#astarion x lae'zel

[emmafrostyyy]

y'all sleeping on Astarion/Lae'zel bc this moment is so...the way the flippant demeanor drops and he doesn't hesitate to call her out for sticking with her version of Cazador like their relationship is so underrated fr...

sitting down writing this bullshit like let me peel it like an onion a bit and elaborate why this pairing is fascinating to me

It's really interesting how during the most cathartic, life-altering moment in Astarion's questline, the reactions of the other companions are more about the moral wrongness/guilt of sacrificing innocent lives. Lae'zel doesn't do that and instead relates to his hurt.

She knows what's he's feeling, the lack of control, the unfairness of being powerless for too long. This is a woman who just found out her entire life purpose was built on lies, discarded and hunted by her own people after outliving her usefulness, and groomed to basically die for an insane power-hungry lich queen. She knows all too well that power isn't always real freedom. Her first instinct is to empathize with Astarion to steer him away from his hate and resentment.

Astarion/Lae'zel is so interesting to me because they're such a classic "can we make each other worse or make a better person out of the other?".

They both have genuine appreciation for violence and respect each other's ruthlessness. Astarion was used as a weapon of seduction while Lae'zel was of warfare. Sex with people is meaningless and not real intimacy for them, and while both have little understanding/experience of interpersonal relationships beyond the physical, they still feel and love very deeply. They have no frame of reference for things like friendship and warmth, but they badly want all of that and more, even if they don't know it yet.

In-game they can sleep with each other, which is basically the foundation of the normal Tav/Astarion romance. Lae'zel saw him during combat and got horny, who knows. Astarion who's used to luring people with his charms, takes up Lae'zel's blunt offer because she's a strong hardened warrior that can provide protection and be a worthy ally, and he doesn't know how to say no. Navigating the complications between one who wants to be seen beyond as a sex object, and one who comes from a totally alien culture with no concept of love/family/connections and only sex is honestly really compelling to me. It's a transactional, mutually beneficial thing with no emotional expectations. Once you get past the skeevy rockiness of their early relationship, I really like the idea of them slowly seeing something past the exterior and realizing they may have harshly misjudged the other, an unspoken friendship blooms, and in comes the realization that they are essentially loners longing for kindness and a comforting touch in the most desperate of situations.

Lae'zel is prideful, direct, has no sense of courtship talk, and doesn't hold back her thoughts the slightest--she's not sweet/agreeable and what you see is really what you get, which I imagine would be disarming for Astarion who's used to vacuous flattery and has difficulty trusting others. But she's also insanely protective, passionate, loyal, and an initiator-- every romance scene is triggered by her first and she's always showing effort towards her relationships, which would mesh well with Astarion who does need someone to nudge him.

She doesn't purposely suppress her feelings, she's just simply at loss at how to express them sometimes due to her wildly different upbringing. She stops the sparring match you agree to and an easy vulnerability slips instantly out of her: "I don't want to hurt you. I want to protect you, and for you to protect me." and "Thus far I've taunted you, devoured you, battled you. Now I want more than anything to soothe you." are romantic as fuck and Astarion of all people really needs to hear that tbh.

Astarion is also someone who struggles with reinforcing his boundaries, and a key theme in Lae'zel's romance is that she encourages and wants you to challenge her and learn to stand your ground. It's not gentlest method, but hey, relationships are about having to make an effort to learn each other's language.

I think he also would take pleasure "educating her on the matters of Fay-run" (I believe there's a whole banter with him teasing her and teaching her pet names) and would get a kick out of coaxing Lae'zel out of her shell with her shyness at showing public affection, and making her blush. Also it simply would be fucking funny to see Astarion who's used to easy seduction, trying to pass a persuasion check just to get a smooch and generally having to work to earn regular kisses from Lae'zel lmfaooo

Lae'zel also initially struggles to see her chains as chains. When she learns about Vlaakith's betrayal, she copes instantly through denial and shuts it down. Astarion is NOT having it and calls her out, he knows her well enough to recognize that she would value blunt honesty above all.

