Why Astarion has a gentle, cuddly side in the romance when he's an evil vampire asshole from the beginning is a Sphinx mystery.
This!
Originally Posted by LiryFire
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.
This 100%! This is exactly how I felt after romancing him. Not even accept, but actually love all the dark parts.
Originally Posted by LiryFire
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.
That's the thing! They just keep contradicting themselves. They said Ascended Astarion is the same Astarion, the game spells out in MF Tav ending he does love Tav if you're allied (while in the spawn path he feels friendship I heard), his VA said AA is honest and without masks.
So... if he is only honest as AA does that mean the whole spawn path is a lie? He's saying all the right things a hero Tav would want to hear and only complimenting Tav and leading them on, so they stay with him? Only truly loves them if they give him everything what he wants? Look how he's behaving in the spawn epilogue. He's very theatrical with his body language.
