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we all know that astarion has the curse of being the evil-aligned/anti-hero archetype and the fandom treating him like some delicate innocent. that’s just something that happens in fandom spaces. it’s been happening for years. there’s nothing we can do. yes i know i get it.
but what really gets under my skin more than the deliberate mischaracterization of such an intricate and cool character is the fact that sometimes the community literally sacrifices his sense of humor. which astounds me because his sense of humor is what initially made players invested in who he was as a character!
he always has something funny to say— even if it’s only funny to him. he laughs at his own jokes and he gets defensive and butthurt if you make jokes at his expense. he is a hypocrite. he is hilarious.
less of him being like this tradhusband/untouchable figurehead of goodness and more of him being flawed and funny. cancel me idgaf i love canon astarion.
Another meta post, because the world never has enough
Halsin, my love, my babe, the reason my Durge survived her struggles.
In fact this is the post I published earlier this month and decided to make private because it immediately earned me a personal attack from some shit-stirrer, and I wasn't in the mood to clean after them. As earlier this week I got another "Halsin shouldn't have been a companion" directed right to my face, I decided to rephrase it a little and give it another go.
Here is why I love Halsin. Apologies, I only have the illustrations which I have already posted another day, but as I’ve been seriously learning VP, my photos now take more time, and I’m rarely able to produce more than one a day.
Halsin has my imagination work overtime, and not only mine
Yes he does, thanks to his character and his backstory.
I can agree that not everyone wants Halsin in the party, plus many people had decided on their setup before Halsin, Jaheira, and Minsc joined. But there's much more to Halsin that an uninterested player gets to see.
Halsin is a deeply tragic character who rebuilds himself and his life in front of us - if we give him time and effort. Yes, you need to take him places. Yes, you need to talk to him. Yes, some parts of his lore are hidden behind specific pieces of banter and even events many people will ever trigger. Him losing his family and all his friends, feeling responsible for the shadow curse, studying it for a whole century and eventually lifting it with the help from Tav/Durge/origin character. His loneliness and quiet suffering resulting in alcohol abuse - this part is hidden behind his banter with Wyll in the Waning Moon. His sexual abuse trauma - insultingly, shamefully hidden behind the encounter with the drow twins in the brothel. Thanks for nothing Larian, I'll never forgive this.
By the way, it's not okay to say that Halsin enjoyed being raped for 3 years. It's a fictional character and a fictional rape, but it's not okay to say so.
Halsin has the best companion quest
I love emotionally rewarding stuff. No, I LOVE emotionally rewarding stuff. Saving one person’s life and future is great, but saving one person life and future by bringing life back to an entire region cursed by an evil goddess is another level entirely. When I let Halsin lead the party leaving Moonrise for Baldur’s Gate, the final Act 2 cinematic almost made me cry, and I’m anything but an easy crier. Halsin’s homeland reborn in front of him, him witnessing life coming back to his exhausted, tortured homeland was the true culmination of the game for me. Same with the most dramatic part of his quest, Thaniel’s rescue - I brought all my aoe in and the portal defence wasn’t a big problem, but the events before and after made me tremble, squeal and scream. Restoring life together with someone who ached for it for 100 years - it’s a gaming moment that leaves a lasting magical aftertaste.
Halsin is not perfect
No, the picture doesn’t really represent who he is, lol.
This elf is a bloody mess. And most of his problems and imperfections come straight from his qualities.
He has an absolutely inflated, unhealthy understanding of his responsibilities. Result: for the whole game he gives the “how the fuck did I end up in management” vibe. He spent 100 years as the First Druid - and, judging by his flocks’ behavior, he was a mother hen to a bunch of useless but fully grown people. He wiped their noses when what they needed was a good spanking 3 times a day. As soon as he gets captured by the goblins and the noses of the entire Grove stay unwiped for a day or two, things immediately go awry: Kagha, spineless and sycophantic but able to pretend strong and even authoritarian, gets into a trap set by the Shadow Druids and almost manages to cut the Grove off of the world on their demand. Halsin dear, how did that piece of slime end up as your second in command? Fooled by her fake strength and efficiency? Well, shit happens. Here’s a honeycomb.
He has serious trauma processing issues caused by his self-neglect. Unprocessed Stockholm syndrome from his 3 years of sexual slavery. Unprocessed grief and depression. Severe guilt complex. Self-esteem issues, thinking himself unworthy of any love and care. The latter is the reason why I romance him every run now - he needs this, he needs this more than any other companion.
He is as fucked up as the best of us. I love him for this.
