Burn (Ascended Astarion animatic) 

I’ve spent a while imagining what Tav would look like after Astarion ascended. I always figured it would be haunting, but this was just something else. It’s heartbreaking. While Astarion is clearly a monster here, you can empathize with and Tab and believe why she stayed. Even in captivity, Astarion made sure Tav looks like royalty, in a massive room all to herself and chains that dance around her like ribbons. He loves his possession as a thing to control, but never as a person. It’s truly beautiful and depicts the spawn/ascended Astarion romance better than anything I could’ve dreamt up

God just. The slow reveal of what Tav is doing. How she hesitates before opening the curtain, but then its night outside. How she pulls on the chains but you wonder if she can’t break them. But then the sun starts to rise. And every step is careful and planned. She sets the fire before she breaks her chains because she knows exactly how long it will take Astarion to get to her once he knows what she’s done. Smashing the glass and climbing through the window so Astarion can’t just close the curtains on her again. For all the emotion every act carries, it’s all thought through and calculated. Not brash decision but thorough and passionate. The exact kind of person Astarion would’ve fallen for when he met Tav in the first place. And then he does manage to get to Tav before she burns, gets to grab her hand. And she looks at him. But his appearance isn’t enough to command her anymore. She doesn’t falter and she doesn’t pull away. She lets him know that he has no more control. And that he is why this is happening. And he wasn’t too late to stop it, he never could stop it. Not me reading into this and doing Analysis the artist maybe never even intended because Astarion makes my brain do that.

Holy shit this hits even harder after Patch 5. Spoilers, but the epilogue dialogue basially confirms that this can happen to Tav. If you romance Ascended Astarion, you can say youre unhappy with your lack of freedom and he gets pissed. He basically says he will make you live a life of luxury with him whether you "appreciate it or not"

One of the saddest things is that ascended Astarion would only see it as a betrayal and not understand it was his own monstrous actions that caused it :')

I love this animation. I keep replaying the parts where she remembers her friends and Astarion as he once was. The thing that gets me to tear up is Tav remembering Shadowheart and Karlach, because by this time they'd be long gone. Even if Karlach didn't die from her infernal engine and even though Shadowheart herself probably has another century left, what's the lifespans of a tiefling and a half-elf compared to the eternity of a vampire? Tav's friends who genuinely care about her wellbeing and who love her as a person are dead and gone and all she's left with is whatever shadow of a sentiment is left that Astarion has for her after he did the ritual and willingly continued the cycle of abuse. When Tav lets herself burn in the sun at the end, I like to imagine that she's finally choosing to go where Shadowheart and Karlach, the people who truly love her, have gone rather than continue to live as a caged bird. I know this is supposed to be about a tragic romance with Astarion and I like it for that too (Astarion's realization when Tav breaks her chains is *chef's kiss*) but I'm a sucker for deep platonic love as well and the thought of Karlach and Shadowheart being heartbroken from beyond the grave by their dear friend Tav's situation hurts me good. Thank you Vesper ❤

I’ve watched this on repeat so many times. I love the fact that tav submitted to the sun; at some point during the ascension romance tav asks if they have to fear the sun and Astarion implies he will extend the ascension powers to them to protect them from the sun. This means that astarion has revoked that protection as a means of caging tav, only for it to be their means of escape. Love it

The use of hair length, while a small detail, lets us know just how long Tav has been dealing with this. All of the scenes from before the Ascension have shorter, shoulder length hair. Now Tav's hair reaches down to the ground and swallows them. It tells us they have been with Astarion for a very long time. This was not a hasty decision.

"in claiming your reign, you have ruined our love" THIS WORDING OMFG. I honestly was fooled by his sweetness when he ascended and had no idea this was the worst version of him im not gonna lie, but after it was shown to be his "bad ending" these animatics r hitting way different

The abuse starts out subtle, small, but his charm draws you in and you don’t even realize he’s turning into Cazador. He’s so charming that even many of the fans were mad and questioning why Tav was acting negatively towards him in the epilogue, not realizing that the moment Astarion ascended, he became the same monster he hated and that the cycle of abuse would continue. That he was no longer capable of loving Tav in the way he once did.

