Headcanon: Alastor Wears A Monocle Because He Had Glasses In Life And When He Got Shot In The Head His

post-graduation trip airport looks

Another thing I absolutely love about Astarion’s redemption arc is how some narrative threads introduced in Act 1 find their resolution in the good ending.

The first and most obvious one revolves around the beautiful concept of a gift.

When the player offers their blood to Astarion, he receives a gift that goes beyond mere nourishment. In that moment, what Tav/Durge is giving him, beyond blood, is understanding and trust.

And this concept comes full circle after the ritual, where this narrative thread finds its conclusion. That’s when Spawn Astarion thanks the player for the gift they have given him—gently guiding him by the hand toward a new path where he is truly free.

But not just free. As the vampire spawn himself says in that ending, he is honestly free. And for that gift, he is grateful.

I think that’s absolutely beautiful.

But the meaning runs even deeper than that. This ties into the theme of seeing and being seen—not in a superficial sense.

After all, Astarion’s appearance is both a curse and a shield, something he has learned to wield, just like his mannerisms, his charming words, and the sarcasm he uses as a distraction.

It’s an important concept because it means going beyond the surface, seeing him for who he truly is, feeling him, and experiencing him in his entirety.

Astarion deeply struggles with his condition—not just as a slave, but as a vampire. He’s so happy to be able to act human again thanks to the Illithid tadpole, to do simple, mundane things like crossing running water or entering a house without permission. And let’s not even talk about his joy at standing under the sunlight.

When you meet him on the beach for the first time and reveal what will happen if they don’t get rid of the Illithid tadpoles, Astarion’s bitter reaction, complete with laughter, shows just how much it truly weighs on him: "Of course it’s going to turn me into a monster, what else did I expect?!"

In fact, when his vampiric nature is revealed for the first time during the bite scene, he fears rejection and is quick to emphasize that he’s not some kind of monster. The morning after, when Shadowheart tactlessly points out this aspect of him, his expression changes, and we can see how being perceived as a monster wounds him. It keeps him at a distance, sets him apart as something other. Later, he will even say outright that he wants to be treated like a person—not as a slave, not as a vampire. Just a person. Not superior, not inferior. Exactly like everyone else. Because Astarion wants to be part of the world, to reconnect with people.

This is especially clear when he approves of Tav’s perspective—that he could find a place for himself in the world, where he could be accepted, supported, if he is willing to open up and do the same for others. He approves because the idea appeals to him—it makes him feel like he can belong. Not as a monster, but as a person finding his way back into the world he once inhabited.

But I’m digressing.

The mirror scene isn’t just there by chance—it’s narratively strategic. In that moment, Astarion explicitly asks the player what they see, because he wants to know how the world perceives him. He worries about how others see him precisely because he feels separate, othered, like a monster. And it’s not a matter of appearance—Astarion knows he’s gorgeous. He’s heard it thousands of times over the centuries. But he’s insecure about his place within the group, within society, within the world.

That’s why he appreciates it when Tav/Durge reassures him on the two things that trouble him most—his piercing gaze (the red eyes of a vampire) and his dangerous smile (the sharp fangs of a predator). He relaxes because, in that moment, he feels accepted. Because he realizes his defining traits aren’t the insurmountable barriers he thought they were. Because the person in front of him sees him—not through the lens of prejudice, but for who he really is.

This theme returns later, during the confrontation with Aurelia and Leon, when Astarion deflects the idea of being heroic by saying, "I can’t be what you see in me." Again, the motif of seeing, of looking deeper, of recognizing something more, of reading between the lines—both of the narrative and of his character.

And it’s beautiful when, the morning after the ritual, that relaxed, happy Astarion, with that wonderful smile on his lips, says that Tav/Durge saw something in him. Something different from everyone else. Something beyond his monstrous nature, beyond his darkest intentions, beyond his fear.

Tav/Durge saw him. Saw his potential.

And if you’re in a romantic relationship with him, in the graveyard scene, Astarion will bring up this idea once again. With a heroic Tav/Durge, Astarion feels safe. And he feels seen. Seen, for god’s sake. That’s huge.

This is where this narrative arc—about perception, about seeing him throughout the entire journey—finds its resolution. Astarion is truly more than what Cazador made him to be. He breaks free from the pattern of monster/vampire. He chooses to start living again. To rediscover himself. To reclaim his identity in the most human way possible—through the world and the people around him.

Perhaps his body has not regained its human traits, but spawn Astarion is, without a doubt, the Astarion who has reclaimed his humanity the most.

do you take fic requests?

Hi! I would absolutely be down to take fic requests!! It’s been a hot second since I updated my blog, I’ve mostly been using it for reading and finding pretty art lately lmao

But feel free to send me something and I’d be open to giving it a shot!

THIS WAS GOING TO BE HIS YEAR!!!

Your telling me that this face didn’t get to graduate?

GUYS

modern au!jayvik x reader playing minecraft shenanigans <3 —likes, comments, reblogs = happy bee gratitude <3

jayce & viktor both excel at building and redstone automating/tinkering/etc. but they decide that jayce is more suited for building & viktor makes redstone mechanisms better

you’re grateful that those are their roles cuz you can’t redstone or build FOR SHIT… so you’re more than happy to be the explorer & miner to collect resources for your boyfriends

in game, whenever you bring jayce the blocks he needs, he makes a point to squat his character up and down as a means to kiss you

meanwhile, viktor bonks his character’s head into yours when you gift him a surplus of redstone

you three have a private server, but you also play on a collective server with folks like mel caitlin ekko jinx and vi; that server is half war zone and half paradise in terms of builds (jinx keeps griefing caitlin’s builds with charged creepers and tnt)

when the three of you play together while next to one another in real life, you make a point to distract your boyfriends from their builds with kisses and hugs

the one time you took both of them on a mine exploration in game, jayce immediately fell into lava and viktor screamed when he got attacked by zombies in a mob spawner room

the little arrangement of roles you three have works… you just have to keep your boyfriends safe from hostile mobs

at least, the exploration in the lush cave went well; viktor found a pinkish purple axolotl and named it rio while jayce stole all the glow berries

when the happy ghast snapshot came out, you immediately get one from the nether and revive it, naming it gumdrop and taking your boyfriends on an adventure with it :)

"Look into the mirror, but make sure you look deeply. Your reflection is the only thing you can not hide from."

saw this days ago but I wasn’t there yet… just got to ampert’s death. brb losing my mind.

smut's fun. have you ever read soul crushing, heart aching, head throbbing comfort that makes your eyes burn out of your head to the point where you just have to crawl into a ball because your inner child feels so safe? haha... yeah smuts fun.

she should've said 'yes, dad, thanks. you're the best' btw