The Astarion Iceberg - Baldur's Gate 3 Deep Dive
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- Опубліковано 24 січ 2024
- Don't look at the video length.
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CLIPS USED:
Astarion romance clips: • BG3: Astarion Supercut...
Astarion is Pan: • Astarion Actor Neil Ne...
Astarion's Tent : • Free cam What is Astar...
Astarion x Wyll : • "Wyll's The Sort Of Pr...
• Astarion has the hots ...
Abdirak : • Companion Reactions To...
Bargain Bin Astarion: www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRcFaDFg/
Batstarion: • Astarion turns into a ...
Dan Allen Gaming: • 🔴Astarion Actor Neil N...
Drizzt Animation: • "You're Drizzt Do'Urde...
Goostarion that someone made: www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRvtsQLe/
Goosestarion Clip OG: • 'Goose Astarion. Honk....
Goosestarion Animatics: • Goosestarion | Animatic
• Goostarion baldurs 3 a...
• Goostarion | Animation -SONG
• Goostarion animation |...
Graveyard Scene: • Astarion Romance - Ast...
Freecam Graveyard Scene: • Astarion romance scene...
High Rollers Campaign : • Baldur's Gate 3 Cast p...
Josh Wichard Reel : • Joshua Wichard - BG3 S...
Lamentable Poem: www.tumblr.com/stars-and-clou...
Neil Newbon Acceptance Speech: • Neil Newbon - Best Sup...
Neil Newbon Twitch: / neilnewbon
OnlyFangs: • Larian Studios present...
Stephen Rooney interview: • Stephen Rooney | Idle ...
Tav 1 voice: • Tav Actually Speaks in...
Thank you compilation: • Astarion's layers of "...
Zombie Astarion: www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR7NgQ4D/
Articles/Other:
Gravestone translation: www.tumblr.com/ishaslife/7272...
Inside Tents: www.tumblr.com/spicyraeman/73...
Lower City Laundry: www.tumblr.com/veillsar/73511...
Neil's Take on Astarion: gizmodo.com/baldurs-gate-3-ne....
Neil's experience as a survivor: www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-...
ONLY SLIGHTLY NEIL! : www.tumblr.com/tadfools/73085...
I was legitimately confused when it ended because I thought “no way that could have been 40 minutes gone already” but here we are. This was amazing
omg that is such an honor. Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 😭
I felt exactly the same. I literally thought "End the first part, right? The surface part?"
Please I just need 200 more hours of my hyperfixation
Neil clearly looked at Astarion's charisma stat and proceeded to ignore it...
It's actually rather interesting. I have seen lots of people say that they're still off-put by Astarion. You either love him or find him creepy, which I think is part of the point.
Actually, I don't think be did. Astarion is *manipulative* not charismatic. He says what he thinks he wants you to hear, not charming you.
@@gilded_lady Deception is also Charisma based.
@@gilded_lady his character background is "Charlatan", which just happens to have deception as one of its proficiencies.
@@carlycrays2831 My first playthrough i told him to go kick rocks since he pulled a knife on me after speaking maybe one sentence
One really heartbreaking theory I read on tumblr about his 'security blanket' is that it could actually be his burial shroud from when he died. The one object he had on him when he woke up in his coffin as a vampire. If so, it's probably the only remaining physical piece from his old life from before he was turned. The last thing his family/loved ones from his old life gifted to him. Which would make a lot of sense why he holds onto it still.
this is DEVASTATING
@@skulliebytheseaI KNOW. It's canon in my heart now just because the ANGST of thinking about it gave me psychic damage.
A bright spot in all this is that, being an Elf, there's actually a very good chance his family is still around somewhere. I like to think maybe he and Tav try to find them in his good endings.
Holy fuck that made me cry a little bit. That's never happened to me before 😵💫😩
@@scarymonsterzz DC 99
Astarion is a character that means the world to me I was SAed multiple times so when he said "I don't know how to be with someone" I cried like a lot and his and Cazador's relationship reminds me of my mother this character is so important to me
All of these things!! I'm so sorry that happened to you. I hope you're healing now. I felt the same way through his character journey. As an SA survivor myself, I had A LOT of feelings whenever a new Astarion scene came up. He's so incredibly well written and his portrayal of survivors is incredible. He's just the best ❤️❤️
@@skulliebythesea Thank you!!! And I hope you're healing also!!!💞💞💞
thank you so much
@@skulliebythesea Of course!!!💞💞💞
I’m glad you’re doing well! I’ve never been SA’d, but for some reason I identify most with Astarion as a demisexual who finds sexual advances upsetting. His desire to not be touched and his perceived need to perform in a certain manner for safety at first really struck a chord.
26:37 😢😢 his whole tent makes me so sad. The rugs are also stained and dirty, he uses a rock as a table, the furniture doesn't quite match. It all gives the impression that he salvaged everything second hand, whereas everyone else has their own stuff that belongs to them. I notice the default color of his camp shirt is that kinda off-white colour that white clothes get when they're super worn out, too. He works very hard to uphold the illusion of elegant beauty but it really is all a thin facade meticulously maintained but barely holding together under scrutiny. He works with scraps, and to his credit, very nearly pulls it off.
Its not acknowledged in game but I'm happy that I frequently swap up my companions armour and camp clothes bc I get bored easily lol. Astarion deserves to have all the nice clothes he wants 🥹
I'm the same way. I immediately give him the nicest clothes I can find because I feel so bad.
We know from the description of his outfit that Astarion was mending his outfit. And if you look at the velvet, it's actually quite worn and patchy. Even his perfume is made of ingredients he could have easily procured himself.
@carlycrays2831 everything about Astarion is so meticulously designed. All the companions are written amazing obviously, but I feel like there's something a little extra in how much detail they put into him. His tent isn't just a space I could see him occupy, it's a reflection of his character on a symbolic level. His clothes aren't simply clothes he might wear, they're a reflection of his circumstances. Its really incredible.
I dressed him to the nines before the Cazador fight because he deserved it.
@@KelwynAyla please share the look if you can
Despite our reputation as the horniest sub-fandom on Baldur's Gate, I think we're one of the most wholesome and supportive communities out there.
But not when it comes to spawn vs ascended...
I really appreciate how this game didn't do the "Schrödinger's Pansexual" thing most games do where characters are written as straight except they'll also date the player regardless of gender. Astarion is the most up front because seduction is such a huge part of his backstory, but there is dialogue from nearly all the companions where they flirt among each other regardless of gender. It's really nice seeing actual rep for us when so many people treat bi/pan people like their sexuality is dictated by whoever they're currently dating.
THIS EXACTLY! I couldn't have said it better myself
"playersexuality" is what it's commonly called. it's done that way so straight men don't have to see queer characters which is obviously really, really fucked up, and actually why when many of them play bg3 they just kill astarion off. but it's not ONLY straight men, imo i get really uncomfortable when people forget that astarion is inherently queer, and i'd say that it's a more important point for him than any other origin companion (except maybe shadowheart being poly, but there's only a line or two about that).
of course if you're a straight woman you can still enjoy astarion but oh god, the sexuality discourse pisses me off. he's fucking queer. when someone says that he's gay, in a way they're right, in a world where bisexuals/pansexuals/etc get constantly erased and forgotten, i'd say gay is a word that describes our experiences way more accurately than straight (if you had to choose between these two words only). i call myself gay like 99% of time, i'm actually bi, that's just my preference.
