Hold on, now we've gone from "there must be more true friend companions" to who fits in the "waifu" category or not? In that case, there are many many harem games with fantasy settings out there where the writing might be more to your liking.
You have a very wrong understanding of what "waifu" means. A waifu is a woman who loves you unconditionally - just for who you are. She can be any type of woman, not just a caricatured loli with boobs the size of a bus. Karlach for example is a classic waifu. Characters like this are in high demand in fictional literature. Why do you think the author of Fifty Shades of Grey became a multimillionaire? Because Christian Grey is a typical waifu.
And most gamers expect exactly waifus in games - not Shadowfarts. You know how badly I'm holding myself back from writing what I think about the "How am I holding up in your estimations?" line, what it means, and what kind of people are into such crap?
So yes, Larian quite badly failed to deliver male and female waifus in the game. If I didn't have 150 hours in BG3, I would've instantly refunded it after Lae'zel regretted not killing me in camp while I had 100 approval with her and the sunset scene at the docks.
simply changing appearance and voice doesn't make them a different character. They're still the same personalities and (almost) all of them are guilty of many of the same behaviors you're so aggrieved by when it comes to Shadowheart and Lae'zel.
I can't stand either Lae'zel or Shadowfart. Karlach makes my heart bleed, and hirelings are freaks with Wither's voice - absolutely out of the question. So how do you suggest I can beat the game on Tactician mode without companions? Yes, turning guys into gals is icky as fck, but that's all my options.
