#there is literally a scene where if you tell him halsin is interested in you he says it’s ok to go to him

[thranduel]

some thoughts about astarion because i'm tired of the internet reducing him to one thing

when bg3 came out in early access, astarion was always seen as the extremely flirty, confident guy who enjoyed sex (or so we thought) and spoke about it like it was his favourite thing. he was also kinda marketed as the “sexy vampire”, so you can understand why many people saw him that way based on the little amount of content we had. even while playing act 1 and act 2, many players still might think of him like that because he does have a very charismatic personality and he asks to sleep with you very early on, so it just automatically makes you think he’s genuinely happy doing that and being totally serious.

BUT!!!!!!! we end up finding out later on that’s NOT the case and it was all part of a plan to seduce us in order for him to gain protection. he opens up about his past and his trauma and how he was forced to use his body to lure people back to cazador. he struggles with intimacy and relationships in general because of this. that’s why i really hope that people stop reducing him to “hot sexy vampire that loves flirting and having sex with everyone” when that is not who he is, he’s literally traumatised because of sex due to being forced into it and he’s slowly trying to heal. he’s also so much more than just “the hot vampire”, ya know? if you actually put in the effort to get to know him, you will see who he truly is underneath and he has many loveable traits to appreciate.

you may not see the “soft” side of him very often because he hides it, but it’s there!! one thing i noticed that really stood out to me was that when i gave food to an orphan in act 3 and he approved. back when you first met him, he probably would’ve done the opposite or had no reaction at all. i also saw a clip of someone trying to romance karlach and astarion and he literally told tav to choose karlach over him because he can see that karlach loves her. he said normally an arrangement would work for him but after everything karlach has been through, he doesn’t want to get in the way or see her hurt. letting tav go is also hard for him as well but he still thought about someone else. he could’ve whined or been possessive or jealous but he didn’t do that at all. where are all those people who reduce astarion to “the guy that flirts and sleeps with everyone” now? seriously. that’s not what he does, and when he was forced into it by cazador, he was trying to survive, he didn’t do it for his own pleasure. it’s not a “hot” personality trait of his, it’s literally trauma. and because he did it so much, he got used to it, and that resulted in him disassociating and feeling empty.

apparently if you ask him to join you and sleep with the drows at the brothel (something i will never make him do in my playthroughs), he only says yes because he struggles to say no. but he disassociates. and if you’re in a high approval relationship with him and he loves you, he will feel safe enough to express his feelings and say he’s not comfortable. this happens before you fight cazador. i’m not sure if he gives the same response after, but either way, if he joins in, he will always disassociate and it’s not something he wants to do despite what he may say.

that being said, it’s obviously still okay to appreciate his beauty and attractiveness, because he is very beautiful. he appreciates it and even likes being called beautiful. calling him “hot” and “sexy” isn’t a bad thing either, we know he can be and i'm sure he knows it too! it’s just annoying when people act like that’s ALL he is and they don’t even mention anything else about his character. the love scenes are beautifully done too (i personally prefer the second one after you’ve stopped him from doing the ritual, because that’s the one where he decided he truly wanted it and felt safe and comfortable because he genuinely loves you), and i actually would’ve been fine if they didn’t have any scenes like that at all because it’s totally understandable and valid if he didn’t feel comfortable, but i just hope that people don’t take things too far and over-sexualise him just because of how he appeared to be in the first half of the game and the way he’s often marketed on social media. and yes i know he’s fictional and nothing on the internet is going to hurt his feelings!!!! it’s more about the fact that he canonically has sexual trauma and many people still say really disturbing stuff even AFTER they find out about that, and it just makes me uncomfortable to think that people are okay with treating someone like a sexual object especially when they've said they're traumatised and it makes them uncomfortable. idk if this makes sense 😭

but yeah he doesn't want to flirt and sleep with everyone as i've seen people claim. and if in an alternate universe he did, and he did it on his OWN terms, and the other people he had relationships with enjoyed it too, then good for them! absolutely nothing wrong with that if there's consent, respect and honesty. however, that's not the case with what happened with astarion, because 1. he was forced into using his body WHEN HE DID NOT WANT TO and 2. he misled people and lured them to a miserable fate. it's so horrible and devastating for everyone involved. sex was never something fun for him, and it certainly isn't a "personality trait" of his. it was a survival tactic. he was forced to. he didn’t want to.

obviously when he becomes more comfortable, then it's totally understandable to get excited when he flirts and shows physical affection. he can be so charming, funny, sweet and romantic and i love that. it’s so beautiful to see him heal, genuinely find comfort in someone for the first time and experience intimacy that he feels ready and comfortable for. he deserves to love and be loved on his own terms instead of being forced. but again, he is so much more than the guy we were introduced to at the beginning. the internet just sees one thing and sticks with it but i really hope people start to actually appreciate him for who he is and the complexity of his character.

aaaaand i just had to leave this here <3

[autistichalsin]

My incomplete list of circumstantial bits of evidence for werebear!Halsin

Note: I can see the case for both Halsin knowing AND not knowing that he's a werebear- I'm going to include both here.