2:40 Tav burnt her side of the portrait first, then struck the candle holder right through Astarion’s chest, showing his heart ultimately causer her death. She wanted to die a long time ago. 2:46 when she rips off the chains Astarion’s eyes glows as if he’s alerted *or maybe his chains were ripped off too.* Fuck this mv is killing me.

"He will do what it takes to survive" really hits. Beautiful animation. I was breathless at the final sequence.

The implication at the beginning that he just struck her across the face is heart wrenching. Combined with her tired expression it makes me wonder how often he's done it before. Amazing job, this perfectly captures how the ascendant/Tav relationship would end up.

I like that the ending shot is only his back. So you never know what he is thinking or feeling after. Also side note: in her memories, her hair is shoulder length and now it touches the ground. Makes me wonder how long she held out and how often she had tried to get her autonomy back from him. Because they aren't in the same room meaning even if it was good in the beginning it sure wasn't now.

It’s heartbreaking to consider Tav actually saying “I hope that you burn” to ascended Astarion, especially as she herself burns away, knowing it’s one of the few things he can’t do. One of the many things ascension took away from him. I read it as her almost wishing he would join her, could join her, in passing on, yet fully knowing he wouldn’t even if he could at this point, and the sheer bitterness in the delivery of that line highlights the realization perfectly. As angry at him as she is, as much as she lets that show, she still loves him, and the pain that puts her through shows too. Anyways, sorry for my rambling. I tend to over-analyze. Hope someone read this and enjoyed it though. I always enjoy reading comments like this myself.

The end, when Astarion grabs her arm, it kills me a bit inside - he so obviously wants to keep her, but at this point, after keeping her for so long, it seems like she's become more a possession he feels entitled to rather than someone he wants to keep because he loves her - he just looks so angry, not even hurt that she's willing to submit herself to the sun just to get away from him, he's just angry that she's getting away. The scene where he realises she's broken the chains also makes me feel something I'm not able to articulate - it almost creates this image of him desperately running to try and catch her before she goes, and (in my mind) he's emotional about it, so seeing him just so plainly angry creates this pain, a pain she clearly feels.

I think a lot of people forget the reality of what Ascending+romance means for Astarion. He is the master and Tav is his slave. Tav only has a say in the matter so long as Astarion allows it (this can even be seen in some of his dialogue). The fact that Astarion breaks up with you if you do not become a spawn indicates that he has lost respect for Tav's autonomy and choice. And don't forget, becoming a spawn is permanant - Tav can never back out. And Astarion just made himself into a powerful vampire ascendant, the only vampire in history to not have to suffer hunger or sunlight, who "lives thousands of hours in a single day" or whatever. It will not take long for him to lose whatever humanity he has left, to see himself as above it all. And he wants Tav all to himself (which can again be seen in his dialogue). There is DEFINITELY still love for Tav, but it is not the love between two equals. Its the love someone feels for a pet Add in the fact that people who suffered abuse are more likely to hecome abusive, and... I think its very possible that Astarion will project his own years of captivity onto his, quote, "favorite spawn" (which i just realize is exactly how Cazador described Astarion - his "favorite") (edit, I think Astarion actually says "most beloved spawn" but even so) Ofc, its a game, and everyone can interpret it in whatever way makes the game enjoyable for them. A lot of people won't want to interpret it in such a depressing way, and thats fine (and many will certainly argue that making Tav a spawn is about immortality and not slavery, but I'd argue that both are technically true at the same time so it doesn't really matter which one Astarion intended). But personally, i can't see a romance with Ascended Astarion as anything more than a disaster waiting to happen, exactly as this (amazing) video depicted And if you disagree, thats fine. Its a game and idc enough to argue with pro-ascension fans who (mostly) just want the sexy dialogue with him EDIT So Larian has basically confirmed that Spawn Tav is a slave. The newest patch adds an epilogue where Tav can express discontent for their lack of freedom as a spawn. And Astarion basically says "Not this again" (implying Tav has complained about this before) and calls Tav ungrateful for not appreciating everything Astarion gave them. Then Astarion basically implies he will never set Tav free and that he'll make Tav live in luxury "whether they appreciate it or not."

