluffy Khajiit Tails as the former's permissions were more open than the latter's, and besides, who doesn't enjoy some good physics?
• Full support for The New Gentleman is included via FOMOD; male Yami Neko can now have schwings with nipped tips. ;) Please note that the naked male body will still have an unsightly underwear texture in the area where its new package is. If anyone wants to make prettier textures, though, go for it!
• Full support for Valhalla Combat is included in the main installation; both normal and vampire Yami Neko NPCs can now be triumphantly executed. :)
  

WHAT THIS MOD *DOESN'T* DO

• Add Survival Mode support. This requires editing quest aliases and FormLists, which can be overwritten by other mods; while a tool is available to add Yami Neko to FormLists without overwriting other mods, no such tool exists for quest aliases at this time (that I know of). If anyone wants to add Survival Mode support, permissions are open to do so.
  

Any followers included?
Not at the moment, no. Unlike my previous "Race Redone" mod, I wanted this mod to be a race mod first and a follower mod second. Followers may come in the future, though--you never know!

Well, can I make my own followers or NPCs?
Absolutely! Just be sure to list this mod as a requirement and give credit to both me and Benzkool. If you want your follower to have a High Poly Head, it's recommended to have this mod's included HPH patch as a requirement as well, in order to avoid any potential complications regarding head meshes or whatnot.

Requirements?
The original Yami Neko race, as well as RaceCompatibility, are hard requirements. Selected body textures do not matter. If using game versions earlier than 1.6.1130, BEES is also a hard requirement.

Compatibility?
By sheer nature of being an ESLified plugin replacement, this mod is NOT compatible with ANYTHING that depends on the original "YamiNeko.esp" plugin, including any savegames that used it previously, as well as Yami-Neko Imperious Race compatibility compendium and the aforementioned patch included in High Poly Head For Custom Races. Permissions are open to make new patches and translations based on my version of the plugin, should they be needed.

Any known issues?
After creating a Yami Neko character, when opening the race menu (via showracemenu, Galathil, or other means), the ears have a tendency to disappear. This is being investigated.

A warning for users of Immersive Children:
If you had the original "YamiNeko.esp" plugin from Benzkool's mod page before installing this mod, and you have Immersive Children installed, it's possible that your One ImCh Patch (if you use it) will completely override the changes made by this mod to the race. To fix this, simply delete and rebuild your One ImCh Patch after installing this mod.

Disclaimer
This mod has been created and published under the following permissions:

• "Do what you want, credit me. Check credits for permissions, some are open for use, some require permission."
  

If, for any reason, Benzkool or any other persons involved with the base mod object to the presence of this mod on the Nexus, the author reserves the right to remove this mod from the Nexus without any prior warning to the user.

Credits
Benzkool and TheUnexpected for Yami Neko Race - CBBE-UNP-Vanilla
TMPhoenix for RaceCompatibility for Skyrim Special Edition
expired6978 and StackEmHigh for Creating a Playable Race - Revised