I imagine he also despises her lack of self-preservation, the way her entire identity is tied to duty and being in service of others, and doesn't understand her desire to still help/liberate the people that want her dead and are hunting her down. He wants to make this duty-bound soldier realize that looking out for herself, and putting herself first may not be the worst thing in the world.

They're so similar to each other but are also polar opposites in some ways that make a more equal, balanced romance I think. It's not a simple, one-sided, feel-good "she/he can fix her/him" fantasy because both of them have to earn each other's love, actually cut through the other's flaws, and actively motivate each other to be better versions of themselves.

They're not at all the other's ideal guiding hand. It's rough, jagged, and imperfect, but that's how healing goes. It's so far from being the healthiest relationship -- but even if their belief systems differ, their moral compass does often align. I imagine it's a slight relief for them to have a partner where there would be less shame and judgment when they expectedly, occasionally slip up and fall into their bad habits.

Also, man, the "You showed me the betweens and beyonds. Beyond war and peace, beyond passion and obsession, most importantly, you showed me freedom.", "First you were my wound, now you were my cure.", "But you saw something else in me - someone else I could be. Someone who could break the cycle of power and terror that started centuries ago.." lines really hit hard when applied to them.

Of course, they can also make each other worse, feed into the other's negative traits that will bring out the worst part of themselves. It's this duality of their pairing that is very interesting to explore, the way it can steer in either direction because it's an intense, fraught relationship at its core.

#when he gets called by omeluum “child of the dark” and her “child of the stars” like yeah..the squid man is being literal but he Gets It fr. #lae'zel #astarion #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 meta #astarion ancunin #astarion x lae'zel #lae'zel x astarion #the rarest of rarepairs they dont even got a ship name...this is so tragique we need to discuss the pathos and potential of this pairing #bg3 lae'zel #bg3 astarion #also im a sucker for stoic knight/court darling trope and whatever variations of it yeah #bloodbruise

[adhdslugcrimes]

Astarion, on the path to good boy town: eh, I'm sorry dear but I do have a couple more evil tasks before I can change, you understand completely, right darling?

Gale: what more do you have to do?

Karlach: I'll approve if I know what you're about to do, soldier.

Astarion, rubbing his studious hands together: I want to steal Gale's exquisite boots and make a few dukes and people in power gear for their lives. Nothing too big.

Lae'zel: I'm in.

Shadowheart: gods, why do we love you?

Astarion: you have great taste, love.

Wyll: well... Guess we can help.

Gale: just to make sure you don't die.

Halsin: actually I too want to mess with these officials, it sounds fun.

Minsc: Minsc and boo would enjoy helping the pale one.

Jaheira: get in the car losers, we're scaring the government.

Tav: I got the good smoke bombs.

Astarion: marvelous!!

Getting into the car

Gale: why my feet.. hey my boots!

#astarion #gale dekarios #karlach #lae'zel #shadowheart #halsin #minsc #jaheira #wyll ravengard #poly ya whole team #bg3 tav #astarion x tav #astarion x lae'zel #bloodweave #astarion x karlach #astarion x shadowheart #astarion x halsin #astarion x wyll #astarion x Jaheira #astarion x Minsc #astarion x everyone #poly him with everyone Bec this old man needs an army to take care of him #I'm calling this polycule Astarion's hug squad

[harmofud]

Why Every BG3 Origin Character Could Work Romantically with Every Other BG3 Origin Character (Astarion Edition)

Just so everyone knows before reading this, I haven't finished the game yet so some of these might get updated later. I just started Act 2, but I was spoiled almost entirely for Astarion's, Lae'zel's, and Shadowheart's stories, partially for Durge's and Gale's, and almost none at all for Karlach's and Wyll's. Please do try and avoid putting spoilers in the comments and tags, because I would still like to experience some of these moments in game first.