at first I thought her chains were strings of jewelry. It wasn't until she spun that I realized what they were. Tav is the shadow of who she was (although she carries herself like a queen) the strength and love that made her herself is gone and heartbreak is all she has left. She is in a gilded cage, beautiful but still caged. The hero, the savoir who scarified so much waited a very long time for her lover to come back to her. But he never did. She even hesitated before opening the curtains and looked back at the memories that they had making sure that there was nothing else she could do. And then she hugged his past and he faded the look in her eyes was when she really and truly felt like the person she fell in love with was gone forever. I feel like the tears that she shed weren't for herself but for what could have been.

WHO ARE YOU?? Just coming out here and dropping the BEST animatic of the entire year out of absolutely no where. This is literally so beautiful and well done!

I love the bindings seeming like soft bracelets and a necklace, it gives hadestown vibes of "Shackle her from wrist to wrist with sterling silver bracelets" and its just so fitting,

Thank you everyone for your comments! As much as I would like to reply them all it is becoming a little overwhelming, so I am leaving this here :) thanks for appreciating this headcanon of mine, I am glad you liked it! :)) Also, this may not align with canon events, I missed a couple of things but oh well, Its just an idea I wanted to give form to. Thanks again!

Wow this is so tragic. It makes sense that this is where it would lead to, Astarion would never learn and only continue the cycle of abuse he's been subjected to. And this song continues to kill it! Awesome work!!

Yup, that’s exactly how this tragic story would end if Tav doesn’t stop him from ascension….absolutely beautiful animation, make more, you’re extremely talented!!!!!❤❤❤❤

Love the subtle or maybe not so subtle detail of tav using shocking grasp on the chains. Goes to show that its possible she could have done that at any time but she also became wounded on both wrists and neck. That was probably there as a deterrent as the wounds are probably severe. That isn't a problem since the goal was not to escape but to commit suicide. Well done.

After seeing the patch 5 epilouge convo with ascended astarion this REALLY IS SPOT ON

As much as I want Astarion to walk in the sunlight and see Baldur's Gate in colour, I can't bring myself to ascend him knowing he never actually heals from the abuse he went through. As vampire lord, he's still afraid of Cazador (you can't even mention his name really), he would use his power to subjugate others to the same abuse he endured, and even Tav just becomes another one of his subjects if not a little more favoured. You perfectly captured what I always imagined would happen if Tav didn't break up with Ascended Astarion before the final fight.😢😢😭😭 Excuse me while I go and get a new heart😭😭💔💔 The only way I'd let Astarion ascend is if my DUrge Tav accepts Bhaal's blessing. In that case, they're both lost causes.😂 Edit: So I was watching Astarion shorts about ascending him and choosing to become his spawn and came across a lovely little clip from Nyloth where we aren't technically his spawn, but rather some variation of a vampire bride. Watch over here - ru-vid.comI4CfTJj64JE?si=GgJ9Iklsf55a1gRO. It actually eases the blow of submitting yourself to him.

I’m not crying I just got some vampire dust in my eyes 😭 The art is so beautiful and expressive and the utilization of the song was incredible especially when taking into consideration of the negative aspects of Ascended Astarion

so this has actually made me fucking cry. I'm not a person who cries easily at fictional scenes. like yeah, I'll get emotional but there's not really any tears but holy *shit* this video...the moment I realized how it was going to end I started to cry because everything was just so *heartbreaking* Tav genuinely loves Astarion. They wanted to make him happy, to help him feel safe. and then Astarion ascended and he wasn't the same person anymore. the ascension ending is really heartbreaking when you actually stop to think about it...