Halsin values consent more than anything
There’s one thing you can notice if you try to seduce him during the tiefling party. He is the only person available for flirting and firmly refusing to fuck your drunken ass. Never sleep with drunken people - especially if you don’t know them well! (And don’t get drunk if you want to bed someone - even for courage)
Some have issues with him only admitting his feelings in Act 3 - thanks for nothing once again, Larian, his romance should have started in Act 2, after Thaniel and Oliver are reunited. Still, when he admits his feelings, you can immediately turn him down without getting any disapproval from him. “Tell me I’m wrong, and the matter can rest. I don’t want to sour our friendship.” He stays true to his word.
Damn, during his romance scene he looks at you for consent before giving you a blowjob.
Halsin has more in him than he openly shows
The third degree burns he gives to Shadowheart in Act 2. Gods, I love Shadowheart - brainwashed as she is, she has her most important memories stolen from her, - but I can’t help but enjoy those moments. His unbreakable kindness covers some snark he only uses when necessary.
Halsin is probably the only one who takes the Durge seriously early in the game
As the Durge player, I can’t help but appreciate their early post-party dialogue. Halsin admits that he can’t do much on the road, without help from his druids and without time and conditions for proper hard research, but he gives hope. He offers support. Again, Larian, thanks for nothing - I wish there was more.
Halsin has the hottest romance scene
Er, no. Not the bear scene. Don't listen to incels from reddit, the bear option is not the only one and it's not even the default. I'd give much for 5 minutes in a soundproof room with Larian marketing team...
I’m 100% asexual, and even I enjoyed Halsin’s default love scene. It’s hot, it’s amazingly made, it’s tender - it’s considerate. Halsin takes care of the partner first, before “devouring” them, as he fears in the beginning.
His unintentional wildshape that, btw, makes him terribly embarrassed as if he’d hurt you or done something equally bad, but it is beautifully directed and as aesthetically pleasing as a wildshaping druid can be.
Halsin cares about refugees
As someone who spent several years working in a charity that helped war refugees, I take these things very close to my heart, because… because those people go through terrible things, and sadly they keep facing mistreatment everywhere. Halsin is right in his indignation against Baldur’s Gate, the city is a horrible place as we see it when we arrive. He doesn’t complain - he looks for a way to do something, and he finds it, basically opening a charity post-game. All Act 3 is his self-questioning, his search for a way to help, to change things; he is very close to slipping into hopelessness and despair.
Halsin absolutely should be a companion, he is in his right place and he makes people happy
Yeah right. Earlier this week I got the same experience as most "older" Halsinners - in a friendly safe-space convo about everyone's blorbos I was slapped in the face with "I don't know what made Larian choose him". As a direct reply. What did I do? Squealed that I'd have loved more content. Once.
As a late addition, Halsin is not properly developed and things could have been done much better. Yet for some reason people keep complaining that Halsin was promoted instead of their favorite NPCs. But, er, any promoted NPC would've been just as underdeveloped - there was no time and resource to do more. Plus, let’s imagine that the overwhelming demand for Halsin was ignored and he remained an NPC. Judging by what’s been happening post game, if - if - any origin companion had received more content, it would most likely have been Astarion. Astarion is the selling point of the game, the posterboy, whether people who aren’t his fans like it or not. Look at the merch, at the upcoming novel (yes I know… folks, I’m sorry, I know how upsetting hate can be), at everything. Astarion is always the first in the line when any new content is thought of. And Halsin is not to blame - if Larian decided to put effort into him, it means they thought him worth that effort.
They weren’t wrong - I have been watching things for quite a while, and at least on Tumblr and AO3 Halsin is firmly in top 5 by popularity measured in fan made content (together with Astarion, Gale, Karlach, and Shadowheart). I think it's an amazing result for a latecomer.
I’m happy that he is a companion. He gave me my favorite romance and inspired a story that lives in my head. He helped me shape a dear and beloved OC that distracts me from rather bleak reality and inspires me to learn new things that may help me in real life at some point. Without him, I wouldn’t have had a place in the fandom which, surprisingly, is still a joy.
Halsin should be a companion, because he brings joy and inspiration to many people. Larian weren't mistaken when they promoted him. Those who want him removed or replaced just can’t tolerate the fact that someone else got their wish brought to life. I'm sorry about everyone's favorites who didn't make it to the camp, but not sorry enough to stop liking what I like.
Halsin works best when he's read as a man whose whole life has been shaped by care, responsibility, and long endurance rather than just as a late-game flirt option with a memorable bear scene. By the time the player meets him, he's already spent years as a druid healer, carried the burden of the grove, and tied a great deal of his life to the Shadow-Cursed Lands. He has warmth, humour, and very open desire, but none of that sits on a shallow character - it sits on someone who's been living with failure, guilt, and obligation for a very long time.
