As it is Passover again, it is time for the annual debate as to whether the frog plague, which thanks to a quirk in the Hebrew, is written as a plague of frog, singular, rather than the plural, plague of frogs, was in fact, as generally imagined, a plague of many frogs, or instead a singular giant Kaiju frog. This is an ancient and venerable argument that actually goes back to the Talmud because this is what the Jewish people are. If we can't argue for fun about this sort of thing, what are we even doing.
In that spirit, I would like to submit a third possibility, which is that in fact it was one perfectly normal sized frog, who was absolutely acing Untitled Frog Game: Ancient Egypt Edition. One particularly obnoxious frog, who through sheer hard work, managed to plague all of Egypt.
I’m tired. Tired of seeing Astarion pushed into this one narrow niche
- Cause the vampire genre is always pushed into that narrow niche -
Tumblr was always my place to freely share my thoughts about my favorite fandoms. Nothing that spreads massively like on Twitter. Just my thoughts. My mid-30s, adoring-a-pixel-vampire-in-my-free-time thoughts. And yes, sometimes I received positive reactions, sometimes negative ones. That’s life, we don't always have to fully agree with one another. Now I want to let my thoughts wander one more time. As a kind of conclusion, and I wonder how others think about it.
In the end, discussions about which of Astarion’s endings is the “True” one are pointless, because everyone favors one for their own reasons. That's also not how the game is supposed to be. Talking about it, yes, talking about what's the true one, nope.
It was never about kink-shaming for me, since Astarion’s story was never just a kink to me but more to it later.
But for some people, that’s exactly what the vampire genre represents. But it's more complex. I love goth aesthetics, moral grayness, the mysteries surrounding vampires and what they symbolize on a deeper level - the liberation of inner “sins,” sexuality.
The vampire, in a sense, represents the sins suppressed by society, mostly the sexuality of women and quere people, and the breaking of conservative norms. I could talk about it for ages. But back to my problem.
What I didn’t like was claiming one ending as the correct one.
Yes, I prefer the Spawn ending. I have my reasons, but I’ve never claimed any ending to be the “true” one. I simply wanted to consciously exist in that particular bubble, to talk with others about it, to see more content centered around that ending. But I want to emphasize that both endings have meaning and are logical, depending on how you play. An Astarion who, through a good-aligned player, experiences trust, opens up, and becomes sincere with himself and the player will reach different conclusions than one with an evil-aligned player who also sees power and dominance as survival strategies.
Astarion is an incredibly well-written, complex character who doesn’t belong in a box. Not by WotC, not by HBO, not by me, and not by a bubble that advocates so strongly for one ending that it makes others feel like the other is only for idiots.
When I joined the fandom in 2023, I was overwhelmed by the discussions and noticed a tendency to present the ascension ending as the perfect, superior one. Essays, fan art, TikToks. So I started creating content for the Spawn ending, because the themes that interested me were getting drowned out on those platforms. I focused on rare dialogues about his backstory, about Cazador’s manipulation, on why Astarion is the way he is. On trauma, coping mechanisms, redemption, healing, desire, humour and on why the Spawn ending isn’t weak or wrong.
Again and again, I noticed that content centered on Spawn Astarion received fewer views, fewer likes, and fewer passionate supporters. even insults in the comments - from both sides btw - because it's either too babyfiing or too sex positive.
Watching other content creators move ahead with more arguments about why the one ending is better. More romantic. More authentic. Happier, more based.. With more views and likes. Without necessarily showing the downsides of that ending, because it’s framed as the perfect one.
I don’t want to whine, “Others have more followers than me.” That’s not the point. I don’t make much money from it anyway. I genuinely enjoy video editing and I’ve found people who share my perspectives.
What matters to me is that I’m tired - tired of seeing Astarion pushed into this one niche: the sexy vampire. (And again, I’m not blaming vampire lovers - I am one myself.) And yes, Astarion is sexy, and I enjoy NSFW content too….
but he’s more than that. Because the vampire genre is more then that
Like I said before, the vampire genre is often about sins, dark desires, Trauma and breaking free of conservative norms, most on a moraly grey way.
