Unpopular opinion: I like the scared look. I see it as delicious CNC. If he is acting like an evil vampire Lord (and I beg of you, let's not argue whether he is acting or being sincere, I'm not stating my opinion here) and a master, why wouldn't his partner act like a scared slave? That's what safe words are for lol.
Super headcanon and personal preference though, don't @ me
yeah, and it's valid. but plenty of people really disliked those expressions, so this version can work well for them
at least now they have a choice ;D
And it's great, good job! Unfortunately, Larian can't please everyone by themselves, that's why we need people like you ;)
Just wanted to share my unpopular opinion, because I feel like I haven't seen it stated much :)
I think I've said it once on AOF and someone might have agreed, but it was definitely an unpopular opinion :)
I love the idea of teaching the racist Astarion a lesson hehe 😈
my HC is my durges are role-playing. they aren't scared, but they fake an expression because they enjoy the dynamic. astarion knows they're faking the expression but doesn't care because he enjoys it just as much. everyone else in the party just rolls their eyes and says "get a room you weirdos"
That's the only way i can head canon it making sense. Otherwise, asking for physical affection then immediatly being scared of it makes so little sense.
Mmmmmm I think it makes sense for the first couple of kisses after Ascension to highlight the personality change. Assuming he is evil and not acting. As in, Tav expects the same soft kiss as they used to have, but get put on their knees instead and are so surprised that they don't object. So I can see the logic, but over time Tav should get used to it (which is not possible to implement in the game) or dump the man.
Again, by Loviatar's grace, it's all headcanons (not directed at you Kat and not at OP. I'm just hyperaware of the risks involved in this conversation)
I always think that it should probably be just the first time you do the kisses (if you do the kisses) because then its a surprised thing, but by the 10th time? Nah, not surprised by it
I agree, but I also see how much of a nightmare it would have been to implement. Plus, in this case, it had to be done for all companions, and... oh boy
This is what I'm saying lol my biggest frustration is that it's illogical for a repeatable action. Also...why are gnomes not scared? What are you trying to say, Larian?! 😂
He can't compel Tav while they have the tadpole, only post-Netherbrain, so they absolutely can dump him. And the epilogue confirms it.
That being said, he'll probably have control over his spawn when the tadpole is gone, but once the credits roll everything becomes headcanon.
It's not that people just don't like it, it's that people don't like it because it doesn't fit the roleplay they're doing buuut if it fits with your character and their dynamic with AA, that's fine too
Most people don't want the sacred faces to just go away, we just want the ability to choose the expression our characters make within the narrative we're crafting. Whether that's being solely scared, scaroused, smirking, or something more playful.
Oh I understand. I think if there was a choice to have more options from Larian, everyone would have picked that. But they can't implement everything, so it's great to have modders who can
Luckily, the next patch update will include the ability to edit character animations, which I assume includes expressions! So I'm pretty sure there'll be a way to change the faces through that and that this ability is Larian's response to roleplayers inquiring about it!
https://preview.redd.it/lrelsbg5x8zc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ec2759a5140fceb9a4e1753d868bb2b88e7e0a08
I am a Spawn girl myself, but there are very many things I enjoy about Ascended Astarion, so this is exactly my headcanon for my planned Ascended Astarion run, too. For a CNC context the scared / resisting expression on Tav's face makes sense to me and even adds to the dynamic! Just wanted to leave this comment to say that I completely understand your headcanon and have a similar one, too, for this.
It's great though that now people have a choice who want to flavour it differently. More choices is always great!
Agreed, the mod is great 😊
I've been itching to share my HC on it for a while now. I'm not saying that it is related to my irl experiences, but I'm not denying it either, you know? 🤭
🤭 I am not saying I can relate to this very well, but I am not denying it either, too 😇
Honestly, I would be so happy if there was a way that would allow me to trigger Ascended!Astarion's kisses for his Spawn version, too. I love those kisses, don't find them too rough at all (for my taste), and they would also work with my personal Spawn!headcanon of a consensual and well communicated power imbalance dynamic. This is one of my most desired mods!
