Oh Emma, dear Emma...

[Sniffles]

Strolling along in the moonlight with Vilja, making the long trek from Markarth to the Rift and feeling pretty good about things what with her packing an engagement ring in her inventory now. Shift from jogging to walking. Change from armor to something a bit more romantic. Two scantily clad young people in a beautiful wild world with a bright future before them.

Vilja remarks that she is glad her mother can't see her right now. That just seemed odd. Depressing and negative. You've just got engaged to a hero and legend which you are becoming yourself, you have more than one home, plenty of money, two wonderful adopted children and the world laid at your feet. Are you referring to being bare chested in the wilderness? Your choice of spouse? SIGH.

A group of Thalmor come towards us along the road and your wife to be loosens her bow. We confront and... well maybe you are right Vilja about me a little. I take delight in taunting them. Me die a heretics death, hmm?

The first falls with two arrows in him before his weapon is drawn. The justiciar meets a similar fate a few moments later then I swing the bow around and start to sight in on the third. A dark shape moves towards him, half seen lupine furs and metals neath a dank fir tree, sparks running the length of the black naked blade she wields. Before I can get the enemy targeted he is thrown in the air in agonizing slow motion, hacked in half by a mighty blow.

As I approach the fallen corpse Vilja started singing softly to herself as she sheaths her weapon and removes her armor to become a sylph like beauty of light and shade under the dappled moonlight.

Uhhh, maybe you're right Vilja. Your mother might just have a few nightmares if she had a clue that her loving daughter has also become a errrm, messenger of death straight from the more lurid and gory tales... and would no doubt blame me for the transformation.

[Emma]

That's quite a story . Not totally good, of course.
I think that when Vilja made the remark about her mother seeing her right now, the two of you were in a "hostile zone", maybe close to a cave entrance.
If Vilja is too much of a killer queen, maybe you are using an overhaul for Skyrim that makes npcs comparably stronger than the PC. People have reported this as a problem, and therefore, there is a setting in "Travel together"->Off topic" where you can adjust Vilja's fighting power and vulnerability so that it fits into your game and your playing style.

I'm surprised that she started to sing. With ver 3, she should say something appropriate after a fight. (I had made a mistake in the dialog settings in previous versions, which was why she talked randomly and even was singing after a fight). Maybe you were so far away from her so she didn't talk to you; if you are not within greeting distance, she will of course use her random chatter.

[jet4571]

Emma I didn't read anything not good in that story. Her comment about her mother not seeing her can be quite jarring in game but what Sniffles described wasn't bad. It was jarring until the fight and Sniffles saw what she thought Vilja may have meant in a new context. Even with Vilja at vanilla combat capabilities if you stop and watch she can appear to be a bloodthirsty killer who will crack a joke after combat.

I read that as Vilja can make herself appear to be a dopey woman who is insecure in her abilities and yet can turn into a mighty warrior with all the confidence at a moments notice until combat ends then casually return to her normal self as if no Justicar or bandit corpse is laying at her own feet. She can seam vulnerable and yet prove to be quite competent. A strong woman who is still feminine.

Myself I am quite happy to have Vilja as a companion, she is strong and vulnerable at the same time. Vulnerable because she doubts her abilities in a way and strong because she overcomes those doubts time after time as well as never lets those doubts become her personality. She reminds me of Ripley from the first Aliens movie. Strong and capable with a hint of doubt and fear. a true hero who has fears and yet overcomes them. I always did love a strong female character and hate the "princess" that needs saving. I wish there were more woman in the video game and movie industry that made a strong capable protagonist that is female and from a females perspective.

[Sniffles]

jet4571 picked it up exactly.

What made this so memorable and intense was I was playing Skyrim in my usual fashion. Panning the camera and turning this way and that, taking in sky, scenery, Vilja and my PC. Periodically swapping out outfits on both and generally speaking, it's all about esthetics. Vilja also has about the perfect body to make me contemplate all the clothing that my shortish dumpy figure makes me look like I drive a cement mixer and frequent construction sites.

