Thank you, Cowoline, for standing as representation in this. It is hard, it brings up old feelings, but just know that you are not alone and sharing matters.

I have not been as vocal in this issue, since I do not want to claim inclusion in the communities, but seeing the way poly, RA, and SA victims are represented in Act 3 Halsin strikes a chord in me.

As an autistic woman, many of the emotional coercion tactics shown by late-game Halsin were used against me from a young age to take advantage of my cognitive limitations. Additionally, poor representation such as this have continually reinforced harmful societal misconceptions around all facets of my identity - I can't tell you how often I have been told I don't "seem autistic," as if the label somehow exists without the living person within it.

As a strong proponent of inclusion and someone who understands the impact of representation, I am watching. How Larian chooses to resolve the problematic writing that was released in this character is going to affect my view of their claims of inclusion going forward. At this point, they claim to support player-sexuality or unbending character sexual identity in an uneven way - I am left with the unmistakable conclusion that they have fetishized the communities represented by Halsin's character in blatant opposition to the focus on diversity they claim.

Inclusivity requires nuance. Human interactions require two way communication. Equal power dynamics require compromise.

I truly want to believe that a company who could bring us the beautiful games they've created is willing to own it when a flaw as impactful as this got past them. They know better, they need to do better.

Last edited by AddyJenkins; 06/10/23 10:47 PM. Reason: Wording fixed