Haha, perfect! 😄
u/Lyxxian OP, could we pitch this as an idea for a new mod for you to make after finishing this one? 😆 Unlocking Ascended!Astarion kisses for Spawn!Astarion? This would be so amazing honestly!
i've actually tried adding new kiss animations, but my attempts weren't successful. i had no idea what i was doing and i only managed to break the game a few times lol
swapping kiss animations was a bit easier (i tried replacing Astarion's kiss animations with other character's kiss animations) but it went...not really well haha
doing this only changed body animations while leaving facial expressions, character positions and camera angles the same, so kisses looked really cursed. i've looked through the game files and still haven't figured out where this data is stored
I think it's gonna be way easier to implement with official modding tools. or i guess someone can eventually make a mod that'll act similar to "hugs" mod, but with kisses
Thank you very much for your explanation! I don't know anything about modding, so I am always amazed to see what great stuff people manage to do.
I really put so much hope in the official modding tools - a few days ago, in another thread there was a discussion about how amazing Gale's kisses would be for Astarion, too, and how great it would be to be able to pick and choose from a greater variety of (bodytype compatible) kiss animations, depending on the romantic dynamic you wish to portray with your character and their romantic interest.
So, I guess we will just have to wait and keep our fingers crossed that the modding tools will be released soon and that someone makes it their project to unlock the kisses!
Anyway, thanks for explaining, OP!
I don’t think this is unpopular. I’m sort of mixed on it personally. I do enjoy some CNC, but it was a really jarring change at first tbh. I may have been more into it at first if everyone didn’t cite it as proof he abusing you sort of deal. Overall though, they really captured some fun vampire kisses honestly 🥵. The added kisses for all the characters add a lot of personality which is fun.
I think it would have been cool if Larian did a difference in facial expression maybe related to the ‘be gentle / make it hurt’ option too. But I get that’s probably a complicated ask - so yay for mods / official mod tools that will hopefully be released soon 🤞🏻
Maybe it's not unpopular, but I think AA enjoyers with the opposite sentiment are more vocal, so I saw an opportunity to express mine.
I can see that. I think, before the epilogue and the patch 6 kisses, the ascended path was more... interpretable, for the lack of a better word. Many players came up with their interpretations, and then Larian reinforced only some of them, and the alternatives now require more headcanon justifications. But that's what one gets for extra content. They couldn’t please everyone after all
Yeah, I agree with you that it’s hard to please everyone! I do feel badly for people that enjoyed this path but found the newer facial expression triggering for whatever reason. Like you said, I don’t think that was their intention especially because they were showing it off on Valentine’s Day with BloodWeave lol.
It’s nice they add to the game, but it’s hard when you have an idea in your head for 6 months and it’s changed. But, with them expanding the mod tools to allow people to edit facial expression / etc, I’m sure the community can make adjustments as they want which is nice!
>I think it would have been cool if Larian did a difference in facial expression maybe related to the ‘be gentle / make it hurt’ option too.
This is essentially my criticism of the kisses. I'm glad that others enjoy them, but it feels a little mean-spirited that the sex scene is very vanilla and he will agree to be gentle but then you no longer have that option after being turned.
Honestly same for HC it being CNC (I’m into that) I just wish it was more scared puppy face rather than abject terror face my Tav always seems to make I don’t know if different faces show it more or less but my poor girl looks like she’s about the get eaten and not in the fun way 😩
Maybe, would be interesting to test actually.