Astarion x The Dark Urge: Astarion has a deep seated well of rage and fury that manifests into a very palpable bloodlust. He likes murder. He is a vampire spawn after all. His very existence requires causing some kind of suffering, and it is all made easier if he enjoys it. It's something he could either indulge in or struggle to unlearn, and Durge's character arc mimics that. Astarion also values trust, something he is afforded very little of because of his nature. In Durge, he would find someone who struggles with themselves and also struggles with the lust for death. They would either become the greatest and most horrific power couple there ever was, or they'd support each other in their mutual struggle to be good.

Astarion x Gale: Astarion craves power. Above all else, above even his want for revenge, he wants the ability to protect himself, whether that be through murder and theft or through a good-old fashioned illithid tadpole. Power for protection is his M.O. Frankly you could make a case for every character on this list being a potential romance because they have power and he wants it; however, he likes power that is from beyond the pale. Pure brute force is not something he tends to approve of unless it is an entertainment for him; if given the option, he'd prefer something subtler, something that can continue to give and grow. Gale fits that description perfectly, and is both subtle and not shy about his magical prowess: both things that would draw Astarion in.

Astarion x Karlach: He doesn't tend to like pure brute force, but Astarion does like hot people, and Karlach is Hot with a capital H. Not only do they have a shared experience of being taken advantage of and being forced to do the bidding of beings that they couldn't even pretend to hold a candle to, but that same feeling of requiring freedom no matter what unites them. They would both do whatever they have to to remain out of the clutches of those who want them back. There's also that wonderful dichotomy of Astarion being supernaturally cold and Karlach being supernaturally hot, and I imagine they'd find each other very pleasant to cuddle. Imagine being warm in bed at night for the first time in 200 years.

Astarion x Lae'zel: Of all the origin characters, Astarion and Lae'zel's morals and opinions match the most, even more so than Durge's. He likes being brutal and unforgiving, and Lae'zel is so much more pointed in both of those aspects than anybody else on the list. He would find her brutally strong in a cunning sort of way, someone who potentially could and would stand up to Cazador and any other number of enemies with him once she has marked him as an ally. I think he would view Lae'zel as a challenge to woo, and I think her almost complete refusal to engage with him in a way that he understands (she never smiles and her requests for a good time are blunt) would make him try all the more to get her to do something other than scowl at him.

Astarion x Shadowheart: At first, I think Astarion would find Shadowheart kind of cagey, but that's okay because he'd be cagey right back. She's cunning and manipulative to those she doesn't like, and he could very easily mimic that. I think they'd have a mutual distrust and dislike of each other that extends into a kind of regretful appreciation for the other's manipulation tactics. The two of them would ironically be the most real with each other compared to everyone else because they both know the other one is hiding something and hiding it well. They know what manipulation looks like, and Astarion might appreciate someone who knows how to manifest that. Also, they both carry secrets that would justify people murdering them/expelling them from society, and I think once they both reveal that to the other, they'd quickly become friends and companions, something they both sorely need.

Astarion x Wyll: The epitome of the 'I can fix him' arc. Wyll and Astarion could not be more at odds with their morals, and I think at the beginning Astarion would be upset at how constantly and unfalteringly kind and compassionate Wyll is, even to those he doesn't like and doesn't want to save (Karlach). After all, where was the kindness and compassion for Astarion in over 200 years, right? Why did no one stick their necks out for him? But when presented with the kindness over and over again, with Wyll making sure that Astarion is okay, I think he would warm up to Wyll. There's also the fact that both of them were/are under the thumb of something much more powerful than them, and Astarion would have some sort of pity in his cold dead heart for someone still clearly in the throes of a demon's grasp. I think he would try to 'fix' Wyll by making him care more for himself and think of himself sometimes over others. It also helps that Wyll is noble born, so things that Wyll would do for flirting and romance would be more graceful than Astarion is used to.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 companions #astarion #the dark urge #gale #karlach #lae'zel #shadowheart #wyll #astarion x the dark urge #astarion x gale #astarion x karlach #astarion x lae'zel #astarion x shadowheart #astarion x wyll #if you disagree with this that's fine i don't really care #it's just fun headcanons as to why some group dynamics would still work despite the characters being so different to each other #i'm gonna do the other origin characters as well #but maybe after I get further in the game #the only reason I'm doing this right now is because I know so much of Astarion's story I feel like i can make a judgement call on this lol