The most glaring: Halsin can't control his wildshape. This is highly unusual for any Druid, let alone an Archdruid of his age and power. He not only can't control the transformation when experiencing strong emotions, but he can't entirely control his actions when scared or angry; he tells the player, after being rescued from the goblin pens, that he will be unable to not attack the goblins threatening them. This makes no sense for a wildshaped Druid, but makes plenty of sense for a terrified werebear. 1B. No other Druids in the entire game have the wildshape problems Halsin does. 1C. Halsin can control all his other wildshapes properly, and behaves much more like other Druids when using them.

Werebears who haven't learned to control themselves yet (such as if they don't know they are one, are recently turned, etc) often transform unexpectedly when threatened.

Halsin's bear wildshape is treated differently than any other; it's the only wildshape he can't control, and it has a separate mechanic to other wildshapes in-game, being activated not with other wildshapes, but on the screen for abilities that are an intrinsic part of the character's skills. Yes, this is probably because it's only Halsin who can do this, but circumstantially... it is interesting.

Werebears avoid biting to prevent spreading their lycanthrophy (unless they have negotiated with the person they are trying to turn). As far as I've seen (I DEFINITELY could be wrong, though, please let me know if I am), Halsin only ever uses his claws to attack- no biting attacks.

If you look at the sky during the romance scene with the player, the moon is shown very bright and prominent; it isn't 100% certain, but it looks like it could be full.

Halsin is VERY different from his normal personality in bear form, excluding the romance scene; if you use Speak With Animals when he's in the cage, he'll say things like "time for blood" as he prepares to attack the goblins. Werebears in bear form are noted for being irritable and quick to violence, though they attempt to mitigate the effects of these impulses through self-isolation so no one innocent is harmed. 6B. Halsin in normal form tries very hard to not get violent when possible, noting that "killing is never [his] first choice", yet when needs must, he won't hesitate to kill- the opposite of the bear.

If Halsin doesn't know he's a werebear (explaining him not telling you), it's worth noting that it IS possible for werebears who weren't born as such not to be aware, with any actions taken during the full moon tending to get written off as bad dreams. Halsin could just think he has a recurring nightmare about losing control of his bear form.

Halsin resonates wit bears a lot deeper than most other Druids do with their favorite animals. Kagha comes the closest with her love of snakes, but even she speaks more metaphorically, whereas Halsin will do it literally, such as a new, as-yet-unimplemented line where he says he hopes "an old bear" can help the player, making jokes about poking the bear, etc. in fact, he refers to himself as a bear more often than he refers to himself as an elf.

Halsin makes reference to honey mead being his favorite drink. Werebears have a special honey mead concoction they enjoy. This drink is highly intoxicating to non-were, which means it might be more intoxicating than other drinks to were too.

Halsin is shown having an alignment that leans far more towards good than neutral, whereas most of the Druids in this game have a neutral alignment. Werebears are one of two weres in DND lore that have a good alignment.

Werebears usually live solitary lives. Circle of the Moon Druids are noted as being very solitary as well, with it being possible to go weeks without seeing another Druid (though Archdruids of this Circle will of course be more involved). Halsin, before becoming Archdruid, is implied to have fit this, such as him making reference to having hibernated in bear wildshape.

However, werebears are still noted to have a strong sense of community, and they often act as guardian of a particular area. Like Halsin protecting his Grove, then protecting his commune in the end, even noting that his urge to roam has dwindled after finding the latter. In fact, werebears are noted to often be sedentary and prefer not to leave their homes; Halsin is restless and roaming until the epilogue, when all his traumas are resolved, at which point he settles and shows contentment at having gone from "a life of high adventure" to one of anything but. (He says this to the player if romanced, worrying that he took them from just that life, but he repeatedly says he is happy to have given up adventuring.)

