#lute character study

[mousy-nona]

Prompt: Lute changed her name into Astarte/Astaroth.

Humans asked silly questions all the time. Why am I on this Earth? Who created me? What purpose, they asked, do I serve?

Lute never had to ask those questions, because she knew all the answers already. She knew for whom she was created. She knew the why. She knew the what. She knew her purpose. 

She was the right hand of Adam, the sword and shield to his heart. Since the day he had formed her from the clay of the earth and the clouds of the sky and a sprinkle of the Almighty’s grace, she had been by his side. It was Adam who made her laugh until her stomach hurt by shoving twenty – count ‘em, twenty! – french fries up his nose. It was Adam who had made her cry when he’d disappeared for three days (on a tour of drugs and debauchery, she later found out, which made her feel rather silly about the whole thing). It was Adam who had shown her how good a hug felt, Adam who taught her what it meant for the heart to skip, to beat.

They had shared a billion moments, a trillion words – an eternity of memories. 

She had thought she had another trillion more.

But now, as she held him in her arms and his golden lifeblood spilled into her lap, as that trickster gleam faded from his eyes and his body grew impossibly still, she found herself asking her own questions. The one humans never have to ask. 

What happens after your Creator dies?

Lute had served a purpose. She had been created for a reason. But those (damneddirtyevil) dead humans had stolen it from her. 

As she carried Adam’s body back to Heaven (she would never let those damned demons have him, never), she resolved that the tears she spilled that day would be her last. Lute was dead. She was buried with Adam – because without Adam, there could be no Lute. Sine qua non.

She needed a new name. A new identity. 

What good fortune, then, that she knew exactly where to get one. Her skin prickled as she crossed the barrier between Heaven and Hell, as if it was shedding the angel she had once been. 

Good, she thought. All the better to wear a demon’s skin.

She touched down in front of a long abandoned castle, his pentagram seal long since worn by the harsh winds. The devil that had lived here had been one of the original Fallen; he had commanded 40 legions and been a crowned Great Duke of Hell.

Adam had killed him centuries ago for calling him “a bitchy fratboy.” 

She picked up his bent crown and fallen staff, shaped like a serpent mid-strike. She dusted off the crown, placed it on her own head. It fit perfectly, as if she’d been meant for damnation all along. 

She had picked him for two reasons. First, she would need all 40 of his legions (and then some) for what she had planned next. She would need the fear that his name inspired. 

Second, the castle had been strategically built on a hill – with a truly to-die-for view of that wretched hotel. 

Revenge was her middle name, but her first…

They would call her Ishtar. They would call her Inanna. They would call her Astarte. 

They would call her Astaroth, and all would fall on their knees before her. 

Starting with that fucking housekeeper.

[eternalera]

I'm making an analysis of this scene because fuck it, it means sm to me

so basically the scene im talking about is the one above and why (because fuck you l like adam and lute) it means so much to me

first off when do we actually see adam smile and im not talking about when he's being an asshole to charlie or making some unfunny sex joke. I'm talking about when he looks genuine.

Like he looks actually happy, not entertained but happy because thats what it is with charlie. He's smiling because he's entertained with her reactions and how pissed he's making her.

Whenever we see him smile it has this almost evil feel to it (whether that be with the teeth in the mask that he wears or not although it probably is... i'll get to that later). It feels like he's meant to be the villain. He's meant to be someone you're meant to hate. So why in this scene does it make you feel bad for him and lute? (almost depending on the person cause yes i know some of you jumped up with joy at this, i aint judging)

it makes you feel bad because there's something human in this scene whether we like it or not. that also comes with the removal of their masks. we've never seen adam without his mask so him losing it in this scene provides us with the sense that 'hey hes still human' he's not some eldritch being sent from hell/heaven. he's a guy.

this also comes with the removal of lutes mask. we see her genuine emotion. we actually see her being to cry something that honestly seems almost out of character for her seeing as she's pretty much that one character whos like 'fuck it lets power through this'

this also is similar to adam smiling cause it shows you that in the end he wasn't a total asshole.

but back to the masks. the masks make them have pretty sharp looking teeth which is something that we associate with sharks or some sort of predator. yet removing the teeth (actually adam doesnt even smile with his teeth) you suddenly get a lot more of a human feeling

they dont feel like a villain anymore (even though thats what they are) they feel like a person. it doesnt make him feel like a threat anymore so you have an actual ability to feel bad for him.