Enter the combat and change to first person camera. Vilja effortlessly swaps into Wolfcry armor instantly but my PC almost never gets into melee and stays in ... let's just say, the outfit of choice is quite high legendary smithing and has an armor rating of 58.

As the PC turns to the third doofus I zoom in and everything goes into slow motion. That was when Vilja steps into view, takes a swing, the enemy comes completely off the ground, flips head over heels and flops onto the ground in a heap with serious finality.

Putting away the bow and beginning to approach Vilja, still some 20 feet off, she starts singing, her random stuff, her armor magically vanishes and she became a scantily clad shape in the moonlight and dappled shadows under a fir tree. All in less than 5 seconds after being an avenging angel.

Before the fight I was grumbling about Vilja's glad her mother couldn't see her stuff. Then seeing that slow motion death scene, jet4571 nailed it. Imagine her mother being there: VILJA!! MIN GUD, KVINNAN!

I have no combat mods at all and Vilja is pure plain vanilla right from the box without a single setting changed. Why she even changes clothes on her own I don't know but assume that's part of the fancy effort put into her. I'm not sure if it effects the death animations but her one handed skill is 100 and she's wearing gear that boosts that another 180 or so and she's swinging the Ebony sword of storms beefed way up into legendary.

By the way. If someone wanted to make Vilja a truly complimentary outfit that fits my mode of gameplay and state of mind.
Using the UNP body,
A choice of 2 different tops. One sleeveless, one long balloon sleeved and tight cuffs. The bodice is form fitting, laced up the front to near the throat. The material shiny black, midnight blue or deep forest green.
The trousers of matching material, also form fitting, laced from ankle to hip at the sides. A medium width sword belt, black, low on her hips. (YO! All you guys whacking together female clothing and bodies, we have hips! Get with the program! Broad pelvic cradle!)
Her boots, upper calf high smooth black leather. In casual circumstances she can change her top out to a halter, or sports bra of the same matching material, or go topless. (Waiting for that goddam half a telephone pole on the hearth to burn down enough for the place to cool down below furnace).
All tops and trousers are heavily embroidered with green climbing vines and blood red roses. Embroidery is a very common way to pass the time for both men and women on those long winter nights.
And for colder climes but still casual wear, they have this really nifty invention called a sweater! Vilja would look great in an assortment of sweaters!


To explain my mindset. I deliberately made my PC as what I envision of the Dragonborn. Shortish, a bit huksy, dour thoughtful expression, driven, almost quiet desperation in countenance and expression. IE Royally screwed by the fates and her heritage and making do as best she can. This is not a glamour girl. The glamour is where Vilja comes in. And the fun loving, occasionally frolicsome, thought provoking, but a down to earth beautiful Nordic maiden with a very practical take on things. Both are liberated free thinking females, though Vilja takes her femininity much more seriously. Her occasional jibes of her partner are well placed as the dragonborn has a lot of her plate and doesn't give a lot of thought to table dancing and swilling them down at the inn. She's a little more concerned about surviving each day as it comes, content to flop in a chair by the fire come evening, growling softly to herself.
Thus Vilja is the perfect counterpoint. Clothing or armor wise, Vilja's jibes about 'I wish you would take better care...' are spot on. My characters take is, 'Whatever fits if I even decide to wear something. It's Vilja's job to get up close and personal and mop up what the arrows haven't finished off.'

[questinghood]

I think Vilja looks cute, in that picture, but also a bit tired I prescribe a nice long, tender hug... a fresh sweet-roll with extra glaze... and a warm, quiet place to spend the evening while catching up on the journal.

or go kill a dragon... cause that seems to work also

[golddragon]

Sept 29, 2014 16:28:41 GMT questinghood said:

...
or go kill a dragon... cause that seems to work also

As long as you aren't trying to kill ME, it should work.