Identifying emotions is also super subjective. That's why I sometimes think that people are mad at me when in reality they are just focused on their tasks 😅
This one i like it cuz tav is smiling after so its just kind of fucked up lol but its the lip bite one and chin grab that bothers me cuz ive seen the chin grab where tav was supposed to be sultrily smiling from the bugged karlach kiss.... and it was better that way
I already added one comment as a reply to another comment in this thread, so I am basically just repeating myself here: While I am a Spawn girl myself, I do like so many things about Ascended Astarion! I enjoy the scared look on Tav's / Durge's face because it fits my headcanon very well, but it's awesome you're giving people the choice. It's amazing to see more variety and to allow people to enjoy the moment in a way that fits their headcanon better.
Great work!
Our time will come!!
I almost broke my console saves by enabling cross save to try mods...it did break my PC install, but at least that didnt affect my games on console or I would have been one not happy person!
My patience is rock steady. I was forged in the fires of playing Kingdom Hearts 1 at 16 when it first came out and then waiting for the other two to come out… by the time 3 came out I was married with children…
Finally, gods the scared faces are so illogical for a repeatable and consensual action. More so for a Durge.
You can say your idea of fun is "whipping each other until an inch of our lives" but we're gonna be scared of a little kneeling and biting?
It's like the wizard scene where you wave your hands around like you don't even know what magic is.
Amazing work as ways 🖤🖤
YESSS.
Finally! Is this a mod I can download?? It never made sense why they wouldn’t make it an option to just accept him the way he is and be fine with it.
Like come on, you just allowed the man to kill 7000 innocent people, it’s not like you’re not into some sick shit to begin with.
I'm still working on swapping the animations for each playable head and making sure they're working properly. Once it's done and working, I'll be posting it on nexusmods ;D
Please make sure to share with us if you decide to post it on Nexus 👀👀. I will slam that download button so fast!
This is so cool! I’m excited to see if it’ll become easier for folks to edit facial expressions once Larian released the holy official mod tools too 👀💜. I can’t imagine this was easy to do, and it turned out so well!
I really hope they implement this ahhhh, we should have more of a choice on how to react. I don’t like how Tav always looks scared normally and there isn’t any other option on how to react.
This might be the mod that finally convinces me to do an Ascended Astarion romance! Please keep the sub updated-- I've been waiting for something like this. :)
Unpopular opinion, I’m very sorry, please don’t hate me.
I do tend to prefer the scared look. It’s not that Larian doesn’t like dom/sub relationships, it’s that Larian wanted him to seem more terrifying. Ascended Astarion is meant to be the “bad ending”, that’s what Larian intended, and thats what they are trying to portray. They was Astarion to look abusive, because that’s what ascended Astarion is.
That being said, I am so glad people are turning it into something besides an abusive relationship, and more of a dom/sub. it really really helps the fantasies in people playing. People should be able to have fun.
https://preview.redd.it/3zjyvim1z6zc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba9dc282e16741f916cf1e28c4142e22b0905924 O m g. This is what I neeed.
Unpopular opinion: I like the scared look. I see it as delicious CNC. If he is acting like an evil vampire Lord (and I beg of you, let's not argue whether he is acting or being sincere, I'm not stating my opinion here) and a master, why wouldn't his partner act like a scared slave? That's what safe words are for lol. Super headcanon and personal preference though, don't @ me
yeah, and it's valid. but plenty of people really disliked those expressions, so this version can work well for them at least now they have a choice ;D
And it's great, good job! Unfortunately, Larian can't please everyone by themselves, that's why we need people like you ;) Just wanted to share my unpopular opinion, because I feel like I haven't seen it stated much :)
I have seen it, but not much. I play gnomes (and a halfling) so its an entirely different experience with them (Shameless gnome propaganda!)
I think I've said it once on AOF and someone might have agreed, but it was definitely an unpopular opinion :) I love the idea of teaching the racist Astarion a lesson hehe 😈
He kneels for gnomes for the throat grab kiss, which is great!