:RANT:
going "AKShually, he's not gay, he's pan" just rubs me the wrong way because very often people drop it with really weird homophobic vibes... like they're saying there's hope for him yet because he also likes women..... yeah it seems like some people think he's pan because they want to be catered to, not that it's an important part of his character??? which, we just went full circle back to the first problem with playersexuality --- that it's there so that people don't get mad about gay (queer) people existing. well when they can't ignore them they just make mental gymnastics so that they can pretend that they're actually not that gay.
(it'd be great if everyone acknowledged astarion as pan but i think most people would never get what that truly means - that you can have preferences but still be pan(/bi), that you can have NO preferences and still be pan, that you don't have to date anyone, that you face the same systematic oppression gay people do and that being in a seemingly straight relationship often does make it easier for you in that regard, but you can feel immense guilt because of it and face devaluation from other queer people for not being queer enough... it is often easier to just say you're gay/queer and move on.)
:RANT END:
real talk tho this is a problem that i have about trying to have a straight relationship with astarion (a queer person), NOT with being a woman and trying to romance astarion. i'll die on the hill of that being a man and a woman in a relationship doesn't make it straight, if either participant is queer, they're still queer(!!!)... and if both are, then the relationship is just 100% queer lol yall are literally gay as fuck (sorry if any queer women read this and felt hurt in any way, that was not my intention. also sorry to enbies/other if you felt like i didnt mention you, youre like always automatically gay so.... no point there /j)
(how this got from the "serious" educative voice to just completely unhinged, i have no idea *edit - typo)
reminds me of how In karlachs origin playthrough if you camp alone before recruiting anyone she fantasizes about having a threesome with halfling woman and a huge ten foot tall barbarian man and she has tentacles in her fantasy (because shes worried about the tadpole)😂😂 theres also an untriggerable version of the scene where she fantasizes about dammon.
@@retriwa5640kinda off topic but I totally agree. It sucks cause his character is really well written and avoids falling into stereotypes but he's either seen as one or the other.
@@retriwa5640 I still find it odd when people call him gay (as in only into men) especially when they bring up that he only talks about former male conquests. Minthara only ever brought up female former conquests/interests (some priestess and Orin to be specific) yet nobody is trying to argue she's written as lesbian like many people are oddly do with the idea that he is written as gay. I am the person who would point out "Well actually, he is pansexual" because I hate how simply because he is flamboyant and doesn't bring up female romantic conquests people want to believe he is gay. It's just perpetrating gay stereotypes once again. When I bring it up, I refer to the fact that you cannot tell someone's sexuality simply by former partners they bring up and even less so by how they behave. And I do not like to support bi/pan erasure.
Ahhhh!!!
I'm the poetess of the Autumn Picker poem and I feel so honoured to be mentioned here😭 Thank you so much everyone and Skullie for your kind words. This video is so good! Another video I'll watch again and again whenever I miss him.
Stars and Clouds is my girlfriend and I was with her when she first thought of the poem and wrote it, I am really and truly grateful to you all for the kind and supportive comments for her writing, she puts a lot of time and effort into the fanfics and other things she makes for the fandoms she loves, thank you all so much and well done Stars, I'm so proud of you!
@@Draknoth1ahhhhhhhh 🙈 I am so grateful ;-; ❤
You're so welcome!! Thank you for the beautiful art you've created!! I had to re-record reading it a few times because I kept crying!! There was no question, the moment I read it, it had to be included and I hope it gives you all the exposure you deserve!!
@@skulliebythesea ahhhhh, that is so touching 😭😭 thank you once again ❤️ I loved hearing it in your voice. You gave it so much more depth. Thank you for bringing my words to life.
@@stars-and-clouds Wow thats so cool! That poem is really awesome! Very well done i love it!
As a survivor of abuse from a narcissistic guardian, i immediately gravitated towards astarion. I went into the game not knowing much about each character, but for me, i immediately caught on how much of his charm was a mask. I saw him and thought, "oh... thats ME"
I feel so seen in this game and im so appreciative to neil and everyone else that brought this character to life.
YESS! ME TOO! I felt so called out and lovingly seen at the same time. We love Neil in this house.
SAME he’s wonderful
Having convinced Astarion to not finish the ritual, the words written for Tav were in my own head - I’m proud of you! His growth in this choice is so poignant and wonderful.
The full circle quote afterwards (“This is a gift, you know. I won’t forget it.”) brought a tear to my eye. What a character. What an honour to play BG3.
That full circle moment always makes me tear up too!!
I remember when I saw Neil's Medusa tattoo and everything clicked into place; Astarion's story (minus the vampirism) is very nearly my own surviving sexual and emotional abuse, when I saw that tattoo I saw for a minute just going "oh, that's why he get's it."
i noticed his tattoo recently too and i was like "he knows...........;" and it's so sad
I wouldn't go around assuming anyone with a medusa tattoo has that background - I know a number of people with medusa inspired tattoos and have no idea about that correlation
Just an fyi to NEVER assume why someone has a Medusa tattoo. Several people practice Hellenistic religion still and in it Medusa was NEVER assulted or cursed, she is in fact BORN a Gorgon with her 2 sisters. She is a protector symbol but not SA symbol. The SA symbol comes from Ovid writing a version of myth as a Roman person bc he was kicked out of Athens and wanted to potray their goddess Athena as a shit person (+Romans had a beef with Poseidon/Neptune and went to war with the sea lol) and it was written 600 years!! after the recorded Greek mythos/religious scripts
@@themikatoonwell, the joke is on Ovid then. Any woman would see Athena's "curse" as a protective shroud to give her beloved priestess the power to *make* a man understand what no means.
@@tiph3802"any woman" bro what are you talking about women are not a monolith. we dont all think the same way. this person is saying stories in mythology and folklore are often told and interpreted based on the needs and feelings of the people in a given time and place. it doesnt make the version youre talking about less resonant, but its certainly not the only one. it feels rly ignorant and narrow minded to shove any of these stories or characters into one specific mold especially when it wasnt even the original intent. and dont do the same to women as a whole either lol
38:50 I remember sven saying in an interview letting astarion ascended is like telling him that he's right to be afraid of everything - the world is scary thats why you need power. He will never grief like spawn astarion about what happend to him and will stay in the circle of abuse. For every survivor it's hard to deal with the wounds after the trauma. The abuse is over but the pain is not, so what now? How do I heal? It's a question the story of astarion tries to discuss and it's one of the hardest you could have. Too many writers try to romanticise trauma and pain in a weird way. But the truth is ugly, nasty, disgusting and horrible. You need to show that of you want to write about something like that. Astarion does that and people appreciate it. Just shows how absolutly wonderful, respectful and couragous the writing is. So much thought in every detail of this character. Loved your video!
YES YES EXACTLY! This is the first survivor story that I've personally seen in media that deals with survivor stories in a respectful and honest way. It felt real. I felt represented. Like I mention in the video, too often writers will include SA in their stories to be "edgy" and it's handled without any knowledge of the topic or what that experience really carries. It's for this reason (and so many others) why I love Astarion so much. I'm so glad you enjoyed the video.
This is how I see it too. You basically teach him that his every cynical idea about the world is right, might makes right, there are no good people, he is worthless without power, etc. It's a good story still, but a tragedy where his spawn endings are triumphs.
