So, AA lives in Cazador's palace, now his, I suppose. It's a very literal way of expressing he's stuck in a traumatic place. He's routinely walking the rooms where he used to be whipped, tortured, sexually and psychologically abused, etc etc. And this is where he chooses to live. That's fascinating to me. Meanwhile, Spawn burns it to the ground, which is pretty straightforward in how these two routes inform each other.
In regards to the epilogue, AA talks about being lonely (which is another aspect of what I think the ritual does psychologically to him, in how it reinforces his view of trusting no one and having to be on top. Idk if I'm reaching with this one but I also think that here, the previous tadpole dialogue where we're informed his worst fear is "Complete solitude, being voiceless" and similar but less specific cues that he longs for understanding and company are a very cool thing to consider) but, most interestingly to me, he remarks how he's not even out in the sun much, because he'd rather be scheming in the palace. So, despite everything, he's not even truly enjoying arguably the most important boon the ritual gave him, because he'd rather be doing some classic paranoid power-hungry vampire lord stuff. What this means is that either 1. He was lying from the get-go (maybe even to himself) and didn't truly care about the sun that much or 2. What this whole ritual endeavor has meant for him has severely changed his priorities so that specific flavor of freedom he initially sought is kind of secondary now to powerplays in the dark, again, in the palace where he was a slave for 200 years. That kind of pattern, I think, leads to bitterness. Basically, AA lives hedonistically, but psychologically, I don't really think he's happy, besides surface, sensory pleasure. I'd go more into this but I think I'd go even further into my-opinion-territory which is bound to arise some debate and I don't really want to discuss those all that much.
I may have more to say later once I've mulled it over, but one thing I want to point out here. AA is only "doomed" to live in his palace and be lonely if he's not partnered. A spawn Tav can suggest they don't stay in Baldur's Gate and instead travel, to which he gleefully agrees (I didn't choose that because after years of traveling as a ranger, my Tav was wanting to settle down, but I've seen the clip and I think he's pretty much happy with whatever option Tav chooses; they read as equally enthusiastic reactions to me).
I also think it's significant that the narrator states that the ballroom (and I would assume the entire castle) has been renovated, and is being used to throw lavish parties. I don't think living in the castle is in itself a sign that he's in a bad place. I think *how* he lives in the castle provides more insight into his mindset. In real life, it's not uncommon to see places which hold bad memories for people (either individuals or communities) destroyed, but it's also not uncommon to see them repurposed and reclaimed as part of a healing process. Astarion doesn't brood by himself in his palace, at least not with Tav. He remakes it to his liking, reclaims it, and uses it as a place of joy. I don't get the impression that Cazador threw many parties, after all.
Also, a partnered Astarion in the epilogue reads to me as much more confident and happy than a non-partnered one. His line reads in the unpartnered dialogs sound very much to me like he's overcompensating and putting on a show of happiness. Whereas when I spoke to him as a partnered Tav in the epilogue, I got to say to him, "It's wonderful. I'm glad I get to share this with you" (referring to attending the party with him), to which he responds, verbatim, "And I am blessed to share it with you, my love. I may have power, but it would be nothing without you. You complete me." I know Astarion's sincerity is open to interpretation at pretty much any point in the game, but I don't read any insincerity here because quite frankly, at this point he has no need for it. If he's unhappy with Tav, he can just say so, and he does if they challenge him.
So to me, the message that I took from the end of AA's story is that the ritual doesn't save him. The love and devotion of his partner completes him, and Tav has enormous power in that circumstance to shape his future. I get the impression that the unascended path is similar. Whether that's a healthy theme is debatable. I don't like stories where it's one character's job to "fix" another, but I also know the power of love and the motivations it can provide can be powerful under the right circumstances.
It's super telling to me that literally directly after ascension, Astarion focuses heavily on him and Tav as a force together. "We did it." "Everything will be ours." His mindset immediately shifts to the idea that he needs this person. Does he do some questionable things to keep them? Absolutely. It doesn't feel like an accident to me that he doesn't seem to drop the manipulative act ("That's what you want, isn't it?") until Tav is securely his. But if Tav is along for the ride, he shows no sign to me that he will be anything other than a devoted partner. After all, the morning after turning, what does he do? Gleefully boast that Tav is all his now, muahaha evil laugh? Nope, he says, "You are so beautiful. And you will be beautiful forever. Thank you for trusting me."
