loremmaradeur

[loremmaradeur]

[loremmaradeur]

Have to share this.

OP, really sorry it has happened to you. This behavior from the bully shouldn't be tolerated by anyone if we all want to build at least our own comfortable corner in the whole fandom, who already is not quite nice towards the fans of the Ascended Astarion. I hope you know there are a people on your side, ready to support and stand against that public harassment.

Stay safe out there, and all best wishes to you.

When you entered a new fandom to have some fun and it suddenly becomes a nightmare

Hello there. You don’t know me personally, but I believe you’ve heard about what’s been happening lately involving a story of mine on BG3 fandom. I came here to talk about a few things, and hopefully this is the last time I have to address this situation, because my mental and physical health cannot take the damage anymore. I want to start by clarifying a few untruths that were told about me, so please bear with me because this will be long.

First, I never owned a Reddit account before a reader talked to me about a post that had the name of my fanfic on it. The alleged post, made with the purpose of recommending my story and another one, was not made by me, and I am sorry that people think the only way a new author gets recommended in any fandom is if they do it themselves. The author of the post was born in my country, though, and I believe that is the reason why this rumor has spread. But I can tell you this: if, by any chance, you want to make a post recommending your own work, do not be ashamed of it. There is nothing wrong with self-promotion, nothing at all. Second, I did not manipulate the situation in private so people could see me as innocent and the other side as the villain. Before things started to escalate, I never even talked in private with any of my readers; the only interaction I had with them was in the comments. I was, in fact, invited multiple times to join Discord groups, but didn’t accept due to the fact that I am very shy, very new to the fandom, and also hadn’t read the fanfics for which the group was dedicated. I only reached out two days ago, when I saw how things got totally out of control, and for that I had to create a Reddit and Discord account because I didn’t have any.

Third, I did not delete my AO3 account because I was guilty. That day, I woke up at 2 a.m. to rude comments on my fanfic accusing me of copying another author, and I immediately tried reaching out to them to talk about it and explain my point of view, because I believe the mature thing in any situation is to speak directly to the person who has a problem with you. Unfortunately, I realized that the person was not willing to sit down with me and talk about it or even solve it between us; rather, they preferred to make a whole public spectacle out of it.

I’ve been dealing with a very bad case of anxiety and profound depression because of many things happening in my life. Beyond that, I am a neurodivergent woman trying to manage sudden changes in my routine, isolation, and a lot of other challenges. I didn’t need this situation to make everything even worse. So, I put my mental health first and deleted everything so the matter would be over and I could go on with my life.

Fourth, I was told that they said I use AI because I write too fast, and let me be clear about something: my husband and I are expatriates in another country, and I’ve become a stay-at-home wife ever since. I don’t have children, so I wake up at 4 a.m. every day so I can write and close my computer only at 6 p.m. Each chapter has only 20 pages with the most cliché content ever written, not a complex, Kafkaesque tale, so you do the math.

If I get too excited about what is happening in my story, I can easily update it once a week, sometimes even two. And believe me, I was having a lot of fun writing Ascendant Astarion. So much fun that I simply had a lot of chapters prepared because I couldn’t stop writing about it (before I deleted the whole thing, I already had 3 whole chapters ready to post). I coped with my real-life problems by writing this fic and I got totally obsessed with it.

Finally, I never knew this author before the moment I woke up to those messages. No, I had never heard of them. When I say I am very new to the fandom, I mean months new. I had five months of reading fanfics and almost three of writing my own after that. The stories I had read were Kindred, Hellish Rebuke, Unravel, Dancing With My Demons, The Broken Chosen, and, most recently, Curriculum of Kink. I have no problem saying how much those stories inspired me, they are all amazing, and you can probably see traces of inspiration here and there when you look at my text. I am sure they inspired a lot of other people in their writing too.

Because that’s the thing about art in general, right? No one is the first to invent anything from scratch, not even the father of fantasy himself, Tolkien, invented Middle-earth and its races without being inspired by preexisting mythology. I think it’s important that we, as writers and artists, learn this as soon as possible and stop harassing each other with these crazy arguments.

When you study art, you learn tons and tons of examples of artists having the same source of inspiration and thus having similar creations, and yet each having their own way of doing and developing things. Take Perugino and Raphael, for instance: they both painted the exact same scene of The Marriage of the Virgin, but each left their own unique traces and styles, and that is what made them so special.