but moving on (i ramble a lot so this may not stay on track but its fine :D ).

our last scene of adam in this entire show (im pretty sure like yknow... direct scene) is him smiling. him showing genuine human emotion. because whether or not you guys wanna admit it adam was the first human, and he does have feelings that pertain to humans. so why have this be our last view of him? of him being quite literally beaten down.

well personally i feel like this is because the show wants us to see him as lute sees him. she saw him (as from what ive gathered) as a genuine friend. she actually liked his company and liked hanging around him.

so this pushes her idea and avenging adam or getting revenge for his death. if we didnt have this scene her just getting upset at lilith and taking charge randomly and getting just randomly mad at the hotel would be kinda... eh.

like it wouldnt make for that good of a story.

but with our last moments of adam being him smiling at lute it shows us basically something else. that he cared, for what? we dont really know but he cared for something because its clear that the extermination failed and adams dying. hes fucking dying something he seemed so upset over two seconds ago screaming and shouting how he shouldnt die or whatever

so its most likely that he cared for lute making this scene all the much sadder. besides its the only thing we can assume seeing that lute was the last thing that he saw before passing on.

also ive seen theories that make a lot of sense with lute being the only one who stuck it out with adam till the end. lilith left him, eve was created from his fucking rib and yet she most likely left him. so he probably died pretty damn along the first time around

so lute being there for him and showing that she cared for him and that she still cares for him probably meant a lot. most likely because she stuck around until his death, she stuck around till the end which once again, he died alone the first time and dying with someone with you the second probably means a lot

anywaysssss yeah thats it byeeee

[rattlebear25]

Since I am an Adam stan and I really hope he returns in the next seasons (I believe in the Sinner Adam theory) I made a Sinner! Adam design:

+ Some expressions

Design Note:

When i was thinking the design i thought about Heaven and Hell colors contrast. Winner! Sir Pentious got a more lightful palette like white and gold when he went to Heaven so i thought Adam would have a black/red/brown palette also because he died in a rocky place. I added more spikes on him, in Hell he is more aggressive and violent.

His bird wings became dragon or bat wings and he got an evil tail like Lucifer or Charlie in their Full Demon form. He wear goat hooves like boots and his battle robe is ripped apart. The jacket is dark because his robe color was deep blue before dying so the jacket is his robe but darker. Some designs that i saw online fuse Adam's human form features like the hair crest and the goatie with his mask and it becomes his real face. His guitar can become an Axe during the fights against the Sinners, but this time his guitar is stuck in the Axe mode and can't return a guitar.

• How he relates with other characters:

Niffty: Unlike the other members of the Hotel, Adam has a scared and panicked behavior towards Niffty and insults her anytime he sees her and he doesn’t even try to touch her (who saw Episode 8 knows what I am talking about)

Alastor: Anytime Adam sees Alastor becomes furious (not as with Lucifer or Charlie) because of Episode 8. He thinks he is a psychopath because his cannibal behavior, ignoring that himself being a sadistic person too. He hates Alastor tastes in fact of musics, preferring rock songs or metal.

Lute: Lute is the only person in this list which Adam really cares for. The main reason he wants to go back to Heaven it’s her and take back his Exorcist leader title. Him and Lute shared the same interests for rock musics/bands, singing, weapons, battling and eating junk food (unlike Adam, Lute is more balanced at eat fries and hamburgers). From Lute perspective, she tries to accept Adam’s death, but she always bring Adam’s halo (the one she showed to Lilith/Eve at the end on Ep 8) as a memory of him. Lute goal is avenge Adam’s death but when she discovered that he returned as a sinner in Hell, her plans changed to save him and bring him back as her Leader and boyfriend.

I was thinking of making a full artwork of him using his Axe and some short comics idk

I love that i drew Adam with expressions that are really similar to the original one lmao

[spiritseeeker]

This singular frame was all it took to undo my very extreme hatred of Adam, Vivienne Medrano how dare you make me feel sympathy for this man-

Like, Adam before this scene? A blatant misogynist and a hypocrite who unabashedly revels in sinners' suffering. A guy who has no regard for anyone else, and who pisses pretty much every viewer off with patronizing jabs like "sorry sweetie" and "try to chillax, babe." Ugh, disgusting.

