More design problems is what I chalk it up to. Karlach was added around as late as all of Halsin's act 3 mess. And I think this is the point we most disagree on. I don't think the inclusions themselves are inconsistencies, what I think is that it all needed way more time in the oven since the team all agreed to go in this direction with it but weren't allowed the time to let it cook properly. Halsin is a little different where the writer just treated him especially poorly on top of being the extremely ill-considered focus of all the poly; and to that end Halsin is the only real "hidden fetish" the topic title mentions, I don't read that type of thing from any interactions that don't involve him.
That's exactly WHY the inclusion is inconsistent. The poly/open relationship rubbish was added late with no thought. That's an inconsistency. And Karlach wasn't added as late as Halsin was, because Karlach has a fully fletched story, origin version and all, with romance starting all the way in act 1. She was meant to be a companion and romanceable, so she was written as such. Halsin was not, so they took the opportunity to use all that fan love for him as a reason to make him into a meme.
If they wanted it to make sense, they'd have had to rewrite a lot. And that's way more effort than it's worth. So it's inconsistent.
Originally Posted by Auric
It was likely encouraged exactly to prepare them for more specialized training in seduction. The ring thing is about what a fully trained Justiciar did and in the time frame of the game, Justiciars aren't exactly around in force. With how selective becoming a Justiciar is supposed to be I wouldn't expect a bunch of initiates are going to get that specialized training unless it was specifically expected in the selection process which it doesn't seem to be (at least for the specific cult we interact with). And as I mentioned, it's not the only time she mentions familiarity with a quick romp. She just isn't telling us the stories and I don't think that's particularly strange. Lots of people, even those who are quite flirtatious, don't enjoy talking about their past sex lives in detail even if they mention it in passing. There is an upper limit into how much exposition a videogame character should be expected to have, and I mean that's subjective so I don't fault anyone for expecting more, but I don't think it's a fault of the writing that we aren't getting the stories because I don't think they're needed to justify anything. I think the implication alone is enough with all the other details that can be connected about the cult.
It can't both be encouraged and discouraged. Which is right? The one that has an entire story arc behind it, ending and all, and is heavily implied at all points of the game, or the one that's mentioned in an optional dialogue that only happens if you cheat on her with Mizora? No, of course it doesn't have to be blatantly said, it'd be quite weird if it were. But if there's nothing else that hints at it, while everything hints at the opposite, then the only way to accept this as logical is through suspension of belief.