[francis-writes]

I think that polycule with Lae'zel and Astarion would remind Addams family but less romantic and more like:

Astarion: Did you notice that Tav looks a bit sad recently?

Lae'zel: Don't worry, I took care of it. I left them a little surprise that will help them get back their spark.

*screaming and growling from afar*

Astarion: A dire wolf? Oh darling, you know to get someone in the mood

#baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #lae'zel #me with astarion and lae'zel #lae'zel x tav #astarion #astarion x tav #astarion x lae'zel #astarion x lae'zel x tav

[sanguine-tenshi]

... I'm gonna have to write an Astarion/Lae'zel fic ain't I?

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #astarion #lae'zel #do we even have a tag for them? #astarion x lae'zel #its just a smut fic #for now #but damn does this intrigue #because like astarion trying to seduce lae'zel his usual way #except she cant be arsed #so uninterested #and then a fight happens and astarion watches her back #and by the end they are both covered in blood and guts #and lae'zel pulls him down #licks a stripe up his neck before kissing/biting at his lips #and demanding a night of pleasure #task failed successful #and its only later once feelings start to develop on both sides #that astarion's cheesy lines start working #sort of #lae'zel can't handle #also do like the idea of astarion having scary dog privelege #and its his tiny feral gremlin gf #also both feral gremlins just different flavors

[amorficzna]

BG3 fics? that I've written? in THIS economy?

I was inspired by both @yourworsttotebag and @mightymizora (the og of the trend) to do a lil promotion of my works with summaries and some choice comments selected!

bile in her throat - Gale/Shadowheart - 10k - Mature

Struggling to find their own way forward after slaughtering the tieflings, Gale and Shadowheart face horrors and the inevitable threat of death while finding safety and comfort in each other - no matter how short it may last.

"This is amazing! Every scene is such a vivid, desperate picture of these two trying to survive- never lingering too long anywhere but painting a gorgeous dark picture of a Gale/Shadowheart campaign and romance."

"There's a lovely tenderness here mixed with how bad of a situation they're in, and it's heartbreaking in the best way. The traumatic nightmares throughout this fic, the little comforts they share being together when everything is going to shit and how it never seems to make things better, that's a tone I love so much it's hard to put into words."

a name without a body to match - Gale/Shadowheart, Astarion/Lae'zel, Karlach/Wyll - 10k - Mature

A soulmate AU.

"Oh my goodness. I think Astarion and Shadowheart as friends is something I didn't know I needed. But even more, the way you wrote Shadowheart was so beautiful. Her grief and growth just felt so poignant!"

"Had legitimate tears in my eyes reading this chapter. You've captured them so well!"

source of my bruises - Astarion/Lae'zel - <1k - General

Lae’zel does not care for seduction. But she does care for sparring. For fighting and teeth ripping at skin and fists landing hard blows against her stomach, against his arm, on her back, and on his shins.

"Both predators, both distrusted, both with a penchant for blood - love this!"

"Gorgeous writing!! It reads like poetry."

pulling the tide to my body - Gale/Shadowheart - 7k - Explicit

With his orb suddenly stable after so long keeping it in check, Gale could feel his control slowly slipping through his fingers. Shadowheart notices as much, and offers a ‘mutually beneficial’ solution. Sex ensues.

