#Astarion and the player character

[csphire]

Purples, Blues, and Gold

Words: 1,800

A prequel to Rosemary, Lilacs, Lilies and Bergamot

Astarion is at a loss on how to go about picking out something new for himself when given the chance. Floundering a bit he reaches out to his love for help and receives some supportive guidance. Just a short and hopefully sweet fluffy one-shot that's been living rent-free in my head since buying him an outfit at the Facemaker’s Boutique.

Bodies scattered the floors and blood soaked into the rugs at the Facemaker’s Boutique. The staff and owner were still rattled by the murder attempt. But at least Figaro ‘Facemaker’ Pennygood was so thankful to still be alive that he offered a discount to them all on the spot. The last thing Astarion expected was for their defacto leader as well as his lover to actually take up the offer so readily. But in their early days, she was not above picking up rags and anything else not nailed down for a bit of extra coin to buy one more healing potion or spell scroll.

With a soft clap, Anna declared, “Well now that bit of unpleasantness is all sorted out, how about we all do a little shopping?”

He watched as Gale and Karlach gave one another a tired but agreeing shrug. They both made a beeline to pick out some long overdue fresh undergarments to start. Astarion however felt rooted to the spot for so long that she noticed, drew close, and offered her hand. Stopping just short to give him the chance to decide if he wanted the contact or not. He stared at it for a moment before thinking to take it in his, give it a nervous squeeze, and side-eye the others. His lips pursed tighter as one of his brows cocked high in quiet alarm.

In a discrete murmur, so low only he could hear she guessed, “Star… has it been a while since you’ve picked something out for yourself?”

After a soft embarrassed clearing of his throat, he admits in his own way, “To say I’m out of touch with the current trends would be an understatement. What do you think I should get?”

Read on here:

[drsatyr]

this game can be so funny if you let it

[betyourhedges]

bg3 ramblings

when you are downed in combat it is DEVASTATING to hear Astarion pleading with you to stay alive after you romance him. his facade of aloof uncaringness cracks. he's finally found something and someone worth fighting for, to *live* for, and there you are, feet away, bleeding out on the ground. i'm not crying, you're crying 😭

[youaskedfurret]

The lack of media literacy in the baldurs gate fandom is astounding. There's a good ending for Astarion and a bad ending for him and people keep picking the bad ending for him and being shocked when he's mean to them LMAO.

[silver-horse]

unfortunately I have opinions about the ascendant astarion ending and I have been holding back from saying it. but it's a problem that applies to the whole game and it's been annoying me

what's actually weird about the ascendant "romance" scene is that the writer considers it a tempting option for the player. They wrote it to be bad, but they also think it's a fun and sexy option. Same goes for the haarlep scene which they also wrote that way because they find it sexy. Except finding this sexually appealing entirely hinges on the idea that the player is a submissive. So RIP to a scene that the rest of us could have found sexy because the lead narrative designer was a submissive. lmao

In this game you can have a scene where you have to kneel for a male character. But you can never have a male character do the same for you. (Halsin doesn't count. It's a vanilla scene, he is not submissive there and we are not even asking/telling him to kneel down) You don't get such options, not even if you play a drow female! RIP the number one reason for playing drow female to be honest. lol You can kneel and fully submit to ascendant astarion or fully submit to mizora or fully submit to haarlep or submit to lae'zel or submit to minthara. you can get whipped by abdirak or you can tell him "touch me and lose a hand" he even responds positively to this remark and yet the possibility to flip the dynamic doesn't exist. There is never an option where a male character truly submits to the player. RIP to a scene that would have been the opposite of the traditional dynamic. the potential that existed but they never used the opportunity

By the way, how interesting that Lae'zel is dominant but she is a woman so ofc you get the option to tell her “no you will submit to me”. You never get such switch options with any of the male characters... Obviously it's not ascendant where they could have made that an option. My point is that it's NEVER an option among so many male characters.

It's a cool idea that the bad ending in a romance means "I saw this character as a sex object" except it falls apart when the scene is very sexually unappealing to anyone who is more dominant leaning. If I see a character as a sex object then I would place them in sexual situations which are appealing to me. so the message doesn't quite work. because there isn't anything that I can selfishly choose for myself just because I like it and I find it sexy.