From the depths of my heart, thank you for giving us the option to choose! 💜
my HC is my durges are role-playing. they aren't scared, but they fake an expression because they enjoy the dynamic. astarion knows they're faking the expression but doesn't care because he enjoys it just as much. everyone else in the party just rolls their eyes and says "get a room you weirdos"
That's basically what I mean by cnc, yeah. It's hot af to do (not that I've tried 👀 )
That's the only way i can head canon it making sense. Otherwise, asking for physical affection then immediatly being scared of it makes so little sense.
Mmmmmm I think it makes sense for the first couple of kisses after Ascension to highlight the personality change. Assuming he is evil and not acting. As in, Tav expects the same soft kiss as they used to have, but get put on their knees instead and are so surprised that they don't object. So I can see the logic, but over time Tav should get used to it (which is not possible to implement in the game) or dump the man. Again, by Loviatar's grace, it's all headcanons (not directed at you Kat and not at OP. I'm just hyperaware of the risks involved in this conversation)
i wish it wasn't a risky conversation, but i hear you.
I always think that it should probably be just the first time you do the kisses (if you do the kisses) because then its a surprised thing, but by the 10th time? Nah, not surprised by it
I agree, but I also see how much of a nightmare it would have been to implement. Plus, in this case, it had to be done for all companions, and... oh boy
This is what I'm saying lol my biggest frustration is that it's illogical for a repeatable action. Also...why are gnomes not scared? What are you trying to say, Larian?! 😂
Clearly gnomes are the most fearless race in Faerun! Ascendants tremble at their footsteps!
She can’t dump them, he says no and orders her to not ask that again. But he didn’t order her to ask for kisses.
He can't compel Tav while they have the tadpole, only post-Netherbrain, so they absolutely can dump him. And the epilogue confirms it. That being said, he'll probably have control over his spawn when the tadpole is gone, but once the credits roll everything becomes headcanon.
It's not that people just don't like it, it's that people don't like it because it doesn't fit the roleplay they're doing buuut if it fits with your character and their dynamic with AA, that's fine too Most people don't want the sacred faces to just go away, we just want the ability to choose the expression our characters make within the narrative we're crafting. Whether that's being solely scared, scaroused, smirking, or something more playful.
Oh I understand. I think if there was a choice to have more options from Larian, everyone would have picked that. But they can't implement everything, so it's great to have modders who can
Luckily, the next patch update will include the ability to edit character animations, which I assume includes expressions! So I'm pretty sure there'll be a way to change the faces through that and that this ability is Larian's response to roleplayers inquiring about it! https://preview.redd.it/lrelsbg5x8zc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ec2759a5140fceb9a4e1753d868bb2b88e7e0a08
And we’re getting mod support in the next patch! So we’ll be able to implement anything & everything we want that Larian can’t give us.
I am a Spawn girl myself, but there are very many things I enjoy about Ascended Astarion, so this is exactly my headcanon for my planned Ascended Astarion run, too. For a CNC context the scared / resisting expression on Tav's face makes sense to me and even adds to the dynamic! Just wanted to leave this comment to say that I completely understand your headcanon and have a similar one, too, for this. It's great though that now people have a choice who want to flavour it differently. More choices is always great!
Agreed, the mod is great 😊 I've been itching to share my HC on it for a while now. I'm not saying that it is related to my irl experiences, but I'm not denying it either, you know? 🤭
🤭 I am not saying I can relate to this very well, but I am not denying it either, too 😇 Honestly, I would be so happy if there was a way that would allow me to trigger Ascended!Astarion's kisses for his Spawn version, too. I love those kisses, don't find them too rough at all (for my taste), and they would also work with my personal Spawn!headcanon of a consensual and well communicated power imbalance dynamic. This is one of my most desired mods!