Idk evil has its own practical understandable logic. Dark Fantasy is a world in which that logic has a point. Literally the genre is an atmosphere of horror and dread
@@alexandradel9712This isn't dark fantasy. This is a world in which evil is evil. Although you CAN go the evil route, it's depicted as horrible and not romanticized all the way through. Yes, there are fantasies that do try their best to make a morally grey world in which evil has its own practical argument, but Baldur's Gate 3 isn't it. We're not arguing about fantasy worlds being a good outlet for evil vs good discussions, we're talking about Astarion's fantasy story being parallel to real life in terms of the trauma and cycles of abuse SA survivors may find themselves trapped in.
@@ettaetta439 Whether it's dark fantasy or not is perhaps debatable, in general BG is a dark world, dangerous, where every other person suffers.
Nah. I CAN go the evil path and say it's romance too and it's okay and it's canon. It's not "horrible and not romanticized" - it's a popular crowd's intrapration that is not "unbreakable dogma". Or your personal interpretation. Thanks to the purity cult. Because all I see is Dark Romance, i.e. abnormal, weird, vampire romance. How about that? Because to me it's Dark Romance, kind of like Minthara. There should be at least one male character in the game for evil and evil romance, like Minthara, what a dark romance is and why some people need them, for the survivors, too you can find for yourself.
Astarion is more about gray morality than not, I'd say complex evil. But without his past we don't see the full picture, because EA players remember that Astarion was a corrupt magistrate who sold criminals as cattle for the vampire clan, and then started selling them to slave traders for more profit. And then he got a hell of a punishment. He's still a magistrate in the game, and probably the key-idea is still there, since it's literally the first lines about him in the artbook, but the game prefers to keep quiet and leave it up to the player's imagination. Or\and the Upper City content has been cut out.
Since you wrote to me, I guess you wanted my opinion, so here we go. It's obvious to me that we're not going to come to an agreement, so let's agree to disagree and end it here.
Add me to the camp of 'NEVER ascending Astarion'. In my opinion him staying a spawn is him fully overcoming and starting to heal from his abuse. Ascending Astarion is him becoming the thing he hated most and continuing the cycle. Some people argue "well he loses his ability to walk in the sun and that's not fair." Well, life isn't fair and even though he loses that ability to me being able to become a better, (and his own) person is more than worth it. Spawn Astarion keeps his humanity and breaks the cycle that started with Cazador's sire. plus this is a fantasy world, going on a quest to find a magical item or spell that will regain his ability to be in the sun sounds like a great one for him and Tav to undertake together after the end of the game. Also, personal head-canon on what color Astarion's eyes were pre-vampire: blue.
I made a save file right before the choice and the 2 scences after Ascension gave me the ick. I met a person like this in real life and stayed far away after seeing enough cracks in the mask. Getting told what the other person thinks is what you want to hear, contradicting themselves and then gaslighting you for 'misrembering' is not fun.
I love the growth Astarion go trough, if he stays a spawn.
On top of things to add I read what people have against him as spawn. Just to put it here and not my opinion:
He has to life in the underdark and has to look after 7000 spawns.
He is whiny and not confident enough.
Not everyone needs to be good.
He doesn't HAVE to stay in the underdark and look after the thousands of spawn. That's purely just an option the player can take. He's free to travel the world with Tav (by night until they find that item/spell, but still). Personally I kill the trapped spawn because loosing thousands of vampire spawn that have been trapped and starving for that long with no experience on controlling their hunger seems a disaster waiting to happen. @@kademelien9363
My main gripe about keeping him a spawn is the ending with all the companions gathered on the dock. How they react to him burning up and being forced to run away really drives home that the player was the only one who truly cared about him if they had a good relationship. Yet they aren't allowed to chase after him in that moment because there are still other cutscenes to get through.
Everyone is so quick to turn on him if the player allows him to ascend while also thinking that the player is blameless even though they literally helped him do it.
I do like most of the other companions but the way they and the game itself treats Astarion just bugs me.
Even Karlach who is my second favorite and the only other character I've romanced has a line where she threatens to stake Astarion if he treats the player badly even though, again, they helped him become what he is and willingly agreed to let him turn them into a vampire.
I personally like both routes for Astarion for different playthroughs but neither are perfect.
Also apparently Spawn Astarion is the one who still wears a mask instead of Ascended hence the slight voice change.
I've never experienced abuse to the extent of what Astarion went through of course but I know what it's like to feel the need to hide my true self even from the people I love most. That little reveal about how the actor differentiated between both Astarion routes really hits home for me.
@@britt6184 I didn't see this at all when my game ended. Both Shadowheart and Wyll had something to say as Astarion was running away, saying something like "I guess that's the last we'll be seeing of him for a while... This must be so hard on him" with a sad look in their eye. And their dialogue when you finish the Cazador mission and choose not to Ascend him is so uplifting; everyone just keeps gushing about how proud they are of him and how relieved they are that he chose the "right" thing. Also, if you long rest before the Cazador mission in Act 3, vampire spawns can come to your camp to try and kidnap him-- if they succeed, EVERYONE gets pissed and talks about getting "our boy" back. They love him so much. It's one of my favorite things about this game, honestly. The journey starts off as this "friends of convenience" vibe, and by the end, you can see how much they all care about each other.
He literally becomes Cazador 2.0 after ascending and absolutely malds and seethes whenever you try to bring that up. It proves that ascended Astarion still is a slave deep down and isn't truly free
Just wanted to say - by D&D standards, 10 CHA isn’t “quite low” it’s basically means Astarion is about as charismatic as any random Baldurian citizen, +0 modifier is what most of us would probably have if we were transported into the game. Having a low enough score to where you get negative modifiers would be where you’re “quite low” since it’s to the point of detriment, someone who is socially awkward, reclusive or incredibly shy might have a 7-9 CHA score. It’s meant 😊to add to his whole nature as a showboat and hiding his insecurities - he’s basically trying to seem better than he is
So basically its quite low
@@ZeallustImmortal nope, as I said in clear and plain English it’s average. Unless you’re illiterate & don’t know what that word means
I love the way pretty much every companion delves into themes of consent and autonomy, and how surface impressions can belie a huge capacity for depth and change. Good god it’s a masterpiece.
18:41 I can never hold back my laughter during romance cutscenes when someone picks a dragonborn for their race. Part of it is because it looks goofy, and the other is because the biologist in me has so many questions. 😅
It's impossible to take seriously 😂
I thought the plum quote was the other way around, not about impatience, but about not settling for scraps.
Because as you say, plums are summer fruits, so if you pick them in autumn, all you get are the leftover plums that no one else took. Which will be mostly rotten or just undergrown and bad to taste.
An autumn picker should instead pick autumn fruits, because that's what they have at the moment.
So the quote (to me) was always more about seizing the moment and refusing scraps.
I love this interpretation as well ! Thank you for sharing.
Or they will be prunes. Not just leftovers but dried out preserved ones that few people enjoy and are generally made fun of.
I also always felt that The Unquiet Grave suited Astarion as well. Particularly when we meet Sébastien. Or maybe I've just rewatched Penny Dreadul too many times.
with neil’s engagement with astarion i think it’s important to remember that acting is ultimately a job and not every actor has to have this same love for the characters they play. but i do enjoy it when an actor gets to have a deep and emotional relationship with a character they helped bring to life
I had to pause the game when he killed his sire. He cried and I felt that as a fellow survivor. His abuser was gone and he felt truly free and safe for the first time in two centuries. The fact his abuser made him an accessory to victimize others is heartbreaking.