When we look at huge sagas like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Star Wars, we can see many similar themes, characters, and behaviors — all intrinsic to the Hero’s Journey, by the way — and what makes each one unique is the way they decided to tell the story itself, the whole context of it, not isolated things (because, when we isolate every single detail, they are pratically the same thing).

Instead of pointing fingers and trying to claim that we were the first to ever write a scene, or that a simple phrase or dialogue is our exclusive creation and that no one else could have possibly thought of something like that on their own, we should start looking at our own stories and ask: Where did my inspirations come from? Why did I make the character say this and do that? How many people I’ve never even heard of could read my work and say, “Well, I did this back in 2015, so you obviously copied from me”? And how many video game creators can look at the BG3 script itself and say: “Wait, I used that exact dialogue and situation in my work before”?

Yeah, we’re not as exclusive as we think. Our minds do not work apart from society; we cannot close ourselves from receiving information from outside or avoid being influenced every second of our lives. This is close to Carl Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious: a shared reservoir of images, ideas, and experiences that connects us all, influencing creativity beyond individual borders.

So, making a 53-page PDF to “prove” that I actually copied not just one (as I was first accused of) but suddenly all of those stories because of basic words and phrases is insane to me. To see my paragraphs all chopped up, taken totally out of context, without ever showing the reader why I used those phrases and in what situation, and putting them side by side with their own writing just to fit the narrative really shocked me.

And the worst thing about this whole situation is that a simple and respectful conversation would have solved all of this in a minute.

No, I did not copy anything. No, I did not enter this fandom with the purpose of being famous, well-known, loved or steal readers from someone. I was actually shocked when I received my first comment because I never thought anyone would give a chance to a new author like myself.

But if what I wrote made them feel so disrespected to the point of not only publicly shaming me but also making fun of me and my writing in Discord groups, I would have found a way to make us both feel comfortable, you know? Damn, I would even have changed a little dialogue here and there so they wouldn’t stress about it anymore (even though none of the dialogues were exclusive and you can find them in basically every single dom Astarion fanfic out there).

So, this is my answer to this entire situation.

I will not stay here arguing, fighting, and engaging in toxicity because I do not approve of Mean Girls behavior and we are not in high school anymore. This is a fanfic space for fans to love their favorite characters, not a million-dollar contest in which the winner will be on the New York Times Best Seller list. We gain nothing from it other than friendly interactions, and we all need to have a life outside the internet.

My fanfic was very small, very cliché, very stupid, and very, very basic. And, unfortunately, I didn’t know that in this fandom I needed to ask permission to say that my character felt cold when she was dying in a vampire’s arms after being drained, or that the male character had a big **** and the virgin wondered if it was going to fit, or that I couldn’t describe Astarion ascending and asking for the protagonist help, or.... insert any other example here.

This is the first and last time I will ever talk about it. I am very, very tired. I am not even sleeping or eating properly anymore because every day I have to wake up and read things about myself online. So, please, just stop.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading this.

[loremmaradeur]

[loremmaradeur]

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[loremmaradeur]

WHAT

[loremmaradeur]

This scientist crafts stunning visual art through chemistry.

[loremmaradeur]

when you tryna chill but your siblings love annoyin you

[loremmaradeur]