As the first man, it seems like he got an easy pass into Heaven. Maybe the angels were just saving face, given that their core pair of humans both took the fruit of knowledge of good and evil willingly, ordaining Adam on the technicality that "Eve did it first." But I think we can all agree that it was not on the merit of Adam's virtue.

And then Charlie draws blood during their fight in Episode 8, and, for the first time, Adam genuinely realizes he can be hurt. Like, for the first time in the duration of the show, in his entire fucking existence, someone shows him that he is not, in fact, an all-powerful symbol of power and superiority. He's just a guy with privilege who is just as vulnerable, just as flawed, just as human as the rest of them.

But once the mask is shattered, revealing the rather unexceptional man underneath, does Adam back down? Of course not—he doubles down. There's nothing worse than a narcissist who is virtually incapable of seeing the error of their ways, even when they're clearly backed into a corner. Bruised and bloody, he bellows that he's THE man; everybody should worship him.

For me, that pretty much hit the nail in the coffin. There was no redeeming a character like Adam (ironic, since he's one of the few characters in the show not in need of redemption).

So isn't it fitting, then, that his death didn't happen in some grand display requiring all of Lucifer or Charlie's might? Isn't it fitting that Adam falls to Niffty—not Lucifer, not an overlord, but a common sinner, who sees him as nothing more than a foot soldier that needs to be eliminated, a pest as easily squashed as a roach? For someone as self-aggrandizing as Adam, this has to be one of the most humiliating ways to die. The perfect end for an insufferable antagonist.

But nooo, Vivziepop didn't end it there.

Because INSTEAD, we hear Lute's heart-wrenching screams as she realizes that Adam has just been defeated; we see the look on her tear-streaked face when it registers just how badly he's been injured. The fear in her eyes at the prospect of living in a world without the angel she idolizes, the man she serves.

She's not concerned that she's just lost her arm, or that Vaggie is standing right there. In that moment, the only person in Hell is Adam, and all she wants is for him to stay with her.

Adam could have easily dismissed her feelings entirely. He could have spent his last breath hurling one last insult at Lucifer, getting the satisfaction of having the last word before his death. He could have thrown himself a pity party and cursed his fate.

Instead, this greedy, selfish, murderous fiend has the audacity to see Lute in his field of vision and flash her one last, tender smile.

We don't know for sure what Adam was thinking in this shot, but personally, I think it was something along the lines of I lost. Proud of you, Lute. I'll miss you. Goodbye.

Whatever his final thoughts are, we can surmise from his expression alone that he's accepted his fate, and that he's grateful his last seconds alive are locking eyes with someone who's important to him. Someone he cares about.

And THAT—that was enough to crack through that thick shell of hatred I'd developed for Adam and shatter it like the mask he wore for seven and a half episodes of the show. THAT 8-second moment was enough to make me reconsider my stance on Adam as an irredeemable villain.

(CURSE YOU, VIVIENNE!!!)

Does this scene cancel out all the heinous things Adam does throughout Season 1? All the lives he destroys, all the pain he causes to thousands upon thousands of souls? Absolutely not. But it does change my perception of Adam from "obnoxious egomaniac with no self-awareness" to "obnoxious egomaniac with no self-awareness that is a product of the flawed system he perpetuates."

And, I gotta wonder, what would Adam have been like if Heaven had been different?

[gods-favorite-exorcist]

Character analysis: Excorcists, Lute, and Adam.

TW: CULTS, NARCISSISTS.

Ya know, I've been thinking about the excorcists as always and here's me info dumping, I'm not a therapist but I'm mentally ill so- and I have a shit ton of religious trauma

Adam is a narcissist, that's obvious, the excorcists he surrounded himself with constantly validate him. It's almost cult like. The excorcists are his cultists, they practically warship him. When Lute reminds Adam of the rules about the excorcisim in ep 6, he agrees, but puts her in her place, degrading her. Vaggie was kicked out for questioning. Learning on her own, whith is the #1 rule when it comes to cults. When Lute kicked vaggie out, it was her attempts at gaining his attention. It's her trying to gain his favor and praise. Adam breeds an environment where the excorcists need to stand out to feel worthy, but not stand out too much, and differ yourself from the cult. I grew up in a hyper religious town, I'd parrot conspiracy theories and radical ideals at 6, 7, 8, without much thought, the kids I grew up with said them, I wanted to blend in yet stand out for the praise, recognition, and attention. I'd gain favor with teachers and pastors for the attention and praise when I'd spit back out thier homophobic and racist shit they'd say tenfold, their praise when I'd admit that yes, I was a sinner, or how the teachers would praise me for my skill, for standing out from my peers, something I still have to work through years later, it's not something that just can be gotten rid of. It lingers for the rest of your life. This did not mean to turn into a trauma dump but lol

In conclusion, The excorcists are a cult where the girls are the victims of their programming, Adam is a cult leader, a narcissist. And he deserves that death tenfold♡♡♡.