"Icebergs start at the top with most known things"
Thing 1 : Astarion is a cat
Me, thinking I knew at least the first layer: *I'm sorry wh a t*
Not just a cat -- a feral cat. The "feral" part is significant. Befriending Astarion is exactly like the process of convincing a feral cat you're worth the trouble it will take them to domesticate you.
It sounds like a joke on the surface, but really. If you're trying to rescue a truly feral cat, not a stray or abandoned cat, you absolutely must allow the cat to make most of the decisions and set their own pace deciding to trust you. The ideal end result, of course, is a critter who can no more get by without you than you could without them -- a reciprocal interdependence -- but the cat must at all times think they're the one in charge and you're the one being tamed, right up until the day they decide it's easier for them to just leave certain things up to you. Feral cats must decide to domesticate themselves.
@@cassandrasimplex7544
Oh I do agree!!! I wrote the comment when I saw the title card, hence my utter confusion 😂
@@adrasthe314 Fair, fair! I didn't even think about the title card. I guess I read that, thought "Yes, of course the first thing everyone knows about Astarion is that he's a cat," and immediately forgot it was there. That almost certainly says something about me and I'm not sure I want to know what. 😅
Really great video ! Thank you !
About zombie Astarion, he's not killed by Cazador but by the Gurs. Then, Cazador destroy their camp (seen early Act 3), get Astarion's corpse and resurrect him as a zombie to perform the ritual.
Still, you're right : recruiting Astarion means saving his life.
I really like the description of ascended Astarion as wearing the mask all the time. Because from the clips I have seen thats exactly it. He feels like beginning act 1 times a hundred. What I also really like about his endings is how he reacts to the player talking about Cazador. Non ascended Astarion is capable of talking about it and opening up. Ascended Astarion screams at you for daring to say Cazadors name. All the progress in dealing with his trauma is lost and he dismisses all of his past. Also instead of not being confortable with sexual stuff and slowly opening up about that over time, he uses his body to assert dominance, essentially using his body as a tool again.
Ascended Astarion really is just becoming his abuser. While he has (yet) to do things as vile as Cazador the potential is certainly there. It's all his worst traits amplified. Choosing Spawn Astarion is about redemption and recovery, chosing his humanity (elf-manity?) turning to a new chapter of his life. He will still always be a vampire, still always have his scars but his life is his own to live again. Ascended Astarion seems like he's getting a better bargain but he's more trapped than ever, truly losing himself into a monsterous form.
IIRC DnD rules say something about Vampire's becoming more monsterous.. especially one that can sire other vampires and not just a spawn.
Coming to this after finishing Astarion's quest line a couple of days ago. I went for despising Astarion to rooting for him and finding myself with tears in my eyes when he realised it was over. Brilliant writing.
Shout out to Neil Newbon for being not only a fantastic performer but also a wonderful human being.
Literally remember not exactly being fomd of his character until he started telling his story. I am a victim of SA, specifically CSA. So feeling like I don't own my own body & literally having struggles connecting romantically due to trauma. His character became more of a I relate & understand him so let me just say hi to him. Also made his sex scenes more uncomfortable for me due to now knowing his pain
Edit: I was playing an evil run with my bf so my original plan was to love & leave him. Because I did not like him however, he was good for an evil party. So I was just gonna basically get him to love my character then break his heart to protect my characters heart. Imagine my surprise when Astarion's romance involves him doing the same thing & both of us failing in our endeavors.
I'm on the list of "never ascending Astarion", at least when I play a good-aligned character. There's nothing in my mind that justifies sending 7,000 people's souls to the Hells, and Ascended Astarion reminds me too much of my toxic ex. Even if you believe that releasing the spawn would be a terrible idea, you can still choose to kill them without ascending Astarion. That way at least their souls get the peace they deserve. Of course if you do decide to free them, you get a letter from Sebastian in the epilogue that reveals that they are, for the most part, happy, and that they were able to learn to control the hunger with the guidance of Astarion's siblings. And you get a letter from the Gur as well, how they've started to more fully understand the struggles of vampirism as they've reconnected with their children, becoming more open-minded and empathetic. And seeing how happy Astarion is in the epilogue too, he's just so sweet. Whereas in the ascended version he mentions that most of his "friends" are the sort that would stab him in the back, given the chance.
Really? Why nobody talks about this ending?
Important to add that the prince Wyll comment is said if you romance both him and Wyll and he’s actually upset at you. Note the spiteful way in which he says “when I was 13”, implying you’re childish and naive to romance Wyll or even think to choose between the two.
Also important to note that he has equally appreciative things to say about Shadowheart, though he says many of those things directly to her. It’s why I hc he probably likes both Wyll and her, which is in character for him because they’re the most conventionally attractive.:)))
I think these are important things to be reminded, because they once again show his pansexuality, and many people will only mention the Wyll comments, to prove that he is actually just into men. I’ve seen this discourse a lot and it’s very damaging to me and other panromantics, bi and pansexuals.
But, unfortunately, his comments regarding Will are more frank and straightforward, understandable to the average person. Therefore, people have dissonance and thoughts that by nature he is attracted to men, but he rather tolerates or studies women, but does not want them. It would be nice to add a couple of remarks that are just as openly sweet towards the girls for balance. It's a shame that Will gets all the flattery)
@@salviadivinorum6619 He calls Shadowheart a “beautiful flower” and constantly flirts with her throughout the game. Plus she is not immune either, though acts as if she is. For example she’s the only one out of all companions who says she’ll miss him if you put a stake trough his heart when he first bites you (the others, including Wyll,are happy he’s gone), and also, the most touching thing, she tells you to choose him if you romance both because he needs you more than she does. In that same scene she’s also the only one who sees right trough him and says that despite appearances, he would not like sharing a partner.
To me it was quite obvious, but indeed his reactions to her are direct and not trough Tav and people might miss them if they’re not paying attention or don’t have them both in the same party.
Also he hooks up with Lae if at the tiefling party Tav doesn’t choose one of them.
In the end all of these things, even the Wyll comments are conditioned by certain things u have to do, but people exclusively fixate on the Wyll prince comment, that isn’t even said in a romantic context. He’s angry when he says it. I received that comment too cause I messed with both.lol
Maybe Larian should indeed make them more obvious.
AstarionxKarlach is the best pairing and I cannot be convinced otherwise lol. Astarion can’t stand touch, Karlach can’t touch, they’ve both been through trauma regarding bodily autonomy, and Karlach is a sweetheart who seems like she’d legitimately respect Astarion’s boundaries. He’d feel safe with her.
One of my favorite companion ships ever
I like that ship too. I am also a fan of AstarionxGale aka Bloodweave because they share a similar story about wanting power for different reasons and because Gale is very reserved about the flirting and sexual stuff at the beginning which I think could be good for Astarion who needs someone real. They also share a history of being treated badly by a powerful being and seeking power to escape that. Also considering Astarion likes cats, Tara as a Tressym also fits :D.
Hm idduno tbh. I'm no victim but touch bit for me is jarring...would hug Karlach irl tho
I'm sure she would respect his boundaries, but that sucks for her big time. She can't touch until you fix her, but she very badly misses it. She craves it because she's been deprived of affectionate touch for ten years.
I'm just happy for the Fenris fan who was able to turn their fanfiction into a game.
DRAGON AGE MENTIONED🗣️🗣️🗣️
Honestly as weird as it sounds, knowing that my favorite Tav voice and the one I am using for my current playthrough performed the intimacy scenes for Astarion and Halsin (my two favorite characters) is such a sweet little tidbit that I never would have realized without this video. Thank you for creating it and putting so much love into this! It's a wonderful blend of in game details, more info about the voice actors and performers, and a delightful intersection with the fandom as well.
