Does Xan detect for Kivan?

[berelinde]

I'd planned to do a bonded Xan run with a Kivan friendship, but Kivan's talks are getting a little suggestive, and Xan doesn't seem to mind. Anomen's romance shut off as it should, but I didn't expect Kivan's to carry on.

Out of curiosity, does Xan detect for a possible Kivan romance?

Without Aerie or Cernd in the party, I can't bring Deherianna back, and I quite frankly can't stomach either Cernd or Aerie, so no Deheriana. Which meant that unless Kivan was romanced, I'd lose him at the end of SoA.

*However*, if Xan doesn't detect for Kivan, and Kivan doesn't detect for Xan, this could work out well, what with one thing and another.

I know this will be fixed with the Cross-Mod Banter Pack, but v5 isn't ready yet.

[Kulyok]

Yes, the Crossmod Banter Pack will have banters between Xan and Kivan, and also a banter for XanRomanceActive=1 and high KivanLove.

However, unlike it is with other romances, Domi does not shut off Kivan Romance even if PC is walking the bonded path with Xan - KivanLove system still allows PC to do both and even have a Kivan Romance in ToB afterwards(that was quite funny: to rest, to hear Kivan say "Dream of me" and have a dream sequence with Xan). I guess that's even worse than Jaheira-PC-Khalid triangle.

So, I guess in the end it will be the player's choice. Or you could always tell Kivan you don't feel like continuing your ToB romance and still have all the friendship talks with him.

[berelinde]

No, if ever there was a case for *not* having a romance conflict, it would be bonded Xan/Kivan. Kivan's communication with the PC is more intimate than I'd expect between a bonded woman and a man who'd lost his soul mate to death, it does hovers just on the edge of acceptibility. Let's put it this way: if a widower spoke to me the way Kivan speaks to the PC, I would fully expect my life partner to question me about it afterward, but it would not make him question my fidelity.

And after a certain point, who would know better than Kivan what the PC is feeling?

[Kulyok]

I imagine if I had to write Xan's reaction to PC-Kivan amorous friendship, it would be fairly tolerant: since he is sure she'll be dead, with no hope for an afterlife, within a year, he'll not mind such a little thing as a few glances and a few meaningful phrases. Or he'll just think she's read one romance novel too many, the latter being even more probable.

 

And after a certain point, who would know better than Kivan what the PC is feeling?

That would be true, except that Kivan jumps to bed with her without even an acknowledgement of the fact(and would Kivan expect PC to sleep with him, if he knew Deheriana was alive and waiting for him?), so it doesn't seem very realistic to me, unfortunately.

[berelinde]

I understand from a role-playing perspective. It makes sense from a technical perspective, but not from a role-playing one.

By the time Kivan would even consider sleeping with the PC, he already knows that Deheriana is not in Arvandor/Arvanaith waiting for him. What are Kivan's expectations of the PC's fate? Does he expect that the PC and Xan will eventually be united in Arvandor? If so, then there is no way he should ever even remotely consider a PC romance in ToB.

From what I understand, does Xan even believe that he and the PC will be united in Arvandor? He seems to feel that this right will be denied her based on her parentage. If he does feel that they will eventually be united in paradise, then yeah, it would be as wrong as wrong can be for any sparks between Kivan and the PC. If, however, Xan believes that he has bonded with a woman who will be lost to him forever following her inevitable and looming demise, and if he manages to convince the PC of this, then she'd have no reason not to take comfort with Kivan. After all, if Xan has managed to convince her that she's never going to be joined with him in Arvandor because her father is Bhaal, why shouldn't she enjoy what little time remains to her, by Xan's own predictions.

This gets complicated. Especially when you take the sense of betrayal she must feel into consideration. When someone that close dies, there is a sense of betrayal, that they abandoned you. IRL, it can drive the recently widowed into new relationships (usually unhealthy ones), far before they are ready for it.

I'm not making a case for excluding bonded Xan/Kivan. If you say it wouldn't work, who would know better than you? I'm just saying that this is a really complicated issue!

[Kulyok]

Certainly, it is complicated. I don't think I can be talking of the PC in this situation: PC can make any choices and any decisions, there's no telling as to how she might feel or think. I am only talking on Kivan/Xan behavior. Would Kelsey stay in the same party as the PC if she's cheated on him with Anomen? The mod says not. Would Kivan immediately bed the woman who was bonded to his friend, who passed away mere days ago? I am not so sure.

[berelinde]

Argh! Now I'm back to thinking about Kivan's motivations again on Xan's thread.

I appreciate the input on this, but I'm going to pull the plug on thinking about it before I get whiplash.

All things considered, your proposals on G3 about setting P#KivanLove at -50 for a bonded Xan are by far the most attractive solution. Best if Deheriana isn't dead. Avoids an awful lot of hard decisions.

[Kulyok]

Yeah, just separating these two possibilities sounds like the best solution to me. Oh, and Kelsey does stay with the PC if she kicks Anomen out and apologizes. I meant that he wouldn't stay with Anomen.

And, ahem, I'm afraid it is a wrong forum for whiplashes. Maybe Valen mod?