[celestial-artisan]

DISCLAIMER: I do not condone Lute's behavior towards others, this is just a potential character theory of mine, and I am not justifying her in any way.

I feel like it's really, really important to note the most interesting trait about Lute: Lute isn't selfish. In fact, in a twisted way, she's a devoted altruist.

She doesn't fight for her own pride or joy like Adam does, she fights because it's 'the right thing to do', because it's the rules she has to follow for the greater good. She didn't torture Vaggie because she personally had anything against her, but because she broke the rules and went against the proper way things should be done.

Nothing can deter her from throwing herself to her organization and its goals- Not physical pain, not anguish, nothing. She tears her arm off to get back in battle, to get back in form, and she doesn't give herself time to wind down or grieve after the battle, she immediately proceeds with business to keep up with her new responsibilities.

I don't think Lute is a psychopath or a sociopath. However, what I do think can attribute to her is a very severe form of a coping mechanism that likely emerged as a result of trauma.

Outside of Hellaverse, there's one specific character Lute reminds me a lot of, one that makes me wonder, is Lute actually a person like this? They both stick to the rules, sometimes threateningly and unnaturally so, they have the memory of losing someone close to them, and their personality traits stop them from forming meaningful relationships exempt for very few people.

I'm talking about Sanemi from Demon Slayer.

Can you see it? Before the last part of the story arc, Sanemi couldn't accept the fact that the rules can be bended, that there's an exception for everything, because then he would have to face what he did in the past- That there could've been hope for his mother. Deeming all demons inhumane monsters made it easy for him to justify himself, that what he killed was a bloodthirsty creature, not his mother. This made him hurt Nezuko and advocate so strongly for killing her, made his personality so cold and unapproachable even his brother had to turn away from him.

What if, just what if, this happened to Lute? What if she had to hurt/kill someone dear to her because it was against the rules, and the sheer trauma of that turned her into what she is?

Just saying:)

[royalvelvette]

could I get uhhhh Lute for the unstable bingo

you. sure fuckin can, i guess.

(Link to the bingo)

three. i got bingo THREE TIMES.

(only three because i would not call her a complete freak, necessarily - all of her actions have a very clear thought > action process i can follow and i think. part of that square relies on unpredictability. in my opinion.)

anyway. Miss Lute what the hell is wrong with you. may i pretty please study you under a microscope.

[markerofthemidnight]

What Is Love? (Baby, Don’t Hurt Me)

Little Adam character study I whipped up in like an hour. Hope you enjoy!

[aserpent]

rebellion-era lucifer would have taken death over being cast out, and he'll never forgive st. michael the indignity of defeating him without granting him an execution :')

[mistystarshine]

I find it funny that VaB!Lute thinks she'll be like Vaggie if she choses to stay in Hell for Adam's sake caaaause no she won't.

Vaggie was cast down against her will and EVENTUALLY made a life in Hell, returning to Heaven was never an option for her. Lute can return to Heaven but is chosing not to, Falling for the sake of her love.

you know, kinda like Lucifer (the falling voluntarily for love part), they should have a fallen angel club, same initials even

YOU'RE SO RIGHT and I even wrote a fic exploring this concept, Goodbye, Monday. However, I don't think that telling Lute that she's actually more like Lucifer than Vaggie would make her feel any better. XD

[catfishofoldin99colours]

sending guitarspear right back at you lol

I'm love them..... Adam sucks so much and lute is such an asshole and they deserve each other <3

Ok but like seriously I'm like. Adam has lost both his wives, very likely through his own fault as well as Lucifer's interference (no one is perfect or fully to blame in this particular situation, they're all at fault), and while he sucks so much and was handed these things along with being the first man and is generally The Worst .... Losing people who for all intents and purposes were supposed to be with you and love you, that hurts. It hurts a lot.

I don't condone Adams actions or behaviour, but I can understand how losing Lilith and eve, both indirectly to lucifer, would hurt, after he was given the promise of being the First Man and the creator of humanity and all that promise likely entailed.

