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[Kaeloree]

Today we have an interview with the lovely Aeryn, author of the Sarevok Romance and the upcoming Haer'Dalis Romance!


Hey Aeryn! Thanks for agreeing to an interview!
My pleasure!

How did you get introduced to Baldur's Gate II, and what got you interested in modding?

I cannot remember a time in my life without video games, but aside from a few exceptions, my interest in PC gaming didn?t really develop until adulthood. Neverwinter Nights was the first I purchased that really captured my attention. I had finished just about every decent mod for NWN (more than once) and someone told me I?d love Baldur?s Gate 2. I had played the first BG on a friend?s PC years before, and though I?d never finished it, the story stuck with me. As luck would have it, my local hole-in-the-wall game store had a dusty copy of BG2, and behold! an obsession was born.

As far as modding goes, it?s fair to say I was never interested in modding. It was always about writing for me. I just wanted to tell a story, because I love telling stories, and I never really expected to end up telling stories using a medium that I have so little familiarity with. I am, however, very glad things worked out this way.

Your first mod was the Sarevok Romance. What inspired you to write a romance for Sarevok, of all characters?

Sarevok is such a compelling character to me. I admit to having a not-so-subtle weakness for strong, stubborn males, but so much more than that is the tragedy behind the man. He?s brutal and cruel and ambitious, but how much of that is a product of his environment, how much is Bhaal?s voice, and how much of it is pure, untainted personal choice? Not many characterizations capture my imagination the way Sarevok does.

Romantically speaking, while I found the character alluring, I never entertained the notion of romance until I stumbled across a few incredible fanfictions and an abandoned mod that would have included a romance for Sarevok. I waited for years, hoping someone would come forward and pick up the forgotten idea that I now felt really needed to be written. When no one seemed forthcoming, I started writing it myself because the ideas would not go away. I fully expected it to go nowhere but possibly into my own game if I ever figured out that scary scripting stuff.

How do you go about planning a mod like the Sarevok and Haer'Dalis romances?

Heh, in very different ways. Sarevok is a very straightforward man. He?s by no means predictable, but there are very solid boundaries to him that make certain scenarios easy to rule out. That makes the writing easier to structure, lovetalks simpler to anticipate, and general direction more foreseeable.

Haer?Dalis is very nearly the opposite. Because of his Doomguard philosophy and his dedication to his Art, he is somewhat more predictable when dealing with major subjects. However, his chaotic nature makes his behavior and reactions to minor things wildly outside the norm at times. Trying to keep a balance of those characteristics can be a handful, but that?s where the best part of Haer?Dalis comes into play ? he is undeniably flexible. If I tell myself, ?Okay, I want to do this,? I can hear Haer?Dalis hum thoughtfully and say, ?Aye, that I can do, my raven.? It makes my writing a little more reckless and fun to play around with because I can explore areas I couldn?t with Sarevok.

There have been numerous ill-fated Haer'Dalis romances over the years. Were they what inspired you to write yours?

Honestly, I only have knowledge of one failed romance, and I?ve probably spent less than ten minutes looking over the ideas they had posted. At the time, I was looking for perspective only, to make certain my version of Haer?Dalis wasn?t completely off base from what other fans thought of him. I already had the general idea in my head and a focused direction. I probably was most inspired by fanfictions, and my own instant love for Haer?Dalis the first time I played vanilla BG2 years ago. And maybe just a little bit of absurd jealousy over his romance with Aerie.

Can you tell us a secret tidbit from your Haer'Dalis romance?

He doesn?t mind being the secret (or not-so-secret) other man in the <CHARNAME>?s life. He also loves to be the harbinger of drama. Cheating PCs should keep that in mind.

You obviously have a passion for writing. Is it something you are interested in exploring as a career, in videogames or otherwise?

I?ve spent years developing and writing a set of novels, and despite my love/hate relationship with them, they are my passion. Maybe someday they?ll see the light of day, if I can find the ambition to match that passion.

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced modding so far?

I?m very uncomfortable when I don?t understand something, and I hate relying on others for help. It was (and still is, frankly) very hard for me to simply be the writer and let someone else take over other aspects. When I can force myself to do that, the entire experience is nothing short of wonderful, really.

What are the biggest differences you've found between writing mods and writing stories?

The biggest difference is ?creating? 5-8 different PCs instead of one. Despite how difficult it can be to always come up with varied PC responses, it?s really something I love doing. I have no idea if it?s a normal thing for modders to do, but I talk out loud almost constantly while I?m writing, ignoring the funny looks I get from my husband and kids when I really get going on something. Silly or not, it?s so much fun to act out the different personalities, and it?s definitely not an experience I get when writing stories.

What is your "dream mod"?

That?s a hard one. I think I?d really love to see an evil-aligned male romance option that isn?t overblown, absurd or unrealistic. Evil characters get the short end of the stick because a lot of people seem to assume love and evil cannot coexist. I think that?s a pity.

When you play BGII, what are your "must-have" mods and why?

I won?t even fire up the game without the Banter Pack and Flirt Pack, Fixpack is a given, as is Dungeon-Be-Gone and Romantic Encounters. Hmm?those aside, I tend to rotate out the romances I want to play. I?m not fond of conflict, at least not in the romantic sense, so I tend to keep my love interests separate.

For anyone looking to get into modding, what would be your advice?

Do it. Don?t hesitate. Don?t tell yourself you can?t do it or that there are better people out there for the job. If you can write, have a decent attention span and can take constructive criticism without feeling emotionally compromised, there is no reason you shouldn?t jump right in with both feet. The worst that can happen is you find out it?s not going to work for you. But you?ll never know until you try.

Short answer questions:
Favourite canon BG/BGII Character?
Jaheira
Favourite Mod Character?
Domi?s Kivan Romance for BG2? I cried, ?nuff said
Irenicus or Bodhi?
Irenicus, no contest
Vanilla or Modded BGII?
Modded
Favourite Class?
Dual-wielding, backstabbing rogue


Thanks, Aeryn!

[Shaitan]

Favourite canon BG/BGII Character?
Jaheira
Favourite Mod Character?
Domi?s Kivan Romance for BG2? I cried, ?nuff said