Astarion: I'm sorry- You *want* to be bitten? Tav(says super judgmentally): Yeah, what kind of freak would be into that? *scratches at healing bite marks on their neck*
Yeah, one might think that with all the times Tav willingly rolled their neck to be bitten during sex Astarion would get the idea that some people might be into it... but I guess drow-illitid blood tastes SO bad that the memory has slipped his mind. But yeah, it's especially good if you are playing a drow woman. Astarion might think by this point that all drow chicks are for some reason into being bitten by a vampire. Also, with a drow woman, it makes perfect sense how Araj would address HER first. I was always wondering how she pinpoints the leader if it's two male surface elves, like girl, they are both True Souls, how did you decide?
@thekeeperoftwindragons5976 in all fairness, I'm playing my Tav as if he never expected that he'd be into it. I'm imagining him just having a full on existential crisis when Astarion asked him "you enjoyed it, didn't you?"
Too many of us can relate I'm afraid. That's why most of us are Astarion simps. We simply relate on however dark the level is... and if there's hope for him (as manufactured and silly as it sounds) there's hope for us.
Well when you've been abused by a somehow CHAOTIC EVIL aligned vampire ((as they are usually alignment locked into a lawful evil and thus respectful of boundries in some form or fashion) for who knows how long and thus believe you are a thing and not a 'living' used loosely) person it...changes you/
That vulnerable look...the confusion, and the pain that momentarily shows through, when he realizes he's not just another body to Tav... He almost looked like a child about to cry... 🥺 I don't think I could comfortably court his character, at this point, knowing how much sexual trauma he went through. But, I want to help him all the more. I adore him, but I'd feel...like it'd be sleazy to hook up with someone that deep down has been hurt by so much exploitation. I'll still continue Durge with him, but carefully. My Durge Morgana is not quite sure how to approach romance, either, but they're gradually finding a friend in Astarion. I like to think that even without sex coming into their dynamic, Durge and Astarion can still develop an amazing bond.
I could be wrong, but I am guessing that most people commenting on Astarion, and understanding where his pain comes from, AND being kind to him: are women. Because we F know all too well. Thus, we get it, and give him a chance to heal.
@@FocusedFighter777 you might be on point with that. (most) men don't like him 'cuz he's so gay' and just kill him immediately or stake him at the bite scene. I admit I bought the game solely for Astarion because he is charming and funny but I didn't expect the devs creating such an incredibly deep backstory as a reason for his behaviour. some players be laughing at us and saying 'I can fix him' or that it's the same obsession like with Edward from Twilight or 50 shades of grey... newsflash I wasn't obsessed with either of them. Astarion on the other hand...and the fact that you as a player can really get to understand why he's the way he is when he opens up to you and can really help him start healing, I love that. nonascended Astarion with a good Tav/Urge playthrough is canon ending for him IMO. with ascension you only enable him to become his abuser.
@@Daelyah you can continue being romantic with him, there's that 4th option you can pick that says you can be together without being intimate and he appreciates that.
I went from "do you think I can fix him?" (jokingly, to a friend who also plays the game) to "He can fix himself." when he basically told me "alright, you can be a hero if you really want, just don't drag me into this", when I agreed to help the gnomes in the Grymforge. You know, as opposed to his little disapprovals with the tieflings in the Emerald Grove. I really do believe that if you play a "good person" playthrough (at least while dating him, I have yet to finish one where I don't since I'm in act 3 of my first full one), he "fixes" himself. He just needs someone who believes in him, and sees him for the person he is, beneath the shell of pain and coping mechanisms/his social survival instincts (like trying to manipulate Tav). Someone who accepts him, shows him kindness, respects his boundaries and choices. But who's also willing to show him the right direction, give him a little push and help him see reason when he's letting the fear guide him (like with Cazador). It's genuinely the one time I do think it's better to intervene, because he keeps talking about how he could get more powerful here and there - with the tadpoles, becoming a full vampire, ascending - in part as a means to survival... But I also think that being a power hungry, afraid bean that he is, he'd end up like Cazador. He'd turn someone into spawn eventually, then keep them around to "teach them the vampire ways", decide he wouldn't turn them into a full vampire. They'd rebel, and he'd force his will just like Cazador did, and it'd only be downhill from there. He already displayed moments where he thought himself better than other spawn, like when he tries to deceive his siblings that they'd live, while he plans to ascend and have them killed in process, or with the spawn in the cells. The only difference between him and them boils down to the fact that he was "lucky" to get tadpoled, which broke Cazador's influence over him. It could've happened to any one of them, or to none, or it would've been Tav in one of those cells, had they met him before the tadpoles (as you can point out). HE could've been one in the cells, had Cazador started his plan sooner. Yet he still thought he was better than everyone else. And he really needs Tav to be there, and to give him a little push, if he's going to realize how wrong he is, because he has no means to understand all this, even if he's capable of it, because he's been being conditioned for 200 years.