Honestly, when I think about Adam and what's going on in his squishy little dickface head, it leads me into the same roads thinking about this show always does - is it a person's fault for believing what they're told about themselves? Are the actions they do as a result of this belief that hurt people fully to blame on them?

Heaven and hell do not exist in a vacuum in the original texts. God is not blameless, in my humble opinion, for the events that transpire and lead to the bible we know today. And I don't know how much hazbin intends to fuck around with the original text (Adam can't enter heaven in the Bible cos he committed the original sin and they've already fucked with that) but it's interesting to consider the larger implications of what they have already used and what might come later.

Adam sucks and he believes he is owed a woman's love and subservience. We know he demanded Lilith's subservience from the beginning (but who's telling that story? What are they skewed by? Is Charlie's account of the original story of Eden to be trusted? She is Lilith's daughter, and has only known hell as her home, can we trust what we says the whole time?)

But who told Adam that he was owed that? Was he made with that idea in his mind? Was he told Lilith, and subsequently Eve, would be his? Was he led to believe he could demand these things with no consequences to anyone else's wellbeing?

And if so... Is it his fault if he believes that?

These are the kinds of things I think about with these stories. I honestly don't think the show is intelligent enough or well written enough to properly go into them in a way I would find satisfying, but I do like the implications of some of the writing and what I can think about beyond that.

Anyway, back to Adam and lute.

Adams whole deal is that he's lost women who were supposed to be his, and that hurts as much as he is a dickhead about it. It makes me think that deep down he's lost the ability to trust that anyone will stay and, y'know, actually like him as a person. Yes, he sucks so fucking much, but when you're faced with the prospect of being a shitty person and having no one like you at all, or being a shitty person in control of lots of nice things, who wouldn't pick the second option? He's a human through and through to me, full of petty jealousy and righteous anger and generally a stupid mean dickhead who enjoys being nasty for fun.

Enter lute, who stands next to him with everything. Lute, who is his second in command, who not only tolerates his crass humour and vulgar language but seems to engage with it in her own way. Lute who is wholeheartedly on board with the violent eradication of the sinners, to the point that she absolutely believes people need to die if they can't live to a standard set by someone else (again, who sets this standard and why?)

Lute, who is every bit as awful and horrible as Adam is, and matches him in a way seemingly Lilith or Eve didnt.

Lute, who stayed.

They're not good people and frankly I don't want them to be - to me they're a product of being created to serve a purpose that you really don't have all the answers for and have no say in; Adam to populate humanity, Lute to destroy what heaven deems destroyable and wrong.

Who sets the terms of their existence? Do they have an agenda to fulfill? Some goal they want to reach? How do Adam and Lute, and by extension the exorcists and heaven and hell, play into this? What is the purpose of punishing people, and creating people to punish those, and who creates the rules that mean these punishments happen? By extension, who creates the rules that rewarding people like Adam and Lute happen? Why? And is it their fault if they are wholeheartedly led to believe that they are deserving of the status they have when they very clearly do not have the full picture of the situation at large?

They're so interesting to me and I love them so much.

Also I'm just a sucker for hardass terrible female characters who do not so right things and the sleazebag men they want to jump so. There.

[eternalera]

okay yeah, but why is no one talking about how lute is so utterly alone now.

like whenever we see her shes with adam but adams now dead, hes gone. whenever we're with lute we're with adam (unless she's fighting vaggie)

and can i just say that in the scene with lilith she looks kinda alone. like adam was her partner in crime (take it as /p or /r as you will it doesnt really matter for this one) but goddamn

like if vaggie or charlie died they would have the rest of the cast to cheer them up but lute? she really has no one now. sure if you want to argue lilith or emily or sera but lets be honest. she has like one line with each of them.

lute is truly alone alone we've never seen her interact with anyone else and honestly i wanna see where this goes because goddamn am i excited for her character. sorry if you hate her but i love her <3

[shiroselia]

Honestly at this point I should just take a month and do nothing but write all the 300 JingFu oneshots I've got piled up because at this points it's. a solid amount.

[condemnedsouls]

lute tags.

[adastra121]

TOUCHSTARVED Actor AU

I like these kinds of AUs, so these are my headcanons for an AU where Touchstarved is a show and everyone is an actor playing the main five + DLC!