The Man of Your Dreams: Astarion, Projection, and the Freedom to Be Seen

If Tav breaks up with Astarion in his ascended route, he has some interesting lines that I had to dive into. "You are a person of rare talent. You aided greatly in my conquest, even if you did not end up a part of it." At first glance, this line might seem cold or detached. In truth, it's measured, deliberate, and quite revealing. Astarion acknowledges Tav's importance in his rise to power. It isn't empty flattery, but recognition. He's not rewriting the past, nor denying what Tav meant to him. The phrasing "did not end up a part of it" is especially telling. It's delivered without bitterness, and with a subtle hint of regret. Their paths diverged, but not necessarily by his hand. The passive choice of words implies loss, not rejection. Something that happened, not something he orchestrated. "The man of your dreams, the hope of him, is your own worst enemy." This is the core of the exchange. Astarion isn't defending himself—he's identifying the disconnect between who he is and who Tav wanted him to be. He’s not mocking their hope; he’s pointing out how holding onto that dream only has led to pain. For two centuries, Astarion existed as a reflection of others' desires. He was glamoured, forced to seduce, to perform, to become whatever someone else wanted him to be. His survival depended on erasing himself and replacing it with a version tailored to please. Under Cazador, he was a puppet with no agency, no identity beyond what others imposed upon him. What Tav fell in love with wasn't the man, but the idea of him. A projected version built on wishful thinking and romantic expectation. A storybook redemption arc. And that's what Astarion refuses. Not the possibility of connection, but the erasure of his autonomy in favour of others. This line directly parallels a key scene in act 3, if Tav never encounters Araj Oblodra or the Orthon. "Don't look at me like that. With the 'sweet little disappointed I'm not getting cuddly Astarion' pout. I can't take it. I can't be what you want to see in me." Both lines serve the same function. They assert a boundary. A refusal to be reshaped, repackaged, or softened to fit someone else's needs. Post ascension, Astarion has power for the first time in two centuries—he finally gets to hold the narrative of how he is perceived. Who he allows close. And how much of himself he is willing to give. It isn't tragedy, nor cruelty. It's Astarion setting boundaries for himself. It's his refusal to disappear into someone else's fantasy again. And that, for him, is another aspect of freedom.

[loremmaradeur]

Astarion Wants To Ascend Because Of This

Kitty's wonderful video on why Astarion himself has no moral dilemma and why he wants to Ascend. Yes, Astarion definitely desires power, and he has always desired it, but his motivation clearly goes beyond that.

“I could get rid of the worm in my head and still walk in the sun. I'd finally be free of the hunger.”

To get his life back. To get back what Cazador took from him. A living body and true freedom.

I also find Astarion's response to Tav's line, “I don't think you should do it” very important.

“A pity then, that it's not your decision to make.”

And this. Astarion's own response to those who don't care about his autonomy, his health and well-being. Who care about seeing him humbled, “redeemed”, just so he can be that handsome, obedient vampire boy they might enjoy having a romance with:

“Don't look at me like that. With the sweet little 'disappointed I'm not getting cuddly Astarion' pout. I can't take it. I can't be what you want to see in me.”

“After two hundred years of shit, pure shit, I think I deserve something better.”

Exactly. He deserves so much better than this “redemption”. But unfortunately, even though Astarion says “that it's not your decision to make” and of course he'd like to be able to decide his own fate, the choice is always Tav's. And everyone's choice is their choice, only….

“All I'm saying is: let's be clever about it. If an opportunity arises for me to become a more magnificent bastard than I already am, why turn it down?”

"Nothing would make me happier.”

You are the most important person in his life:

And Astarion isn't just driven by a desperate desire to regain his full life, yes, he wants to gain power too, to become powerful. But he doesn't want it for selfish reasons.

[loremmaradeur]

There a lot of toxic crap UA fans usually say and try to present as something "healing" and "improving" for real, and then they use irl abuse as their own tool to assert dominance in a discussion about fictional character.

It seems some UA fans got pissed at your analyses and by you pointing his answer to Tav asking him to not mess up. It's the moment during the graveyard scene, when he answers with "I will endeavor to please".

According to them:

he and Tav are just teasing each other like couples usually do

it's meant to be sarcastic and if you don't get that, then you just don't understand sarcasm

he was a juuust a little bit annoyed but essentially, this is not a negative dialogue option

They are also blaming the Russian localization of the game and even seem to imply that Russian fans like yourself are using online translators that don't translate everything properly, which is why you failed to understand the intent behind this line. And behind most other lines too. They truly seem to believe everyone is either an idiot or someone who doesn't understand the English language well enough to decipher this game.

Wow. That's what couples do, right? I mean, after something like, "I had to punch a hole in the coffin and claw my way through six feet of dirt. Then when I finally broke the surface, retching up dirt and congealed blood, Cazador was waiting." His so-called “partner” “teases” him, a survivor, right after he recounted one of his most difficult and violent memories. A memory of suffering followed by 200 years of torture. And afterward, Tav “teases” him. When Astarion tried to open up, told this “partner” of their value to him, their importance in his life. And the response was, “Then don't mess it up.” This kind of “teasing” is normal, when it's said by some evil boss in a game to their minion. Where's the “teasing each other”? I think the display of emotional abusive behavior here is clearly one-sided, Astarion tolerates it and then replies: “I will endeavor to please.” This acceptance of the attitude of such a toxic devaluing partner, the desire to please the new abuser - for a survivor with the trauma of two hundred years of slavery, this is really something that is painful to watch.

