#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

[transholmes]

Much as I love BG3 I really hate how the game treat platonic relationships as less than romantic ones.

And before someone comes at me this isn't a "game too horny" post. If you ask me the game isn't enough horny and especially not enough weird horny but that's beside the point of how it treats platonic relationships very badly and as inferior.

Like maybe it wouldn't make sense for you to go with every companion in every case if you hadn't romanced them but why the hell can't I go with Lae'zel to free her people just because I didn't romance her? Why can't I help Halsin rebuild Moonrise Tower and Reithewin just because I turned him down? Why the hell can't I kick up a fuss in the Underdark with Minthara because we didn't smooch? Or go traveling with Shadowheart or Astarion? While we're at it why does Astarion just run away if he's unromanced but appear the next morning if he is?

And these are only handful of examples. Like I could add how extremely different Gale is as a character in Act 3 depending on whether you're romancing him or not. Like it doesn't matter if you have high approval or built a good relationship with him otherwise. Only romance counts. Which really does seem to be the battle cry of this game when it comes to relationships.

This is what I mean when I say that BG3 consistently treat friendship as less important, less meaningful, than romantic relationships. I'm neither ace nor aro but man it really bothers me.

[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.

[lucystarclub]

Forgot to post babygirl here!!! Some Shadowheart for you, dearest? 🤲🏻💗

[lagomorphiclobotomite]

ascended!astarion is genuinely so cool and funny and sweet he has so many really interesting and nuanced moments and im so tired of people reducing him to cazador 2.0 , this characture of a single interpretation of the most cartoonishly abusive person possible. acting like hes a completely different character than spawn!astarion entirely they are literally. the same. guy. stop mischaracterizing my pookie

[slayerdurge]

the brainrot is telling me to do an evil karlach origin play through

[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.

[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:

[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.

[mafwaff]

Meet Nèva. She’s a wild magic sorcerer from Waterdeep. I originally made her for our Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign and ended up bringing her in for Icewind Dale. It only makes sense that she was my first Tav for BG3

(First full body render of Néva, LET’S GOO ) Backstory below the cut 🧇

(Be warned, I’m not much of a writer. Hopefully I don’t ramble too much. TBH, this part’s more for me than it is for you)

Name: Néva (pronounced NAHY-va). This is an alias; her real name is Evélynn (ev-AYH-lin) Margaster

Race and Class: half-elf wild magic sorcerer

First Impressions: Elegant, yet sloppy; flirty and reckless. Upon meeting her, she doesn’t seem to take anything seriously and has a way of turning a negative scenario into a chaotically hilarious situation.

~~~~

From: Waterdeep, North Ward

Family: She is a distant part of the Margaster household within Waterdeep. While she doesn’t have any siblings and is not fully involved with her family’s affairs, she does play an important role within a secretive sect of the Margaster family that still hold ties to Asmodeus worship. She’s not too concerned about “playing her role” and doesn’t fully understand what worship entails until it actually affects her… I like to think of it as the equivalent of going to church without realising what you’re doing and why.

Most defining life moment: Evélynn had a wife - Veronica - whom she was absolutely smitten by. Instead of studying over magical tomes and artifacts that might help the family as she was supposed to, Evélynn would shirk her duties to fawn over the love of her life. Lucky for the Margasters, Veronica had an innate gift for tapping into magic and would pick up the slack. Upon one of their many seafaring conquests, the Margasters find a powerful magical armlet that allows the wielder to receive a great boost to their own magical abilities. Evélynn and Veronica were tasked to study it and determine how useful it would be to further the church. Upon the day of their research review, Evélynn was late to the meeting and Veronica took her stead. As Evélynn finally arrived during the demonstration part of the review, something went wrong with the controls and caused a massive magical surge. Evélynn ran toward Veronica and, in doing so, got the brunt of blast. The armlet becomes infused to her upper right arm and shoulder, melting into her skin. When the dust settled and crumpled bodies lay strewn across the ground, Veronica was nowhere to be found. Evélynn, with very little innate magic ability to begin with, was suddenly imbued with uncontrollable power. She fled for her life, distraught at the disappearance of her wife and in fear of the Margasters getting their hands on her and whatever this artifact was. Evélynn changed her name to Néva and hid in plain sight within Waterdeep, living in squalor inside the Yawning Portal. It is later revealed that Veronica’s soul is stuck inside the armlet and powers Néva’s wild magic.

