Originally Posted by Ecc2ca
Thanks, part of that is exactly what I’m trying to say! Do you feel that Larian using a fivesome as a flashy selling point in this game does a disservice to the actual practice of polyamory by sensationalizing and very poorly implementing it? (E.g., Gale is semi-coerced.) I’m thinking that this could be another way in which the scene is problematic. Sorry if this has been mentioned before, I haven’t read through all of the thread.

I played as Shadowheart, but never romanced her. I only engaged with Halsin when I romanced Astarion, and that experience was very negative for me.

On the one hand, Astarion has this big story about trauma and a complicated relationship with sex, consent, and saying no. The game also slightly tilts the relationship in favor of the player (Astarion puts his love interest on a pedestal). So in this situation, Halsin is this guy, who has hung around your camp since Act 1, witnesses the player character fall in love with someone and start a relationship, learns about Astarion's trauma, and waits weeks/months to proposition them. It's just all types of icky. The actual dialogue is what it is, and it's not good. There isn't even an option to tell Astarion you changed your mind about Halsin or ask him if he'd like to be romantically involved with others. As a poly person myself, I wouldn't want to open up a relationship with someone like Astarion, except if they explicitly ask for it (after doing like 200 years of therapy).

On the other hand, polyamory is a relatively complex topic, not many people are poly, there is a lot of misunderstanding around it, and for sure, it's not for everyone. I don't know why Larian decided to include this in a video game, which has very few dedicated romance scenes and limited time for characters/themes. It's difficult to envision anything with Halsin, which starts in Act 3 and isn't slightly creepy. I think if they wanted it for the sex shock value, they should have kept Halsin as an early hook-up option. We know they had little time to write and implement the Halsin romance and I'm not sure if they fully understand what questions it raises.

The brothel scene is its own issue for me. It's coercive with Gale and sad with Astarion. I never even talk to the Drow twins anymore.