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Made another armour and sword concept for Ascended Astarion 🔥 My IG: https://www.instagram.com/marina.tsareva.art

GYA !

Astaroth: "Live reaction... My husband is ascending :3"

Thank you for this, I have been arguing with too many people who insisted that the ritual ruined their 'pure uwu misunderstood baby' for far too long, what do you mean he's just traumatized and ALL of his dastardly evil deeds are cazador's fault?

Astarion ALWAYS been evil since DAY ONE, even before he was a vampire this man is a corrupt judge. He's the wealthy 1 percenter that tumblrina will hate if they meet him also he's racist af

If BG3 is dragon age astarion, yes even spawn astarion WILL NOT survive the discourse...

I love him but come on, if you want a good man, please romance Wyll

I might get some hate for this but I think people give the rite of profane ascension a little too much credit. All it did was amplify that which was already there. All the possessiveness, the theatric demeanor, the strange coping mechanisms, that's all Astarion. He had those traits already. The rite didn't have a personality baked in that possessed Astarion once it was completed. If you had finished the rite instead, it would act differently.

Astarion, after getting unfathomable power is going to do the one thing he knows he can. Be the biggest prick on the sword coast lol. He thinks himself untouchable now so he's going to rub it in the face of anyone in the vicinity.

Something else I find really interesting. When not romancing Astarion it is MUCH easier to talk him down from going through with it. Alot of his desire to complete the ritual comes from fear of losing the one person he cares for. So the ritual corrupts that too and turns it into possessiveness. It was already there. He's so afraid of losing you that he does the vampiric equivalent of a marriage and now you both have a mind link along with the one from the tadpole. (Lots of interesting stuff about vampiric spouses in DnD lore that explains alot of what happens and what Astarion views the relationship as) The vampiric spouses happiness becomes everything. He dotes on them.

"Ask me anything, and it will be yours".

But he also establishes a clear dom/sub type dynamic. I think because it's what he has known the most and is also maybe a liiiiiitle drunk off the power still. Which isn't everyone's cup of tea. So post ritual Astarion can quickly become very uncomfortable for people. But it's not necessarily "new" or Cazadors personality baked into the ritual. He has always had the potential to be like this. Even without killing over 7000 people. That's what makes his character analysis so fascinating. A!A and spawn Astarion are so detailed and well written and analysing them both just makes me realise how much work was put into these companions.

One more thing I'd like to mention. Aside from the occasional difference in wording or his greetings, most of his voice lines are exactly the same. It's still Astarion. And of course this is due to resource management but I also think it works as being intentional as well. He's still in there. He's just really lost in the power sauce at the moment.

Is ascended Astarion the "better" ending? Objectively, no. I think almost every companion has an arc where lust for power or blind devotion becomes their downfall. Even Durge! It's what makes them such compelling characters.

sometimes its sacrificing 7007 souls because FUCK everyone else you want hubby to be happy

I love how healing can come in so many different forms.

Sometimes it’s therapy.

Sometimes it’s bringing the first person you’ve ever loved to your grave and banging them in the dirt above the casket you clawed your way out of 200 years ago.