Casting Call

Ais was the first to be cast, so he had some impact on the actors chosen for the other characters.

For instance, the chemistry readings for Vere and Leander’s parts were extremely important.

Ais and Vere hadn’t met before Touchstarved, but they instantly clicked during their chemistry reading and that cemented Vere in the role. That, and Vere’s ability to capture all of the fox’s complexities, nailing the perfect balance between sexy, funny, asshole-ish, charming and absolutely terrifying.

Ais and Leander have worked together in an underrated TV drama when they were first starting out, before either of them really gained popularity.

Before Touchstarved, Ais acted in various film and TV projects, usually in the action or horror genres.

Vere is mainly a theatre actor, who’s mostly known for his roles in musicals. He’s done some short films, but this would be his first major screen role. He’s a trained vocalist, dancer, pianist, flutist, and cellist. He can also play the lute, having learned for a past role. Went to Juilliard.

Leander is a screen actor known for his lead roles in chick flicks, romcoms and TV dramas. When his casting was announced, a lot of people didn’t think he was the right fit for the gothic horror genre. But his performance blew everyone away.

Mhin is a professional stuntperson, who’s had minor roles in film and television, but their past work is primarily in stunts. Aside from being trained in stage combat, they have a black belt in kung fu and a background in gymnastics. As a lover of horror, Mhin was already a huge fan of Ais’s work before they got cast.

MC had some screen acting experience in minor roles, but they are mainly a voice actor. They did a lot of animation and video game voice acting, as well as mocap, but they’ve always wanted to delve into screen acting.

Kuras is a film and theatre actor. He’s mainly known for his Shakespeare theatre performances. He originally auditioned for Ocudeus — he ended up as the angelic doctor instead.

Although he didn’t initially pursue the role of the doctor, Kuras did a lot of research for the part. He consulted medical experts to prepare and studied historical medical practices alongside the script. He also keeps his accent in between takes so he doesn’t lose it.

Elyon had acted in various TV series, mostly mysteries, thrillers, and period dramas. Outside of acting, he also models. He auditioned for Vere’s role and it was a very close decision. Ultimately, Vere was a better fit. But Elyon did so well in his audition that the casting directors had to ask him to try for the Highborn brothel owner’s role and he was perfect for it. 

Sen is a popular actress known for her roles in sci-fi and fantasy shows and films. Fans were surprised when they learned she was going to star in Touchstarved, since it’s produced by a smaller studio. She got a copy of the script and fell in love with the story and with the character.

Mr. Chokey is actually a childhood friend of MC. They’re working on other projects while filming Touchstarved, but they had a lot of fun in their brief scene with MC. MC kept trying to make them break character during their choking scene, there is at least one part of the mad laughter that is genuine.

On the Set of Touchstarved

Shot during the colder months for the foggy, grey atmosphere. When not shooting, a lot of the cast would be bundled up in their coats, holding hot water packs, and huddling close to the heat lamps. Elyon, Mhin and Ais are the best at handling the cold.

Kuras and Sen are the oldest of the main cast, so the two of them sort of look out for the rest of them, especially the younger actors.

Mhin keeps saying “Zenobium” instead of “Senobium.”

MC swears the most when they mess up or forget a line.

Ais is a menace. Biggest prankster on set and he ad-libs, improvises, and makes faces when the camera isn’t on him to get the others to break character. Leander caught on and now they’re both trying to get each other to break character. Neither have succeeded with Kuras.

Taking off his glove with his teeth, that was Leander improvising. The others tease him about that.

Ais, Mhin, and Sen practise action scenes together, since they all have experience in stage fighting. They’re the ones that do most of their stunt scenes. They often help and offer tips and advice to their castmates for their stunt scenes, too, even though the stunt doubles will do the majority of their stunts.

The cast names Leander as the actor with the most energy for the night scenes. He’s usually keeping everyone’s energy high and cheering the others on.

MC, Vere and Leander film the most TikToks and videos in their downtime of the cast’s shenanigans.

Everyone in the cast has really good chemistry with each other. When they do group interviews, they laugh and joke and poke fun at each other, too. Actually, I feel like all their group interviews veer into unhinged territory, lowkey.

For the majority of MC’s scenes where their bandages are meant to stay on, their bandages are part linen wrappings and part gloves. The costume design team made 16 versions of the bandage part of MC’s costumes for multiple scenes, since there are some where MC has to unwrap the bandages.

