Ok, so I'm kinda having a hard time understanding the ask here for some of these comments. Like, yes, the options are overly assumptive about the players motives, but his behavior post ascension is legitimately abusive. A character who's going to stay with him needs to reconcile that in some way unless you're a doormat who wants to be walked over.
He’s not abusive in my RP - I envisioned a cross between Frank N Furter and Dracula and that’s exactly what I got. It may not be to everyone’s taste but that’s why this is an RP.
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I hope, you realise, that you just named two posterchilds of abusive behaviour. Both Frank'N'Further and Dracula are highly toxic and abusive and I'm more than a bit troubled, that you would use them as examples for not abusive behaviour. But then, people are trying to excuse Edward Cullen and Christian Grey, who frankly both belong in jail.
Edit: I'm not really interested in talking about ascended Astarion, but I'm very familiar with both Bram Stokers work ( and I'm not talking about the mostly unfaithful movies, I'm talking about the book) and the Rocky Horror Show and had to pinch in here.
Based on your speculation, all vampires are offensive and toxic. But in those days it was an example of romanticism. I mean, the girls even liked gaslighter Lestat, so... I don't see that as a problem. Modern views on past images can spoil your impression. You should also know heroines of these novels rarely showed aggression towards their "abuser". They're fascinated by them. Which leads us to the fact that regardless of the behavior evil character, we can still show sympathy for him. But I still don't see anything so offensive in the question "what do you want", sorry. The image of Dracula is also considered sexy, romantic and dangerous, that's the point. This is not news.
I'm sorry, Dracula was never meant to be romantic or sexy. I'm talking about the original novel, not the movies. Dracula didn't look like Frank Langella, Christopher Lee or Gary Oldman. He looked dead, smelled dead and used everyone around him.
If you like toxic characters, I'm not kinkshaming, but as a fan of gothic literature, I have to set things straight here.
Lestat btw was not a nice person either and he is written in modern times, same as Edward Cullen ( or Christian Grey besides not being a vampire). I don't care, if you like toxic characters, but at least acknowledge, that they are toxic. From what I saw of ascended Astarion, I would kill him right away, if he would accidentally ascend in my games, because yes, he is toxic too.
And most vampires are offensive and toxic by nature. They kill people. Yes, you have the occasional good vampire, like in Barbara Hamblys novels or maybe Beckett, the signature character for clan Gangrel in Vampire the Masquerade ( there are actually some decent characters). There is Daedalus from Kindred- the Embraced and some others. I would say, that Louis from the Anne Rice novels at least tries to be as good as possible ( in Rice's novels, vampires have to kill their victims, unlike in other media/books).
The point is, I don't care, if you like ascended Astarion, Dracula, Edward Cullen or Lestat, I just want to set the record straight.