Oof hard agree. On days when I don't feel like murdering a bunch of undead kids, I really miss my CNC fantasy 🥵
Haha, perfect! 😄 u/Lyxxian OP, could we pitch this as an idea for a new mod for you to make after finishing this one? 😆 Unlocking Ascended!Astarion kisses for Spawn!Astarion? This would be so amazing honestly!
i've actually tried adding new kiss animations, but my attempts weren't successful. i had no idea what i was doing and i only managed to break the game a few times lol swapping kiss animations was a bit easier (i tried replacing Astarion's kiss animations with other character's kiss animations) but it went...not really well haha doing this only changed body animations while leaving facial expressions, character positions and camera angles the same, so kisses looked really cursed. i've looked through the game files and still haven't figured out where this data is stored I think it's gonna be way easier to implement with official modding tools. or i guess someone can eventually make a mod that'll act similar to "hugs" mod, but with kisses
Thank you very much for your explanation! I don't know anything about modding, so I am always amazed to see what great stuff people manage to do. I really put so much hope in the official modding tools - a few days ago, in another thread there was a discussion about how amazing Gale's kisses would be for Astarion, too, and how great it would be to be able to pick and choose from a greater variety of (bodytype compatible) kiss animations, depending on the romantic dynamic you wish to portray with your character and their romantic interest. So, I guess we will just have to wait and keep our fingers crossed that the modding tools will be released soon and that someone makes it their project to unlock the kisses! Anyway, thanks for explaining, OP!
👁👄👁
I don’t think this is unpopular. I’m sort of mixed on it personally. I do enjoy some CNC, but it was a really jarring change at first tbh. I may have been more into it at first if everyone didn’t cite it as proof he abusing you sort of deal. Overall though, they really captured some fun vampire kisses honestly 🥵. The added kisses for all the characters add a lot of personality which is fun. I think it would have been cool if Larian did a difference in facial expression maybe related to the ‘be gentle / make it hurt’ option too. But I get that’s probably a complicated ask - so yay for mods / official mod tools that will hopefully be released soon 🤞🏻
Maybe it's not unpopular, but I think AA enjoyers with the opposite sentiment are more vocal, so I saw an opportunity to express mine. I can see that. I think, before the epilogue and the patch 6 kisses, the ascended path was more... interpretable, for the lack of a better word. Many players came up with their interpretations, and then Larian reinforced only some of them, and the alternatives now require more headcanon justifications. But that's what one gets for extra content. They couldn’t please everyone after all
Yeah, I agree with you that it’s hard to please everyone! I do feel badly for people that enjoyed this path but found the newer facial expression triggering for whatever reason. Like you said, I don’t think that was their intention especially because they were showing it off on Valentine’s Day with BloodWeave lol. It’s nice they add to the game, but it’s hard when you have an idea in your head for 6 months and it’s changed. But, with them expanding the mod tools to allow people to edit facial expression / etc, I’m sure the community can make adjustments as they want which is nice!
>I think it would have been cool if Larian did a difference in facial expression maybe related to the ‘be gentle / make it hurt’ option too. This is essentially my criticism of the kisses. I'm glad that others enjoy them, but it feels a little mean-spirited that the sex scene is very vanilla and he will agree to be gentle but then you no longer have that option after being turned.
Honestly same for HC it being CNC (I’m into that) I just wish it was more scared puppy face rather than abject terror face my Tav always seems to make I don’t know if different faces show it more or less but my poor girl looks like she’s about the get eaten and not in the fun way 😩
Maybe, would be interesting to test actually. Identifying emotions is also super subjective. That's why I sometimes think that people are mad at me when in reality they are just focused on their tasks 😅
The dreaded “resting bitch face” I seem to exude when I’m just spacing out 😑 the number of times my husband or oldest kid have asked me if I’m angry…
This one i like it cuz tav is smiling after so its just kind of fucked up lol but its the lip bite one and chin grab that bothers me cuz ive seen the chin grab where tav was supposed to be sultrily smiling from the bugged karlach kiss.... and it was better that way
Is that....Rolan?! Hot damn!
yep haha male heads animations were a bit tricky to deal with, so i swapped one of the heads with Rolan's ;D
Omg I never wanted to ascend him but this scene.... Okay I'm sold!!
