#astarion origin

[galadrieljones]

They haven't even kissed yet but I already have all their themes mapped out and also I had to learn Gale's face

[okthisway]

Shadowheart: You can call me Shadowheart. Astarion: Astarion… reformed vampire spawn.

[litsenn]

This line from Astarion Origin always strikes me as endearing, heart-breaking and significant at the same time.

Endearing because Astarion barely knows Wyll at this point, and still can offer his skills and knowledge to help him decipher his contract. Astarion might also be genuinely curious about infernal contracts, even though at this point he has no clue about the ritual.

[EDIT because I realised didn't make it clear: I don't think he offers to help out of selflessness and kindness. I believe that beside his curiosity, it's mostly about pragmatism: getting rid of Mizora and her potential threats and/or manipulating Wyll so he doesn't turn against him.]

Heart-breaking because, maybe, he’s eager to try his skills again, and to prove himself that he’s still good at doing something that isn’t about seducing people. When you think about it, it must be sooo important for him and his self-esteem to acknowledge that he’s still competent and good at something that has nothing to do with sex (or violence).

It’s not about showing off, it’s about reassuring himself: I am still good at it, and I am useful for something that has nothing to do with my charms.

And really significant because, whereas Astarion cannot remember a lot about his life before he was turned, he's kept his knowledge from his former profession.

I have no real explanation for it, but I think it's fascinating that he can remember about stuff such as laws, regulations and contracts, but has no remembrance of the colour of his own eyes or if he was ever in love before.

So I need to explore that...

Does it mean he would still read about laws and rulings and acts even as a slave? Keeping himself informed about the official life of Baldur's Gate? That could explain it, because it would somehow help him keep in touch with his former situation as a magistrate, in touch with the livings, with the life of the city. And it would help him remember everything he learned before. Whereas his own face, or his former personal life, he has no way to keep in touch with it, with how it looks or how he used to feel. No reflection, no old acquaintances to remind him of all that.

I like the idea of Astarion, even as Cazador's spawn, reading the news and talking to people who know about the city official rulings, if only to remind himself of what he used to do as a magistrate, to keep a part of his former self, of his living self, in a very pragmatical way. Just like I love the less pragmatic idea of Astarion reading about Drizzt; in this case, mostly as a form of escapism, if only to imagine that a hero like Drizzt could rescue him (I really love all the fanon stuff about Astarion being a fan of Drizzt. I mean, the way Drizzt fought for his own freedom and independence would be very relatable to Astarion, wouldn't it?).

Or, in a more dramatic way, he could also have kept on studying law, or talking to officials, on Cazador's demands; because the old bastard needs Astarion's knowledge for his own schemes, and so he would have forced him to keep on reading about it...

I don't know, I'm just speculating.

In any case, it would make sense to me if Astarion tried to cling to every bits of information/stories/news to keep himself from too much despair. Keeping his mind sharp through the news about the city's legislation and judicial stuff, but also through stories about the freedom of heroes and adventurers.

[moonmaiden86]

Touching tips.

[gifortake]

[spawnbeneath]

When Astarion sees the poor spawns behind the bars, you can tell something hits him hard. His face changes...

I haven’t been able to play his Origin yet, maybe I’ll find someone’s save file someday, but I watched on YouTube.

It’s like something breaks open inside him - not just sadness, but pain he tried to bury for so long. Yeah, it hurts. You can see it in his face. And something beneath the pain starts to wake up. - something real. He doesn’t hide behind jokes in that moment. He just feels it. And that’s the step toward something better.

[onlyancunin]

[MELEE ATTACK] Grab him by the throat and drag him towards the sunlight coming through the window. [Difficulty class: 18]

[galedickarios]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🍷 Bloodweave Kisses 🔮