Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion I have never been mocked so hard for choosing a romance route in a game before

Ok, if there is a different perspective you are looking for, I can try to explain things from a different personal perspective. It's not an absolute truth, just the way I personally see things:

When it comes to open relationships and polyamory it is a preference, just like any other preference. A person can't help what preferences they have, but when we commit to a relationship we will always evaluate all the different aspects of our partner and how they align with our preferences.

For some people the preference for non-monogamy or monogamy is not negotiable. You have characters like Lae'zel who is adamant that they will not share or agree to any form of open relationship under no circumstances, and at the opposite end of the spectrum you have Halsin who is adamant that he will not have an exclusively monogamous relationship. In between that you have characters who are willing to adapt and negotiate with their preferences. You have Karlach who is reluctant to having an open relationship, but will agree to it if it is something that is very important to their partner. You have Shadowheart who would choose an open relationship if their partner is ok with it, but is willing to commit to a monogamous relationship if it is something that is important to their partner. This is a very realistic and accurate portrayal of an entire spectrum of preferences and how different people are willing to compromise on different things in a relationship.

To be very clear, you can be a person with a preference for non-monogamy and still be madly and deeply in love and emotionally attached to a specific single person, and that love and attachment can be strong and important enough to you that you don't need an open or polyamorous relationship to be happy. But if that person said that they would be ok with bringing in other people and want to discuss it with you, you would engage in the discussion and begin suggesting suitable people without hesitation. It does not mean that you don't love or value your partner any less, in fact it shows that you are so serious with wanting to be in a relationship with that person that you are perfectly fine and happy with adapting to their needs. And if it is not a deal-breaker, you wouldn't necessarily bring that up early in a relationship, because you can cross that bridge when you get there.