I’ve been thinking a lot about how much Astarion’s demeanor changes once he and Tav hook up officially, even if you opt to tell him it was just for fun. the tweaks to how he talks stick around, the little comments of concern (the wavering-voiced pick up line of ‘I can’t lose you’, etc) how he worriedly hovers over them in the Underdark-
and man, there’s something to be said for how long Astarion’s gone without being able to reach out for anyone else’s touch without it being a literal sacrifice: the people he could’ve potentially gotten close to would’ve always been killed owing to the endless cycle of seduction/retrieval
so even IF someone was nice to him, even if they genuinely cared, or fell for him, etc, there was no way it would ever go anywhere aside from watching them die, so
and now that Astarion's main character playthrough is easily accessed, it's clear the only reason he tries to bite anyone in camp (aside from sincerely needing blood; Cazador's now confirmed to have kept him constantly starved) is because he had a nightmare about the tenets he could never break:
anyway long story short between his official song lyrics and all the recently added little moments, it's p damn obvious his malicious tendencies are frequently a surface level shield meant for his own protection, because he's never had anything like this before
(also fun fact, Astarion gets really mean about slaves in the Underdark, but Neil confessed his direction for all those line readings was to have Astarion sound deeply 'uncomfortable' the entire time)
he's a supremely lonely dude, and there's a lot to unpack in how Tav can literally tell him not to feed on animals and he'll still agree to it (while whining, but he actually commits)
like even if every other alternate route is awful, that’s fine, just give me one where he and the MC (or he and a companion) can just go off and not suffer
I was going to go to bed because I'm useless mush tonight but oh god someone datamined the new bite scene and if Tav kills Astarion he looks....so betrayed......
Yes, I'm not too far in so I am learning shit like how not to jump right on top of explosive shrooms that launch you off of cliffs and leaving Astarion in charge like whoops he's gone let's continue.
Lol you can and your companions just seem to be thrilled that you are gone. I mean I know I am not in a huge hurry to get us de-wormed or anything, but still, miss my boy, he's doing his best.
I also discovered Astarion's love for water when I was one party member short because he actively refused to cross the stream. Oh yeah, that's why! Then I had to prance my happy ass all the way back for him and find an alternate route.
lmao god I keep saying if BG3 ever gives us full vampire Astarion that I'll canon update him to it just for the hilarity of needing to be carried across shallow banks
it's funny because there are times in game when he drops the act so quickly that you can hear the difference and it's just like a subtle little nod to what he's like underneath everything else
The ungrouping thing was hilarious I didn't even notice he wasn't there until I was so far away from him and like the mother from Home Alone I was just like ASTARION!
I know it's just a chance thing/not intentional but my favorite thing is when Astarion (or any companion it's just funny when it's rat man because he's so snitty) just spends entire cutscenes staring at the back of the MC's head like
LIKE YEAH he does it intentionally during some romance cutscenes but it just comes off in the wild as Astarion: haha whatever losers Astarion: [pines so deeply and silently he crushes an entire cup in his fist]
I can’t believe discord died so I can’t keep banging pots and pans (I can and it might be for the best since I need to actually vanish and get stuff done) but the only important take away is
meanwhile me IRL trying to heft a goddamn rescue dummy that is twice my size for my goddamn drills looking like a 3 year old trying to drag their parent
It's not my fault, I'm not to blame,
these ain't my sins, I broke my chains,
I can't go yet, don't let me die
I hear your heart
beat in my soul
our endings bound,
our bodies known
There's more to do
and I still want to live.
There's more to do if we can only live
i n s e r tAlso he's such a good underneath the layers and layers of defense mechanisms.
Astarion: haha whatever losers
Astarion: [pines so deeply and silently he crushes an entire cup in his fist]