"DJSJFJSJFJKWJFJVIDIGKKVK OOOOOHHHHHHH MY FUCKING GODDDDDDDDDDDDDD AAAAAAHHHBHHHH"

"This was such a delight , from start to the very end!! I never really thought about Gale and Shadowheart together but you've 100% sold me on it. Love it!"

"YESSS, we are feasting! [...] I love Gale using his physical body for sex, getting to enjoy himself outside of (still very amazing) astral body love, and that Shadowheart just eggs him on the whole time. I love that lil dynamic (the plump bottom line? lmao.) Loved Gale being like, "my damn knees can't do this.""

to love, to live - Karlach/Wyll- 2k - Teen

Red suited her, but gods did she fucking love red right back.

"This is canon to me. It's so perfect."

"Ahhh im screaming, this is soooo so good. Love the dual timelines, the visuals of the blood on her body, and everything Wyll said was just perfect!!! Sad but fluffy and hopeful, very very sweet, a rhythmic flow to it, ahhh!!"

#i hope it is alright i stole this #i just want to give a huge shoutout and appreciation to my commenters because y'all are the absolute best #writings #bg3 #shadowheart #baldur's gate 3 #galeheart #gale dekarios #gale x shadowheart #ao3 link #bg3 fanfiction #karlach x wyll #wyll x karlach #karlach #wyll #karlach cliffgate #wyllach #wyll ravengard #astarion #astarion x lae'zel #lae'zel #shadowweave #shadowgale

[kelandrin]

Send me an ask with your favorite bg3 ship and I will tell you my favorite thing about it with my superhuman powers of multishipping (bonus points if you also ask my least favorite thing about it so I can use my very human powers of being a hater)

#astarion #wyll #durge #gale #shadowheart #karlach #lae'zel #tav #halsin #bg3 #baldur’s gate 3 #astarion x wyll #wyll x tav #wyll x astarion #wyllstarion #bloodweave #bloodpact #astarion x lae'zel #gale x astarion #astarion x gale #shadowlach #shadowzel #bg3 headcanons

[edelgarfield]

jesus fucking christ shelf this under "we don't have time to unpack all that"

i noticed this during the sex scene with lae'zel, that she essentially treats your body as a tool for her own pleasure (iirc, she specifically says "i may make use of you again" or something to that effect)

i obv think that's part of her own trauma & githyanki culture as a whole: she sees herself as a tool for vlaakith to use, so she treats other people the same, especially at this point in her arc where she's only been with the party a short time. she's using the party for their martial ability so that she can get to the creche and be purified, she's using herself as a weapon, & others for her sexual pleasure and that's just. normal. to her. she has no concept of identity or understanding that other people don't/shouldn't see themselves as tools to be used. it's not until later in the story that she starts to discover and explore her desires beyond what vlaakith demands of her.

anyway, i think it's very interesting that lae'zel & astarion have both been dehumanized (for lack of a better word) in different ways and that when you smash them together it ends up being the most toxic combination possible. for astarion sex is indicative of a loss of identity & control, it's something he does against his will bc it's the only way he knows how to force intimacy. for lae'zel, if anything sex is the opposite, it's one of the only acts she can perform that's just for her and not for the purpose of serving vlaakith, it's the only time she can be anything but a blade.

and it's tragic that neither of them is able to (at this point in the story) 1) recognize the harm that their own self-image is causing both themselves & others 2) conceptualize that their partner is having an entirely different internal experience than they are--astarion assumes lae'zel views sex as a transaction, he's giving her his body in order to secure protection + safety, & lae'zel assumes astarion is using her body as a tool for his pleasure just as she's using his.

anyway, this is a throwaway line and i don't think it ever gets brought up again but YIKES

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #astarion #lae'zel #astarion x lae'zel #if it isnt obvious i dont think laezel has done anything wrong here #her whole arc is abt broadening her perspective and realizing her perceptions abt her purpose and identity were wrong #and at this point in the story she's still firmly mired in the perspective she was raised with #where people are tools and the social graces of faerun are completely alien #i honestly feel for both of them here #bc the way they're both attempting to connect with others is harmful but they dont know anything else

[tragedybunny]

Astarion/Lae'zel?

