Good For Me For Being His Tav :DHonestly, I Can't Keep My Bard's Desire To Have A Deal."I Won't Tell

Good for me for being his Tav :D Honestly, I can't keep my bard's desire to have a deal. "I won't tell anyone and just let me cut myself and we'll settle in nicely, I can even sing or telling stories while you eat, my Lord" If you have time to say anything at all... Old School Vampires. I like the idea of a deal and happy endings. Oh, bard who sings beautifully while Lord Astarion licks the blood from their wound. Some dark quiet song like "Lullaby of woe".

You know what is wild to me?

People were making fun of Ascended Astarion when he turned into a bat after Patch 5. I stumbled across some posts since Tumblr's being stupid with the latest tags and had a good laugh. They seem pretty serious about it too. "He's pretending to be so scary and then he just turns into a freakin' bat, of all things! Isn't that funny?!"

No? Not really? We all should have expected Astarion to have the ability to turn into a bat sooner or later, even as a spawn. Or a wolf. Or a cloud of mist. Or a cloud of bats. It's what vampires do. They've been doing it in media for so long. It's a powerful ability used for stealth and easy movement. And think about this: you can be easily stalked by a bat. You would never know he was there until it was too late. It's just another tool for hunting among other things in a vampire's arsenal.

Anyone foolish enough to underestimate this ability deserves their fate. Maybe anyone foolish enough to call him cute, too, though let's face it, he'd eat up that kind of attention before dining on them.

i really thought fans who hate ascend astarion got his ending and then hated it. They are so pissed off about vampire bride groom thing saying it’s not canon, but then scream that he lied that tav/dark urge will hurt a bit when becoming a spawn. But it is true that it only hurt a bit, so i’m so confused. They refuse to see the evidences in the scene and how there was “ascend astarion still has soul” but no “tav/dark urge is not vampire bride groom.”

the bride theory exists in this weird state of canonisity where there are a lot of similarities in game to draw the conclusion, but because it isnt outright stated in game or by the devs to be true. i think thats intentional, its an rpg so they would want to leave some elements ambigious so you, the player, can decide what the story is based on your actions via roleplay. in this perspective, all theories have a certain level of validity in regard to canon.

as for it being painful, like. no duh? being ensanguinated isnt going to be pleasant. that doesnt make it morally wrong, and plus if your pc accepted lovitar's blessing its thematically satisfying (which is why i almost always choose "make it hurt" over "be gentle", you know its going to hurt. you welcome the pain. the pain becomes pleasure and vice versa. ascention and becoming his spawn is wearing the pain of trauma on your sleeve and not being ashamed of it.)

which, this really gets me when it comes to the idea that aa is inherently abusive. you could read it that way, but its just as well you can read it as two sickos being weird about their attachment to eachother. the rejection of the idea the player character can be an enthusiastic participant has somehow led to this, frankly insulting and cartoonish, depiction of a!astarion as a wife-beating rapist and the player character as a meek damsel. which i think is so wildly out of character. write a!a as toxic all you want, he is literally neutral evil, but for some reason people think an evil character has to be the most extreme characature possible, rather than the complex web of motives, flaws, sympathies, and personal standards a!astarion is.

this also denies the agency of actual people to extrapolate their own personal mean from the experience, what of a player character that would sacrifice anything just because astarion asked? what of a player character that was just as obsessed with him as he is with them? these ideas just dont compute in the minds of folks who insist you have to read astarion the One True Way

this got really rambly, but ultimately my point is that it is up to interpretation, intentionally so, and the team (welch not widthstanding lol) have pretty much expressed this exact sentiment. again, duh, because its a roleplaying game that encourages you to self insert.

Ascended Astarion walks confidently into a gathering of nobles and politicians only to realize he's in over his head the longer he listens to everyone talk. Everything he's known before has changed. Laws and solutions are being suggested for the current situations that would have never been considered back when he was Magistrate. Half of the jargon is unfamiliar to him now.

An intense anxiety washes over him as more unfamiliar eyes fall on him and, barely excusing himself, he bolts for the exit, nearly knocking several people over.

He can't do this.

Tav doesn't have time to react when the doors of the palace slam open and shut behind them before they are nearly tackled to the floor in a tight hug. A familiar sob reaches their ears, calming the quelling rage, and bared fangs at the idea ANYONE had the gall to attack them and they immediately turn as Astarion buries his face in their neck. His fingers bite into their clothing as his knees give way, taking both of them to the floor as he hyperventilates, trying to tell them what happened.

"I knew it was too soon for you to go back to that..." they sigh, running their hand through his hair and rubbing his back while leaving gentle kisses anywhere they can reach. "Calm down, Starlight. It's not the end of the world."

It takes some coaxing but they're able to get him to his feet and guide him back toward their bedroom. Astarion keeps his head down and refuses to look Tav in the eye as they draw him a bath.

"Relax, my heart. All in due time," they whisper as he settles into the tub and they wrap their arms around his shoulders from behind, nuzzling him as they run a hot washcloth over his pale, heaving chest. "You have the first part of your wish. The second part will take time and work. You're rusty with socializing, crowds especially, and a lot has changed in two centuries. You only have to brush up on some of the newer norms, that's all... We can make a day of looking for books and scrolls that can help with that. You'll have Baldur's Gate in the palm of your hand in no time, Darling."

After some time and the tub water cooling, Astarion gives a deep, stable exhale and turns his head to lean against his consort's, his hand wrapping around the one holding the washcloth. This earns him a kiss on his temple.

"What would I do without you?"

"Go cry in a corner somewhere and lick your wounds until you get angry and sassy enough to try again," Tav sighs, making him roll his eyes.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," he replies dryly before bringing their hand up to kiss it. "Thank you, my greatest treasure."

Happy Holidays from Batstarion

🦇🦇🦇❤️🦇❤️🦇❤️🦇

Not to make excuses, but Ascended Astarion never sounded sincere when saying, "I love you" may be a product of not wanting to say it. I noticed that when he says those words, and the Act 1 spawn version, his expression changes.

In Act 1 during the scene where he's throwing all those pick up lines at you his face reads like he's into it. He's confident, he seems to be enjoying the moment. Honestly, that scene almost comes off like a friend just shooting the shit with you rather than an attempt at manipulation.

Then that expression falls away when he says those three little words. I get the feeling he's said those words so many times to people he cared nothing for that he just can't say them without feeling detached.

Perhaps, even when he does love Tav, those words just feel false on his tongue. Like he feels obligated to say them. Man can think of 1000s of ways to express desire and affection, but those words will always be too taint to carry weight.

I know I feel like that. I can say I love you to an animal and mean it. However, I hate saying it to people. Especially when they say it first and it's expected I return it. Otherwise, I'm clearly a terrible person.

Lord Astarion. 🦇