Chasing Jane: Pursuing Jane Austen is Always a Pleasure

Having first discovered Jane Austen as a child means that I've been pursuing her for many years now. I distinctly remember being enchanted by the fairy tale aspects of Emma; beautiful heroine, dashing hero, wealth, luxury. etc, etc.  I also remember trying to figure out what the heck a "fortnight" was.

Her penchant for happy endings was also appealing.

Skyrim SE: The Demure Dragonborn Level 05 Lakeview Manor

When it comes to Skyrim, I'm definitely a homebody and not a wanderer.  I know from experience that being homeless is painful; having to haul ingredients and travel to forges, alchemy & enchanter stations; having to sell my loot immediately.  As I mentioned in my last post, one of my first priorities this time around is building a home, adding all the amenities and then sticking to it.

I choose Lakeview Manor for its beautiful location.  The most southerly of the three homes that can be built, it's also close to my favourite town, Riverwood, and city, Whiterun.  Living in real-life Canada, I appreciate a place that's as far away from snow as possible!

I did hear rumblings that Lakeview Manor was also the most dangerous location for a home but I turned a deaf ear and went ahead and bought my plot.  After all, being the Dragonborn should mean being able to defend your home, shouldn't it?  Shouldn't it?!  More about fending off various attacks later ...

Skyrim SE: The Demure Dragonborn Level 01 Strategy

I love the open world of Skyrim and all the vastness of its possibilities. Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my previous post I'm "a bit of this - a bit of that" kind of person.  In my first go-around I found myself spread too thin with regards to my character build and it became a tad confusing. This time I've narrowed down my focus to those things I really love and though I'll probably never follow one of the character archetypes I know it's going to be a lot of fun.

Defining My Style

Given that I've identified myself as the "Demure Dragonborn" it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that I'd much rather craft than fight. Smithing, Alchemy and Enchanting are not only a pleasure but are going to bring me both wealth and protection.

Speaking of protection, I definitely don't want to wander around Skyrim as a defenseless fool.  I also want a modicum of magic in my life, I mean who wouldn't!

I intend to be fleet of foot using light armor with a sword in one hand and spells in the other.  I'm also going to rely on my potions & enchanted items to pick up any slack where my spells and/or skills are lacking.

During my initial researching (something I never even thought to do the first time around)  I was pleasantly surprised at the wealth of Skyrim Character Builds that are out there.  The time & effort people have spent analyzing & documenting their characters is amazing.  Hopefully I've managed to incorporate some of the best ideas into my own strategy.

Vermeer: View of Delft

"Although there exists a plethora of Dutch 17th-century cityscapes, none are able to transport the viewer back in time and convey the material sense of water, air, brick and mortar as much as Vermeer's View of Delft.  When we stand in front of this picture it is almost as if we had been projected in a time capsule to the southern ramparts of Delft's city gates in the early 1660's"

essential Vermeer 2.0 ~ View of Delft

Which is exactly why I picked this Vermeer masterpiece as the banner for Living History via Virtual Worlds.  What a wonderful way to provide some amazing atmosphere for a social network dedicated to historical adventurers!  Imagine yourself  talking to those people on the river bank, exploring the city, or boarding a ship for destinations unknown.

Skyrim SE: The Demure Dragonborn Level 01

I was sorely tempted to call this Skyrim SE: More Brains than Brawn but though I'm certainly not playing a "brawny" Skyrim character it still remains to be seen how "brainy" I turn out to be.

Here's the backstory.

I've once again found myself waking up in that cart, bumping down the road in Skyrim that's heading towards my execution.  I've been here once before, back in 2011 when The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim first came out, and the whole experience was a bit of a hot mess.

Apparently though I spend a considerable amount of time in Second Life, a true gamer I'm not.  I'm clumsy, hate killing things, and would rather spend my days crafting than hunting down vampires.  I loved being immersed in the world of Skyrim but was rather overwhelmed by it all.  According to my statistics, I played 170 hours, reached level 37 and unlocked 24/75 achievements before I threw in the towel.

When the Skyrim Special Edition came out in October I saw an opportunity to start again, using my hard-earned knowledge to create an experience more conducive to a "demure" Dragonborn.  I thought I'd blog a bit about this endeavour in the hope that it might encourage others of my ilk, if only by illustrating what not.