@@Kasiarzynka he was 100% on his way to become EXACTLY like cazador. Also said something to the effect of "now I understand how the weak creatures of this realm are begging to serve."
@@sabsain2399 Oh, definitely. I've just ascended him for the first time today. It's my first evil/non-resisting Dark Urge playthrough and I figured she'd definitely ascend him because she's possibly even more power hungry than he ia, so having a powerful boyfriend/ally would at least for the time being prove beneficial. I guess you possibly don't need a SPOILER ALERT for ascended Astarion and romance, but here it is, anyway :D. Also, while I won't drop any specifics about the Dark Urge storyline, I'll hint at them because I think it's important in the context that I see it all through. I was honestly surprised to see that once you refuse him becoming his spawn, during the first long rest cutscene after ascending him, it's considered a break-up. In the morning, he was all "you'll regret it!" and now greets me with his break-up line "Why the hell are you bothering me right now?!". All I did was tell him I wasn't his plaything (my Durge may not have the raw powers to match that of a vampire ascendant herself, but she's got much more powerful entity and a number of followers to back her up) and that no, she doesn't want to become his spawn to be ordered around if she says or does something that he dislikes. She didn't go through all this BS just to become a vampire puppet, handing him over the keys to her kingdom. I'm disappointed that standing up for yourself leads to a break-up and I know it can possibly be argued by AA enjoyers that he only wants to be with you for eternity, and by rejecting that you're showing him you don't really want to be with him forever so why should he bother, or something to that effect. But I'm convinced it's more about power dynamics. He needs you under his control, since you're possibly the only person he thinks could hurt him (both physically, I mean we just defeated Cazador so what's to stop us from defeating him?, and emotionally, I suppose) and if he can't control you, then you're unworthy and ungrateful little worm, lmao. I also realized that he wants to do something similar to what I'm planning with my character. She wants to take control over the Brain, which would mean everyone retains their tadpole (I presume) and she could order her friends around if she wanted to. I still think there's a difference, though, as we're not the one infecting him or our companions with the tadpole, it's not targeted. And I'd be fine with him dumping my character once he can't ensure he has control over us while we can gain control over him (especially since after resolving the Dark Urge's personal quest, I basically told him "I'll take control over the world and I mighy even spare you" or something to that effect)... Except as far as I know, refusing to become his spawn ALWAYS leads to a break-up, which is, well, disappointing. Should've gone with Minthara when she "proposed" to me smh.
@@Kasiarzynka exactly this. Nothing wrong with enjoying AA, but defending him??? You'd have to be coping really really hard. The very fact that it's either "become spawn (or consort to put it nicely)," or "break up with me," should ring alarm bells in the head of anyone trying to defend AA. Aside from this, [spoiler] if you break up with him at any point, a few nights later Astarion literally confesses to you that he's glad you left when you did because he "would've ruined your love and used your trust till you were nothing." Alternatively, if you stay with him till the end and THEN decide to leave... he doesn't let you. Literally calls you stupid, says you're his (the way Cazador used to) and that your future is his to decide. Man totally forgot who it was that gave him all this power lol.
the way he expects a kiss or something when our character approaches him is so heartbreaking, but i'm sure it felt so deeply healing just to have softness and peace when all he's ever known is harshness and hurt.
Such a heart-warming scene! I am romancing him this playthrough and he's changed so much (I am trying to pull him more towards a Good path) and the changes are so nice!!