His connection to the Shadow Curse is one of the most important things about him; Halsin isn't treating that land as another task on a hero's list - Thaniel was part of his childhood, the curse has haunted him for a century, and Act 2 makes it obvious that he's never really left it behind emotionally. He comes across like someone who's spent years carrying an unfinished responsibility that gradually becomes part of how he understands himself, and that history gives him a much sadder and more grounded centre than the fandom version of him usually allows.
He also stands out from most of the cast because he's already lived through power and chosen to step back from it. Halsin's held authority, knows how leadership can fail, and doesn't romanticise command the way some characters do. There's a settledness in him that comes from having seen institutions from the inside and no longer needing title or hierarchy to feel meaningful, which is part of why he can feel so calm in camp. He isn't calm because life has spared him, but because he's already been forced to learn what matters more than status.
A lot of misunderstanding around him comes from people taking his openness at face value and missing the weight underneath it. Halsin is sexually direct, emotionally articulate, and comfortable with non-monogamy, so some players reduce him to a stereotype of the overly eager druid. The game gives something much more specific than that - he's a man who values honesty, bodily freedom, and mutual consent very highly, and that means much more once his past is taken seriously.
Psychology
Halsin carries old trauma in a way that's easy to overlook because he's so functional. The Shadow Curse is part of that, but the deeper pattern is broader than one event. He comes across as someone who responds to pain by becoming useful, taking responsibility, and orienting himself toward healing what can still be healed, which makes him look stable from the outside but also means a lot of his suffering gets absorbed into labour, duty, and care before it's ever spoken aloud.
His history with the drow matters here, too. The game makes clear that he was held for years in a role that blurred prisoner, captive consort, and sexual exploitation - that should change how people read his adult sexuality. His openness isn't evidence that he's pushy, empty, or thoughtless about sex; it reads much more like the stance of someone who's chosen to reclaim desire on his own terms rather than letting shame or coercion define it forever. He doesn't treat sex as a weapon, bargaining chip, or way of cornering people, but as something that should be freely chosen, frankly spoken about, and never possessed.
He also seems unusually resistant to the kind of shame that rules many of the companions. That doesn't mean he lacks pain, but it means he isn't interested in building his identity around hiding. Halsin is capable of embarrassment and regret, but he doesn't talk like someone who believes appetite itself is dirty or that tenderness should be disguised. In a cast full of people who are heavily defended, self-divided, or locked into secrecy, that kind of straightforwardness can feel almost suspicious to players who are expecting intimacy to come wrapped in avoidance.
There's a quieter burden in him, as well; he tends to take on more than one person should. The grove, the curse, Thaniel, the refugees, the wider balance of nature - Halsin's instincts run toward protection so automatically that he can disappear into caretaker roles without much resistance. He's emotionally generous, but that generosity often comes with self-neglect built into it. He sounds like someone who's spent so much of his life asking what needs to be healed that the question of what he himself needs doesn't always arrive with the same force.
Strengths and Flaws
One of Halsin's strongest qualities is steadiness. He's reliable in a way that feels lived rather than performed - when things go badly, he doesn't become theatrical, brittle, or self-dramatising, he looks at the problem, accepts its seriousness, and starts moving toward whatever form of care or action is required. That gives him a different kind of presence from the rest of the cast; he can be passionate, but he rarely feels chaotic.
He's also deeply compassionate. His compassion isn't abstract druidic goodwill, but practical, observant, and often sacrificial. Halsin notices suffering quickly, takes it seriously, and tends to respond as thuogh someone's pain has made a claim on him. That shows up in the grove, the Shadow-Cursed lands, and in how he relates to vulnerable people more generally. He doesn't need people to be impressive before he starts to care about what happens to them.
Another strength is honesty. Halsin is unusually clear about what he wants, what he believes, and what his emotional position actually is. He doesn't seem especially interested in games of implication or in forcing other people to decode him. His honesty matters most in romance, where his openness about desire and polyamory is much healthier than the "creepy/pushy" fandom reading gives it credit for. He speaks directly, asks directly, and expects the same clarity in return.
He also has genuine resilience. What the game gives him would be enough to shut many characters down completely: political failure, long guilt around the curse, and years of sexual captivity under the drow. Halsin hasn't come through those experiences unscathed, but he's come through them without losing his capacity for warmth, humour, or trust in other people, which is one of the most impressive things about him.
