The point of holding hands its not it would be hard work, but it dont fit to the story. :-/
Just imagine:
"Lets rush, we have tadpoles in our heads, we dont know how many time we still have!"
"Lets rush, we need to resolve situation between Tieflings and Kagha, bcs otherwise she kill them all!"
"Lets rush, we need to attack the Goblin leaders, before they find and attack the grove!"
"Its okey, we have time, lets take a day off. Lay to the grass and enjoy flying butterflies."
And finaly ...
Yup. We have Adventure > Sex > Adventure ...
And that is exactly what it is, and exactly what it should be.
I know we are using word "romance" wich isnt entirely fitting ... but that is just word. It dont mean that everything have to be romantic.
EXACTLY.
I think we're beating a dead horse here now, but one more whack shouldn't hurt... :P
Let's compare to Dragon Age Inquisition which I am currently re-playing while waiting for Patch 5 in this game, so my impressions are fresh. (Apologies for any spoilers, but honestly, it's 7 years old, I think I'm the only person who hasn't finished that game to the end. :P )
In that game, you DO in fact have time to get to know your companions. You get a hidden fortress in the mountains so your enemy can't find you easily. You have as many diplomatic/political missions as you do adventure, which builds both your XP and your power/influence in the world, and allows you time to chat with companions, do their personal quests, romance them etc. And most importantly, the companions in DA:I are there because they believe in you, and they follow your cause, and the cause of the Inquisition. Furthermore, because these people came to join YOU of their own free will, it makes sense that they can become interested in you as a person and not just their leader. Also, they have romantic personalities. Cassandra the fighter dreams of being wooed with flowers and poetry. Solas has his underlying goals but is literally falling in love with you without intending to. Sera is, well, Sera, but she proposes to marry you. Etc.
In this game? COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SITUATION.
You have a group of random adventurers brought together by circumstance. At first, all you have in common with each other is the fact that you have literal worms burrowing in your heads. Literal worms. And all of the companions have COMPLETELY different personalities! They don't follow you because they believe in your ideals or what you represent to the world - they follow you because this accidental rag-tag group is their best hope of dealing with the tadpole problem at hand.
- Shadowheart is the best example of romance done in the way GM4Him ideally wants - her scene is sweet, getting-to-know-each-other, and is not sexual. She does not pounce on you at the camp party, she wants to get to know you first.
- Gale is probably the next closest example of a "hopeless romantic" personality. He is intelligent, has a cat and a library, and fell hopelessly in love with a Goddess. You're there to play second fiddle... no wait, you're there to remind him there could be something to love in the real world. And you do get two very romantic, very flirty scenes with him beforehand, before he starts quoting the Kama Sutra at you.
- Astarion is a vampire. Vampires in books and stories, at least from Bram Stoker's "Dracula" onwards through to Anne Rice, etc, have always been sexual, seductive creatures. They are literally sex with fangs. It's a huge part of why vampires in general, and Astarion in particular, are so popular. There have been a ton of analyses done on vampires in literature and what part of the human psyche they represent. OF COURSE he wants to have sex with you. Furthermore, he has just been "rescued" (his words) from two centures of mental, physical and probably sexual abuse. That takes a lot of time and therapy to get over - he knows seduction, not tenderness. That said, his Stargazing scene is actually very nice and flirty if you play it that way.
- By the time of the Tiefling party, Wyll's goblin revenge problem has been solved, and his demon problem remains - but of course, he wants to relax and forget about that problem just for one night. Also, he's not a knight in shining armour, he is a high-Charisma self-declared "Hero" who talks the talk even more than he walks the walk. Can you imagine how many people have thrown themselves at him in the past, just for his reputation?
- Lae'zel has been thoroughly analysed here previously. :P If you tried to give her flowers or take her for a moonlight stroll, she would a) not understand, and b) just kill you.
With all of these personalities and the situation in this game, it makes complete and total sense for the game's plot, and the sex, to unfold as it does.
We can't - and shouldn't - be trying to impose one single ideal of romantic love on all of these characters.
