Okay, you are totally entitled to your headcanon, just like I'm entitled to mine. For me it doesn't make sense that AA has no pride to actually let Tav go and not enslave them in the end, but somehow he does the opposite out of his own free will when they break up with him just a few days earlier.
Much more logical explanation to me is that he is just afraid of other companions, because it's canon they are all very worried about Tav, once Tav becomes his Spawn.
Once again, what's your point? Okay, there is such scenario, just like the path where he forces Tav to stay with him is still equally canon. I mean, he literally forces Tav to stay with him the same day he allegedly lets them go out of his own "free will".
These two events directly contradict each other. If he was really okay to grant Tav their freedom, he would have NEVER forced them to stay with him. Instead, he does it twice.
My explanation is perfectly reasonable and nowhere does it contradict canon.
Oh I wouldn't argue someone's not entitled to their headcanon. Only when they try to use that headcanon to say canon events don't make sense. It is canon that Astarion lets spawn Tav go on their merry way if they dump him before the brain is dead that's my whole point.
I mean people can be contradictory now how you want to square that is up to one's headcanon I personally go with him being too prideful to be seen as begging for Tav to come back you rather see it as them being afraid of the companions. The game doesn't give a solid answer on that so it's pointless to argue over neither of us can say our way is right or not.
