i dont think the animations for AA should be changed at all. like it was previously said, his animations need to be rough to 1. show the difference between UA and AA and 2. because it is fitting for his behaviour. he is more dominant, confident and he knows the power he holds. i understand that the kisses themselves can be triggering for people, but it is at the players discretion to pursue this path, even without knowing what ascension might entail, this is a consequence of your actions in a game about consequences. at many points in the game there are hundreds of possible triggering situations. (implied) SA, violence, spiders, fire, blood, death.. all possible triggers. again, i am not saying getting triggered once is okay, of course nobody should be uncomfortable playing a game, but it is at your own discretion to keep playing certain paths. so if you decide to ascend astarion and go to kiss him, and dont like the animations, you are free to break up or go back to UA. but there needs to be player and player character agency in the response to the rougher dynamic. you cannot expect everyone to enthusiastically take it, exactly the same as you cant expect everyone to be shocked or fearful at such behaviour. there are many valid reaons why tav would and would not like the kisses AA gives.
Well, it's obvious I support making it easier to avoid triggers. And as a huge Astarion fan, I want to be able to romance him comfortably while experiencing this path. But I agree with you that AA is different from UA and the new kisses demonstrate his character well. Which is why even though I personally dislike them, I don't want them removed. And I also agree with you both that there are a number of valid reasons why Tav/Durge might look happy or unhappy about being handled roughly. It's a difficult situation and I hope Larian will find some way to make as many people happy as they can.