I JUST replayed bg3 for the new epilogue content and let me tell you, after successfully getting all romance scenes for spawn Astarion & his epilogue-it HURT replaying ascending him. I wanted to see the contrast and even hoped the durge background would somehow make it less brutal but oh my god. They wrote his character SO well, and the voice acting just sold it even harder. “I love you… that’s what you wanted to hear, isn’t it?” RIP my heart

THIS WAS SO GOOD???? As an artist, I am,,, your style, the framing, the smooth feeling to it all, perspective, THE EXPRESSIONS, poses, ohhhh my goddddd. Tav's memories of Astarion before he ascended, that one part where she hugs him as he's on the ground UEAHGHGGHJ. It all fit so well with the song too!! Man this must've taken so long to make and you did an amazing job.

Oh shit, you animated my feelings and reaction in the aftermath of when I stood aside and let Astarion ascend, perfectly. As soon as the ritual was complete i immediately realised my mistake, i tried to ignore it for awhile, and pretend that Ascending was what he truly wanted, that it was what was best for him, perhaps i got far too invested in his romance storyline, perhaps i managed to properly miss a section where its obvious that ascending would be awful for him, that it wasnt what he wanted. It was only when i refused to let him turn me into his spawn, when i refused him treat me how he was treated by Cazador, that i saw that this isnt what he wanted, that in his battle to be free, that he became who he feared, the person who he despised. he willingly killed so many people, he treated them as lesser then him, he treated them as if they were vermin, saying it didnt matter because they were already undead, people he knew. He didn't even mourn them. He didnt even try to pretend he wasnt manipulating me and playing with my emotions when I refused to be turned into a vampire. I was so unreasonably angry when he outright admitted that if i agreed to be turned, to stay by his side, he wouldnt see me as an equal. (Well, it isnt necessarily unreasonable, in real life i have to demand and fight so im seen as an equal to other people, and not broken or inhuman, so it kinda hit a nerve) I wasnt even entirely angry at him, i was also angry at myself, in hindsight it was made quite obvious that helping him ascend would continue the cycle of abuse he was forced into. The fact that i didnt do more to end the cycle.

Astarion, was back to the very start of their Adventure. Isolated, frightened, and alone beneath the sun. Only this time no-one is coming to help.

The coloring is so perfect in this. Like Tav trapped in darkness compared to Astarion talking about seeing the world in color in game. This style worked so well with only grey scale, white, and red. The contraction of Tav’s eyes in the sunlight, perfection. Stunning work. This has haunted me for days.

This is amazing!!! The expressions the lighting god the EMOTIONAL DAMAGE

I just want to say thank you for this animation. I only finished Astarions Quest line yesterday and it made be feel so many emotions. I didn´t romance Astarion but this Animaton depicted exactly how Tav would probably feel after Astarion acended and they stayed with him and let him turn them. Thank you for combining two things that i really grew to love, Hamilton and Bg3

Ahh, it makes you feel for tav if she is in this situation, talking about Shadowheart and Karlach centuries later. They both most likely died many many years ago, how alone she must feel at that point with Astarion the rest of her companions long gone and she's still here with him.

I love this, and thought about it for ages today and then suddenly had the thought "Damn what if he just goes to Withers and rez'ed you after this incredible exit?" Like damn, let's hope Withers just straight up says no thank you sir and blasts him through a portal.

Welp, the emotional damage is FUCKING strong with this one-maybe they’ll be reborn into happier people

Repeat after me: DON'T - LET - HIM - ASCEND! People like him need love, not power!

