Honestly, it makes perfect sense to me that he is rough. But still, it did surprise me how rough he was at first and I still think it can take players off guard and be upsetting. Which is why I think it needs to be very obviously stated in the text. Players could be like me, and very naive and a bleeding heart. Even though the rough treatment makes sense, they don't see it coming at first. I guess it is just because I love Astarion so much, but I don't want to be treated roughly. So I wanted to avoid it but also still play AA's route. Lol. I guess I'm just trying to have my cake and eat it too. Maybe I am being unrealistic.
Whatever happens, I will be happy if Larian prioritizes player safety + autonomy of choice/role-play, while keeping the route characterization. The wonderful thing about the AA and UA routes is that they are different. You can see different sides of him in each route. It wouldn't be fun for a lot of people if they became similar just to match my personal preferences.