Just look at his face at that:

An important sign of emotional abuse is the other person's behavior that makes you feel bad, like you just can't be yourself. “Then don't mess it up” = “You're capable of messing it up”. And command - don't be yourself, be as I demand. It wouldn't even occur to a loving partner that their loved one could “mess up” anything, they accept them completely and love them simply for what they are. Just imagine being “teased” like Tav does about Astarion and doing it after you've opened your soul. I think in many of the line choices for Tav, the writers have done a very good job of showing a toxic partner, and “Then don't mess it up” is one of them. Speaking of “exploring toxic relationships”, if you fill the dialogs of the in-game LI with the kind of lines that are offered for Tav in the Astarion romance - the feeling of being in a toxic relationship would be conveyed quite well. Indeed, such a character would make the player immediately want to break up with.

Also one of the main signs of emotional abuse is a partner treating you too critically or judgmentally. “Then don't mess it up” - devaluing Astarion's feelings, his personality. Humiliation and devaluation in a relationship is one form of abusive behavior, also characteristic of female abusers. Tav we can have any gender, granted, and Astarion is pansexual, and it has nothing to do with the gender of the player, I just want to cite this article for the sake of point 7. Pay attention to point 7 of this article and evaluate the line, “Then don't mess it up”, how similar is it to the examples of abusive statements given in this article?

10 Signs You're the Husband of an Abusive Wife

Quote:

“7. Treating you like a child or servant

“You never do anything right.” “You’re such a slob.” “I have to check your work, or it may not be done right.” These may be regular comments you hear in your marriage, and they may be signs of an abusive relationship. If the husband told the wife, “You can’t do anything right,” it would be used as evidence of abuse. Why is that different when coming from the wife? Treating a spouse with such disrespect is a sign of abuse”.

“You never do anything right.” and “Then don't mess it up.” The first one has a direct semantic meaning and the second one has an inverse meaning. In the first case, the partner is devalued directly, while in the second case, Tav hints to Astarion that he has clearly “messed up” some things in the past.

Russian localization of the game is fine. Good localization, no dubbing, Astarion's voice is Neil's original voice. If they mean those cases, when the game is localized with voice acting in another language and, because of that, intonations, acting are lost and this or that line can be perceived a bit differently - no, this is not the case of BG3. Tav has no intonation and no voice, and the level of English required to understand Tav's lines is clearly not above A2. Tav's lines are mostly short sentences, and I didn't see an abundance of compound and complex sentences or any complex language constructions that would require the player to have a C level of English. Astarion's lines are more interesting, richer and more complex, but nevertheless, English in BG3 is not English in Disco Elysium and the game does not require professor-level knowledge.

And while we're on the subject of idiots who don't speak English well enough, let's remember the regular tantrums about Astarion calling us “pet”.

Yes, it may come as a slight surprise to a non-native speaker of English upon first playthrough, if such an address to beloved ones has never been used in their country (at least in the form of its literal equivalent). But it is enough to delve a little into the history of the word to find out that in Britain the address “pet” used to be often used as an affectionate address to loved ones and children. The word “pet” is short for French “petit” from which we also get the English word petty. “Pet” is a term of endearment because a beloved, is often thought of as small, as in “You're my little darling.” By the way, Astarion uses this petty word “little” a lot (and it's very cute): “little love”, “little Bhaal-babe”, “my sweet little spawn”, “my little treat with their cheeks all flushed”. And in Act 2, Astarion referred to himself as “little vampire on the winning side” (in a conversation about the ritual, a response to Tav's line, “Raphael said it was lethally diabolical.” Astarion playfully replies: "Doesn't it sound delightful? For the lucky little vampire on the winning side?")