I have been fortunate to not experience nearly the same amount of grief and abuse that he has, but Astarion is still a character I heavily relate to and admire due to some more overlying themes: forcing yourself to conform to an image or mask to appear desirable, being open about trauma while simultaneously fearing vulnerability, and the worries that you will never be taken seriously or escape the impressions that others have about you (in Astarion's case, that he will ever be loved for more than his looks/sexual appeal). The fact that we can relate to him, empathize, grieve with him even, is a testament to how well he was written, performed, and animated on the screen. Once again, thanks for the video!
Thank you so much! I did my best to keep it balanced and I'm glad you learned something!
THE SAFETY BLANKETTTTTTTT 😻😻 i love it so much omg
I KNOWWW :'(
As someone who is a survivor of narcissistic abuse by someone who was an authority figure in my life, I very much identify with Astarion’s story. His literal inability to defy his master rang so true to me as I often felt that way as a child, even if the person abusing me didn’t have ACTUAL magical power over me.
Thank you for delving into detail about Astarion. He’s not even my favorite character but he is definitely one who hits closest to home for me. ❤
Big Astarion nerd here, and I'm not even done with the video and I've already learned a lot! Thank you so much! Love our sweet boy.
I'm so glad to hear that!! You're very welcome.
I think other than Tav/Durge i think Karlach is astarion's best match. I dont think any of the other companions will understand Astarion the way Karlach can and vise versa and astarion seems very aware of this as he sees Zariel and Cazador as being the same so he identifies with Karlachs rage and desire for justice from the very beginning when he meets her. It also almost seems like fate if you romance astarion as Karlach because he cant have sex with her in Act 1 and he has a bit of an epiphany while arguing with her. It feels like he progresses his arc quicker because his inability to touch her makes him a bit frustrated but also relieved(according to dev notes) and his own reaction to this confuses him and forces him to realize just how much he forces himself through a lot of sexual interactions despite not always wanting to. Karlach then becomes able to touch him while he decides he doesnt want to have sex right now. their sexual relationship is very shortlived but then concludes in a happy ending with Karlach getting her need for physical intimacy being met and astarion beginning to heal his relationship with sex with someone he loves. And then at the end he seems more than happy to go to avernus with her since he doesnt need to hide from the sun in Avernus and its full of things he can kill. it seems like Karlach is ideal match for astarion.
“God damn this fandom is talented” you say as I’m wiping a tear from my eye that I had no idea was going to come from a fan-finished poem.
Trust me I was barely keeping it together 😭
I like Astarion because he is a very complex character. He has great potential for good, but his darker side might also be the darkest of all companions. Before his showdown with Cazador, when he meets Sebastian and those children I was legit shocked. I might be reading too much into the game, but I think that Astarion might care for children's welfare (during the second hag fight he reminds the player that simply killing the hag will kill the child too), it might be his purest character trait...and Cazador broke that too. When he kills Cazador the moment is violent and it is as sad as it is satisfying. If I recall there is no triumphant music playing either, kind of reminds me of the Roy Mustang vs. Envy fight from "Fullmetal Alchemyst Brotherhood" a bit. The moment when our hero comes closest into becoming like the evil he wants to destroy.
Don't forget, he also approves when you offer to look for Yennas mother, give her food , and invite Yenna to stay at your camp!
I got approval for all of those interactions from him 💕 I absolutely think there's something there.
@@skulliebythesea Yeah, same here. I admit, at first he annoyed me, he was a bit of an asshole. I was like "dude, you were relieved that I did not drive a stake through your ribs, I might actually drive one of the campfire logs through your heart". Of course he grew on me, because I realised that underneath that overly sarcastic demeanor there is a deeply traumatised soul. I read somewhere that Astarion is the easiest character to romance/befriend and that might be true in an evil playthrough, but in a good-aligned playthrough it's very tricky.
Of course I realise that he is not a real person, but he is so well-written and acted that it's hard not to feel a genuine compassion for him. I guess the mark of a good character (film, literature, game) is the fact that they make you forget that they are, in fact, not real.
I think he does share some similar traits with Roy Mustang: they both have their share of trauma and guilt, they both (seem) to have a strong sex drive, they both want to usurp the power of the leader of their respective circles.
@@user-qj9en1kp1mI fully chose an affair with Astarion for four passes, two of which I played for the good Dark Urge, and never had any problems having an affair with him. You just have to remember that he doesn't really like knights without fear and reproach, so you need to be flexible. Although I managed to charm him even for a palladin. Still, the key moment for the romance with him is the refusal to force Astarion to drink drow blood from the Moon Towers. For him, this gesture is so important that he will buy his even if he does not have the highest level of affection for you.
@@user-dr3de8qq8x In my first playthrough I was a Tav and because I am not an experienced gamer I did not fully grasp how the game functioned and missed a lot of cool characteer interaction moments and cutscenes, not just with Astarion but with others too. I was also playing quests in the wrong order too (like finding Karlach only after the tieflings left the grove). I started a good Durge playthrough and I am correcting my mistakes, taking many long rests. Also in my first playthrough I ran head first into every "I will save you guys" moment. Then Astarion's personality started to rub off of my little wood elf cleric and started to value the power of persuasion and deception, especially when I got a ton of approval for talking enemies into killing themselves in the Shadow Cursed Land.
I'll admit that I'm not an Astarion fan. I thought him as whiny and selfish. However, after finding out about the abuse (the scars on his back!) he went through I can empathize with him much better. His character design has great depth and his character arch is a magnificent. I can appreciate that!!
I don't like that he's always disapproving of helping people, in a game where picking up quests means progression. That he hated helping the tieflings when you know that was the correct way to play, it's a bit jarring.
I started out as an Astarion hater but kept seeing content about him as well as learning his lore through the game and im now firmy an Astarion enjoyer
Also oh my god your voice, presentation and editing is the best, you make a video this long fly by in an instant
THANK YOU 😭 this is such a lovely comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
@@skulliebythesea of course, honestly I was beyond shocked that you don't have a couple hundred thousand subs
The overall quality and research of your vids are damn near professional
thank you :) hopefully we'll get there one day@@bluebird8677
just curious, was it his past explaining his behavior that helped you like him? or was it his character development? why did you dislike him initially? Thanks!
@@DeadAugur well when i disliked him i only knew the broad strokes of his personality and goals and such. honestly just saw this manipulative, cruel liar
but then as i began learning more i saw that behavior for what it was, a way to protect himself and the fact hes never been showed another way
he used to be a magistrate which tells he was likely highborn so even for the years he was alive he was most likely only around people where you needed to be selfish and cut throat
then after that he had his body taken from him so he almost began thinking that if he always said yes and was the one to offer himself that would give him some power back
throughout the game you start off with this incomplete and hurt person who, with some guidance can actually blossom into a kinder person
plus him being an sa survivor and a survivor in general was executed to perfection
The GoT callout at the end was so on-point. They reduced SA to a shocking moment for people to discuss around the water cooler on Monday morning, to something for youtubers to make "reaction videos" to. It's amazing when people think the show only got dumb in the last season...
