#even if you don't romance astarion

[ghost-proofbaby]

okay i did it!! i bought bg3 (been playing it nonstop since yesterday) and i suck at it. it’s on the easiest difficulty and i still suck. oh and i’m pretty sure astarion doesn’t like me very much. i don’t suppose you’d have any tips for me ?? pretty please <333

oh nooo!!! i mean hell yes to buying the game but oh no as for thinking you suck!! i promise you certainly don't. no one has a perfect first playthrough (not even the voice actors involved in the game... i'm looking at you, neil.)

my biggest tip with astarion is he's a chaos gremlin. the funniest and most chaotic options usually gain your approval with him. however, the biggest things that will influence you romancing him will be key scenes to his quest specifically! so once he starts approaching you about.... things, or reveals more about himself, just be kind to him <3 don't treat him like a monster, respect him and his autonomy, etc etc.

as for actual game play, try to have fun with it! if you really screw something up and it bothers you, don't be afraid to save scum. i always joke that f5 and f8 are my most powerful spells lol. the game is a lot more enjoyable if you lean into the RP'ing aspect and really focus on 'what would my character do?'

(if all else fails, at this point, there are romance and approval guides online. i didn't seek them out initially because i wanted to see what would happen and just got lucky that i was certainly playing for the bit and that that aligned with astarion so often. and if you have any specific issues or questions i'm always down to offer my advice although idk how helpful i am haha)

[wavebiders]

Feeling very insane about the fact that, in a way, being a bad Sharran is what saves Shadowheart in the end

Because like. She's not supposed to be bad at keeping secrets. She's not supposed to be vulnerable, kind, or hopeful. She's not supposed to get attached to anything or anyone

Yet, it's these things that allow her to get close to the pc and the group as a whole. The more she fails to keep Shar's secrets the more she opens up to you, and the more she opens up to you the more you have the chance to build a relationship with her, and it's through having that relationship that she finds the courage to defy Shar

If she had been a better Sharran she never would have built that bond at all, she wouldn't have felt safe to make the decision she did, and probably no one would have trusted her enough to let her decide to begin with

Shadowheart is saved because she is loved, and Shadowheart is loved because she cannot stop being herself no matter how hard she tries

[what-is-it-to-be-pk-esque]

Ok I know I'm heavily biased here but like I kinda love that Astarion's romance is one of the few in this type of video game where you basically end up canonically unmarried and childfree in his "good" ending? Just travelling the world??

Like it's honestly the millennial dream lmfaoo cannot believe i chose what would undoubtedly be my favorite option, first try

[podcastenthusiast]

Sure it's all fun and games Tav telling Astarion to "say please" and calling him a good boy before having sex, but he'd have a mini panic attack if Tav explained safewords and like actually gave a shit about his wellbeing in bed.

[ride-a-dromedary]

Astarion and Shadowheart: *collars undone, thoroughly debauched* Sorry we're late! We were doing stuff. Halsin: *a step and a half behind them* I am stuff.

[fl3shm4id3n]

Ascended Astarion: You're going to sit nicely in my lap, perhaps naked.

me: (cause i'll be there for him with open arms open legs and an open mouth)

[hamartia-grander]

Wyll breaking up with the player character if Ulder dies so Wyll must become the Duke makes me wanna throw up sobbing because he actually thinks that just because his father's first duty being to Baldur's Gate made him a Bad Father that Wyll himself will inevitably be a Bad Lover because surely no one could match love with duty if his father couldn't, unknowing he has more love in one hand than his father had in his entire body. fuck

[wizardsix]

astarion stans who refuse to try befriending or even romancing anyone else are the most annoying mfs. "I only romance astarion I just can't relate to the other stories" really? you can't relate to gales deep self loathing? his deep love and loyalty for those he cares about? you can't relate to wylls kind heart and desire to always do good, even if it means he's miserable? can't relate to shadowheart blindly following a god, only to learn the truth and reinvent herself? you can't relate to lae'zel or karlach who were lied to and used as weapons their whole lives, but continue to push on even when they're scared? you can't relate to the overarching theme of authority vs autonomy???