[crezz-star]

C'elen was shooketh

C'elen in bg3 story is a daughter of country side ex-noble family. so she's been pretty sheltered and taught how to be a lady. but when her parents went bankrupt, her father offed himself and her mother died of depression, she was left to fend for herself and lived alone for a while, learning how to use the axe to protect herself from wild animals or monsters. She lived beside a river and pretty much a tiny simple home, it was the only home left from her parent's riches.

So she haven't really met that much people nor mingle much and just bases off her knowledge from the romance novel books she read when she was younger, as well as her concept or romance and s-x from more adult oriented novels she read in secret and what her teachers taught her that such things was only to be done to the person you have been betrothed with.

[eff-plays]

Broke: Astarion choosing to die when Tav dies.

Woke: Astarion continuing to live on because his entire arc is about choosing to live again, choosing himself, choosing independence.

Bespoke: Tav outliving Astarion.

[hexthervvv]

evil players should be allowed to fuck gortash. that is all. do you think a 50 year old bisexual fascist maniac would wear so much gold or spend that long styling his anime boy hair every morning if he wasn't interested? i don't think so.

[csphire]

Rosemary, Lilacs, Lilies and Bergamot

Words: 5,917

Astarion / Anna (OC Tav)

A sequel to Purples, Blues, and Gold.

Astarion is offered a night of intimacy with the one he loves. She manages to provide him with an experience he's yet to recall ever having despite his long life and many lovers. Something we all feel he deserves and needs more than anything. A good rub down to work out decades-if not near century-old knots with some of his favorite fragrant oils until he melts into a puddle of sheer bliss. However, upon finding the beginnings of tranquility, new worries and responsibilities emerge but he takes comfort in the knowledge he no longer needs to face them alone.

Astarion did not know what to expect. Whatever she was planning put him on a higher level of alert than usual. It had him also taking a few deep and slow breaths to steel himself before opening the door with a forced flirty and amused expression. 

True, he trusted her, well more than anyone else in this wretched world. But he did not miss those ever-scheming gears turning away in that pretty head of hers.  All behind a smile so kind and cajoling, it could and did charm even ogres. The problem was he also witnessed firsthand his dear warlock’s occasional more chaotic nature. How she could go from all sweetness and light to sinking a blade or blasting a spell into more than just one chest. But the worst thing she had done so far was trick a vile woman into paying them upfront to steal a githyanki egg and then proceeded to launch a surprise attack. All the while Lae’zel, at her side, grinned from ear to ear as she took the last blow.

“It’s a surprise, and I have a feeling you’ll love it,” the high half-elf, would only promise.

Read on here:

[icarianarts]

I wonder what the tipping point was for Astarion realizing he actually does love the player character. Much to consider

[jawstarion]

Spotted a mirror I had never noticed before in BG3 and when I interacted I got an Undertale reference!!

600+ hours into it and I keep finding new things! This game never fails to keep blowing me away omgg

[precious-little-bhaalbabe]

Inspired by @kelandrin

Tav Question

If Karlach gave your Tav a unique nickname, other than “Soldier,” what would it be?

(i.e. “Fringe” for Shadowheart and “Fangs” for Astarion)

[rawrsatthetree]

So I’ve had three play throughs so far where I’ve romanced Astarion. Two were Dark Urge and one was a vanilla Tav.

Since so many people can’t wrap their head around how anyone could possibly help Astarion Ascend so I want to run through my thought process of why my Dark Urge Tav’s did help him.

First I’ll start with Puk, my evil bard dark urge. I think of Puk as a dark urge that Orin should have stabbed harder.

He naturally falls back into who he always was, never resisting his killing urge and love of chaos. He’s a cruel, manipulative, power hungry, monster and he loves it. He’ll take any offer that equals more power, going so far to become half illithid. His evil nature is only encouraged by Minthara and Astarion. Puk knew as soon as he remembered his heritage that he wanted to reclaim his spot as Bhaal’s chosen having already re-earned his slayer form. Puk never thought twice about Astarion Ascending, more power for his little vampire meant more power for him. And if Astarion could make him immortal all the better. He doesn’t care how it will change Astarion, he’s always been a toy for Puk: a key to immortality and fine breeding stock for ascendant dhampire bhaalspawn. Puk doesn’t mind playing the submissive little consort either, at least until he takes control of the brain and makes his vampiric master nothing more than a thrall to sit at his feet while he becomes absolute in Bhaal’s name.

