Having Fun With New Photo Mode - This Screen Is Just A Silly One 🤭💕

Haha yes that’s what I’m trying to do now:

I made sure to check everything with my 2nd Tav, the drow sorcerer Thalyn. We finished Act 1 & 2 and found the Gur camp and she agreed to help. Astarion is not in her party, so he wasn’t very thrilled to hear that she signed them up to something very risky yet again - and what’s worse, the deal was with monster hunters! She is not very close to him, so the conversation didn't go very well.

After reaching Wyrm’s Crossing, I really missed my first team badly, so I just impulsively started replaying my first campaign from the very beginning. That's why I still haven't experienced these events in the game.

And, yes, even after finishing Act 1 for the third time, I was still able to find something new. I clearly underestimated BG3!

It is very interesting, indeed! I want to reach Act 3 again with my first team and see how they will handle this.

But you reminded me of this interaction between Astarion and Gandrel. Fortunately, I took the screenshots:

Astarion: You're a monster hunter? I'm surprised - I thought all Gur were vagrant cut-throats. Roanael's face: "here we go again…" xD

Gandrel: And more! We steal chickens, curse your crops, seduce your daughters - the list goes on.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see any hatred in him. On the contrary, Astarion seems quite pleased.

What I saw here: yes, Astarion expresses some kind of passive aggression, or at least demonstrates he is not quite fond of Gurs. But keeps the tone lighthearted.

Gandrel generously takes the joke and answers in the same key, but at the same time saying: "Yes, there are many rumors and stereotypes, but it doesn't necessarily make them true."

I think, Gandrel won approval here and some respect. Astarion even seems pleased with this interaction. Maybe it's my wishful thinking, but he is too intelligent to seriously hold all Gurs responsible for what happened to him - yes, they will always be associated with his death for him, and I think it's fair. But it doesn't mean he will hate every Gur he meets from now on.

The other thing is how Gandren responded to his humor: for Astarion, I'd say, it's quite a big deal and there are several places in the game when you can trigger his approval or disapproval depending on how you react to his jokes, sometimes quite sarcastic, or how you make jokes yourself. So when someone can take a joke and react positively, he certainly feels pleased with the exchange.

Softie Underneath

(9/? part of “Astarion: In Search of True Self” — [masterpost here])

Maybe it’s just my headcanon, but I like to think there’s another side to Astarion, one he tries to hide: the part of him that genuinely likes children.

Of course, I haven't played his Origin run yet, so this is just the feeling I had during my first playthrough.

Take Arabella, the tiefling girl who stole the idol from the druids to stop the ritual. Astarion was all grumpy about getting involved, but there was something like admiration in his tone, even then. And later, when we ran into her again in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, he actually sounded excited to see her: “Oh, you’re that little idol thief!” - he said it almost with a kind of fond recognition. When we found her again in the Baldur’s Gate sewers, surrounded by corpses, listening to the Weave, Astarion whispered her name so quietly, like he was truly worried.

Then there was Yenna, the girl in Rivington whose mother disappeared. When we gave her some gold to buy food, Astarion didn’t say anything, but quietly approved along with the other companions. Later, when she turned up at camp asking to stay, he teased her, but it sounded more playful than mean. And when Orin kidnapped her, he was visibly shaken. He insisted we go after her and grew defensive about it, muttering that too many children had gone missing lately, and it had to stop.

For me, it’s one of those signs that no matter how much he tries to appear cold or indifferent, that’s not who he really is. There’s always been a warm heart under all that cruelty he was forced to learn.

<previous post>

<next post> - to be continued

<back to masterpost>

Shen Qiao looking at Yan Wushi dressed as a woman:

