Thanks for the video, quite a bit of interesting stuff in there. The full quote goes like this:
“About Astarion, um, about him as a character, or about the experience of the character, or, sure, I just love the fact that his incessant drive and desire to be utterly and free for unshackled by other people's opinions of it, uh, still with the capacity of being able to be a friend, or fall in love, or be a terrible-terrible person.”
Neil talks about the versatility of Astarion's character, his “incessant drive” (which he managed to convey perfectly with his acting) and that Astarion is alive, like any living person, he is capable of being a friend or falling in love, and can sometimes be a “terrible-terrible person” (note the intonation with which he said this, and the chuckles in the audience afterwards :)). Some players find Astarion's behavior “terrible” as early as the first chapter, and other companions in the game find it so regularly, probably including when Astarion is bantering with them. Before the Ascension, after the Ascension... There's no hint in Neil's words that it's the Ascension that makes Astarion “terrible”, or, much less, that Astarion is magically torn in two, like, one is friendly and loving and the other is “terrible”. And, what I was particularly impressed with (besides the joke about Astarion's “terribleness”) was what Neil said about Astarion: “desire to be utterly and freely for unshackled by other people's opinions of it”. And yes, you can feel it in Astarion. After Cazador tried to break Astarion, including endless humiliation (in the dialog with Cazador before the fight, depending on the choice of lines, Cazador belittles one or another trait of Astarion's character), Astarion still remained himself. And, literally from the first meeting with him, Astarion begins to periodically demonstrate his flamboyant character, regardless of the opinions of others. And after Ascension, he sheds all his masks and is finally free of any dependence on other people's opinions of him. It's very pleasant to watch this.
Warning: discussion of SA and the Harleep scene.
The Harleep scene is a fully animated sexual encounter where the player character cannot give consent. Harleep uses mind altering magic to influence the player character throughout the scene. The player also is not told beforehand of the permanent negative consequences of the encounter, so there isn't informed consent.
I strongly dislike how this scene is at some points played for laughs (for example, the review of the player's body you can receive in the epilogue), while also being explicitly compared to the centuries of abuse Astarion suffered. Treating SA as a joke disgusts me.
I completely agree with your assessment of this scene. What I wrote about it as content appropriate to the game's rating is purely from the perspective of the “letter of the rules”, how it's specifically shown in the video, why it doesn't look like a blatant demonstration, etc. But at its core - the way it's presented in the game, it's really quite obnoxious. I'll admit that I'm a bad game tester, I can't make my Tav do things I'm disgusted by, so I judged the Haarlep scene from the video. A player may indeed agree to it “for laughs” (may also pass the check and not suffer permanent negative consequences), or may want to experience what you described. But the player character agrees to have sex with Haarlep anyway, I don't see any reason why, after he says “Take off your clothes”, they shouldn't immediately decide to kill him. The player character is unaware of the consequences, but that's realistic, the decision to have sex with an incubus can hardly be called a sane act on Tav's part. But the way the attitude towards SA is shown in Haarlep's theme, and the fact that it's presented as entertainment, you're completely right about that. The author of that scene is quite difficult to understand, indeed, as are some of the other scenes they have written.
I don’t know how many cared to read my wall of text on the first (or maybe second?) page but I really tried To give both sides of the narrative their time to shine, to maybe show some who are stuck in one narrative that there are very valid and very good reasons for one or the other expression. I really did try here, okay? I feel I am about as neutral as one can be on this topic and it just sucks to have this fight in general, but even more so when literally nothing anyone says is taken into account by the other side for the most part.
You have indeed stated your concept in detail and clearly, certainly your efforts deserve respect. The only thing that is not clear to me specifically is one aspect of your concept, namely that your base of argument is built on essentially one thesis - AA and UA are completely different. It's as if two different people “hatched from the same egg”. Could you explain what this thesis itself is based on? If you imagine a person who finds himself in a situation where he has “power” (conditionally) and can afford to behave the way he wants, then, of course, he will behave differently than he would in a situation where he is vulnerable and dependent to some degree. But he will not become “different.” His attitude toward those he loves will certainly not change dramatically. I would be interested if you could explain this particular thesis of yours in more detail. The fact that Astarion himself says that he has changed is hardly to be taken literally, Astarion's words do not always fully reflect the facts. It may simply speak of his rejection of his former self, because of what he has been through. Astarion has self-esteem and self-acceptance issues, this is also something to consider when analyzing his lines. Voice lines - UA's voice sounds more dull at times than his voice sounded in Act 2, he sometimes sounds a bit suppressed and his “theater” is noticeable in places. Astarion after the Ascension is occasionally showing off and making a show of himself. Astarion has a very rich timbre, from lower tones to higher tones, and it does vary over the course of the game, depending on the emotions Astarion is feeling. Is there a strong argument that Astarion should suddenly start treating someone who helped him and “gave him everything” badly, but tenderly and reverently to someone who didn't?