And Astarion's story is about how he deals with trauma, the cycle, identity, revenge, redemption, healing. I love that he’s goofy. I love that he reflects on himself. I love that behind the cruel mask there’s actually a sensitive man. I love him sarcastic, cheeky, hedonistic, but also sincere, a secret romantic, thoughtful, a survivor. Someone who doesn’t fit the cliché of a victim. Someone with flaws that make you shake your head. Someone who surprises you because he understands the wheel he’s trapped in. someone who does not fit the niche.
And you get to decide: do you want ultimate revenge, that one taste of boundless power. Bonnie and Clyde against the rest of the world? Or do you ultimately want to leave it all behind and look toward a different future, whatever that may be?
but it's important to see both sides of the coin. both sides of Astarion. he's not only evil but he did things wrong. he is an arsehole but he is also a victim. you are allowed to hug him but also to question him.
But I see a trend - maybe it’s just me - that Astarion is becoming whatever sells best for WotC or other companies. That the other themes are being silenced.
The sexy, traumatized vampire who seduces you. Because that’s what gets the most clicks.
What this little rant of mine is really about is which version we’ll continue to see in the future. And I hope they keep portraying him as complex, morally gray, but also goofy and lovable. A vampire who, in a way, wants to break free from that very niche himself.
@just-s0me-stranger asked another question about one of my works (thank you!), so get ready for another long post!
In "New duty", i wanted to illustrate one of the first night of Astarion as a new spawn of Cazador. As stated in the game, he had to capture preys for Cazador, attracting them with his charms and physique.
The place is crowded, people gathered. This is the Elfsong tavern during the night.
(The ref just to give more context; he's against this pillar)
Astarion wears a beautiful silk top, open at the front. He waits elegantly, leaning against a pillar, his head slightly turned towards the light, his hands on his belt, his body language expressing confidence.
His demeanor contrasts sharply with his facial expression; sadness is etched in his eyes. He doesn't want to be there. All of this is new to him, and he can't yet completely hide his true feelings. I tried to make his expression subtle.
His head is turned on the side, toward the lighting source, perhaps still hoping that he can escape one day.
Even if it's a less complicated piece, every details have their importance. So, here's what i tried to show through the composition/lighting/colors:
Hope: the lighting on him is warm, while everything around him is in cold tones.
Obligation: He has to be beautiful to attract attention, and for that, he needs to be visible. His silk shirt is ideal for this dimly lit tavern, thanks to its texture which perfectly reflects the light.
Loneliness/Disorientation: Everything around him seems cold, people blurred. This reveals his deep emotions in the face of what he is now forced to do.
Attraction: We can have the impression that we're seeing through the eyes of someone that looks at Astarion for the first time.
People are drawn to the brilliance of his clothes, to his overall beauty. After a moment, they finally perceive his expression, the sadness in his eyes, and at the end the title of the piece.
I managed to fool many of you with this, and i'm glad, because it was the whole point of this painting
Thank you again for this question, and I hope you enjoyed reading this post!
I'm always curious to know what you guys think about it. Do not hesitate to leave a comment :)
There’s a liquor store near my house that seems to be run exclusively by frat boys. They lovingly curate these bags, which I browsed today while “Oops I Did It Again” played through the store speakers. This is art to me, there is beauty everywhere for those with eyes to see it
Taking up Japanese as a side project for myself has reminded me of something.
So like a long time ago I had a professor that I absolutely adored. She happened to be Japanese American. She grew up speaking Japanese at home but never really spent a lot of time in Japan. She mostly spoke with other Japanese Americans and read books.
So one day early in her teaching career there’s an exchange student from Japan who’s having a hard time understanding a concept so she explained it to him in Japanese and then he looked absolutely rattled. Like in shock. Pale.
This is how she learned that the way she speaks Japanese makes her sound like a gang member.
Japanese doesn’t exactly have cuss words in the same way as English does but imagine that the nicest professor you’ve ever had pulls your paper over and says “Okay listen here you little piece of shit I’m gonna fucking explain this to you. Violently.”
As a way to celebrate hitting 1K+ followers. Thank you so much! So sorry for the long wait 🙏
Just reblog this with the tag #Iwasrightthere to join the art raffle.
3 WINNERS will be picked and each will get a 4x5 BW/Monochromatic art from me. Winners will get to pick the subject (No NSFW and minimum 2 pax in the artwork).
DEADLINE: January 25, 2026 (Philippine Standard Time)