I completely agree
astarion has so quickly become one of the most important comfort characters to ever exist for me, im an C/SA and r*** victim and ive never felt so seen, I loved him from the start but playing made him become a favorite chara for all media to me
im so sorry, i relate to this exactly too, hes so special for this reason for me also
The fact that I was *literally* just on another video (that also got uploaded today) in which Preminger from Barbie as the Princess & the Pauper was (both visually and auditorily) getting compared to Astarion. Thank you for teaching me more about him! I'm glad you're back; I was just re-watching your Angsty Boys video last week and wondering how you were. 🌟😊
omg you're so sweet! Yesss! I'm always happy to teach about my favorite vampire boy :)
How about Astarion being all....weirdly....supportive about licking a goblin foot? xD
Also, Astarion sleeps on a slab of wood because he's most likely slept on hard surfaces for the majority of his time with Cazador. PoWs have that issue where they've been kept in prison and have to sleep on hard surfaces once they get home because they can't get comfortable otherwise.
Fuck that poem went right to the feels
Right?!
Astarions character means so much to me as someone with sexual trauma and just a pure hatred for the current state of the world, his character story hit too fucking close to home, I've never cried harder at a video game and it was purely because I felt like I was watching someone who had went through the same thing as me process and deal with the trauma. I don't think a video game has ever made me think to myself "hey maybe I'm not alone, maybe I'm not the only one who struggles in a not-so-pretty way" and I cannot thank Larian enough for that. Thank you to the entire team behind Astarion for not creating another character that glamorized and down-played sexual trauma, it genuinely means the world to so many people, especially me.
At first, i romanced astarian because i liked his energy despite him being someone I'd stay far away from in real life. Too charming, seems manipulative, and has a play boy air, but it's a game so why not. And then, as his story unfolded, i saw so much of my own trauma in him, and it became more of a he needs a hug and a friend and someone to tell him he can say no. There were so many lines that cut because ive been where he was at.
Yes! I was 100% convinced that the elf in ban list was Astarion. I'm glad to find out that was confirmed as Canon!
I sort of dropped my gaming phase as I got older, I still played games, but they were no where near as story driven as BG3 was. I decided to give it a shot when it came out because I kept seeing clips from it and it looked interesting. I was not expecting to be as impacted by a game as I was with this one- and it's mostly because of Astarion. Like most of us, I fell for him charms but as I progressed in the game, I found myself becoming insanely emotional and impacted by his character and story. I have never cried during a video game before, I barely cry during movies/TV shows. When Astarion dropped to his knees after killing Cazador, I lost it. I was a sobbing mess. I had never felt so emotional and impacted by a fictional character before. Neil did an AMAZING job bringing this character to life, making him feel like a real person with real struggles and real trauma. I had to walk away from the game for a bit to collect myself because I was that much of a wreck.
Unfortunately, this character is starting to feel very gatekept by the community. (This is mostly on TikTok from what I've seen, thankfully UA-cam isn't as bad about it) but the gatekeeping of this amazing character, is really annoying when he was created for everyone to enjoy and learn about. As you mentioned in the video, while ascending him is his worst option (and I personally could never do it) it's there for a reason and it's important to explore all options of the game, even if you save just before it happens and go back to convince him not to ascend. People seem to have a hard time distinguishing reality from fiction and just because someone makes a decision in a video game that is morally wrong, it does not reflect them as a person in real life. I can promise you, most people wouldn't even think about doing something like this to someone outside of fantasy. I get very tired of the harassment and bullying within the community because people aren't pursuing this character how some people see fit. He isn't meant for one singular person, he is for all of us to enjoy, love and learn about. As per-usual, the loud, vocal, bullies of the community have soured it for everyone else, because they're incapable of thinking beyond their own feelings.
Overall, this character means so much to a lot of us and I am forever thankful he was brought into our lives because I think we can all agree, they've been all the more enjoyable because of him.
Yes to all of this. I felt the same way. I've slowly been getting back into gaming over the years, but BG3 was a huge jump for me. I don't think I've ever been this invested in a game before (and I was a pokemon kid, so that's saying a lot haha). It's jumpstarted my creativity in this increasingly depressing time and it's gotten me excited about storytelling again.
I was an absolute wreck at the end of the Cazador fight, completely inconsolable. I also needed to step away for a sec because I was just feeling SO MUCH for Astarion.
I think people's hearts are in the right place, but especially with so many that are new to fandom, they really need to learn the etiquette and be able to distinguish fiction from reality. That's why I included that line in there about appreciating all the writing within the game. I know where they're coming from and why they're so protective of Astarion as a character, but as someone who has been deeply moved by all aspects of the storytelling in BG3, I want to show appreciation for ALL the hard work that was put in, including the stuff that might make me feel a little icky. But that's just me. Thank you so much for your lovely comment. :)
Exactly. Ascending Astarion is a bad choice in terms of his character, but not in terms of exploring an evil or morally grey story route. It's interesting. People fight over ascending Shadowheart or chewing off Gale's hand less than ascending Astarion, but to be honest--I hardly consider that a fault of the sane, normal Astarion enjoyers. It's the fault of specifically the dark romance girlies who have no emotional awareness, and the morality police.
These women with no emotional awareness, compared to their intelligent counterparts, genuinely try to argue that ascending Astarion is a GOOD choice and that Tav is "manipulating" Astarion by convincing him not to ascend.
Meanwhile, the morality police, instead of actually discussing anything meaningful about the impact of fiction on real life people, as usual just go after senseless things they really feel strongly about. They try to guilt trip the dark romance girlies with no awareness into feeling like bad people for preferring the toxic pixel man, and that's impossible because these women have already been trained to automatically say "it's fiction, who cares if the love interest has done *crime towards minors, barely-18 year olds, women, people or animals*". They're not going to start feeling shame NOW.
And then even worse, they go after the normal people too, who just ascended Astarion for fun or because why not or because they're doing an evil route or because they enjoy a toxic man in their fictional games. Thus the conversation ends up being meaningless fighting.
There is a space to be had, to talk about how dark romance romanticizes grooming, pdf files, and grape, and how its spread on social media has led to a lot of emotionally immature teens and young adults to excuse those types of crimes more readily...
But that is only a conversation that can be had when in the space of media that romanticizes this topic, not Baldur's Gate 3, which doesn't romanticize Astarion at all! Hell, you even have an option to kick his balls after you ascend him! You can even attack him in camp in the epilogue, and all your companions will help beat his ass because they, too, hate him! He's toxic AF and the game knows it!
So it's clearly not a problem with the game romanticizing it, just the minorities on two opposite ends fighting each other to the end and giving the rest of the normal, larger community a bad name.
@@ettaetta439 you don't realise what you are saying with this comment, do you? Calling one group of people "dumb" and the other "smart" based on their opinions? I thought your comment, the way it started, would be free from bias and encourage fans to stay neutral and mind their own business. Astonishing, how you wrapped it up as a new form of moralism.
Every time I watch a video about astarion's backstory I end up crying.
Genuinely can we aromance him? QPP/ be a friend? Like he deserves someone who just shows up for him just as deeply without romance.
The fact that Astarion has 10 Charisma and yet has an effect on everyone as if it was 300, is astounding and proves how well Neil plays Astarion.
he really took that 10 Charisma as a suggestion lol
I JUST GOT HIT IN MY THEATRE KID HEART AT NEILS COMMENT ABOUT COMEDIA DEL'ARTE.
I'm not kidding when I say Arlecchino was a character i myself played and enjoyed so immensely.
This makes me so happy.