The Touchstarved costumes are very detailed and intentional, but there are a few wardrobe malfunctions sometimes. Mhin’s cloak and hood refusing to cooperate, flying into their face. And sometimes, after a difficult fight scene, Ais is missing a horn by the end of it. Kuras's long sleeves have snagged on a few items on set. Vere's chain sometimes comes undone, "I'm free!" and he pretends to attack.

A lot of the prop malfunctions happen with Leander, like his dagger getting stuck or accidentally breaking the doorknob to MC's room during a tense scene. The blooper showed the door opening with Leander awkwardly holding the loose doorknob, "I won't leave you and you won't leave me."

There are a lot of bloopers where MC’s bandage comes undone and their scene partner just acts like the curse has taken hold.

The majority of the series uses practical effects and real sets. There’s CG used, of course — some examples include special effects for some characters’ eyes, and Vere’s ears and tail — but most of what you see on screen can be touched or felt.

Which means everyone wants to jump into the Seaspring. Everyone.

After the “That’s a wrap,” they were finally able to.

Additional

Who’s the most like their character? Most of the cast would say that Kuras feels the most like the angelic doctor, in that he’s playful but hardworking, attentive, and super knowledgeable. Maybe it’s just his mom friend and angelic vibes. Kuras looks out for all of them — reminding the others to hydrate, keeping an eye on them during the more strenuous scenes. But he’s a phenomenal actor, so when he’s in a scene, it’s hard to see him as their castmate — he is the fallen angel.

Second would be Ais, he was first to be cast for a reason. Ais feels like he’s comparatively calmer and secure. They’re both dog lovers, Ais has a few rescues himself.

The rest of the cast share more differences with their characters. Vere is ambitious and creative like the fox, but he sees himself as more serious and reserved. Leander believes he’s friendly and humorous like the leader of the Bloodhounds, but like Ais, he feels like he’s more easygoing and secure in himself. And he describes himself as, despite his experience in romance media, massively bad at flirting. Mhin has the hunter’s dry wit and cynicism, but they describe themselves as more humorous and extroverted, and less emotionally constipated than their character.

The cast would name MC as the least like their character. They are more of a gremlin in real life.

Okay. I have two ideas for this.

Either Leander keeps accidentally spoiling things, it’s partly why there are so many theories about his character before the show even aired. The creators lean into it with all the promo about Leander being “totally normal” and “such a good guy.” Or…

Leander is the anti-spoiler, before Touchstarved’s premiere, he described Leander as the one normal human in the middle of the madness who’s, throughout the season, just trying to figure out where he fits in all of this. In the interviews, he talks about how the series is full of horror — his character gets a few cool moments with his magic here and there, but he was definitely envious of the rest of the cast for some of their truly messed up scenes. He wishes the heroic mage could have had some horrifying moments, too. Man, if only he wasn’t typecast as the good-hearted golden retriever type. But it’s alright, because with all the madness and horror, MC probably needs that normalcy, that unconditional support, and Leander provides that for them. :)

And his castmates who are paired with him for those interviews have varying reactions to those bold-faced lies.

MC and Ais are the kind to smile when it happens. Kuras and Vere keep a good poker face, nodding along to Leander’s statements. Mhin tries to keep a straight face, but you can see them dying inside. Sometimes Ais, MC and Vere will play along (“Yeah, very sad for him.” “Whenever we shoot some of the really scary parts sometimes we can see him watch yearningly on the side, a single tear rolling down his face.” “His jealousy fuels me.”).

Mhin often roasts their co-stars — MC and Leander are frequent targets — but as soon as either of them jokingly talk bad about themselves, they give them the most genuine compliments, for example, how they admire how much heart they both throw into their performances and how they inspire Mhin to make their work better.

Elyon’s the cryptid. He’s rarely seen in public or in the behind-the-scenes videos and vlogs, though from the cast’s stories, he does regularly hang out with them, there’s just very little photographic evidence of it. And when he does show up, it’s usually unprepared. Like Vere and Ais could be filming a vlog and then suddenly Elyon passes by in the background — he was in the room the whole time?! Vere and Ais don’t seem surprised at all, so he must have been.

He’s just an introvert.

Sen crochets as a hobby. She actually made something small for each cast member. After the show came out, she shares her handmade Princess, with a little mask that matches her character. The cast and fans love it.