10/10

Their struggles with Vlaakith and Cazador parallel each other nicely and I think they would understand each other well.

Also Astarion could help Lae'zel enjoy some niceties in life and Lae'zel would support him with violent affirmation.

#Astarion #Lae’zel #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #astarion x lae'zel #anon ask #ask

[emmafrostyyy]

we as a society need to talk more about how in canon Astarion finds Wyll attractive, Wyll has a big fat crush on Lae'zel, and Lae'zel and Astarion hook up in the celebration party

The dramedy potential of whatever these three have is so fucking funny. I'm so invested in their college situationship, messy romcom throuple vibes

#wyll ravengard #astarion ancunin #lae'zel #wyllstarion #astarion x lae'zel #bg3 #baldur's gate iii #wyll x astarion

[hilaerials]

Finished my first Tav Druid playthrough of BG3 and then immediately started a new Tav as a fighter and an Astarion origin playthrough. I have 4 ongoing playthroughs now and I know I’m going to end up doing multiple Astarion plays to get all my ships in. Larian really handed me a bunch of Barbie dolls and now I get to smash them together and make them kiss in as many ways as I want

I need to at least get through one of my durge plays before I unleash the mods and get rid of the party limit for the ultimate immersive experience

#larian studios #bg3 #baldur’s gate 3 #astarion #astarion x halsin #astarion x gale #astarion x shadowheart #astarion x karlach #astarion x wyll #astarion x lae'zel #just ship him with everyone

[carmsgarms]

I'm doing my Astarion run and uh,,, I was trying to romance gale, but somehow I wound up romancing Laezel???

Idk if I ship them, but we'll see where it goes I guess 😅 I defeated the owlbear mom and laezel was suddenly like "I like you. You're going to sleep with me now."

Is anyone a hard-core laezel x astarion shipper out there??? Should I end it or keep rolling with it???

#bg3 #carm plays bg3:astarionorigin #carm plays bg3 #shut up carm #astarion #is there a ship name for this??? #astarion x lae'zel

[tired-ratsoup]

If I said that this song:

Reminded me of spawn Astarion's relationship with whomever he romanced or got romanced by, would I be understood?

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 astarion #spawn astarion #bg3 karlach #bg3 gale #bg3 shadowheart #bg3 wyll #bg3 lae'zel #bg3 halsin #bg3 minthara #bg3 tav #bg3 durge #astarion x tav #astarion x durge #astarion x karlach #astarion x gale #astarion x wyll #astarion x shadowheart #astarion x lae'zel #astarion x halsin #astarion x minthara #barbara lewis #baby i'm yours #Spotify

[solmesia]

more about plums

#halstarion #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #halsin #astarion x halsin #halsin x astarion #my art #shadowheart #lae'zel #this whole camp is full of freaks

[amorficzna]

@smoreofbabylon tagged me in the last sentence challenge which includes posting the last sentence you wrote (fanfic, og, etc.) and tagging as many people as there are words in the sentence. I shall tag @optiwashere, @the-silver-swan, @thalzad, aaaand if you're seeing this feel free to join in.

Below is a snippet on an update for the last chapter of a name without a body to match. Figured I would share a bit more for context since the last sentence is like... 5 words lol...

She thought of his bright eyes as he landed a blow against Lae’zel’s chest. Wondered what deep part of him crawled up into the light in those moments. Wondered if it would be good. If it would be enough.

#bg3 #ao3 link #bg3 fanfiction #astarion x lae'zel

[ducancela-a]

we do like them kinda patethic

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 #astarion #bg3 comic #bg3 astarion #astarion ancunin #lae'zel #bg3 lae'zel #bg3 gale #astarion x tav #astarion x dark urge #my art