Oh my god
9:59 damn James is still catching strays good lord. Don’t plagiarize kids
I've never romanced Astarion. Always played as a hetero-male that doesn't get along with him, until my recent playthrough, during which he and I became bros. I helped him take down Cazador and chose to let him ascend. He quickly became an asshole afterwards, so I'm looking forward to talking him away from that decision next playthrough.
Very thorough video! Hardly noticed the 40 minutes go by.
I would absolutely recommend his romance. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
definitely try romancing him(even better if you do it as the Dark Urge) even if you're not personally attracted to him. there is a lot you miss out on in terms of character during the platonic playthrough. there are just somethings the origin characters hold back from their friends but share with their partner that makes it easier to understand what it is exactly that he needs.
Ascended Astarion gives me sommany complicated emotions. I am not a survivor of that particular type of trauma, but my mother is. And she was strong for so long, even intervening for me and informing me when i very much could have become a victim as she had. But as i got older i recognized her constantly taking care of everyone else at the time as a coping mechanism. One that when she could no longer use, devolved into an even unhealthier one thats caused so much damage to her brain and turned her into someone else. Even now that shes recovering i still barely recognize her. Ascended astarion resonates in me that same desparate need to cope, to find power to escape powerlessness....even if that power does nothing for your wounds. A numbing agent if you will. Something that changes you in such a way not even your loved ones recognize you in whay you've become. Someone that doesn't care what pain they cause others so long as they no longer have to be afraid for themselves. But at the same time you want them to know they no longer have to be afraid, to believe in their own power to never feel that fear or pain again. Also that fear that if you don't give them the immediate method, the painkillers to stop their suffering, that their trust in you will break, that they'll just toss you aside to grab it themselves. So do you take the chance, between them viewing having them go cold turkey as a betrayal they won't forgive, or enable them. Its agonizing for a loved one watching them walk that wire and praying they reach the side that's both best for them and keeps you in their life while knowing they could fall at any moment.
In the deepest layers of the abyss - "Clan McButts"
HAHAHA incredible yess. Never forget
My headcanon is that Astarions charisma is average because his charm balances out the fact that he's very clearly a vampire. Like a reasonanble person would stay the hells away from someone with red eyes and fangs who never eats food and habitually avoids the sun, but Astarion is so charming he gets the benefit of the doubt
Everyone keeps forgetting the setting is Faerûn. It's normal for an elf to be pale as moonlight. It's rare but not weird for them to have red eyes if they are - and the elves who are moon-pale and have red eyes might have weird teeth / bald patches / small disfigurements or sunlight sensitivity or both. If anything you'd think they have drow blood or were touched by the feywild (or don't think about it because it's elves). And it's easy to hide not eating. He's simply average amount of charismatic not the famous poster boy leader type, and he's using learnt behaviors and techniques (Persuasion) instead
@@xilj4002 sure but that's also a place where vampires actually exist though. Like I'd be a little suspicious of someone who looks like him irl and I don't even believe in vampires. Plus he's not actually very good at hiding the evidence, leaving exanguinated animals around and stuff. I think if you believed in vampires you'd definitely think one is around and then he'd be a very obvious suspect.
@@martianpudding9522 During the day, not at all, he's awake and not burning. During the night, maybe, but he was probably better at hiding evidence, for example he was starving so no animal carcasses left around, and he spent most of his time in places where the lack of light obscures details and playing around with some cups of wine and seduction takes care of the rest. When there's hoofbeats, most people think horses, even though zebras exist
@@xilj4002 that is true, although I would imagine his hiding skills would have been pretty similar before getting abducted. Maybe he did get cocky from being able to be in the daylight though. That said he did also use to frequent the same taverns and leave with patrons who would then go missing, but maybe baldur's gates crime rates are so bad that still didn't stand out lol idk. Still he was able to successfully lure people with him at night while looking like a vampire
@@martianpudding9522 Crime rates and being a big port and trading hub helps him a lot. The city has 40k-ish people, and up to 40k sailor, travelers, and traders, plus the Outer City and Rivington. He usually hunted in places like the Flophouse, so a vast majority of the patrons disappeared regardless. Also dead ex hookups don't really affect your CHA, they affect the DC and advantage.
I got the meet Neil at MEGACON last month. We waited in line for 5 hours! And he was absolutely amazing. He is genuinely an amazing super nice person!
The poem hit me so hard especially the line
"Lamentable is the contentment of just surviving."
I grew up with an abusive drug addict alcoholic father and it was hell living with him having to tip toe around him and take care of myself when I was WAY to young to do so I would go to school with no lunch money and then be forgotten at the bus stop to walk home a mile in the Texas heat in the middle of nowhere I'd be yelled at and abused everyday for anything and everything not to mention I was being builled at school really bad and only had one friend who I spent the most time with so I could get away from my father when she moved my whole world crumbled and I felt more alone than I ever had I was only in 3rd grade and was having thoughts of unaliving myself I've been "just surviving" for years I still live with my father and he still scares me I'm almost done with high school so I'm hoping to move out as soon as I graduate so I can go to my dream school and really start living instead of just surviving
I'm so sorry my friend. Wishing you the best of luck. You can do it
@@skulliebythesea thank you I'm lucky to have lots of friends now that help me they are all online friends but they mean the world to me
🫂🫂🫂 hope you well pal
This video was beautifully made! I especially loved your voice while reading the poem and many many other items within this video. If you ever end up making more iceberg or character study videos for the rest of the BG3 cast id love to see it!
Thank you ❤️❤️ I will absolutely do my best 🙏
This is the perfect video for anyone obsessed with this character, thank you ❤️
Thank you! I'm honored :)
I guess I'm a hardcore Astarion fan cause I knew every single bit of this, but still watched it all 'cause I love this character, Neil's work and everybody elses who brought this stupid sexy Vampire alive. ❤
Thank you for creating this video! It allowed me to see more of BG3 and Astarion without putting in 300+ more hours of gameplay. Love the game to bits, but I only have so much free time in my adult working life.
Completely understand that! I'm happy to lighten the load :)
Omg the poem was written by my sister, so proud 😭❤️
Tell her we all say thank you. It was absolutely beautiful.
@@skulliebythesea will do, hehe and my sister also commented on the video
I love learning more about characters and their actors when I gain a hype fixation for them, I personally thank you for making this because now I can go more in-depth when my friends who usually roll their eyes when I talk about Astarion ask why I like him so much.
I am still impressed by the writing of his character, especially when you go the ascended route. It's a really bleak reminder, that a survivor of abuse can easily become an abuser themselves. In fact many abusers used to be victims themselves, like Cazador. While he is a completely awful person after the ascension, the way he is written is really accurate to how real life narcissistic abusers tend to act and perhaps it can help people recognise toxic people in their own lives.
I also love the way vampirism is used as a metaphor for trauma. Your trauma does not define what kind of person you are. There is no magic cure for it, but you can learn how to live with it and be happy again. Honestly, his story has helped me heal from my trauma more than years of therapy ❤
When I started my first playthrough of Baldurs Gate 3, I hated Astarion. I was playing good character and it was getting frustrating having him disapprove of all my decisions. I tried swapping him out of the party, but I ended up missing his little quips and sassiness. By the end of the game, I absolutely loved him; his finale made me cry so hard. He became a permanent party member. I didnt romance him in my first run, but now Im playing my second as durge and romancing him, and I do think the romance writing has some of the best attention to details and thoughtful dialogue. ;;
I really appreciate how much work his writer and VA put into performing him. This game is so phenomenal, and I love everything about the story the team created
I love how complex and layered he is. The Astarion x Durge romance is excellent!
