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Domi, But see, I think that Xan, Ajantis, and Dynaheir are assumed to be heterosexual in the absence of evidence. Now this is not meant to be criticism of those romances as written--certainly, mod writers should write how they see things, and a damn fine job was done. I'm merely saying that I can't think of anything (and it's entirely possible I'm missing something) within the original BG1 materials indicated *any* particular orientation for these characters (though there may have been BGII material about Ajantis, I can't remember). So, setting aside the BG1 NPC Project, why would we assume they are heterosexual? Isn't assuming they are heterosexual on the same ground as assuming they are homosexual? At least for these characters that don't provide evidence one way or another? Or is there something so fundamentally different about homosexuals that clearly none of the Bioware NPCs can be imagined as such? Secondly, regarding Garrick, my parter and I have been together for many years now, and he had as many girlfriends as boyfriends before me. Certainly, just because one is interested in one gender is not, in and of itself, evidence that one is not also interested in the other. And Garrick seems vain and insecure enough to enjoy positive attention from anyone. Heh. As far as Xzar and Montaron, that was more of a joke than anything--it's difficult to imagine either involved with *anyone*. As far as doing modding myself; well, it is appealing, but it sounds like a very steep learning curve is involved, as well as vast amounts of time. I do have a question for those who've written mods, though. Do you ever *play* your own mods? And not for playtesting purposes, but just to enjoy them? Or does all the fun come at the front end, in writing them, and then hopefully basking in the feedback of a job well-done? **Spoilers coming** I mean, when I read Khalid expressing his concerns about Minsc to Dynaheir, and his hope that Minsc might be "curable," I had a surprisingly powerful reaction to these two eventually doomed individuals so full of concern and caring for a third who will ultimately outlive them. That kind of magical moment is almost reserved for the player, who is taken by surprise. The modder knows that it's written, she put it there. Is there an equal reward for the writer?

Domi, I see that you were the principal writer on Dynaheir--kudos! I'm really enjoying it. I've been thinking about what you wrote in response to my post: "The thing about gay romances is that it is a major statement in a character concept, and the character interpretation is a harsh mistress. Growing personality out of Bio's seedling is a tricky bussiness, an excersise in balance between what everyone else thinks, and what works for you..." I completely understand this, and please know that my frustration with the lack of male-male romances shouldn't be taken as criticism of the BG1 NPC Project or those who created it. After all, you all went to the trouble to flesh out these characters, and did so to a fantastic extent. And certainly, writers should follow the path that moves them. If I were not to like a mod, well, I should learn how to write my own. That being said, I also don't think that adding same-sex options for romances need be as radical for the NPCs' personality as you seem to indicate. I agree, Coran is pretty much a ladies' man, and I can't imagine him being interested in men in that way. Similarly, I imagine Safana is just into guys. I have no problem with that. On the other hand, many of the characters in the original Baldur's Gate did nothing to indicate either a sexual orientation or an exclusivity in orientation (at least in what I remember). For instance, I can imagine Dynaheir being as interested in a woman as a man. And other than any difficulty in addressing gender in actually writing the dialogues, nothing about that romance would have to be much different no matter who Dynaheir was involved with. And I'd say this could be as true for Xan or Ajantis as well. And as far as Montaron and Xzar, there's *something* going on there. I don't know what it is, and I don't know that I want to know what it is, but there's something there. Part of the reason that I look at those npcs that way is that in the absence of specific clues given about a character, I assume that I can't assume a specific orientation for a character. Coran as written provides pretty clear evidence for exclusive heterosexuality. Garrick, on the other hand, provides evidence for interest in women (especially given what happens in BGII), but that need not mean that he might not be interested in men, if the right one came along. Actually, the only way that a gay romance necessarily radically changes a romance is if we assume that same-sex relationships are as stigmatized within the Forgotten Realms as they are in the real world. If so, then there is a whole element of secrecy, hostility, and supportiveness among the other NPCs. And to be honest, that would be fascinating to explore. But it need not be explored--I don't think Westley Weimer took that track at all with Solaufein. In fact, I think he wrote the whole thing as gender neutral (which certainly has it's own advantages and disadvantages). There is one more way that mods with same-sex options can be a little problematic, I suppose. If players are freaked out by the thought that if Ajantis were written to romance either males or females that that means that Ajantis is bisexual, it can alter their thinking about the npc. Just because Ajantis could be written to romance either gender, though, doesn't mean that within any individual game that Ajantis has to be bisexual, gay, straight, or asexual. Every romance goes down a path, and are typically written that players can close down options with responses pretty early. Let me tell you, despite the fact that Shar-teel is written (within the BG1 NPC Project) as a heterosexual woman, her sexuality has no impact on my games, because my character is not going to romance her. Anyway, I'm sorry for the long, rambling, off-topic response to your note. Again, my first purpose in coming here was just to let the creators of this wonderful mod that Dynaheir is really well done and that I hope to try Branwen the next time I start a new character. (Oh, btw, I completely agree, Kivan *shouldn't* be romanceable, at least in BG1, for the same reasons that I feel weird about Jaheira being romanceable in BGII--both are dealing with a very recent tremendous loss. Much as I love Jaheira, it makes that romance kinda disturbing for me.) Thanks!

I'm in the midst of playing Tutu with the BG1 NPC project, and in the middle of the Dynaheir romance. I have to say, Tutu and the BG1 NPC project are the best things ever to happen to this game! When I played BG those many years ago, I was always torn. Minsc was so much fun, but Dynaheir was just... imperious and uninteresting. I always ended up dropping Minsc to avoid her. With the mods, though, Dynaheir is absolutely fascinating. I didn't even want to play the romance. I'm gay and frustrated there aren't any male-male romance options in BG1, but really enjoyed interacting with Dynaheir. When Branwen mentions her dream about Dynaheir and encourages her to practice her combat skills, I had to pause the game for a moment. (I know, that dialogue is not romance-specific, but goes to show how much I've loved this romance.) How am I going to play BG2 without Dynaheir? I can only hope that Soulafein or Nathaniel are as well-written. And I have to echo the writer who mentioned how compelling Kivan has become. In fact, because I hate to drop off Kivan or Dynaheir (which means Minsc must remain), I had great difficulty adding many of these other fascinating characters to my party. Everything that I've encountered that was added by the BG1 NPC project has been absolutely first rate and true to the spirit of the characters as originally written. Thanks to everyone involved. (Now if I could only make myself play a non-good aligned character so that I could convince Branwen or Xan not to leave the party.)