It's a real shame that the romance system seems bugged or that they did not include friendship in the game by design. Larian has truly pulled off the remarkable with this game but the more I progress the more apparent this issue becomes. Astarion and Halsin are both responding as though I've romantic intent towards them even though I've only shown them, what most people would consider, polite interest. Really considering playing with no male companions for a second playthrough because fraternal love seems to have been entirely neglected even though it is an absolute staple of the fantasy/epic narrative genre all the way back to Gilgamesh. Give me a Samwise; give me an Alistair; give me a Lancelot (the OG, not the one who seduces my wife); give me a Gimli; give me Enkidu; give me Dr Watson; give me Gotrex Gunnison; give me Sturm Brightblade; give me Tomas from the Magician books...
