I saw that Gale proposition too, and personally I didn't really consider it cheating at the time since Astarion's romance seemed to me, at that point, to be a one-night stand. Same with Lae'zel, and Shadowheart tells you that your kiss was a mistake, so I wouldn't feel bad for going with Gale after that lmao. I could see it being douchey with Wyll, since his romance scene seems more emotional rather than physical (it's buggy af so I haven't been able to trigger it myself, but someone on youtube was able to).
But I definitely understand how players would feel invested already having made their choice at the party (and thus Gale looking kinda shady for suggesting something like that), and now that I think about it, I can also imagine that Astarion could be more than a fling sort of romance. I think the fact that he actually opens up a lot (provided you pass those persuasion checks) and is willing to show himself vulnerable despite his general care-free attitude, might point to this?
Not only that, but he also seems to put a lot of trust in you to watch his back (ex. with the monster hunter). Lae'zel doesn't have anything like this as far as I've seen, and is very open with her "no-love-just-pleasure" attitude. I'd have thought that a similar post-sex scene would have come up with Astarion where this is clarified, had Larian intended to make him more of a fling? Now that I think about it, he's the only one who doesn't have a "about last night" kind of dialogue; with Lae'zel, it happens in the cutscene after you wake up together, with Shadowheart and Gale there's an option to talk about it once the party is over. Astarion gets changed voice lines, but no option to discuss what the night meant going forward, which is curious. Again, don't know about Wyll, since I haven't been able to trigger it.
As for Halsin, I agree that he's already shown promise as a character and I'd love for him to be a party member. He'd probably be a sweet romance option too, and I can't wrap my head around a Minsc romance to begin with. I love Minsc, but with his extreme views on good and evil, I have a hard time seeing how he'd be able to navigate something as complex as love and relationships. I'd also rather just have new party members than any old ones, especially since he in particular already got to be in two games and there's a lot of other interesting characters that could get room in the party if Minsc was left out, imo
I hope they'll at least add some more party dialogue for Halsin and that he doesn't just stand there shouting at an empty cage for the reminder of his stay in the camp
Edit: I also wonder why they'd change Halsin's appearance and age if it wasn't for some sort of purpose? Maybe it was just a simple "nah let's make him young and buff for the sake of it" decision, but I wonder if that's all there is to it
Edit 2: There actually is one Astarion-related approval scene, but like Gale's it's sort of difficult to trigger. You need to use your illithid powers only once the first chance you get, get his approval to medium/high very early on, and NOT talk to Zorru with Lae'zel in the party until his approval is around medium. After having spoken to Zorru with Lae'zel, there should be a scene with him looking at the stars. Usually the tadpole dreams replace this scene I think, which is why using it only once is important.
