Semitsvetik

Fav Astarion reaction 195 / ???

Finally got to digitally pet Catstarion! 🥹💕

I've always wanted to pet this silver shaded little cat, and today I finally did it!🫳🏻🐈

Batstarion Week: Day 4

Most of the discussion around the developer notes focuses on the scene where Ascended Astarion turns the player character into his vampire spawn. The graveyard scene, on the other hand, rarely seems to come up (or maybe I just haven't found those discussions). So I thought it'd be interesting to go through the graveyard cutscene script and the accompanying developer notes.

† ✞︎ ♱ ✟† ✞︎ ♱ ✟† ✞︎ ♱ ✟† ✞︎ ♱ ✟† ✞︎ ♱ ✟† ✞︎ ♱ ✟† ✞︎ ♱ ✟† ✞︎ ♱ ✟† ✞︎ ♱ ✟† ✞︎ ♱

Player and Astarion walking into graveyard. They stop as they reach their intended destination. "The graveyard is appropriately silent - there isn't a proverbial soul around".

Astarion walks up to a gravestone covered in ivy and filth. It's old, cracked, and neglected. His steps are thoughtful and with purpose.

Astarion bends over and reaches up and tears away the weeds. He straightens up once he's done, dusting off his hands as he does so.

Underneath, we can see the inscription:

"Astarion Ancunín: 229 - 268 DR"

Rustle of leaves being jostled. Nocturnal sounds, crickets in the bushes.

Astarion: "Nearly two hundred years and I never came back. Not since the night I woke up down there. I had to punch a hole in the coffin and claw my way through six feet of dirt. Then when I finally broke the surface, retching up dirt and congealed blood, Cazador was waiting. From that day on I was his. Until today".

Tess: "You were never his. Whatever he had, he took by force."

Astarion: "Maybe, but he did take it. There's almost nothing left of the person I was. Just a name on a rock. For nearly two centuries I stalked the streets like a ghost while the person I was lay here, dead and buried. Now I need to figure out who I am. What I want."

Tess: "And what do you want?" Astarion: "You... I want you. You were by my side through all of this. Through bloodlust and pain and misery. You were patient. You cared. You trusted me when that was an objectively stupid thing to do. I feel safe with you. Seen. And whatever the future holds for me, I don't want to lose that."

Tess: "You won't. Whatever comes next, I've got you." Astarion: "Thank you. Well. I should probably fix this."

Looking at the inscription on his grave Astarion takes out Cazador's dagger and starts carving into the stone, although we can't see what he's carving.

Scraping of metal against stone as Astarion carves. Nocturnal sounds, crickets in the bushes.

Player stands back and watches. When he's done, the camera angle reverses and we see he's roughly cut a new inscription into the stone. Below his date of birth is a new date - the current year.

The inscription now reads "Astarion Ancunín: 468 DR - ..".

Astarion sits back, looking at his gravestone, saying nothing. He's in a moment of deep reflection. He remains in silent contemplation. (Note: Astarion is still kneeling down). Player stands back and watches. They understand this is a solemn moment.

Astarion is still kneeling down. He stares thoughtfully at his gravestone.

Player approaches Astarion and stops, standing to his right. They look at him…and then at the gravestone. Astarion stares at his grave, quietly contemplating his life/unlife. Then he says:

"I've been dead in the ground for long enough. It's time to try living again. With everything that life has to offer."

The player character kneels down to Astarion's right. They loosely place both hands onto their lap. Both of them are now kneeling.

Astarion shuffles his knees, turning right so that he's now facing the Player. Player shuffles and turns to the left to mirror him. Astarion leans over, reaches out to take both of Player's hand in his. He does so lovingly, tenderly… with a hint of seduction.

Astarion: "With everything that life has to offer."

Tess:  "Meaning...?"

Astarion: "If a night of passion is on offer, I could be persuaded".

Tess: "Sounds good to me".

Astarion: "You know, I didn't care for you when we first met. But I do now. Being with you is about more than lust or manipulating you into a tactical alliance. I love you. I love this. And I want it all."

Astarion kisses the player character, taking them in his arms.

He stops kissing, then playfully pushes the player character so they fall backwards onto the ground. Astarion follows suit…

...gets on top of the player character and continues kissing them.

Nocturnal sounds, crickets in the bushes.

Rustle of dry leaves and dirt as the lovebirds begin their passionate romp.

Fade to black. Sex sounds. (Note: Maybe camera pans up before fading to black with the dulcet symphony of sex).

The End

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Note: The developer notes include a lot of duplicated action descriptions. I've trimmed only the unnecessary duplicates while preserving the repeated ones that emphasize Astarion's emotional state after refusing the ritual and the way he interacts with Tav. I've also included the dialogue to provide the full context.

The scene also includes an interesting internal note/marker:

"ORI_Astarion_Event_BlackMassAftermathHadSexAsEquals"

And another fun little detail:

"Slightly horny. (ONLY SLIGHTLY, NEIL)"

And finally, a few of my own thoughts:

What I love about Spawn Astarion's ending is that, despite the painful consequences of his choice, Astarion accepts them because he knows it's the right thing to do. It feels realistic. It feels mature. Emotionally true. In return, he gains something far more valuable and meaningful — both through his personal growth and in his relationship with the one he loves.

At last, he has found someone he doesn't have to wear a mask around. Someone he can open up to, someone he can show his vulnerability and his pain to without being judged for how he truly feels. We all understand that after more than 200 years of slavery, even after finally escaping his abuser, he isn't going to start laughing and skipping around with joy. There is simply too much pain built up inside him after all those years, and it can't just disappear in an instant.

And I think it's wonderful when there's someone by his side who accepts that pain and has the strength to carry it with him. Yes, that takes emotional strength too. It really isn't easy.

And I honestly don't understand how, after such an emotional scene — when he lets you in where he has never let anyone before, into a place that hurts so, so much and is truly terrifying, when you hear that voice... I just don't understand how anyone can come to the conclusion that he is lying to Tav.

He is exactly the same here as he is in the moment when he confesses his feelings in Act 2. And he remains that way for us if he refuses the ritual. By "that way," I mean open and trusting.

If you'd like to examine this scene for yourself, you have two options:

1. Visit a website that provides a transcription of the scene exactly as it appears in the game files, without any modifications:

2. Use a dedicated tool to browse the game files yourself, just as I did. I followed the guide below, so credit and thanks to its author @ roksik-dnd !

Thank you! And happy BG3 Anniversary! 🎉 ཐི ₍^.ˬˬ.^₎ ཋྀ

When you forgot to feed the cats...

🎉Happy 3rd Anniversary to this legendary game!!🎉

Baldur's Gate Vista

Concept art for D&D Beyond