This feels even more relevant now with the recent updates to animations and interactions with him. 😭

Changing the lyric from "Paranoid in every paragraph how they perceive you." to "Paranoid in every paragraph that I would leave you." fuck.. That I think highlights the focus around what the ascension does to Astarion, It brings out his worst aspects. His insecurities. He has all the self confidence of Tav's love, but still very little for himself. In a way letting him ascend undoes all the work he does for and on himself. It's BRUTAL.

This is heart-wrenchingly beautiful!! You did an amazing job!

Oh my good, my heart, i'm crying. I'm never ever ever Ascending Astarion. Its a disservice to him, to us and to the world. We are going to be happy in every playthrough as lovers or as friends. Im dreading the day I do an evil playthrough. The animation is so beautiful and evocative. I love that she has the appearance of a royal consort yet she is nothing but a prisoner and slave with no freedom.

The perfect use of the dawn to solidify Tav's decision to "erase herself from the narrative". So subtley done and BEYOOTIFUL 💔

I think the thing that's always confused me about people who romance Ascended Astarion is how the game is painfully direct about how *THIS IS ALL THAT AWAITS YOU* if you go through with it, but thousands of players still do.

Great job. You get the bad relationship the protagonist is in. I love the compositions and your artstyle😍💫

I've spent countless days daydreaming about what Tav would like after the Ascension. The "Metaphor" of the chains and Tav being in captivity was something I tough about, but never let myself think he would litterally do it. After re-watching some of my playtrough and some video, realised how scary Astarion was when, once you ascend him, he says "As much as I would love to lock you in a room in my palace and keep you for myself" And that video, that masterpiece, just represent how true that sentence is. I think i'll start soon a Fanfic on wattpad with an ending like that, because even weeks after finishing the game and stopped playing it, I can't bring myself to stop thinking about all the possibilities and THAT MAN. Wonderful job, thank you for your work :)

This broke me in so many ways. Absolutely beautiful, but also heartbreaking. When Tav was reliving Shadowheart and Karlach's warnings i absolutely lost it :(

This is even more beautiful after knowing how Ascended Astarion acts in the epilogue.

I didn't like making Ascended Astarion in the first place but this, this is too much. I'll never ascend him again

"You don't get to force me to stay" hurt so much to read omg

I love this because you can appreciate the dark beauty of this video even if you know nothing about BG3. Just knowing it's a tragic love story between vampires is all you need to know. It really is beautiful. Once he ascends, it's haunting how different he becomes. Just a ruthless, cold-blooded manipulator with nothing else to give you but pretty words and half-hearted promises.

The way that despite everything he’s put them through they still don’t hesitate to run to hold and comfort the image of Astarion before his ascension

Gods, this was SO GOOD. The way her chains has the same infernal bindings?! And breaking it alerted him??? GENIUS!! This was so powerful. Lowkey wanna cry lmao

Damn, that's gorgeous. Absolutely magnificent. The chains look so thin as if even Astarion knew that she was choosing to stay, yet still put chains on her to remind her that she is tied to him, that she is his to own. Like a pretty doll in a box, she is dressed elegantly in her chains in a large room. And a large portrait of them as another reminder of why she stays, the many memories long gone now held in a single frame.

Can we make like a petition to have this be one of the endings PLEASE? my gods you drew this amazingly, it hurts but so well??? The emotions in their eyes alone speaks paragraphs 😭❤️

This is just perfection! After watching the new scenes from the epilogue when romancing Ascended Astarion, this is *exactly* how I can see their story ending. (I can never do the Ascended romance for this reason - you basically become his pet, he sees you as inferior, and you're trapped for eternity. Whereas he just becomes everything he tried to escape...)

I would never have thought to put this song to the story of Tav and Ascended Astarion, but my god it is so perfect. The raw anger and betrayal in the song, the red chains snapping at the height of her reeling indignation... This is insanely good and such a well laid narrative. Absolutely gut wrenching, seriously well done.