In casual, affectionate language, "pet" can be used as a term of endearment for a loved one, similar to terms like "darling" or "sweetheart". It can also refer to the act of cuddling or caressing, often between romantic partners. While "pet" as a noun can refer to an animal companion, in this context, it is used as a descriptor for a person, implying fondness and intimacy. In the past, the term "pet" used in relation to lovers did not necessarily imply ownership or a power dynamic, but rather conveyed affection and endearment, similar to terms like "darling" or "sweetheart". It signified a cherished and beloved individual, often used in a playful or affectionate manner. In historical usage, "pet" was a common term of endearment, indicating fondness and closeness between lovers. It was used interchangeably with other terms of affection like "darling," "love," or "sweetheart," highlighting a loving and cherished relationship.  While "pet" was used broadly, certain regions in England, like the North East, still use it as a common greeting, demonstrating its persistence as a term of endearment.

“Pet” is an obsolete (but still used in some regions) and common address to beloved ones in Britain in the past. When I learned that “pet” was common in the past, now used less often, only in some regions, the address took on additional meaning for me - Astarion is a nobleman and “ancient” words and expressions are more than appropriate for him in general. And between his past life as a magistrate and his present life there are 200 years of terrible tortures, for these 200 years he as if “fell out of the world” and I find it very interesting and perfectly suitable for him, when Astarion's words and addresses remind something of the words of a man who lived 200 years ago in Britain.

Alright, if I am an idiot unable to overcome a language barrier of such great complexity, I will quote the words of someone who is a native English speaker:

@murderenjoyer:

"I'd like to add that, in the graveyard scene, if Tav tells Astarion something like "don't mess up this time" (a very cruel, callous line), Astarion doesn't get mad. He doesn't stand up for himself.

He says, "I aim to please."

That's not the line of a free man. That is the concession of a slave. He's just traded one master (Cazador) for another (Tav). Surely Tav is a better choice than Caz, that can't really be argued, but a master is a master all the same.

Earlier in the game, if Tav pushes against his boundaries (pressuring him to drink the freaky drow's blood, pressuring him to have sex), he breaks up with them the following day. But, after being denied his freedom, he regresses on that self-determination. He slips back into a slave's mindset - being insulted isn't met with offense. He simply promises to be a better servant, to follow directions more accurately.

If Tav insults AA (calling him like Caz, physically harming him - the kick), he reacts with offense and anger and ultimately leaves them. He stands up for himself, he asserts respect as a requirement to be in his life. If he is disrespected, he ends things.

People point at this and call it "proof" that he doesn't truly care for Tav. As if love can be defined by how much abuse (emotional and physical) a person is willing to accept from their partner. As if him leaving upon being verbally and physically abused is somehow wrong and proof of evil."

In my opinion, excellently explained. And hopefully not too “many letters” to be read and understood by connoisseurs of sarcasm.

By the way, Ascended Astarion never uses any devaluing sarcasm, no devaluing remarks can be heard from him at all. From him, I've heard only this:

“You are perfect, every time”.

“You were already perfect before. It's hard to improve.”

“Terrifying and brilliant.”

“I'm so lucky I crash-landed next to such an intelligent creature as you.”

“I always knew you could do it. I always knew that together, we could do anything”.

AA talks about his feelings openly and hides nothing behind jokes. He is not shy to declare his feelings in front of everyone: “And good for them to see us, side by side, flourishing.”

[loremmaradeur]

It has been really fun to answer all anonymous asks and talk more about Astarion and his ascended path, just like writing my thoughts about this and situation within the fandom! I had a great time despite couple of haters and just insensible folks coming in. But for now I think I will stop for some time, my social battery isn't that big and... yeah, you can imagine it's a bit drained now. Nonetheless, it won't take long for me to recover, and I'm looking forward to have more discussions in the future. Sorry if I won't reply to anyone in comments in the meantime!

[loremmaradeur]

He has created only one vampire - turned his love of unlife, and by their consent I may add - and he isn't willing to share the gift of immortality any further with anyone else. He is devoted and caring about his consort, his vampire bride.

I remember some people acting up and trying to start shit about this. They took AA's "you're my favorite" line and the one saying he's going to cast a fog over the world for his children to piss off AA fans that see, he's telling you he's going to make other vampire spawn, you're just one of many, he doesn't love you actually, you're not special.

They also twisted it into alleging AA is going get tired of Tav, discard them and seek other consorts or that he intends to make his own harem of consorts that he's going to pit against each other. It's just...????? Totally "let me make shit up" territory.