It is noted that when werebears don't isolate, one of the more common choices for werebears is.... you guessed it. Becoming a Druid.

Werebears have the ability to call local bears to them. The Emerald Grove has three bears living there.

Werebears don't marry, but might have favorite mates they visit often. Depending on player choice, Halsin might end up a bit more committed than the latter, but still less than the former. Also, this ties in well with Halsin's stated philosophy on polyamory, with him specifically stating that a bear's coupling habits suit him more than another animal's, like, say, a wolf, would.

It is well-known by now that there used to be a Bard Origin named Helia, who would have been either a Halfling or a Gnome. Helia also would have been a werewolf. While it's not known for sure that she was cut specifically FOR Halsin to be made playable (it's doubtful, given how early Helia was cut), there are signs that parts of her story might have been given to Halsin. For example, if one looks in datamined dialogues, certain goblin camp scenes still say that it could be either Helia or Halsin's bear there. Such as this one for the goblin kids running off to warn the adults: "Panicked, the kids run to the room with the goblin warriors and call for help, because the bear / Helia has escaped. After that they disappear." (Not sure if they still run in the final game, but the PAD is still in the files.) Or for the goblin kids throwing rocks before the cutscene is triggered, "One of the goblin kids that is throwing rocks at Helia or the bear." I don't want to speculate too much about cut content, but this suggests that Halsin and Helia's stories may have intertwined somewhat, and that when Helia was cut, parts of her went to Halsin. This may be why Halsin's bear wildshape was written more like him being a were instead; in a meta sense, he "became" a lycanthrope when he inherited part of Helia's story.

Halsin is wide/tall, muscular, and has body hair (though not facial hair), to the point that people repeatedly comment on how unusual he is for an elf. Unusual for an elf, but not a werebear, who are noted for being, you guessed it, wide/tall, muscular, and hairy.

Werebears who are bitten instead of being born as such are almost always transformed by a more experienced werebear and then taken as a protege, to become a guardian of the forest, which would explain a LOT about Halsin if he chose this.

Halsin shows a lot of empathy and compassion for Astarion and the Dark Urge. While of course it could just be his genuinely kind nature, it could also be him relating it to his own experience as a werebear.

Lastly, there's this art from the collector's edition; my guess is that this art was made after they decided Halsin would be playable, but before Karlach had an official design (the IGN interview indicates that Karlach was only added earlier this year, leaving a wide window for this to happen). While this is, of course, subjective, the pose and juxtaposition of the bear to Halsin looks a lot like the sort of art used in werewolf movies. Sort of like how one of Halsin's point-and-click lines, "the power of the bear lies within me," sounds very were-like too. This one is more subjective than the others, but I still wanted to include it.

This is all circumstantial, I know, but i thought it might be interesting to get out there nonetheless!

[autistichalsin]

Hi hello good day to you!

First of all, I wanted to thank you for your Halsin analyses, I love them so much! I am so FURIOUS about the fact that Larians literally gave him so much and so little at the same time, that because of the fact that you literally need to dig for the scraps of his personality and story around the whole game to understand him (which most of the players don't want to do and even those who like him mostly romance him for the opportunity of the "threesome" or just his romance scene and I've even seen people who say that he has anger issues because of his actions towards goblins), while other characters speak of this more freely and because of that I think he is highly mistreated by the fandom. I love this man with my whole heart and want him to be as happy as possible and it's very good to know that there are people in the fandom who think as me so

THANK YOU!!!

Second of all, I wanted to ask, what do you think about the Halsin/Astarion and/or Halsin/Tav/Astarion pairings in the fandom? Because for me they feel a bit... Uncomfortable.

I can be mistaken, because I haven't romanced Astarion (I have yet to finish my first playthrough where my Tav romances Halsin solely), but if I'm not mistaken Astarion "allows" you to have a side-relationship with Halsin and then says something like "it's not because we haven't had sex in some time, right?" It's as if he's afraid you will leave him for Halsin if he doesn't give you his permission himself and that makes me very uncomfortable about those ships. Like, yeah, Halsin has some lines about how attractive Astarion is to him, but Astarion doesn't seem very fond of Halsin.

And I understand fully that people may (and will) ship whatever they want, but I still feel very uneasy when I see Halsin/Tav/Astarion on my feed and think of these facts

Hope you have a nice day!