[Sniffles]

A short while later she got the chance to hack up some more Thalmor which tends to lift her spirits. It was just at dawn and raining hard. We had just summoned general Toiletus to the Greybeard council after several weeks of the Dragonborn muttering about the whole Season Unending affair is pure pissing in the wind and there will be no happy compromise. And of course, her and Vilja will bear all the responsibility, incurring angst and animosity of both the Stormblokes and the Imperickals. No win with our heroic duet caught square in the middle and they have to do all the work in coping with the Dragons.

The fact of the matter is the Imperials are grovelling puppets of the Thalmor and tried to whack the DBs head off, the Thalmor, who are unabashed racists are manipulating the Stormcloaks and the only ones who have helped out the Dragonborn recently are three dragons, one of which has proven to be a very helpful friend, one a sage council and mentor and the other who helped inadvertantly and the Dragonborn is now supposed to kill.

After listening to all that snivel for months, yes, Vilja is beginning to look a little frayed around the edges.

Note to Emma: Add the lines to Vilja's next update:
Vilja: "How about you just cozy up to Paarthurnax and with him and Durnehviir at your back you confront Alduin and tell him to stay out of your face if he wants to keep his tail attached? Then with that settled, go tell Ulfric to stroll north till his hat floats, kick Elisif off her throne and claim Skyrim for yourself in the name of Akatosh. Oh yes; and proclaim the ten divines reinstating Talos and installing yourself, just to send word to the Thalmor what you think of their little scheme. If they have any problems they can take it up with your complaints department which should be including a dozen or more dragons by then once Alduin has crept off with his still attached tail between his legs."
Dragonborn: "Darling, I just realized you are suffering from delusions of grandeur."
Vilja: "So what? You got problems with me liking the idea of being married to a god?"
Dragonborn: "Point."
Vilja: "And anyway, think how proud our children will be!"
Dragonborn: "Yo! ULFRIC! Wait up!"

[jet4571]

I think that alternative ending would have been a good option but there is one issue. By you doing that you inadvertently complete the Dominions plans by splitting the empire. And not just splitting it but removing the empires most fierce fighters. That would be carte blanche allowing them to defeat the empire with far less loss and they will eventually take Skyrim as well when there is no support. The Dragonborn isn't the only one who can defeat dragons, but is the only one who can permanently defeat them. There would be many casualties but I think less than a long drawn out war with a complete empire.

If you take the throne and become the high king it would still be better to stay with the empire and would be far more beneficial with having an army of dragons the whole White gold concordant can be shoved up the Aldemeri ambassador's backside so far she can sneeze it back out. That would both decimate the plans they have and give them a good reason to stay out of the empire unless they want to see their military get crushed battle after battle.

Then there is the whole civila war thing you would put to rest, the war is mainly about the right to worship Talos and being ordered around, being that they will now have that right and that the empire would be hard pressed to do any dictating lest they want to have a war on 2 fronts that they cannot win even if either was the only war they will be forced into recognizing independent rule of Skyrim while being a member of the empire.

[Sniffles]

You took me seriously? Okay, I'll be serious. A minor flaw in Bethseda's brilliant background story. The Imperials in Skyrim act like Thalmor lap dogs. The Imperials practice oppression as dictated by the Thalmor. The Thalmor want to break the empire apart. They come up with the Talos bullshit to pit the Imperials and the Nords against each other. So, according to Bethseda, the Imperials and the emperererer are too stupid to live.
Anyone with half a brain would cut a secret deal with Skyrim and coordinate with Hammerfell. How hard would that be? An hours chat with Elisif and Ulfric clearly explaining who the real enemy is. I mean, how freaking naive can you get, plunging all of Skyrim into civil war and a war with the empire because those guys on the side lines have instructed the imperials to ban Talos worship? This is how the empire rebuilds it's strength from the battle of the red ring?
Does anyone smell ultra implausible threadbare hollyweird plot device?