Before the 6th patch, there were no Tav's horror faces. There were ordinary kisses, satisfied ones. And for those who saw this story about control, the story was still perceived as about abuse, right? And most likely you don’t choose AAstarion for a romantic interest, and if you do, you break up with him because you feel how he has changed, controls Tav, and you don’t want to put up with it. Whatever way you play it, I respect it. But what will change for you if Tav's neutral or satisfied face is returned, for those who play AAstarion and completely trust him, Tav is obedient of his own free will. And before the 6th patch, everyone could imagine their story, but because of the fear on their face, the scales swung towards Astarion the abuser. For you, these facial expressions mean nothing, because you already see him as toxic, and will continue to do so in any case, but for us, who chose AAstarion, who see Astarion in a different light, this is critically important. Our game is trampled. We can control the Absolute together, but we can’t kiss Astarion with our enjoy face? This is an absurdity. Let everyone be happy, your game and Astarion's character will not suffer if Tav's faces are replaced with happy or neutral ones. In the end, AAstrion is chosen for a kiss by those who have a relationship with him and want to continue. Who wants to continue dating a person who makes you terrified? You immediately brake up with him, and then what is the point of adding the romantic line of AAstarion at all? After all, the romance with the ascended Astarion was not worked out in this way in order to humiliate the player. I still think that there was a mistake or misunderstanding with the animation of Tav's face, because Tav's sadness when kissing the spawn is also present, for example. There is generally no point in arguing about how we perceive Astarion, everyone will remain to their own. Everyone sees him differently, and it’s wonderful that the authors gave us such a multifaceted character. No one is asking to change Astarion, you just need to tweak Tav’s face a little when kissing and everything will be fine. Everyone will remain to their own. For those who see Astarion as an abuser, nothing will change, they will continue to see him that way, and those who see Astarion as a leader who can destroy the world, but will never harm his consort, they will also be happy. I really believe that Larian hears us and is already working on a fix, because role-playing should be fun, not pain and stress.
