I think that, It's an AA kiss more for Spawn Fans. Comfort - Spawn Astarion. Devil Stuff - AA (f8) – Comfort. Repeat.
Developers make AA the way most of the target audience wants to see it. Most of the target audience is Spawn Astarion. That's not AA's target audience. That's the conundrum we have here.
"That's right Larian, you made him more terrifying he's the way he should be, abuse and horrible because he's evil now"
Why Astarion has a gentle, cuddly side in the romance when he's an evil vampire asshole from the beginning is a
Sphinx mystery.Well, I repeat that if Tav face was fine, and we had an exploration of such flavors of Astarion - since the Lord is himself, it would be understandable.
But it's still cheap.It's time to send this post on the forum.
Why people love and want toxic, complex and
GOOD dark vampire romances psychologically speaking.
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Not my words. I'm not a psychologist, but she understands that pretty much in the bull's-eye for me and my friends. It's about AA.
1) A lot of people feel
extremely worthless and insecure, lonely, like no one really cares for them at all. It's a very deep wound that hurts and it's difficult to overcome even in perfectly loving, healthy and supportive relationship with a good partner, and even with therapy. So fantasy about a vampire, being obsessed with you so much that he is ready to do absolutely anything just to be with you for forever is really comforting. Also, you don't have to think too much about your imperfections, because for him you like a center of his vampire heart. Besides, you sympathise with him - it's like a selfcomfort mirror, i love this monster despite everything, so in a way, i accept myself despite any flaws i see in me.
2)
Safety. When the world around you feel like a wilderness, full of monsters, it feels like only the most terrifying loving monster can protect you from it. He is powerful and protective, and i am so precious to him, that he will set the world on fire just so i would be safe.
3)
Responsibility. As you may see, this kind of relationship have daddy issues vibes and codependency, and in real life, you can't just fully submit safely to anyone, I don't think i have to explain why it's a dangerous idea to seek this kind of relationships in real life. You have to stay a grown up independent person and seek safety for yourself without expecting someone to come and heal all your wounds. But this is fantasy, so finally you can use this as a comfort fantasy with no fear about being taking advantage of, without shame to be called childish and etc.
4)
Independence. Spawn ending is very terrifying for anyone who has issues with feeling safe and independent, because some of us prefer violent power fantasies over "we have each other and that's all that matters", second of all, this ending also has some shady co-dependency undertone to it that can be triggering for some people. I love Spawn Astarion a little bit more more than Asc and yet my heart stayed absolutely broken after running away from the sun scene, and i hate that he is so dependent on Tav. Larian owes me some emotional refund after this.
5)
SA trauma: it wasn't even seen as possibility for healing way by writer, but it is for some. Asc Astarion feels like he is the most powerful creature in the world, and he is fully controlling everything that happens between him and Tav, so finally, it's a kind of situation where there is no chance of him being abused again. It's one of the reasons why some people become Doms in BDSM-dynamic relationships: finally, full control of the process and a partner, who trusts then enough to fully submit, trust issues is also big deal in Astarion story of healing. I find idea that that only Subs can enjoy Asc Astarion a little bit naive. Because, well, some news for you: Doms like it too because they understand why he is so eager to be a top
Unrealistic, not the healthiest way? Probably! But this man and this love is not real anyway.
Yes, i think many of us, especially folks who went through therapy and a lot of self-reflecting are already aware that it's basically romanticized version of narcissistic obsession and in real life this is creepy, but it's not real, it's a fantasy. People use BDSM to heal, romance books and all other forms of art to deal with their inner demons and it's absolutely normal.
/Sorry for the wall of text, sorry for grammar, English is not my first language/
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Larian may not have planned to make a power couple and complex romance where there is possessiveness, protection, wild, caring and love.
Only virtuous-victim-angst Tav and abusive Lord Vampire. Without a drop of care and love, and if there is any, it is abusive and rude.
Larian thinks a romantic with Astarion is to be better and proper, and otherwise it's abusive and awful - he doesn't love or care, and if he does, it's abusive, rude, and that cheap.
Why did that happen?
1. Either someone is writing
abuse on purpose.Considering Tav's face and those rude-ooc from out of nowhere no revealing, since Lord Astarion is still Astarion.
There's no romance in the game with a male companion that makes me comfortable and fun. One that I could analyze as a complex evil story and not be punished for loving the villain.
2. If this is really
clumsy fanservice and the romance is written by different people, different teams and totally don't understand what's written above, it's just centered on memes and hot topics.
They could have at least made a normal face and a choice to be gentle\rude since it's not the first point, but respectful fanservice.
Either whoever does some parts of the Astarion romance doesn't understand: for whom such a romance is being made and why.
People I know left after the "evil path - is isolation" interview. Ridiculous - if evil wins it writes history. And quite happy and able to love. Evil is only punished and cardboard in fairy tales, who teach children the virtues
A person who wrote very interesting thoughts, deep and intelligent parsing EA - barely finished playing Act 3 as the stories are simplistic. Astarion-magistrate sold criminals as food for vampires, then started selling them to slave traders as a profit. And he sold the Gur because they are considered "plebeian savages" with this story written the entire 1st act.
And Lord is proof that it was.
View of the story from above, make it a bit difficult to dive inside the game and the narrative line for me. I just see the broken planks of the bridge I have to walk across. The bridge is different than promised at the start of the project. Yet the first half is built on the old design, with Mr. Act 3 at the very end. Which of these is what, and which plank to step on, which one will fall off in the next patch? \eh?\
Now any complexity of the romance is in jeopardy well or ruined already, depending on whether it's option 1 or option 2.
Though considering that those who thought about the Ascended Astarion rather than hating him as an abuser are 30%, it's doomed shut up and live in the Headcanon-land.
Only the
miracle of the Fairy Godmother can help, bringing back the love-obsessed, caring into romance with Lord gray in general and the magistrate's slave trader past.