Next my other dark urge Ilona, they were my first play through. I’ll admit they started out as a self insert but I’ve replayed they’re run and fleshed them out to be their own character. Unlike Puk, Orin left Ilona’s head full of scrambled eggs. They barley remember how to be a person and start off with very little personality beyond their urge. As they gain companions and spend time around others slowly the urge is joined by a new person starting to form. As this new personality arises they start to become scared of the urge realizing how they’re companions react to them whenever they let the it take control. Especially after the Alfira incident they start to resist the urge and wanting to be free of it. Of course because they’re an excellent killer and their brain is easily manipulated goo, Astarion picks them as his protector. Ilona is completely defenseless against him easily falling for his honeyed words and attention. However as they grow closer they become completely codependent on each other. As they become more and more afraid of the urge they become more and more dependent on Astarion. He’s their protector just as much as they’re his. This only spirals out of control when they get to Baldurs Gate and learn of their past, they’re terrified. They start to feel hopeless in standing up to Bhaal becoming an unholy assassin and almost ready to except their fate to become their father’s chosen puppet. They’re so wrapped up in their past they’re not sure how they feel about Astarion ascending. It seems like what he wants to do and when he promises he needs that power to protect them both to keep them both safe forever, Ilona believes him. Plus it’s not like they can judge him what’s 7000 souls when they’ve killed countless innocents for less. They just don’t have the strength to deny him and risk loosing the one source of safety and comfort they have. They don’t mind becoming his spawn, between loosing their memory and the urge they don’t trust their own mind, better to let Astarion have it. Even if one day he compels them, it’s for the best if he does the thinking for them anyways. Deep down they know they deserve how he treats them. That and with the. daddy issues deeply rooted in their psyche from both Sarevok and Bhaal part of them loves it. They’re his little consort his beloved pet and he’s their master, their husband, and father. For better or for worse they feel they deserve each other.

My vanilla Tav is an Oath of Devotion Paladin. They were never really onboard with the whole Ascension thing. They love Astarion but they’re worried about what that kind of power will do to him. They do start to falter in act 3 after facing so many horrors they’re beginning to loose faith in their Oath and fearing the worst. Maybe it would be ok, he could use that power for good! To defeat the absolute and save the city, to save themselves. When he says he wants that power so they can be safe forever, for good; they almost make up their mind then and there to help him when the time comes. They steel their resolve to stand by him just like they promised however when they come face to face with his victims tied to the ritual, they break. Looking into Sebastian’s eyes, easily picturing themselves in that cell with him, they promise he will not die trapped in that cage and they mean it. Even if Astarion hates them, they can’t let him go through with the ritual if not to save him than to save those poor souls that fell for Astarion’s charm just as they had. And when Astarion smiles at them and tells them he loves them, they feel their faith and hope return.

[in-fair-verona-we-set-our-scene]

I think a key thing to remember when judging all those "Astarion/Minthara/Lae'zel disapproves" reactions to like... helping orphans is that in context they're often rather realistic and practical considering what's being asked of them. If anything it's the more good-aligned companions willingness to drop everything and risk their lives to help randos in need of help that is unreasonable to expect.

Remember, from their perspective things like save-scumming are not real. They cannot metagame and prepare for what specific enemy or attack they might face. In-universe, death has consequence and you can die. Plus we're on an unknown time limit here to potential squid-ifying, not to mention their own personal baggage.

It's like... they're playing blind and on Honour Mode, and the consequences of failure isn't just a story going the way you might not like or your fave character dying. It's actual life and death. There are real stakes here for them.

So while yes they can approve of just... petty asshole stuff or even genuinely evil stuff, it's not unreasonable for them to have a problem with risking their lives for random strangers. Because if they're in your party, that's what you're doing. Making the choice to put their lives on the line for strangers. If anything they're all oddly brave and ride-or-die for whatever bullshit decisions you make from the start--I mean it takes a lot of reckless altruism while also being an asshole to them specifically (it's not hard to balance their approval by being nice to them directly on a good playthrough) to get them to hate you, let alone ditch the group.

[beesinspades]

i know astarion's attitude towards sex is all due to his trauma but. listen. there are some aspects of his romance and experiences that can be so relatable as a sex-neutral or sex-averse ace person. in fact him being ace or acespec on top of the trauma makes him even more compelling and tragic to me. it would've been amazing and interesting if he'd been canonically ace and these aspects plus how his asexuality affected his traumatic sexual experiences had been explored as well