Hm, looks like a decent disguise.

~~~~~

Yan Wushi looking at Shen Qiao dressed as a woman:

Hm, I have a good taste indeed.

New strategy from extras

It is so funny that usually A-Qiao is so moody and grumpy with Yan Wushi, but when Lao Yan attitude suddenly changed Shen Qiao became so worried 😄

I want you to know I love your Astarion posts - they're so thoughtful and well written but still succinct, and I'm having a great time reading them right before I start a replay. But I also adore how organized they are and how easy it is to find the master post, so thank you for that!

Wow thank you so much! 🥺✨ I’m really glad to hear the link system is working well - I hoped it would make the navigation easier.

And it means so much that you (and everyone, really!) are following along! Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started posting bg3 content here, since I wasn’t very active and definitely arrived late to the party, but it’s been such a welcoming and thoughtful community, with so many great, thought-provoking posts too.

My favorite dates in Lovelink

Since I touched Lovelink in precious post I figured I can share this as well.

So, my first crush on the app is definitely Austin ❤️

Can’t wait to see how it all ends, this cliffhanger is so cruel… I mean, we definitely getting a happy end but how looong should we wait (;__;) Just let him come home, finally, please~

The 2nd one but absolutely loved (maybe even more than Austin) is definitely Charlie!✨

Tbh I didn’t expect anything from this match buuuut… who could stay indifferent??? Charlie is so amazing but always a bit shy and incredibly cute <3 I’d fight all Hollywood for him ٩(๑`^´๑)۶ You heard that, Andre??

And the 3rd story isn’t very long for now but it doesn’t get in the way because… it’s Nori 😍

I won’t write any spoilers so I can’t say much, but I’m so looking forward to reading this story! He is the sweetest 😋

Adding one more guy to the post:

He and Charlie are probably my most favorites now! I’ve just finished Min-Jae rout to the ongoing and he is so wonderful <3

Honestly, I didn’t expect much of this rout because I’m not into pop idols. But I completely fell for him very soon :3 He is so sweet, dedicated and loving! And I also love their relationship with MC - so mature and caring. Actually the MC themselves are very relatable in most cases, definitely a plus.

Power Or Its Absence?

(4/? part of “Astarion: In Search of True Self” — [masterpost here])

Honestly, it was a bit heartbreaking to see those early moments in the game when Astarion interacts with someone he perceives as powerful or authoritative - like when he asks Tav for blood or later when he approaches Raphael about the scars on his back. He usually puts up that charming, confident mask, but it drops quickly when he's faced with a powerful figure. His whole behavior shifts into more ingratiating - you can see him bracing himself for a punishment.

The way he interacts with authority figures says a lot. That shift from displayed confidence to careful submissiveness highlights the deep-seated fear and survival instinct still living in him. Astarion’s relationship with power is complicated: when you’ve spent two centuries with it used against you, it becomes something you both fear and long for in equal measure. He expects power to be used against him, he fears what those in power can do to him. So when he seeks power it’s not just out of ambition or greed, it’s a way to protect himself from ever being made helpless again.

It makes his relationship with Tav all the more meaningful - because over time he stops needing that mask around them. He starts to learn that he doesn't have to beg, flatter or manipulate to be safe with them.

This is what makes the scene with Araj so important.

Araj treats Astarion like Tav's property - something to trade, to use for her own fun and pleasure. But Tav can choose to deny that and protect Astarion's right to refuse. And later in camp, Astarion thanks Tav for that choice. Clearly emotional, he confesses that no one has ever respected his boundaries before, that he is not used to having the right to listen to his own feelings… but with Tav, he wants to try.

It's a moment that says so much about how vulnerable he is underneath his defenses - how uneasy he feels when pressured or objectified, and how difficult it still is for him to stand up for himself after centuries of being denied autonomy.

It also shows the difference between Tav offering their blood willingly, and a stranger forcing themselves onto him for their own interests. Astarion responds to one with surprised gratitude - and to the other with clear discomfort. It does matter to him how he's seen - as a person or a tool. He longs to be seen for who he is, not what he was made to be. Even when he himself can't always see the difference yet.

One of the most painful moments between Astarion and Tav happens if they fail to truly see him and push him into something he's not ready for, insisting that he just needs to learn to enjoy it. Even if he hesitates, even if he looks uncomfortable, he still agrees because he doesn't know how to say no yet. And he has to learn it the hard way, when afterwards something in him breaks. He looks at Tav and says: "This is all a game to you, isn't it? No matter what I say, it doesn't matter. Not if you get what you want." He admits he couldn't say no before, but now he finally can, and he ends everything between them. It's not a moment of growth, but rather a moment of retreat - shutting down when his hopes of having something genuine were crushed by the very person who ever seemed to care.

Moments like this show how much Astarion is still learning about himself, about trust, about what it means to be free. And how big is Tav's role in that.

We'll come back to that need to be seen later - but for now, it leads us to another significant moment between Tav and the pale elf, one that deserves a post of its own.

<previous post>

<next post>

<back to masterpost>

Knowledge is power. Sometimes literally.

Astarion: Still, if nothing else, maybe I can beat Cazador to death with it (The Necromancy of Thay).

I laughed so much at this but it also reminded me of my own experience while solving the Balduran trials, in Wyrm’s Crossing dungeons.

Still, to this day, I have no idea whether I did everything right or it was not how you are supposed to solve this (please, don’t tell me!)

But Roanael, my Tav, was already so frustrated after the previous trials that in the Camber of Insight she just… threw the books at the shadows of their authors.

…And it worked.

Roanael: *throwing the book*

Astarion: I did say beating someone with a book might be an option… I just never thought you’d take it quite so literally.

Shadowheart: 🤦‍♀️

Lae’zel: *enjoying the show*

Gale: *would disapprove if he were there but fortunately he wasn’t*

Shen Qiao with literally everyone:

When Yan Wushi is nearby:

Decided to refresh my profile image since I’m posting a lot about BG3 so here is my Tav, Roanael (^-^)v

She has a point .-. Besides, we can get an achievement “Sing to Snape and survive”

Wow, wasn’t that bad after all!

He probably does think we are weird tho ¯\_(ツ)_/¯