I love how Astarion's emotion stays unreveled to us and left to our on imagination

HOLY SHIT I ALMOST CRIED WATCHING THIS. I love the detail that we don’t *get* to see Astarion’s reaction to the actual fire, nor the burning of the sun. What he reacts to is the breaking of the bond. It gives the impression that he reacted the most strongly to that loss of connection or ownership. It’s essentially a master losing a slave. We don’t see his reaction to Tav *dying*. We don’t see the grief, and it’s dehumanizing. We focus on Tav’s pain, Tav’s own grief. And it’s heartbreaking, but we don’t *get* to see *if* this breaks *Ascended Astarion*’s heart. In usual movie editing, we usually expect a cut to the other person’s reaction to everything. A closeup, a tear, *something!* ..but we don’t get that. Tav doesn’t recognize him anymore. Fucking hells man, I loved watching this.

When you didn't reveal Astarion's face at the end, that was chef's kiss. It gives a feeling of resign love it!

I have never ascended him but this shit made me HURT. Oh my god you are so unbelievably talented everything about this is perfection.

I just got done with the epilogue party with ascendant Astarion and it's just so sad, seeing all your former companions and friends, hearing stories of what they've been up to for the last six months while the pc has most likely been captive at Astarion's side the entire time. And when the party is over you know the pc has no choice but to go back to an eternity of that hell. There's no illithid savior coming for you, none of your friends can save you and any plans you discussed having together (Karlach looking you up once she's out of Avernus/Gale and Tara inviting you to come to Waterdeep, etc.) will likely never happen. That night is likely the last you see of those friends and they'll all die long before you'd even get the chance of tasting freedom, if you ever do.

It’s the fact that for CENTURIES Tav let herself stay there, chained, in perfectly great self-death method chilling right in her bedroom. And Asta never once thought, “What if my wife tries to off herself with the GIANT WINDOW WHERE THE SUN COMES IN that I just let her have?” Like it never once crossed his mind. That’s what has me in disbelief

no this is acc making me sob. i feel so bad for what he had to go through and when he ascends he turns into what he hates and is afraid of most, completely losing himself. tavs pain and the way astarion stands in the window at the end breaks my heart, whether hes realising what he's done or processing the 'betrayal' he must feel; actually makes my heart break.

The ending shots so GOOOOD how you Astarion holding her arm trying to grasp on the little bit left of her as Tav dies away freeing hersellf and the memories and centuries of her being locked up representing in her hair as it burns up first and she speaks her last few words to him. And the last being back to her and Astarions past where her hair was to her shoulders left with those memories torturing him goodness this is good Tearsss and Chills

I can't stop replaying this, unashamedly made me cry and will continue to cry when I watch this. The gut punches of the memories dancing around only to vanish, the imagined spirits of Shadowheart and Karlach who if they aren't dead, Astarion probably forbids her from seeing is heartbreaking.

Im obsessed. The framing and pacing of this is stunning oh my gosh. Everything flows from one moment to the next perfectly. The window acting like a chekov’s gun, continuously coming back until you finally understand why in the end. The lines “He will do what it takes to survive.” And “Flown too close to the sun.” Are so accurate to ascended astarion it hurts. The way tav hugs the memory of astarion, just wanting to comfort his pain. The way astarion stands in the window as the sun rises framed by the shattered glass with all of the shards pointing toward HIM showing this is indeed the consequences of his actions. He gets to stand in the sun now, but it doesn’t fix the brokenness he still holds and inflicts and he lost his love because of it. Oh my god AGHHH

Can we talk about how she runs to the memory of the old him. She was so in love and now she no longer can. She’s choosing death, and the way he seems angry and panicked when she breaks the chains the anger he shows right before and then she’s gone. This is insane and I love it!

Anyone else notice how short Tav's hair was in her memories? How long has she been locked in that room...