Yeah I found him annoying at first two, with the professional flirt persona. There were hints of depth as you go along, but I didn't think the writers and actor could be that good, that they could nail such a multilayered personality in a multilinear game. How glad I was to be proven wrong, Astarion is an excellent character. Makes you believe in art again.
I liked because of the dig at James Sommerton
never played the game, but here I am, obsessed with him😩
This was so beautifully put together. Thank you!
Thank you so much!! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
This was very well made. You can tell a lot of work and research went into this. Thank you for making this.
Neil and Astarion both mean a lot to me, Neil is the main reason I got BG3, which has become my comfort game. Neil's work is amazing, and this community continues to surprise me every day with how kind and talented they are. :)
I never usually comment on anything but I really wanted to say how important I think this video is. Especially from the perspective of someone who didn’t like Astarion previously. This left me with an appreciation for the depth of his character and his growth throughout the game. This video was so well thought out. My reason for previously not liking Astarion is mostly just my very different personality from his. I don’t like arrogant people, but this video helped me really take in that his arrogance and pompous personality is a shield. Agghhh i feel so bad for not liking him so much before
So prepared (and not prepared) to watch this videp as someone who accidentally got obsessed with Astarion despite having never played the game lol. I can learn all I need to xD
lets goooo
your transition screens are so beautiful
Thank you! I made them on Canva :)
Seeing so many edits and videos that don't do his story justice, this got an instant subscribe and all my love.
I read that weird pause in the Only Fangs ad was Astarion feeling very uncomfy about the whole thing which I think he would feel.
I've only watched two of your videos now and I have to say I thought they were really well told! You summed everything up in a very humorous and interesting way and it was really easy to listen to! :D
That was wonderful, thank you very much!❤
I check how much approval different actions get. Almost everything is + or - 1. The exceptions I've seen for Astarion are that Loviatar blessing scene at +5, sex with no blood at +5 and sex with blood at +15.
This was beautiful and so emotional to watch. Thank you!
Thank you so much! It was honestly VERY emotional to make as well, lol :)
I could never ascend him. I'd feel as bad as Cazador to allow it. He doesn't deserve that.
This was beautiful - thank you!
Omg the shirt's embroidery 😭My tav keeps a copy of "Her Love For It Was Like A Plum" Because even though it's clearly about the shadow curse, the parallels for their feelings/fear on Astarion fit perfectly with my head cannon.
Her love for it was like a plum
It grew so sweet within her tum
And with a wiggle of her bum
She set right out to see love done
A curse had made the land its lair
It lay oér all like willow hair
Oh it could strip the body bare
So filled the people with despair
A shadow Curse without a light
Yet she would kindle romance bright
And so in moony dark of night
She went to it bereft of fright
And hugged the curse, the wicked blight
Her love for it was like a plum
Then, so sharply, pain did come
It chewed her flesh like scrumptious gum
She trickled, she burst, she started to run.
I love that ❤️
thanks for making this video ! love it :)
This video is absolutely fantastic, thank you 🤗🌸
You're very welcome ❤️
40:00 This. 1,000,000 times this. As a fan of good stories but also as a survivor myself, if I have to see one more story where the usual Abuse Survivor Tropes are used, no matter how artfully they're attempted I will scream. Always a villain at worst or an antagonist at best, can never really be redeemed because they're too damaged by their trauma and in most cases are destined to become the abuser or just go mad with their pain. Unless of course they find it within themselves to forgive their abusers because that's what they deserve, right?
SO incredibly sick of that narrative. So sick of finding characters I identify with only to have them twisted and crushed by this terrible message we have been perpetuating with these tropes. So tired and saddened to see how it affects young survivors when they do the same.
FINALLY we have someone who so many of us see ourselves in, and finally who gets the story and the ending we all deserve. Finally.
Yeah every bit of his story and design is painful and beautiful and brings up a LOT for me. I know I'm not the only one. To the point where I'm so protective of this pixel boi that when a friend played and killed him at the vampire reveal? I found that I actually got super pissed at him and wouldn't talk to him for a week. Which is overkill, but I felt personally attacked.
I so rarely get so invested in a fictional character, but I'm so happy and grateful for this one and for Neil and Swen and everyone who gave so much to bring him to us.
I just wanted to thank you for bringing this video to us. It's truly a masterpiece 💖
Thank youuu 😭😭
Loved this video! It's a great summary of canon knowledge and the fandom hits. Would absolutely love a similar iceberg video for some of the other companions!
That was fantastic!! A wonderful in depth analysis of an already incredible character
Thank you very much!
It's incredible how every single title brought a smile to my face; immediately knew what it was in reference to. Thank you for this wonderful little recap
I'm so glad to hear that 😊
Thank you for this amazing video ❤️
What an amazing video. I’m looking forward to see your other ones
Thank you so much 😊🙏
thank you so much for this video!
I'd love to see a iceberg breakdown of the other companions too!
Congrats, you gained a new sub!
Great video! Thank you ❤
You're very welcome :)
This was an amazing video. I love this man more than words can express, as a survivor of an emotionally abusive parent and SA by a trusted friend who is still dealing with that trauma his story touches me deeply and gives me hope.
Crying by the end of the video. Tysm for making this!! And the perfect note to end it on, as well. Neil always manages to articulate exactly how I feel about Astarion. And why I will never let go of him. ❤
24:18 im pretty sure it were the gur who killed astarion, cazador then found him and made him into a zombie for a ritual :P
it's definitely possible, but it was never shown onscreen so I don't want to assume
A lot of the things that I have learned in this video have been tremendous and has really touched my heart. It's given me a new founded love for Astarion and Neil.
Thank you very much for providing this for me.
There were a few things I learned in this! And I've been deep diving for months! ❤ gods I love this angsty man with the little soft center. I have yet to not romance him... his snark and saying the intrusive thoughts out loud just resonates with me 😊
This was a beautiful video, thank you! I did my first two playthroughs with the same party and both times without Astarion (killed him on sight once and at camp when he tried to bite me), he was way too sassy for my liking and i was roleplaying a distrusting character. When i did a Durge playthrough i told myself i was gonna have a different party, do things differently, recruit Astarion and recruit and romance Minthara, whatever the cost.
As soon as i started chatting up Astarion i saw that there was more story behind the mask, before i just assumed he was that mask, but i started to see beyond it, and lord did Larian surprise me. I recently ended my Durge playthrough, i ended up falling hard for Astarion, convinced him not to ascend and gave my own life rejecting Bhaal in order to prove to him than we can be more than our own worst selves. I was expecting a game over screen, and Withers popped up.
This completed third playthrough as Durge x Astarion has changed my brain chemistry tbh.
The scen of him crying after killing Cazador and not ascending plus the graveyard scene (before doing the nasty) always bring me to tears, such an impactful character and such a powerful interpretation by Neil. Amazing work from everyone on the game's team.
Thank you again for the video, i added it to my "watch later" list before finishing my playthrough (so i wouldn't spoil myself anything) and now that i saw it, i really enjoyed it n_n
AWWWW thank you so much for this lovely comment!! I'm so glad you were able to have that experience. Thank you for being here 🙏
You got me with him saying 'Thank you' as he is literally the ONLY one who says it! Well, other than Shadowheart who started to annoy me after the 4th time for saving her on the ship.
I never knew how much he said 'thank you'! It's a simple thing, but for him especially, I think it adds a layer of vulnerability and emotional maturity to be able to acknowledge Tav so much.