I like Astarion for thirsty reasons, even though I sometimes feel like I'm invading LGQTB spaces when I romance him. That might be a me problem though.
However, I also like him because the man is a walking representation of the selfish will to live that any decent player must have. Not only is he enjoying his tadpoled predicament as much as a BG fan is, after decades of draught, but physically he is the embodiment of the best and the worst that the tadpole has to offer: awesome powers coupled with bloodthirsty violence, childish glee (like a baby tadpole) at psionically controlling others (like a grown-up illithid, but also just like the player who is in control of all the characters). The scars on his back, Cazador's "poem", are in concentric circles that look both like the marks that a giant tadpole would leave, with their little concentric mouths, and like a target (because we all have targets on our backs). And he's sad at the idea of losing the tadpole, because that would mean he will lose the ability to stand in the sun, just like getting rid of the parasite would mark the beginning of the end of the main quest, in-game.
He's a terribly handsome representation of the player's ID and that's why he's so popular.
That might be - the tadpole comparison is actually something think about. Astarion has a difficult stance with me: I have become very critical and often tired of vampire representation in media since stuff like Twilight, Vampire DIaries and True Blood became so popular. Since then, good vampire stories are hard to come by ('Let the right one in' was one, that comes to mind) - and I was a big fan of vampire stories. I grew up with Dracula, Carmilla and otehr classics. And why I do like about Astarion, that he is evil and that you as the player know, you can never trust him (I believe his romance will probably not have an happy end) - which to me is far more in line with vampires than the aforementioned glittering atrocities, I just am a bit fed up with the vampire trope. Granted, he would be a great character in the World of Darkness - I can totally see him as a Toreador antitribu in the Sabbat - and I probably would like him more in that setting. Don't know, if that makes sense ... basically and short version, it's a personal thing and I'm totally ok with all the girls (and many guys) loving Astarion.
Edit for typos.
Last edited by fylimar; 21/02/2104:45 PM.
"We are all stories in the end. Just make it a good one."
