I’m actually really disappointed by how limited the changes to the Drow Twins scene was. I’m very glad that the player can now say they aren’t interested once Gail says he’s uncomfortable, but he still looks so uncomfortable and sometimes disgusted in the conversation. Worse, the bit if Halsin asks to join hasn’t changed, and it is really, really creepy.
For one thing, Halsin will still ask to join if the player has previously rejected his advances. My understanding is he does that for Shadowheart and Astarion too.
While Gale technically agrees to Halsin participating, his dialogue is the opposite of enthusiastic. He says "Well I suppose it would do no good to back out now. Let us begin this little anthropological study, if we must." The first part makes it sound like he feels he can't back out. Calling it an “anthropological study” makes it sound like he’s trying to emotionally distance himself, and the "if we must" is makes it clear that it isn’t something he actually wants. If that was supposed to portray enthusiastic consent, then it failed massively. Every part of that sentence expresses discomfort.
The fact that Halsin happily participates after this line is very upsetting, considering (I think) he was intended to be written as caring about consent. He doesn’t seem concerned when Gale literally flees and leaves a magic projection behind. I’m a little confused as to if real Gale is watching through his projection, but if he is, Halsin tries to coerce him into doing more than watching (which was all Gale had said he might enjoy). If the player says it's fine if Gale just watches, Halsin says, “Hmm. Hovering yonder like a carrion bird. Perhaps he'll find the courage to peck at some flesh later.” Halsin is comparing him to a vulture and saying he lacks courage for not doing more than he said he would. A different dialogue choice leads to Halsin saying "Don't just stare, Gale. That mouth of yours can do better than just hang open, I'll wager." I guess that would be okay if it was just an emotionless projection, but then what would be the point of mocking it, and why would the narrator say that the orb glows with excitement? The ending shows Gale naked with the others, so he does came back into the room at some point.
The player isn’t given an opportunity to stop when Gale flees, and there is no aftercare.
Larian wouldn’t deliberately write Halsin as a sexual predator, and then end the game with him in a position of authority over vulnerable children (and frame that as wholesome). That makes it seem like the writers didn’t see anything wrong with Halsin’s behaviour. As it is, he comes across as someone who does not care about the enthusiastic part of enthusiastic consent.
If this was deliberately written as a sexual coercion scene, and it was handled as well as Asterion’s from Act 2, it being an option wouldn’t bother me. It’s the framing. Parts of the scene seem like it’s being played as a joke, and that’s sickening. Some players interpret it as a funny scene, and others interpret it as coercion. Those are pretty polar opposite tones, but I can see where both interpretations are coming from, and I consider that a failure of the writing. I’ve heard so much about how Asterion’s trauma was handled so seriously and respectfully, so the Drow twins stuff was extremely jarring.
There has to be some sexism at play here. Can you imagine how people would react if Shadowheart ended her agreement to include Halsin with "If we must?" I don’t know if it would be possible to keep Gail in character and have him enthusiastically consent, but this certainly isn’t enthusiastic.