His flaws are less flashy, but they're real. The first is over-responsibility; Halsin can make too much of the world his burden, and once he's decided something is his to mend, he has difficulty letting it go. The Shadow Curse is the clearest example, but it isn't the only one; he can keep pouring himself into a wound long after it's become damaging to him to do so.
He can also be paternal in ways that don't always land well. Halsin is older, calmer, larger, and more settled than most of the party, and he often speaks from that position very naturally. Sometimes that feels like grounding, but sometimes it feels like he's too accustomed to being the reassuring one, the wiser one, or the person whose calm sets the tone for everyone else. He isn't domineering, but he can sound too certain of the shape care ought to take.
A third flaw is that his emotional confidence can outpace his awareness of how other people will read it. Halsin knows himself well; he knows how he feels about desire, intimacy, and attachment. Other people are often much messier than that, and the contrast can make him seem more forward than he intends. The issue isn't predation, but that his comfort with openness is unusual enough that some people experience it as pressure even when the text itself frames him as respectful.
He also has a tendency to keep moving in healer mode instead of stopping at his own grief. Halsin is very good at acting on pain, much less good at simply remaining with it, which can make him look more emotionally finished than he really is. There's a lot in him that's been managed through purpose rather than fully mourned.
Relationships
THANIEL
Thaniel reveals Halsin's oldest wound. This isn't a detached spiritual duty or a generic druidic past - Thaniel belongs to his childhood, the land he failed to save, and the version of loss Halsin has never stopped carrying. His determination in Act 2 makes much more sense once that personal bond stays in view. He's trying to restore something sacred to him and trying, at the same time, to repair a failure he's lived with for longer than most of the companions have been alive.
TAV / DURGE
The player relationship shows what Halsin looks like when care stops being the only obligation and becomes something chosen for himself, as well. He's very direct in romance, but the directness is built around consent and clarity rather than entitlement; he says what he wants, acknowledges existing relationships, and leaves room for refusal without punishing it, which is a big part of why the "creepy" reading feels unfair. The game writes him as someone who's open about desire and careful abuot whether that desire is actually welcomed.
KAGHA
Kagha shows what Halsin's leadership looks like by contrast. In his absence, she takes control of the grove, pushes the Rite of Thorns, and is willing to sacrifice the tiefling refugees for the grove's isolation; if her Shadow Druid ties are exposed and she repents, Halsin allows her to remain only as a novice rather than restoring her authority. Their whole dynamic says a lot about him - Halsin is capable of firmness, but he isn't driven by fear and exclusion in the way Kagha is. Where she treats protection as something that justifies cruelty and withdrawal, he keeps tying it back to stewardship, mercy, and proportion. Kagha makes it much easier to see that his gentleness isn't softness or indecision, but an ethical choice about what power is for.
Just for Fun / Typology
MBTI - ENFJ
He has a strongly Fe way of moving through the world. His attention goes outward toward other people's wellbeing very naturally, and a lot of his moral life is organised around care, harmony, and what living beings need from one another. He's emotionally direct, values clear communication, and tends to respond to pain by stepping toward it rather than retreating into privacy.
Ni also fits how much of his life is shaped by long-held purpose. Halsin isn't just reacting to whatever's in front of him; he's lived for a century with the Shadow Curse as an unfinished reality, and his sense of responsibility keeps bending back toward restoration, healing, and the larger shape the world ought to have, which gives him a much more future-oriented and internally directed sense of mission than a more purely spontaneous or earthy type would.
MORAL ALIGNMENT - Neutral Good
He's too flexible and too willing to leave formal authority behind for a Lawful reading to fit comfortably. Halsin can respect tradition, hold office, and still walk away from structure the moment it stops serving life properly. His deeper loyalty is to living beings, healing, and balance rather than to institution or rule.
The Good side is much clearer; he consistently chooses protection, mercy, and restoration over domination or self-interest, even when those choices cost him time, comfort, or personal happiness. His violence, when it comes, is in service of care rather than appetite, and his moral centre is one of the most stable things about him.
Conclusion
Halsin becomes much more interesting once he's allowed to be a full character instead of a fandom shorthand. The game gives a man who's lived through responsibility, guilt, sexual coercion, and long failure without becoming hard, ashamed, or emotionally closed, and that combination is much rarer than the Big Flirty Druid version of him suggests.
What stays strongest about him is the coexistence of openness and weight. He's warm without being shallow, sexual without being predatory, and kind without being naive. The game never asks you to choose between those versions of him, and the better read of Halsin doesn't either.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
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Astarion and Keryth don't compete for the camera's attention - they share it equally because honestly, they really only have eyes for each other in the end anyway.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Anya is LIVE right now
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