@@bingbong546 basically be good and he gets influenced by you like rpg character does 😂 he does get annoyed if ur lawful good tho, so i played a chaotic good and had no issue
It’s kinda cute how much Tav often gets a “give ‘em a hug” option, but this felt especially moving because you can tell how much this pure act of intimacy and kindness means to Astarion.
@@TBT707 You can either choose to play as one of the original characters (Astarion, Shadowheart, etc.) or play a custom character. The customization isn't great in comparison to other games - f.e. you choose your face but can't choose different lips/nose/eyes. But it's enough to have a unique character. Honestly, I'm someone who spends hours on character creation in every RPG game, because I need my character to be *perfect*, but despite the lack of customization in BG3, I'm really happy with my character.
Ur the G dude. I would've picked the same option(if I could play the game lol) cause it shows how ur willing to show ur vulnerability to him and trust him.
I did the same with my Drow. Too shy to physically do anything that might ruin the moment, but using the worms would show the magnitude of how she felt. And a means of communication he’d never experienced before the worms. Unfortunately, there was no cutscene to let the audience see what Astarion saw, which is a shame but I’m not surprised. You’d need, perhaps, a different scene based on levels of Approval.
I just realized he was prolly surprised that you hugged him because he's a vampire and normally that is the PERFECT way to get your life drained and isn't something anyone should risk if they value their own lives. however.... the MC did. he did something considered stupid and potentially risky to his life and it gave him a message Astarion has needed to hear for centuries at this rate, one that he didn't even need magic or the tadpole to understand. that he has someone other than himself, and that someone wants to protect him while also helping him finally become his own person instead of remaining cazadors bitch or becoming yours instead. giving him this hug sent the message he is not alone anymore. he is not stuck as some bastard's plaything that was forced into kidnapped people using his body when he never wanted to do that to anyone anymore. he is himself, and we will make certain it stays that way. or I'm reading into it too much and he just really liked the warmth we generated that he maybe had forgotten about because it was such a serious moment but remembered when he suddenly got a hug from us lol. maybe just was distracted because it was a nice gesture and was sad so it was unexpected too. idk, whatever it is, the writers for him and the VA did JUSTICE to my boy and cured me of being racist towards vampires.
Idk who you are.... idk where you've been..... but you have restored my faith that Astarion could be saved after all the people I found trash talking about him and saying how bad of a character he was, that he just used your character and never had true feelings for them. I'm all for people who are victims that turn out bad but go through a redemption process. 1000000000 thank yous!!!!!
He just needed someone to meet him in the middle, provide patient love and support to let him grow. His "ego" is all talk - it's a trauma response. Sure he loves a little petty vanity - he was wealthy in his mortal life, lived comfortably, etc. But at his core he's truly just a sad, broken man who had his mortality stolen from him way too early and was enslaved for hundreds of years, his mortal life + bodily autonomy stripped away from him. He sees the world as cruel and unforgiving WITH GOOD REASON. Astarion was like 30 something when he was killed as a mortal. Elves can live something to the tune of 400 years in D&D lore. He had the VAST majority of his mortal life stolen from him by not just being killed, but resurrected and defiled, degraded, tortured, humiliated for another couple hundred years. It's vile that people can't be empathetic for one fucking moment and think critically about WHY he acts the way he does, WHY he struggles with sincere interpersonal connection. It pisses me off to no end that people don't give him a chance to prove himself and grow with just a little bit of nurturing and support.
@@elo6066What makes his story all the more disturbing, is that elves in older D&D lore could reach almost a millennium in age. 30 was... Literally a child, among their race. Think about that. To some extent, Astarion was practically a CHILD when he was murdered, only to be resurrected for torture and sexual exploitation. It makes his story all the more fucked up, in that consideration, and I seriously just...just wanna help him.
@@Daelyah Exactly. Like he never deserved any of that. He deserved a long mortal life to be happy and thrive. And he was robbed of it, turned into a monster and enslaved. AND YET people still get on his case for being like, a little sassy. I can't with people lol
People just not engaging with Astarion make me laugh, 'Oh no he's so flat as a character'. Uh buddy, it means you don't fucking care about him and he chose to not open to you cause why would he.