~~~~

Greatest strength and weakness: Néva is an extremely passionate person. This can be to both her benefit and her detriment. It lends way to her resilience in the hardest times, and her recklessness at other times. This recklessness is mainly seen in her hedonistic tendencies towards alcohol and sex, but can be also come out in poor decision-making on the battlefield. Néva is also a pretty broken person (more one why below); she overindulges in booze and promiscuity to forget most days. Her motto is “ I’m here for a good time, not a long timeline”.

Greatest Desire: More than anything, Néva wants to see her late wife again. She wants to make her whole, hold her close and apologize. At the beginning of her adventures in Waterdeep, Néva wants Veronica alive again. However, as she travels the Swordcoast and many of her leads turn fruitless, she settles for being able to see her wife again and say a final goodbye.

Fatal flaw: Néva’s desire to see Veronica again clouds her actions and moral judgements, leading her down some pretty dark paths. Of course, trying to bring someone’s soul back to a body that no longer exists will lead to powerful necromancy, fringe religions and other planar powers, all of which Néva can barely grasp. Yet she must try. If there is a possibility, Néva will gravitate to it even if it’s detrimental to herself and her party members. This had led to some broken relationships and tough conversations between her and her party. Headcannon: Act 2 of bg3 was a big turning point for Néva’s obsession to get her wife back when she meets and learns more about Isobel and Ketheric. She can see it’s possible yet she is faced with what her future looks like (i.e. what Ketheric has become) if she continues haphazardly down her obsessive path. This leads to a positive shift in her desires and by the time she reaches Icewind Dale, she’s really just looking to be able to put her wife to rest.

Worldview: likely existential in the way that she’s grown up in wealth through conquest. Néva recognizes how blunt and cruel the world is and that if you want to be happy, you have to carve it out yourself. Even after Veronica is gone, Néva’s main coping strategy is to “enjoy” life in whatever that might entail in the moment. It leads to some chaotic shenanigans and drunken mistakes.

Three adjectives: flirty, vibrant, hedonistic

Personality quirks: dresses elegantly but rarely wears dresses, loves a good bottle of red or two…, has a mean rbf, has way too fancy a palate for living in squalor, likes to listen poetry recited in song form, sleeps at the strangest hours

~~~~

Other Random Facts:

the armlet ended up melting into Néva in the rough shape of a butterfly (think kintsugi); coincidently, many of Néva’s spells take the shape of a butterfly;

Néva wears a blue ribbon in her hair that used to be Veronica’s necktie (I really wanted to add this because it reminded me of butterfly wings, but it’s really a awkward angle and ends up looking pretty stupid when I draw her head turned. I’ve dropped this for now and edited the drawing.)

She has used illusion-based cantrips (namely thaumaturgy) to turn tricks at the Yawning Portal (she really should be a bard…)

Bg3 specific: when Néva first met Gale, she was immediately on edge that another Waterdavian who might know her and her family was in the party…she gets more comfortable as time goes on and they have this missed connection sort of thing; Néva initially gravitated to Shadowheart, but something that she did/said during their wine night in act 1 reminded her too much of Veronica, so Néva chose to distance herself; Néva’s dream visitor took the form of Veronica… she immediately knew the dream visitor wasn’t who they claimed to be, but it felt so real that she was okay suspending her disbelieve for a while; Néva ends up with Astarion in a kind of “birds of a feather” way (more doodles exploring this later) - initially, she sees him as a distraction and ultimately uses him in a similar way that he uses you; when he opens up in Act 2, Néva has to reevaluate how she sees relationships and physicality again; the events of act 3 give them plenty of opportunities to open up to each other and learn more about each other’s sorted pasts…Néva would have shared more about her late wife; after the events of bg3, I’d like to think they travel together to search for a way to walk in the sun and a way to separate a soul from metal

[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.

[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

[icarianarts]

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