it's not difficult, it's just people refusing to appreciate and explore the game to its fullest bc their manipulative sexy vampire is all they need(something astarion actually loathes being seen as btw). but ok, you can be boring and do whatever you want, but don't lie and say the other stories are bad, because they're not. it's simply a lack of media literacy and critical thinking. because to you, if a character doesn't tell you point blank that they're aware of their situation, it's bad writing. missing the entire point that victims don't always realize the situation they're in. keep in mind astarion and karlach are the only ones who got away from their abusers, which is why they tell you clearly and confidently about what happened to them, fully aware that it was abuse. whereas the others give only their tunnel visioned perspective and speak highly of their deity(not caring about themselves, wish to appease them for something in return).

don't get me wrong (seriously, if I see one person misunderstand me I'm going to lose it) astarion is a good character, but people who only like him need to stop acting like he's the only complex and well written one. stop crying when people with brains call you out for being weird about his ascended ending. the game isn't about him. at least try and show some respect to those who worked hard on the game. make an oc and try new things, i promise the fictional vampire won't care if you don't romance him one run. have a drink with shadowheart, dance with wyll, go to a restaurant w karlach, maybe then you'll calm down.

[invinciblerodent]

if bloodsoaked killer, avatar of wretched villainy, fetid and rotten, a vile creature to the very core.... why kicked puppy??? why cute round eyes??? why sweet scared girl who just wants to be nice and help everyone????

(in other words it's durge time; monk styles)

(my plan is a Karlach romance, but man, if you deliberately RP as someone who is both very confused and deeply scared, there is something extra reassuring about Gale's confidence. Like I'm trying to lean into Karlach's warmth -both literal and metaphorical- being a source of comfort, and the reason for this character to be drawn to her, but the dynamic of a strong woman who knows nothing and the physically frail man with chronic pain who knows everything IS intriguing...)

(then again, that could just be me being not even just thirsty, but parched for the wizard.)

[shadowcutie]

Oh, come on. Let it hurt.

[eldrichthingy]

How do people even get rejected by Astarion because I have no idea- in each playthrough I have now he's the first to ask my Dark Urge out 😭😭 even on good alignment and even having him constantly disapprove (still having good - very good - perfect relationship though depending on save)...

[annalyticall]

My Durge Playthrough: 36 hours, 10 long rests, still no Astarion bite scene

My second Tav Playthrough: 4 hours, 2 long rests, gets the bite scene despite Astarion not liking me even a little bit

[blujayonthewing]

I actually cannot believe how fucking powerfully baldur's gate has gripped me

[jellophoid]

I reaaaaaaally wish I was an Astarion fan bc mr vampire is SUCH a fitting song for him and I knew it since the mv came out

[danse--macabre]

thinking about Tirazel as a romancable companion has made me a little ill.... she has a history of manipulative people dating her and using her for her father's connections/money/to further their own interests and she's often agreed despite knowing they're manipulating her because 1. she wants to spite her dad 2. she hates herself and unrequited desire feels 'normal' and 'what she deserves'

like for Tirazel, a relationship in which you lie about your feelings and manipulate is just. normal. "this is all just a silly act. ha ha. flirt flirt flirt. promises we won't fulfil. honeyed words. sweet words. false words. this is how it goes." if you try and go off-script in act 1, she'll correct you / bicker with you, will tell you not to pretend you're interested in anything else, won't even hear otherwise. in act 2, she'll outright confront you about exactly what you want off her because it's been 'too nice' / she's worried, because you've not tried to get one over on her yet.

but the thing is, Tirazel desperately wants to love someone genuinely and openly. She will give you her heart fully if you are patient with her and consistently demonstrate that your feelings are genuine. It takes her time to come around to this, but she will bare that part of her soul. And she will be sweet and loyal and protective to you too. She's a closet romantic and really desires something equally romantic - but private. She'll go from showy flirtation in act 1 that she'll tell you 'is just for show, is part of the game darling' to private, intimate, meaningful gestures in act 3.

girl just wants to love! but doesn't believe it's possible!

[littlestarprincess]

The fandom's reaction to Gale is wild because like.... He's literally Howl Pendragon. The vibes are absolutely there. Vain wizard showing you the beauty of magic who's fuckboi tendencies in the past got him a really bad heart condition? I see no difference.

(Also people who make choices Astarion doesn't approve of somehow being shocked that Gale likes them.... Have you not noticed his approval going up every time you make a vanilla good guy choice???)