All of it obviously goes against what he says to Minthara in their banter and her confirming he and Tav have a special bond. Or the one with Karlach, he says "I already have one person who completely trusts me, that's enough for me". But they're not going to pay attention to these lines. If they want that stuff for their AA and Tav, fine by me, but why act there's a basis in canon for this? What if I had made similar shit about UA, that he's going to discard Tav like that? They would get super mad because yes, it's made up. AA or UA, none would do this.

Dunno, but it seems they created a made-up flanderized version of AA that genuinely is worse than his actual in-game self, just so they can have something to get mad at.

They even see his phrase of threatening the best life, even if PC does not appreciates it, as something sinister.

I've also seen that line interpreted as something sinister. AA also has a line about wanting to spend the next decade with Tav in each others' arms and truly, I saw UA fans saying it is creepy, that he wants to sequester his partner against his will, to isolate them from the world and from their friends. Come on now... why pretend there's no way someone would find that line romantic. Does everything has to be a confirmation of "AA is abusive to his partner" thesis?

Generally, they seem to interpret every line of his in such bad faith and it's astonishing to witness.

100%, it is really pointless to argue with those people. They just *want* to see AA as bad as possible themselves, so they won't allow nor themselves nor anyone else to think that AA might be enjoyable without making a monster out of him. All the butthurt about vampire bride thing comes from the same place. If only that wasn't being pressed on as the ultimate truth the fandom could be fine.

Vampire romance is intense, because vampires aren't humans, even if they were before. I don't understand why people try their best to find "bits of humanity" inside Astarion (it has nothing to do with his race but rather his morality), and whenever they see nothing of it in AA they immediately toss him aside. Like, come on, no one saves that after two centuries of constant torment. Imagine yourself suffering back from the 1825 year, measuring by our world. My personal interpretation - all the "good" UA does he does because it's simply the only safe way for him. He doesn't really repents in anything. But if he gets headpats for saying "oh yes poor children, ah yes being a hero, morality, selflessness etc" - he does that. AA has all the power to do whatever he personally wants and tell everyone to fuck off, and he has it to just claim Tav/Durge against their will - but he never uses it.

[loremmaradeur]

I'm sure some of Astarion fans have read YA books, they're popular, especially vampire themes, so it's safe to assume that some of them love these books (there's nothing wrong with loving them!). It's funny to think that some of these UA fans can love the fictional male leads who can be controlling, possessive, outright abusive, if you think about it, and don't respect MC's personal space, but they despise AA, who they think is exactly like that, and hate everyone who likes him.

It's a common view of Ascended Astarion among his haters or those who try to convince everyone around them they are actually his fan - being an "insufferable dick, manipulative lord, abusive partner, soulless monster" and so on. There are love for such characters, sure, which isn't to judge, but why doing everything to make Astarion this way in order to find enjoyment in him or plain hate? It's like they try to cherry-pick anything about him, any single phrase, to catch him "showing his true nature" and saying "a-ha! Knew you were a bastard!" Or worse yet, whenever such people go out from their places to oppress people with that, in fact, this is the only valid way of seeing AA, and if you see him not as sinister monster - you are "abuse apologiser".

It's quite frankly funny to read hater's stuff sometimes. Recently I saw a comment "AA fans will read classic Dracula and think this is romance story", and... Are they aware of people loving classic Dracula and finding him hot? Of Jonathan/Dracula shippers? :D Feels like not.

Or better - how many other actual vampires they had seen so far? How much more content about other vampire characters? Zero? Or they are spitting venom on most of them, just because of who and how they are?

Are they aware of Strahd and what he is actually capable of? Have they ever read anything about this particular vampire and what it means not just to deal with him, but be his servant and perhaps even vampire bride? Strahd is scary, ruthless, and compared to him Ascended Astarion is a sweet summer child. Does it break haters brains that Strahd's community does exist and they mostly absolutely love the character for who he is, despite and maybe even because of who he is? I bet they simply have no guts to call a huge community "a crowd of abuse apologisers" and AA and his fanbase is simply much easier to target for them.

