Originally Posted by Ehhhh123
Originally Posted by Syraxfyre
What I find so disturbing about the way Halsin is written is that he feels very reminiscent of the classic text book groomer. He's a wise older man who offers you his counsel, his compassion and empathy, he's deeply passionate about protecting others and nature, banishing all darkness and evil from the world, and he's this tall beefy handsome man. A lot of people get swept off their feet with that, and feel safe to be vulnerable to share about themselves with such a person. You develop a rapport with them, and out of nowhere, you're suddenly blindsided by this whole other side to them you never saw. Just like suddenly discovering at the start of act 3, that Halsin underneath all that, is in fact a massive objectifying creep, with severe commitment issues, who cares far more about his sexual wants / needs than the well-being of others.

You know, I was actually imagining him as that one douchebag you may meet in a bar, but the more I think about it that's probably more accurate.

Yeah totally. He's Arch Druid, a position of high authority, a wise older man who gives counsel, compassion, and empathy. The classic authority figure who uses that to take advantage of their students, patients, colleagues, neighbors, family members, etc... Makes him seem as power hungry as Astarion, Gale, and Shadowheart.

Another thing I just thought of is that it seems like the writers acknowledge that Halsin is this groomer type, which makes me think this is all intentional. After things get serious with Astarion, and Tav asks him what he thinks about going poly with Halsin, even his reaction is subtly like *Uhh... Halsin is a creep who seduces everyone... But ok. You do you.* given the fact that Astarion already knew before Tav told him about Halsin wanting to get into Tav's pants, and makes a passive insult / mockery of Halsin's character by saying that the mighty nature loving bear "Would outlaw clothing if he could".

Last edited by Syraxfyre; 25/12/23 06:19 PM.