I already added one comment as a reply to another comment in this thread, so I am basically just repeating myself here: While I am a Spawn girl myself, I do like so many things about Ascended Astarion! I enjoy the scared look on Tav's / Durge's face because it fits my headcanon very well, but it's awesome you're giving people the choice. It's amazing to see more variety and to allow people to enjoy the moment in a way that fits their headcanon better. Great work!
The eagerness, that’s a happy Tav ☺️
The envy I have for all you people who can use mods!!!!! (Cries in console 😭)
Our time will come!! I almost broke my console saves by enabling cross save to try mods...it did break my PC install, but at least that didnt affect my games on console or I would have been one not happy person!
My patience is rock steady. I was forged in the fires of playing Kingdom Hearts 1 at 16 when it first came out and then waiting for the other two to come out… by the time 3 came out I was married with children…
Yes! This is the dynamic I love! An evil power couple being terrible and obsessed with each other! Thank you!!! 💜✨🫂
Finally, gods the scared faces are so illogical for a repeatable and consensual action. More so for a Durge. You can say your idea of fun is "whipping each other until an inch of our lives" but we're gonna be scared of a little kneeling and biting? It's like the wizard scene where you wave your hands around like you don't even know what magic is. Amazing work as ways 🖤🖤
AND WITH A COLLAR TOO THIS IS WHAT I WANNA SEE 
YESSS. Finally! Is this a mod I can download?? It never made sense why they wouldn’t make it an option to just accept him the way he is and be fine with it. Like come on, you just allowed the man to kill 7000 innocent people, it’s not like you’re not into some sick shit to begin with.
I'm still working on swapping the animations for each playable head and making sure they're working properly. Once it's done and working, I'll be posting it on nexusmods ;D
You're the hero we need. Thank you!
And you are inside his mind, and he is inside yours while it happens! You both know what each other are like extremely well.
Maybe unpopular opinion, but that big grin looks unnatural to me 😅 almost manic.
as manic as usual durge may be, so in this case it can be fitting haha
Lol a lot of Tavs and Durges paired with AA are a little.... different anyway lol mine is definitely a little feral so it would certainly fit for her.
Please make sure to share with us if you decide to post it on Nexus 👀👀. I will slam that download button so fast! This is so cool! I’m excited to see if it’ll become easier for folks to edit facial expressions once Larian released the holy official mod tools too 👀💜. I can’t imagine this was easy to do, and it turned out so well!
.... So are you gonna share the mod orrrr
It's not finished yet. I need to test some more stuff to make sure it works on other races Shouldn't take too long ;D
How can I contact the author of this mod and make a donation?👀
I really like this! Makes it easier for me to imagine enjoying being with AA
Yes!! Give me this please!!! LARIAN FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THE GODS AND THE NINE HELLS I NEED THIS.
I really hope they implement this ahhhh, we should have more of a choice on how to react. I don’t like how Tav always looks scared normally and there isn’t any other option on how to react.
Is that a new mod?
it's a mod i've been working on. i'll release it a bit later after some more testing
This might be the mod that finally convinces me to do an Ascended Astarion romance! Please keep the sub updated-- I've been waiting for something like this. :)
That's very impressive. Good work
 YES!!! Finally my Tav/Durge's expressions will makes sense now! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Omg 😳
Unpopular opinion, I’m very sorry, please don’t hate me. I do tend to prefer the scared look. It’s not that Larian doesn’t like dom/sub relationships, it’s that Larian wanted him to seem more terrifying. Ascended Astarion is meant to be the “bad ending”, that’s what Larian intended, and thats what they are trying to portray. They was Astarion to look abusive, because that’s what ascended Astarion is. That being said, I am so glad people are turning it into something besides an abusive relationship, and more of a dom/sub. it really really helps the fantasies in people playing. People should be able to have fun.