#astarion has all this extremely sincere and genuine guilt

[not-poignant]

You are the only person I've EVER seen mention Sebastian in the Underdark as an option for a ship option for Asterion which BLOWS MY MIND because that moment in his story hit SO hard - that after 200 years he still remembers his name and what being with Sebastian was like and that it was special for them both despite being(for Asterion) and becoming(for Sebastian) this HORROR. Anyway all this is to say, YEAH. SOMEONE ELSE SEES IT! IM NOT CRAZY!

Honestly I'm shocked at how many folks just don't really see lateral pairings anymore? I really feel like part of being shown canonical queer pairings has been the inability of folks to go 'no that guy and that guy who literally have almost nothing to do with each other but still have something.'

(I mean hell, I wrote a Bull/Cullen fic and they literally don't have any recorded dialogue together in the game).

But yes!!! Honestly I think a future fic between Sebastian and Astarion could work so well? My dark angst-loving mind imagines a scenario where Sebastian recovers enough in the Underdark that he sets about looking to get revenge now that he can sustain himself, only to realise that Astarion's broken too (but not before getting at least some revenge). But I love the idea of a story in the Underdark, among the glow of fungus, myconids, and a strange land full of strange things and new wonders.

Both of them recovering together, Sebastian having to make up for what he's just done, and Astarion having to make up for what he ripped from Sebastian's life 200 years before, and Sebastian eventually realising that blaming Astarion for being locked away for 200 years is actually unfair, and finally kind of forgiving him for something that wasn't his fault in the first place. The sheer hurt/comfort potential of that pairing is huuuuuge.

There's so many scenarios between Sebastian and Astarion that would potentially work though. I don't think I'll ever write it myself, but it's effortless to think about, because it also makes so much sense for both characters!

That moment was so well acted in the game, Neil Newbon absolutely nailed each branch of that scene, and Sebastian was really compelling (and handsome), and it's wild to me that certain pairings are just...super rare, when they seem really self-evident? (That being said, I can also see the appeal in people shipping Astarion with a player character etc. But like, I don't really do that, so...I'm left just putting all the characters together like puzzle pieces and going 'oh that one fits, that one fits REALLY WELL, that one fits if I kill Raphael first and change his personality a little, that one's awesome!' etc. :D )