my characters romance AA, because that story is more compelling and important to me.
MTE. My reasons:
(Warning: discussion of abuse and non-con)
I don't play smart Tav. I play lovestruck, weak and dumb Tav who experience abuse because they are so in love they can't walk out of this relationship.
Just like IRL, there are no vampire spawns here in the real world, but not all the people are just able to break up with their abusers. As I've already said, I'm not playing AA romance for any kind of happy ending. I'm playing it for what it is - a tragic romance and processing abusive relationship in a safe game environment. I LOVE AA romance EXACTLY because it's abusive and I can process my trauma in a safe game environment. It's actually healing for me. This is the same why the majority of BDSM players play scenes as violent and this is why you have a safe word - to indicate when you really become unhappy. Because usually, when you are playing a scene, you play it exactly as an abused and unhappy victim. Many people play AA romance exactly for the same reason why people pretend they are an unwilling abused victim during BDSM scenes - it's kinky and they want to experience such scenarios in a safe environment, when you can say your safe word any time you want. In the case of AA romance - you can shut your game down any time you want. It's pure violent fantasy. Like with Haarlep - it's definitely rape, because Narrator tells you Haarlep is influencing Tav's mind with his magic. But Larian has given you, as a player, a way out of it, so you still play it for a fantasy violent sex scene, and it doesn't mean it should be taken out of the game or can't be entertaining just because it's canon abuse. Many love this scene, including me, EXACTLY because it's canon abuse.
I don't understand what is so bad in asking Larian to provide us with an option to keep the old expressions. We are not asking to take your happy expressions away from you, we are asking for an OPTION. Because BOTH animations already exist. So Larian won't be reworking it again.
