#dark consort

Thank you, beautifully said! In the third act, it's not a “deal” at all, it's a gift that Astarion wants to share with Tav. He wants to share with them the gift of eternity. The next morning:

“I am fairly certain I can extend Mephistopheles' blessings unto you.”

And before the conversion:

“I'm willing to share all of this with you. What's that if not love?”

It's a little sad to see the expression on Astarion's face and how he desperately tries to explain it, to explain his feelings, because he had always wanted to share eternity with his beloved as soon as he learned about the possibility of performing the Ascension ritual.

“This may be a beginning, not an end. I can see myself now. Lord, King, Master. We'll be glorious both, you and I.”

 “We have to face him and take that power for ourselves. Technically only I will ascend and gain the ritual's power. But we're a team. If I become all-powerful, then we become all-powerful. Nothing would make me happier.”

“We aren't like them. We are better.” (After the attack by the spawns in the camp, Astarion already sees Tav as a vampire). “To make sure we're both safe. Forever, for good.” He wanted this; he already sees Tav as his future bride.

Astarion doesn't know that my Tav understands everything, I just have to “get out” of the dialogue with a silly line like 'You haven't learned anything,‘ which I dislike in itself and which does not correspond to my character at all, but is chosen solely because of the metagamer's knowledge that after that I can agree to his proposal without demanding any 'reward’ from Astarion.

“That is for me and my darling to share.” – Astarion responds to Minthara when she also wants to receive the gift of immortality.

And in the epilogue, Astarion also speaks of this unity, of the sharing of everything between two:

“And I am blessed to share it with you, my love.”

“We share a palace, share power, live lives eternal in each other's arms. What more could anyone want?”

By the way, for those who like to compare Astarion with Cazador, Cazador would never have done anything like that:

“You can't believe that, Dal. When has Cazador ever shared power?”

“It's a lie - Cazador would never share power with us.”

And, interestingly, Astarion himself sincerely thanks you for accepting his gift:

“You have given me everything. Thank you.”

“To give everything” is not only about the ritual itself, but also about agreeing to share eternity with him. Astarion says this not immediately after the ritual, but after accepting his gift. For me personally, this is the most valuable line in the entire game. Perhaps because of my personal perception, my first playthrough turned out to be ridiculous — I didn't know the plot of the game, tried to avoid spoilers, but still accidentally read some nonsense and decided to go for a “bad playthrough” just to get Astarion to the normal ending... I came across a GIF with this kiss on the hand, without any explanation of what it was or where it came from. Tears rolled down my cheeks from the “injustice.” I sincerely believed that this tender moment would not be for me, that it was from some version where Astarion “fixes himself,” remains a spawn, and burns, lol. Cause it was written that the Ascended Astarion no longer loves the Tav, doesn't respect them, blah blah blah, so it's not for me. And when Astarion said those words and kissed the hand, like in that GIF, and it turned out to be for me... And with that line too. It was amazing. Like breaking the fourth wall. Yes, this experience turned out to be unusual and not quite the gaming experience that, in theory, should be in a video game on the first playthrough without spoilers and with full immersion, since there was already metagaming with watching the UA finale and fake metagaming with reading hateful posts about the Ascended Path, but, if you look at it that way, it further shows how poorly Welch understands the psychology of players (“Your reward for doing his quest”). The value of completing a beloved character's quest lies in... the successful completion of his quest. In everything turning out well for him. In this quest being completed perfectly. That's all. A player (in this case, I can only speak for myself, not for everyone) may strive to complete the mission even if they believe there will be a “punishment” for it, even “out of spite.” Yes, if there really were a “punishment,” I, as a player, would then burst out with negative comments about such a game, but I would still reach the finale. On principle. Because the goal of completing any task is the result of completing that task. And in a game, it's also the enjoyment of the gameplay. If I wanted “sex” as a reward, why would I bother with an RPG game at all? There are erotic novels. There are porn games. You can get everything at once and more, without any effort in the form of battles, without bothering with any gameplay, and such a player doesn't really need a story (although there are novels with stories).