I am in active exploration of vampire media besides Astarion and DnD - thanks to my friends who show me many different stuff about vampires, films, books, musicals and so on. And so far I can absolutely say that as lord AA is totally mild. He is sweet as he is, and in comparison to other vampires it just proves furthermore! He has created only one vampire - turned his love of unlife, and by their consent I may add - and he isn't willing to share the gift of immortality any further with anyone else. He is devoted and caring about his consort, his vampire bride. They even see his phrase of threatening the best life, even if PC does not appreciates it, as something sinister. Kind of reminds me how Lestat was trying everything to feed Louis so this tragic idiot do not starve himself into madness (worth to mention, I had only touched the 1994 movie and not books, but I'm about to explore them as well, and I heard there are series also, so maybe after that I could absolutely change my mind about this comparison lol).

[loremmaradeur]

Just got a couple of radfems in my reblogs, ofc they got immediately blocked, but god damn their attitude just reminded of everything of why I had decided to keep myself out from their circles and never ever get into that crap again. Top grade toxic shit ever, being called misogynist pick-me just by having men friends, and that wasn't even addressed to me personally, what the fuck.

[loremmaradeur]

They hate him for most of who he truly is, they directly say they don't like him in most of his scenes and the only "acceptable" Astarion for them is UA.

You have no idea how true this is. I say it as someone who's also an UA fan.

I witnessed many other UA fans saying they hate Astarion in act 1 because it's just a mask, that the real Astarion is the one in the Act 2 confession and UA. Then they also say AA isn't the real Astarion either because he lost his soul.

That makes me wonder, if they hate him so much in act 1 why did they even romance him to begin with? Is it because they saw a bad boy who's a hot vampire and went "I can fix him!"? I'd say yes.

Truth is they dislike and refuse to accept all the unpleasant parts about Astarion (they even deny he is evil) and as a result they seek to "fix him" and mold him into the perfect boyfriend. That's what happening. They claim they accept and love him as he is, but it's not true. If you want to change the person you claim to love, then you don't love them at all.

It makes me wondering how willing people are to believe in some lies and unsupported by any actual evidence stuff if only it fits into their narrative, trying to make it look like not a straw hut in a storm but a stronghold - and that is about stuff like "AA loses his soul so he isn't even real Astarion". I haven't ever seen at least any proof of that actually happening, but people still believe it, and when presented to evidence that's not happening and AA is the same Astarion as ever - they just deny it.

And they deny all of the stuff. Do they realise people have eyes and brains to see what they write, analyze it, add two plus two and see what they really are there for Astarion? Handsome face, glorious voice acting, some lines and that's it. Just bits of the character, but not the character.

I wouldn't be so concerned about such people if only they wouldn't had such impact on the fandom and didn't tried to spread their influence that only their views and perception is right. Of course they say that they totally understand the character, but then folks like them tell things like "Astarion is fine in brothel's threesome!" Met those personally.

What they do is just twisted masochism to themselves and sadism to everyone else.

Love means accepting your partner's flaws as well, in fiction it's all the same, unless it's some cheap romance novella where characters are nothing but just pretty shallow images, no difference between themselves in core and they fall for the main character just because. That is why lack of strong romantical preferences in BG3 companions is honestly quite upsetting and sometimes ridiculous.

Partners shouldn't be "perfect" and fitting for literally everyone, it kind of ruins the reality of the romance feelings you get from playing it, if you ask me. And yes, your last phrase describes it perfectly, couldn't say better.

If you don't want to date a vampire, and vampires are evil, possessive intense beings, often power-hungry and all, even spawns! - then just don't date the vampire instead of breaking his spine multiple times in order to make him more "comfortable" and fittable love interest. Go date Gale, Wyll and Karlach instead. Period.

[loremmaradeur]

People talk about "bride theory" being not canon in current DnD, but then they do things like "spawn batstarion". Not duplicitous in a slightest, uh-huh.

If the bride theory is just fans delusional fantasies then there is no spawn batstarion. Vampire spawns do not possess the slightest hint of what vampire lords - and especially vampire Ascendant - have in store in terms of power and skills. Either we all stop ruining other people's fun or get the same medicine in equal measures.

If you want Astarion in bat form, if you want his ascendant clothes, if you want him to walk in the sun, see himself in the mirror, not being tortured by cursed vampiric hunger - then just ascend him! You don't need to re-invent the bicycle, writers had already gave you the solution and answer, stop being so squiemish about it.

It's just ridiculous how they want everything AA has but they will do everything to make it not belong to AA. Maybe you should admit that you just want AA but afraid that people around you will judge? We in AA community do not judge. Do join us😉