@@elo6066 EXACTLY as I was saying on somebody elses comment elsewhere when they called him an unapologetically evil sociopath. what's unapologetic about going through 2 CENTURIES of mental and physical abuse? wouldn't anyone lose their mind, their empathy? Astarion is actually coping rather well and has rightful reasons to display sociopathic tendencies. the main point is that you as a player can either be his enabler or his therapist, helping him heal. Him, Lae'zel, and Shadow are neutral and you can either steer them the good way or the bad way. For all of them the good way is the better one. especially for Astarion after suffering so much he desperately needed someone to pull him out of all of the misery and snap him out of thinking that a diabolical ritual with a massive sacrifice will save him.
I just realized that all 6 pre-made origin characters are the people who've been basically used as 'a tool' for almost their entire life. When I group around and go adventuring, Astarion would constantly assume I(tav, pc) would use him to get some benefit. And he always gets surprise whenever I'm not utilizing him or others for my own sake lol.
He’s been through so much. The way he winced back when we approach to hug him, how hesitant he first was until he wrapped his arms around us, and those the shocked, hurt relief eyes… It just shows how much he had been through, with no actual emotional interaction and real love. This scene really tugged at my heartstrings. The writing and detail in this game is so good and they nailed his complex character! My boy’s been through so much and needs pampering🙏🏻
ohhhh- thanks for the heads up! I plan on playing a drow after this run, so I look forward to learning more about her. playing as a drow was def very fun in early access (lots of skill checks bypassed completely bc the npcs are scared of them LMAO) - so I’ve been hyped to try it again now. c:
@@astridchang704If you are drow you get a dialogue option that tells Astarion that she is known for experimenting on mindflayers. He’s basically like yeah that’s probably why her blood stinks
Oh, this is cool seeing it from this perspective. I saw another video where the hug scene started as what looked like a camp dialogue seeing that they needed to talk. I love that Larian added so many ways for all these dialogues to pop up depending on how you played your game. They did a great job. :) Thank you for posting this. I wouldn't have the heart to force him to drink her blood either. Heh, and I know he was fake at first because yay high insight, but that's okay. I was still there for it. It's great to see it turn into something genuine, though. :)
I took a look too after reading this comment and- oh my! It’s truly impressive how much thought and care has gone into this game and all of the dialogue variations. Larian deserve so much praise for this game it's unfathomable. and ofc!
I feel bad for drow like her. Believing people should belong, possessively and not romantically, to each other. Miserable in their delusions. Thank goodness astarion gets a little moment of his own.
Check out mine and tell me if they have the same face. I think so. (Mine has whiter skon though) I've seen people comment on this character a lot, mine's hot too.
The more I watch these the more I'm mind blown by just how well Astarion is written and what an amazing job Neil has done. Especially the line that starts at 3:48, the sigh and then the hand gestures, it's just so real and how it's delivered makes Astarion so charming and lovable. I love this.
REALLY COOL! I didn't force him to drink her blood, but when she asked if he was mine I picked "Yes, all mine." because we had just made it "offical" so I thought that was what that option was for 💀 I still got this scene, but not him thanking me.
It's kind of sad how you don't have to use persuasion with him. He just does whatever Tav tells him to do. That's why I love this scene. It shows that Tav is different from Cazador. From everyone else. Tav shows Astarion that he really is his own person and can decide things for himself. Tav also shows Astarion that they truly care about him, instead of using him for his body, which is sadly all that he knows.
This is when he finally decided he liked my goody two-shoes paladin. He's too cheesy for me to romance (no judgment though, I get it) but we are besties for life.
The absolutely comedic timing of Astarion saying "by rights I should be cinders blowing in the wind, but something's protecting me" as he's getting utterly blasted by fire is incredible.
i kinda wish we had the option to ask about the hug first. feels odd to invade his space and just touch him without saying a word after hearing all that about his backstory. am i alone in this?
Thank you - this is interesting as I made a few different dialogue choices so didn't know the seducing me line! I also opened my mind up rather than hugs but it does a tav good to see them get cared for