The fact that in many RPG games romantic scenes are linked to the main storyline of the companion is simply logical. As the plot is revealed, so too are the companion and their romance. Yes, the player can strengthen their relationship in this way, LI realizes the special value of the PC after helping them with something that was so important to them. Even in real life, after a partner does something significant, a person may “open their eyes” to their value, and someone who was previously perceived as simply attractive, interesting, etc., but without any special value, may become someone with whom a person wants to spend their whole life, someone they want to keep and say, “You're mine forever.” :) Actions reveal a person's character. This is realistic. Zevran in DAO confesses his feelings after you deal with the Crows, but the player does this to help Zevran and prevent them from hunting him, not so that he will agree to sleep with them or give them a reward. Killing the mage who enslaved Fenris (DAO 2) is also done for the sake of killing this mage, a high is derived from the process of killing him and from the fact that the game gives you the opportunity to take revenge. Killing the inquisitor who revealed Daeran's secret in Pathfinder was also done so that no one would learn Daeran's secret, not so that Daeran, ahem... And, of course, the same applies to Astarion. Helping him fulfill his quest perfectly—so that he would never suffer from hunger again, could enjoy the sun, feel alive, and become powerful and free. This is called immersion gaming. Even if we ignore all this nonsense about “sexualization,” even in this case, if the companion's quest is completed for the sake of some reward and not for their own sake, it means one thing: either the companion is so mediocre and boring that it's only worth completing their mission for the bonuses, or this particular companion didn't personally “hook” the player. But the player is unlikely to romanticize such a companion. I would never have thought that developers could evaluate players' motives in this way.

By the way, you said it well when you said, “It's only a bad thing if the gift is something that can be taken away as a means to hurt someone, which happens in a lot of toxic relationships.” Astarion also perceives Tav's agreement to spend eternity with him as a precious gift (“You have given me everything”). He is grateful. In this case, the gift is the trust of his beloved. A guarantee that this happiness will not disappear, that everything will always be fine. And Tav, who wants to break up, takes this gift away from him, which causes him pain.

Yes, AA love language — I agree, and I felt the same way. During the game and in my headcanons too. Astarion wants to give and care for and protect Tav.

“Ask me anything, and it will be yours.”

It's as if he wants Tav to ask him for something, wants to do something for them.

He had always wanted to be a defender:

“I know you do. It matters to me, as well. I want to be able to protect you, too.”

After the Ascension:

“Don't worry - if anything happens, I'll protect you.”

He loves his consort obsessively and wants to constantly spoil them. I have never encountered such devotion from a lover and such strong affection in return in any game.

I had this feeling when I was playing through the first two acts, caring only about Astarion and trying to protect him from any danger, using “gentle protective bonds” with rings so that he wouldn't get hurt in battle, giving him “gifts” (in my imagination; in the game, you can only put something in his inventory, set up his statue in the camp, etc.). At first, Ascension didn't change anything, and I continued to protect Lord in every way possible, but then his lines and behavior made me think about my Tav's possible tendency toward overprotectiveness. lol, and to understand that I needed to “back off” a little and let Astarion lead and take care of Tav himself. He needs it, it shows in many of his lines and in his attitude. Accepting gifts with joy is also a manifestation of love, the giver feels happiness in doing so, and Astarion will experience this pleasure of giving. Protecting his consort, giving them gifts, making them happy — and receiving sincere love and gratitude in return. I think it's worth asking him for something simple and easy to do, like your favorite flowers or an exquisite piece of jewelry, some little thing, even a small whim, because Astarion himself will experience joy in giving you a gift. “Wealth” and “pleasure” are very important things for those who have never had them. Astarion spent two hundred years in slavery, experiencing poverty and pain. He expresses his love through action—giving his beloved what he didn’t have. In many ways, this is also his healing—not only receiving wealth for himself, but also giving it away, caring for his loved one.

Smothering each other with endless love to the point that it annoys everyone else—ha ha, there's a special thrill in that too! That's freedom too. The freedom that their status and power give them, the freedom to enjoy not having to worry about annoying those around them. Neil said about Astarion: “I just love the fact that his incessant drive and desire to be utterly and free for unshackled by other people's opinions of it.”