To stop feeling is the same as to stop being yourself. I can't stop feeling, and I don't want that for my favorite character, and that's why I help him ascended. Telling someone to stop feeling won't make them stop feeling. And yes, this sadism seems to include trying to "fix" players who aren't going to "fix" Astarion.
What about Tav, who loves Astarion and would never want to leave him? Does that have to involve sexual abuse too? Why? My Tav loves Astarion and all of Astarion's lines and behavior fit perfectly and logically with the roleplay and plot. Except for that sadistic content. If those kisses were only for those Tavs who want to leave, there might be some logic to it (but still no justification for sadistic content in a classic RPG) but they are for all Tavs.
I didn't say you should stop feeling in general. I'm saying they're most likely not trying to victimise anyone by telling their story, and taking it so personally doesn't help anyone. Larian's not personally out to get you to specifically make you feel bad and rethink your life choices, they're sticking to AA's characterisation and the story they are trying to tell with him. I don't think they should modify and soften their story and strip it of its themes to pander. (I'm not saying this about Tav's face during the kisses btw, as I clarify below. But mostly about the idea that this behavior coming from him is OOC. It seems extremely in character for me, at least.)
Re: "Sadistic porn faces" I think it's important to note that that porn IS trying to imitate abuse. It's going to look similar. You showing me pictures of women in distress doesn't really make it clear. The idea that they just wanted to depict abuse is less outlandish than them being inspired by sadistic 3D porn and thinking it was fap material. Occam's Razor case.
I'm not saying AAstarion is sexually abusing your Tav. You asked me to give proof of him being abusive in other instances in the game (or at least that's what I understood from our convo, again, I think there might be a language barrier so apologies in advance if not), and I gave an interpretation of that one line, which might not even actually be the writer's intent. As I said, that line implies sexual abuse /because/ it comes from a Tav that doesn't want any of this and wants to leave. If your Tav is happily staying, I can't divulge on their sexual lives. Only you can. I try to be honest about how much my interpretations might actually have been the writer's intention, and I can't 100% say they didn't accidentally write those implications. It's much subtler than other lines, so I can't say. That being said: if we take my interpretation as correct (and all the way more obvious lines that also lean this way), this demonstrates that AA is very much capable of abusive behavior, like you asked. It doesn't matter what your Tav picks and how he has pleased him, because nothing justifies abuse, much less asking for freedom. Let me reiterate: I'm not saying he's sexually abusing your Tav. I'm not saying he's abusing your Tav, just in general. Your Tav's reactions are up to you. I'm saying AAstarion, as a character, is more than capable and willing to engage in abusive behaviors, this is not an "alternate timeline" thing where he's retroactively different or something, this is a character trait present in him as shown by some choices in the game.
I also have to repeat that I'm not against Tav's face being changed at all...? I'm with all of you guys, I think they should be changed. All this conversation started because I think it's extremely unlikely that Larian felt the need to hire and outsource a freelancer 3D Porn animator for this, and felt that there was a much simpler explanation as to what they intended. I still don't agree with it. I'm just saying that there's like a 90% chance that's not why they made it look this way.