I WANT TO SCREAM 😭 Even though I hate to face it and keep telling myself "He was abused and never completely recovered. He suffered too much it's not his fault that he ended up the way he did", this is not actually true. I want to believe he actually cares about Tav (and he does to a certain level), he's mostly just looking for something or someone that can make him feel somewhat strong, because he was weak and vulnerable for way too long. But it obviously doesn't justify the way he treats Tav. Regardless of everything he might have endured, he should be aware that he has no right to make anyone feel the same way he felt, and make them suffer from the same thing he himself suffered from. Note to... Well, everyone who plays bg3 Do NOT ascend Astarion. I repeat: Do NOT ascend him.

IM OBSESSED WHAT my past self (obsessed with hamilton) and current self (obsessed with astarion) are FREAKING OUTTTTT THIS IS SO GOOD

I stumbled upon this randomly, and now I can't stop watching it. It's so well made and so hauntingly beautiful.

As someone who always ascended him (I have my reasons) and always romance him even with knowing the way he turns Tav is like a vampire bride seeing this broke my heart seeing how Tav could end up centuries afterwards. I applaud your video and hope you continue making videos maybe even leading up to this point

I love this! This is what I imagined what my Tav would have done if she ascended him and became his. Oh man I teared up I won’t lie! Love this song too!!!

I absolutely love this animatic but I can’t help but see the irony in the fact that it’s the player’s decision that put the Tav and Astarion is such a state.

This broke me , especially seeing Shadowheart and Karlach. Two companions I run in my party along with Astarion. Felt very personal

Am I the only one crying from this!? Holy crap dude. I never thought of an outcome like this, Ive never SEEN an outcome like this. Its always been happy endings with Astarion. The expressions, the rewritten lyrics. It hurts my heart so much. This gives a "Where is the man I fell in love with" vibe. The memories shown, where Tav hugs him on the ground. Perfection. I hope to see more of your Tav's backstory.

We need Neil to see this.

This is absolutely beautiful. Also story makes sense as astarion gives in to his insecurities about someone always being out there to get him so not surprising he’ll stop trusting Tav after ascension. And he literally stops thinking they’re equals too so 🤷🏻‍♀️ But amazing job with the video, can’t stop watching it 😍😍

i often wonder how spawn astarion would react to ascended astarion. i'd like to think he'd be horrified of the monster he becomes, the abuser he will be. i'd like to imagine spawn astarion loves tav enough to not want to ascend the moment he realises what he would do to them.

i cannot stop watching this- this animatic so stunning, especially the lyric changes "...burning the lover that might have redeemed redeemed you" HOLY SHIT anyway side note I would never gatekeep a character, but I absolutely cannot get over how people keep ascending astarion for the "ooo dominant ascended stari sexy" NO PLEASE HE NEVER GETS OVER HIS TRAUMA AND HE TREATS YOU NOT AS A PERSON BUT AS AN OBJECT PLEASE DONT signed, a mystic messenger player

The little hints that shes been there so long with her hair growing from being short though my god detailll

What makes this hit even harder is their most recent update giving everyone their own animation for how they kiss Tav. Ascended Astarion makes you kneel if you ask for a kiss, putting a hand around your neck as he leans down to kiss you. I happened to also read a fic on ao3 that like goes so well with this animatic.

This is amazing, and a perfect depiction of the feelings that will likely develop when you're stuck for centuries with Ascended Astarion. Hauntingly beautiful.

OH MY GOD ITS PERFECT ITS TRAGIC AND THE LYRICS????? COME ON NOW literally sobbing

This song never fails to shatter my feels- and this animatic reminds me once more why the Ascended ending is NOT a good one. I was surprised that the chains broke so easily ( love the idea that the chains are connected in more ways than one to Astarion)- until I realized that she definitely did so before- only to be punished (hence the mark on her face in the beginning). Love how she made everything burn with her- and as much as one hopes Astarion realizes his loss, I doubt it. He might mourn her...but he'll simply fashion another consort- preferably someone more easy to thrall.