Hello hello! Thank you so much- that is so kind of you to say and so wonderful to hear It makes me happy. And I agree Larian should have given us more. I will say though that I don't feel like I'm digging at scraps. Instead, I feel more like I'm connecting puzzle pieces that were scattered in boxes for other puzzles. And you realize that together, they would actually make their own gorgeous picture, but instead, they're buried in places most won't see them. They're still there- they're just not being united how they should. A lot of the fandom doesn't appreciate him for what he is, but I can and do- and so can you it seems!

I like both ships, actually. I just do in very different ways than the fandom does (different dynamics- a lot of others have Halsin in the role of perpetual caretaker, which doesn't really vibe for me. Not that I have anything against those who do like it that way, but it just doesn't interest me much). I like both pairings in and of themselves.

That interpretation... isn't exactly accurate. It's part of the fandom's pattern of infantilizing Astarion and denying him agency because they fundamentally don't think survivors are capable of making such choices for themselves again. Yes, Astarion does ask if you want this because you haven't had sex; he says this about Mizora as well. But the INSTANT, in either case, that you assure him that's not why, he instantly perks back up, and tells the player he hopes they have/had fun. The devnotes on those scenes specifically say he's being genuine. Astarion truly wants the player to enjoy themselves once he is promised this isn't because they aren't having sex.

The insistence that he can't have really meant it is deeply offensive to me, if I'm honest, because the fandom has a NASTY habit of acting like Astarion can't give consent to anything. I get it, Astarion is everyone's lil meow meows (that's how I am with Halsin!) but there comes a point where the fanon woobiefication gets absolutely infuriating and insulting and infantilizing, especially for a survivor. (This isn't directed at you, by the way, or any one person in the fandom. Just at the trend.) Don't get me started on how people misunderstand what the brothel scene is about, or I'll be here all night.

Whether Astarion is fond of Halsin: is Astarion openly fond of ANYONE? He only seems fond of a romanced player character, and even then, only later on, when they stick with him after the reveal that he was only using them. He's a grumpy, traumatized asshole who doesn't deal with emotions well, and is made deeply uncomfortable by the notions of selflessness and kindness (which Halsin has in spades) because they clash too violently with the framework he built during his time being tortured, raped, and enslaved. Fanfiction is transformative in nature, so really, the question isn't "does canon Astarion show fondness for canon Halsin" (debatable) as much as it is, "could Astarion, under the right circumstances that may or may not happen in canon, find himself feeling fondness for Halsin?" And that one, to me, is a resounding yes.

We already see Halsin showing a great amount of kindness and compassion for Astarion. We know that in canon, this is a turn-off for him, as it makes him feel weak and vulnerable. But what about under other circumstances? What if Astarion discarded those fears, or what if Tav showed him how to let his guard down just enough to trust that Halsin didn't mean him harm?

If you don't personally like the ship for the reasons you listed, that is absolutely your right- no one has to ship anything. But I'm not in the camp who thinks Astarion dislikes Halsin- or, even if he did, that that would be a reason not to ship them.

To me, Halsin and Astarion represent the concept of two survivors of severe, repeated trauma, who are currently coping in opposite yet equally unhealthy ways. Astarion is on the path to furthering the cycle of abuse, to being so consumed at his anger at being hurt by Others that he can't distinguish between the Other who hurt him and the Other who didn't, anymore, and he wants all of them to feel pain indiscriminately. 7,000 innocent lives don't matter to him because he wants his own pain to stop. It's a person whose mental growth was arrested prematurely by trauma. On the other hand, you have Halsin, who was pushed into a subservient role by both his trauma and what came after. He doesn't allow himself to truly feel any pain at all, because Others need him, and that would be Selfish, and he has to be Okay at all time to help Others. He becomes self-negating from his combination of traumas, so dedicated to breaking the cycle of abuse that he... almost seems to join it against himself, not allowing himself a release, not taking care of himself well, letting himself be isolated.

Halsin and Astarion as a ship represent healing. They represent the idea of needing someone opposite yourself to balance out your worst traits. Halsin could teach Astarion to embrace kindness again; Astarion could teach Halsin that you don't have to sacrifice your entire self to be a "good guy." Halsin could show Astarion that others matter just as much as himself, while Astarion could show Halsin that he matters just as much as others. Sometimes, you just need someone diametrically opposed to yourself to bring out the best version of you, I think.

(Ironically, as I write all of this, Astarion/Halsin isn't even my favorite Halsin ship; my favorite two are Halsin/Karlach and Halsin/my Dark Urge, LOL. But I can appreciate the ship's best qualities.)

Thank you again for your message! I hope this is an acceptable answer.