Vere and Ais are very physically affectionate with each other both onscreen and offscreen. They call each other pet names and try to outdo one another with increasingly terrible and cringey names.

Leander is the most physically affectionate of the cast — he’ll give everyone hugs quite often. MC and Mhin receive the most physical affection from everyone. Their co-stars describe the two as very huggable. The cast agrees that Ais gives the best hugs.

The cast still keeps in touch with each other after filming. They have their own group chat.

That’s all I can think of for now! Please feel free to add onto these or share your own Actor AU headcanons!

[avocado-writing]

hiii your bg3 writing is so *chefs kiss*

I was hoping you'd be able to write the companions' reactions to a bard!tav, giving them a private serenade one night. like they lead them to a clearing away from camp one night and there's a picnic set up and tav sings a song they wrote specifically for their love?

if all the companions is too many, could you please specifically do Halsin, Astarion, Minthara and Wyll?

oh, cute! going to give you a lute, as I think that’s easiest!

Astarion

he makes a comment about how he feels the picnic was a bit unnecessary as he can’t eat it, but you mention you’re his snack later ;)

you sit him down, pour him a glass of wine, and pull out your lute

you ask, suddenly uncharacteristically shy, if you can play him something.

he cocks his head to the side and nods.

your fingers dance across strings, and when you start to sing, he realises it’s a song about him.

you once offered to be his mirror, and tonight you repeat that. your song is about how lovely he is, in every way. how he’s handsome but kinder than he wants to admit. brave. fierce.

its the most sincere celebration of his character he’s ever heard, and by the end of it, he’s left shocked.

“oh…” “did you like it?” chewing your lip, nervous.

“it’s… you’re…” he really doesn’t have the words to convey how you’ve made him feel. so he gently takes your chin in his hand and kisses you.

the kiss gets deeper. the lute is abandoned. so, really, is the picnic. the music the two of you make then is of a different kind.

later, when he has time to come up with a suitable review, he will tell you how much it meant to him. you are his favourite musician, and he has a new favourite song.

Halsin

oh, he’s been around for a long time, but this is the first time someone’s done something like this for him.

he’s just sat in bowled-over silence as you play for him, and it is amazing. an epic ode to his life and kindness, how strong and handsome you think he is.

he comes closer as you sing, sitting right next to you. studying every inch of your face as you perform.

when you’re done, he tells you that it was the loveliest thing he’s ever heard.

“I’ve heard pods of whales singing as they meet up with their lost family… until now, it was the sweetest sound to have graced my ears.”

he gets you to repeat the song and turns into different animals to enjoy it, be it via vibrations or different ways of hearing. either way he wants to be surrounded by your music, and you.

Minthara

absolutely no idea how to respond.

she was brought up in a cutthroat world. this softness is new to her.

she remains quiet for a while as she tries to work out if you’re trying to get anything from her. is this a trick?

”oh, I’m sorry,” you say after a while when she’s just been staring. “did you not like it?”

”no. no, it was… play it again.”

you do, and she really listens to the lyrics. they’re about her beauty. how glad you are to have met her. her strength in battle and soul.

she’s exceptionally moved.

“this is… a priceless gift that you’ve given me. I have no way to repay you.” “I don’t need repayment. it was freely given.”

she kisses you, for she has no way else to thank you. you have moved her more than she thought possible.

Wyll

you play and he listens. his eyes and smile go wide.

absolutely enraptured. claps when you’re done, and cheers your performance. you laugh and bow for him.

he tells you how much you mean to him, what a sweet gift this is. how your love is his most treasured possession.

he reaches into his pocket… and takes out some paper.

“I… I know this is incredible timing but actually… I wrote you something, myself.”

and he starts to read out a poem.

oh, it is lovely. full of flowery verse, and sweet appreciations of you. all the little things which make him love you. you pick up your lute and play along eventually, and he gets into the rhythm too.

the two of you laugh at the fact that you both had the same idea! you’re so alike, so in sync.

he holds you tenderly, kisses you softly.

you end up writing many songs about your Blade. he is your perfect muse.

bonus:

Karlach bursts into tears when she hears it, and scoops you up into a big hug at the end. she’s so emotional. she can’t stop saying she loves you, she loves your song, all of it. lots of wet kisses for you.

Gale is rendered speechless for the first time he can remember. he just stares at you in adoration. he’s never had anyone love him enough to write a song about him before, and he full force of his affection for you hits him in that moment. he is smitten.