Astarion's consort

Literally Neil himself spitting canonical characterization facts:

This is why Ascended Astarion IS NOT like Cazador | Baldur's Gate 3

2 - Secondly, and very importantly: Ascended Astarion treats his consort as an equal, constantly referring to "WE" and "OUR", and wants to give her the entire world. This is demonstrated in this video:

Ascended Astarion Sees Tav as His Equal - Here's Why | Baldur's Gate 3

3 - The most important thing is to understand who his consort really is. And in fact, his consort is the vampire bride/groom, which is clearly an Easter egg in the game, referencing the vampire bride of Revenloft:

Pt. 1 Astarion Made Me His Vampire Bride (Based on D&D Lore) | Baldur's Gate 3

Pt. 2 Ascended Astarion's BRIDE Is Not Just a Theory - Confirmed FACTS! BG3

4 - He definitely doesn't lose his soul during the ritual. Firstly, there's no mention in official D&D sources of vampires being soulless, and secondly:

That's Why Ascended Astarion DOESN'T Lose His Soul | Baldur's Gate 3

5 - Incidentally, his heart is beating again, because he's a completely new kind of vampire — a living vampire. Certainly not just a normal, full-fledged vampire like Cazador:

When Astarion's Heart Beats Again | Baldur's Gate 3

6 - By the way, his kisses used to be sweet and tender, and what we see now only appeared after patch 6. Personally, I think these kisses are inappropriate, and Larian wanted to play with BDSM, but they clearly didn't succeed. Not all of us are on board, and I personally would like to have access to the kisses from Patch 5. I'm using the kisses from Moxi's wonderful mod, and I recommend you do the same if you roleplay love with him.

ALL Ascended Astarion Kisses from EVERY Patch in Baldur's Gate 3

7 - If you still have questions about the fact that Ascended Astarion doesn't actually repeat the "cycle of abuse" and that it's all just a hoax made up by haters, here's a video:

Ascended Astarion Breaks the Cycle and Here's Why | Baldur's Gate 3

8 - The haters' favorite part is about the breakup. Haters love to show him yelling at Tav. But they usually cut clips out of context. Good for you if you've already figured this out—here's your treat 🍬 . Honestly, I'd be as upset as Ascended Astarion. And here is his full breakup with context:

Ascended Astarion Is Hurt After I Denied His Proposal | Baldur's Gate 3

9 - If you still have questions after watching all the videos above, you might really enjoy debunking the myths about Ascended Astarion:

Ascended Astarion: Debunking Myths | Baldur's Gate 3