The sheer amount of raw emotion and storytelling established within three and a half minutes is absolutely insane

I don't say this lightly, but you have truly captured the peak emotion of playing through the story with a self insert. Wonderful job at picking just the most dramatic frames and visual storytelling elements, just kudos all around

After the epilogue, this is even more perfect.

I think a big draw to Ascended Astarion is the same as Anakin Skywalker/Vader. What he feels he had to do to secure a future for himself and his love, but not realizing the cost. I personally will not ascend him ever in the game because it hurts too much personally, but I see the draw. It would be interesting to see someone do a fic with him years later having a possible redemption like Vader.

From all that we hear in the game added with the new end chapter on how he makes sure you have everything you could ever want from money to items, etc and you have the option to ask him for your freedom and he says "oh not this again" meaning youve asked for it for the whole 6 months after the elder brain. I love how you showed a side of what it could look like while he has you. Yes he gave you everything you couldve wanted and showed that he is afraid you will leave his side forever if he gave you your freedom so you burn his palace and jump into the growing sun to get away. I love that you showed memories of them dancing or cuddling and enjoying themselves. It is beautiful and it made me cry. Excellent job.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck that was sad. Chefs kiss you nailed it ❤️ I hope Niel sees this it’s so perfect

This goes so hard! 💔 How does this not have more views?!

MAN... AGONY I LOVED THIS

This song really is perfect for Astarion. Prior to ascension, Astarion uses pretty words to ensnare you. He even catches real feelings. And that love does indeed burn with desire and passion. But once he's ascended. Once he's sacrificed his very humanity in a grab for power. Nothing else matters. He is a shell of his former self. His love becomes performative and conditional. Once you have all that power, the only thing you fear is someone taking it all away from you. A man who would devolve into paranoia, seeing threats in every dark corner. A vampire who feels he can do anything, even bringing another lover into your marital bed. And as his spawn (or even consort) there's still little we can do to oppose him. It's just a perfect choice about power corrupting and tainting this once beautiful love story. As a romantic man with pretty words breaks down into a paranoid recluse. It's sad, but beautiful. It truly captures Astarion's fall perfectly. And the animatic itself is beautiful too.

I would love to see astarion start to question why he did it and realize it was all wasted because of his choice, but I also want to see him become like cazador and then later on realize he became the monster he fears 🥲 This animation is amazing and you just gained a new subscriber ❤

This is truly incredible! It’s hauntingly beautiful. You can really feel each emotion captured so perfectly, and the animation is so dynamic and amazing. You did a wonderful job with this animatic, it really pulls the heartstrings and captures such a dark and almost poetic depiction of Ascended Astarion and Tav.

damn this was gut wrenching. Burn has always been such a powerful song, and somehow you did it justice with this animatic. I immediately broke up with astarion when i ascended him during my evil run because i hated what he turned into, and you really captures that. great work! this made me legit tear up lol.

My god I love this so much. It actually made me tear up at the end. This perfectly captures a romanced ascended Astarion. I never ascended him in any of my playthroughs (so far) but my first Tav just did whatever Astarion wanted and went along with it even if she wasn’t happy (I was scared I wouldn’t be able to romance him otherwise) and I kinda wish I used that for the Ascended playthrough now as I imagine she would’ve been just like the Tav/Durge in this animation.💔

I just wanna say I watched this a few days ago and it’s been all I can think about. The art is amazing, and storytelling and composition are genuinely so thought out and well done. Every action Tav takes is so methodical and planned showing the time they’ve put into thinking about this moment. I genuinely feel like this is the direction Astarion will unfortunately end up after he ascends. He doesn’t fully heal if he ascends and becomes even more paranoid of losing the power be gained. He is never truly free, just shackled to his need for power and control instead of a master. Chains of gold are still chains.