I don't seem to have pissed off Astarion once in my game. smile Except for the first hit in the "kneeling scene", when I chose "no", desperately hoping that it wasn't the end, and there would be some more lines, it would be possible to somehow explain something, agree and "avoid humiliation" when turning into a vampire. smile Now I think that for Astarion it was something ritual, sacred, like "accepting the gift of eternity".
I think this dialogue is lacking. The dialogue 'No'. 'Yes'. 'No'. "Ok, bye then!" just sounds like it was put there for a questionable comedic value, because it's certainly not a conversation two adults would have. There should definitely be a follow-up and a way to ask him what his deal is, at least to stall it a bit. It can be easy to miss the most obvious cues that he's fantasising about dominating Tav - his reaction to Tav getting beaten by the priest of Loviathar, and him hinting he enjoyed tying up Durge. There are also these lines that for some reason don't trigger in the game - 'maybe they like being restrained?' and 'you look good helpless', which you can hear in this video:
A drow female would certainly protest here, my Tav did at first and I expected to hear him get more manipulative and threatening (saying something like 'I thought you wanted to be mine. I need to see just how devoted to me you truly are. You are loyal to me, aren't you? Then you'll do it for me and accept my gift with due respect.') and gloat about making this kind of Tav submitting to him, calling her a "good girl" or something (since he calls you a "bad girl" if you try to read his thoughts and fail).
I'll quote myself from his romance improvements thread: "I think there are multiple reasons [why he wants Tav to kneel]. He's still so high on the power from the ritual that he's doing it for his own pleasure to fulfill his domination kink. Also as a way to test the water to see if Tav would be obedient and to set the mood for the relationship going forward. Moreover, since he's making it clear that he wants to be the dominant one, it seems to be his way to bring Tav down to his level and a display of full acceptance of him. He still sees them as a better person than he is (the insight check about degradation, which actually talks about continuing the relationship with him). When he admits he wants what's best for Tav too he's clearly lying, because he believes that for them it is to be with another - someone nicer and not a monster like him, who'd manipulated them from the start and possibly even groomed them to join the dark side. If he's to be Tav's lord, they cannot be better than him, equal at best. Thus, it's a small act that actually has a lot of meaning to him, and if Tav doesn't humour him, then they reject the whole premise of their relationship as two vampires."
When he ascends he becomes an aristocrat once more, an actual Vampire King and you could also read Tav kneeling as a form of private coronation.
Originally Posted by Marielle
I'll keep it as a keepsake until I finally buy a recording program and can record "my" Astarion...
OBS is a free and easy tool to use for recording.
Originally Posted by Marielle
Like Astarion said in Baldur's sewers, "Wherever you've dragged me," something like that
That line made me laugh so much, haha. Poor Princess Astarion getting dirty.
Originally Posted by Anska
I take the "nothing special of course" as playful teasing, and I like it.
Originally Posted by Marielle
I liked the phrase "nothing special, of course" at first, it sounded kind of touching and sweet, but... There is a sense of uncertainty, and the cough at the end is unsure, as if he doubts whether he said it right, whether he should have said it. It's as if he's starting to "watch his words"
He still doesn't sound as playful as he normally does. The cough is very awkward, and he indeed seems to watch his words much more closely than Ascendant. AA in turn becomes explicitly blunt, there are no filters anymore. When I watched the vid the first time the exchange sounded to me like he was some bored husband after years of monotonous relationship. Compare it Ascendant who's gushing over Tav, giving them reassurances and acting like a doting husband. Then he also does that playful sway when he says 'yes, my treasure?'. He really looks like he's enjoying himself.
