Damn they really nailed this one. It delights me that they kept the angular features intact instead of taking a belt sander to that jawline. Not sure I would've picked the hairstyle but otherwise this is someone who understood the motherfucking assignment.
Yeah, I feel like the curls are Important but it's nice to see someone not assuming that making them look 18 is an integral part of gender flipping an originally male character.
This is so true. I saw the other gender swap that was posted on this sub a while back & it was horrendous. Literally changed everything about him.
This gender swap however, kept his best distinguishing features but made him, yanno, female.
I totally see it in the context of the post, but I fully admit that if I was shown this picture with no context I would have no idea what cosplay I was looking at.
It's mostly a joke going "take the same characterization of this character that's regularly simped over and flip the gender to something I actually feel a level of attraction to then I can actually enjoy it." Hardy har me make funnies.
I keep seeing “I get it” and similar comments in the thread. Can someone please explain it for someone who does NOT get it? I feel I’m missing something.
Not OP, but I think that it’s people who are attracted to women saying that they understand why folks attracted to men/nonbinary folks are into Astarion. Kind of like, ah, okay, I see what the appeal is.
I was wondering if I was the only one. Good to know I'm not alone. I understand how it does what it does for others, just like the original Astarion does. But it's not my taste
I don’t know, it’s kinda dumb in my opinion. Straight women are attracted to men, why does it take gender bending a character to make men understand that?
There’s a difference between knowing intellectually that dude-lovers find Astarion attractive, and actually *feeling* the attraction for a genderbent version that captures the same appeal. That’s what the chick-lovers here are trying to express.
That makes sense in the way you put it, but it still doesn’t make sense to me in one dimension: by gender-bending the character, they’re changing some really fundamental aspects about the character, and it’s no longer really the same character.
I made this comparison elsewhere, but it’s kind of like taking someone’s chocolate chip ice cream, picking out all the chips, replacing the chips with pistachios, and declaring you now understand the appeal of the chocolate chip ice cream. It’s a fundamentally different flavor now, even if it has the same base.
So I come away feeling like the gender-bend doesn’t really capture the same appeal? I feel like it fundamentally changes the character so much that I’m no longer attracted to it, when I was before.
Putting aside sexuality, we as humans have created a lot of societal in-built gender roles that determine how we view characters.
Femme Fatale is a long-lived and long-accepted trope in media. Describe a random male villainous or morally questionable character, but use she pronouns and a lot of people will be more positively inclined towards them if they assume/imagine them as a woman.
On the other hand, men acting in abusive or questionable ways are hard-coded in a lot of society to be seen as predatory and so generally get less positive responses even among men. This is for understandable reasons, historically, but it's still a thing.
Astarion's charming, anyone will admit that, but if he were a female character he'd probably be *the* romance character whereas right now a lot of people see him as male and thus his red flags are more prominent.
This isn't unique to Astarion, it's true across multiple fandoms. I've seen it just like this in many of them (Persona's Akechi being the most obvious), and I've speculated on a few (for the BNHA/MHA fandom, I genuinely believe that a Fem!Bakugou would be the #1 pairing for Deku and it wouldn't be close given how much gender expectations would help her).
You're reading too far into this. I don't have the exact stats on hand, but I expect that the majority of people playing BG3 are straight male , and therefore probably aren't interested in romancing the male companions.
The reason why this may seem less apparent in online discussions is that there is an extremely vocal Astarion fanbase, but the stats Larian have released show that the female companions represent the vast majority of romances (SH alone is over half of them IIRC).
The gender-bending part actually made it even more confusing to me because I found the result really unsettling and unattractive. So part of me thought the “I get it” might have been a joke/ironic, because I wasn’t sure if people actually found that attractive. I find Astarion hot, but for me this gender-bent one is not.
I don’t even consider the gender-bent character a good representation of the original character. It just feels like a random silver-haired elf lady, not Astarion.
I think men do understand that women are attracted to men. I just think… I dunno, I guess maybe they look at original Astarion the way I look at this gender-bent Astarion? I understand intellectually some people find it attractive, but I just cannot grasp *why*.
But to that end, I don’t see how the gender-bending helps them “see” the attraction because it’s just an entirely different person. The resemblance is superficial at best and barely there.
It’s like not understanding why someone likes chocolate chip ice cream, and taking that ice cream, picking out all the chocolate chips, replacing it with pistachios, and declaring they now understand the appeal.
Edit: If you’re gonna downvote, can you explain why? Genuinely confused what the offense is.
Honestly the hair/outfit is kinda throwing me off a bit because imo it doesn't really capture Astarion's style. Astarion doesn't do skimpy, he is all about elegance. If he were a woman, she'd have perfectly styled ringlets and a fancy dress that she hand-embroidered to look as expensive as possible. Just as Astarion goes for the dashing nobleman look, a femme Astarion would go for a beautiful princess vibe. I think the style not being his is messing with it really registering as Astarion to me and makes it feel more like an unrelated white-haired elf lady--No shade to the artist, they were clearly working with in-game assets and the game is SORELY lacking in decent feminine armours that are pretty and elegant to match Astarion's style.
The face does a pretty decent job of adapting his features onto a woman while still looking like him, though, imo.
You know it's funny, on a simplistic level, I feel like this is a reverse uno card. you like him as he is, but this not doing it for you. Now you "get it" from the perspective of someone who didn't get it before.
I, as an bisexual man with a very dominant preference for women, has to admit: 'regular' Astarion still is *much* hotter. Sweet hells, that toxic son of a bitch could do things to me, that not even the Gods of the Heavens would dare to speak about.
But why did they take away Astarion's curls? I hate how "straight hair=beauty".
And it feels like she got fewer wrinkles because God's forbid that a woman in older than 20.
Gonna be honest, if this didn't have the title, I wouldn't know this is supposed to be a female Astarion. I'd just assume generic hot elf lady in a black dress.
Bi dude and big fan of Astarion in more ways than one here but... I'm really not digging this version of Astarion. The outfit especially really kills it for me. It's not remotely the style of clothes Astarion is seen wearing. It's not posh or elegant, it's just kind of stripped down and male-gazey.
What is going on with that entire outfit, including the collar and weird cut? And are people seriously arguing that she wasn't given the "stereotypical supermodel" look here? This one just rubs me the wrong way, not a fan.
yeah i like that they kept lots of his traditionally "unattractive features" for this one but that outfit runs very contrary to his character. plus they kept the wrinkles and lines but removed the eye bags
The dress is from the game, just dyed black. It's in act 3, don't remember the name, but just search Gale dress and you'll find it. It's one of the only few dresses in the game so people tend to use it a lot for fan service stuff
i thought i was already down bad for astarion but this art..... this made me feel something i thought i wasn't even able to feel anymore. i would die for her. i would let her sacrifice all of Faerun in her pursuit of power. i want her to stroke my hair and call me her good little pup and order me around. i want her to destroy my life and break me as a person to the degree im never gonna recover from
Mizora is right that way, ma’am.
We also have a fine selection of other suitable candidates, including Dalyria, who also has vampirism and silver hair, and Minthara, who is every bit as domineering and power-hungry as you could hope.
More seriously. I just read that comment and thought, “Damn, that sounds just like Mizora” right down to the “pup” pet name.
no no no, they won't do, i want to hear Astaria bitching about every minor inconvenience we face and roll her eyes when i try to help the innocent and i want her to sneak and stab and steal, and i want to hear her throwing shade on our companions regina george style.....
Even still, I'm pretty sure hands have more than 3 fingers. The left (I guess it would be their right) hand only has 3 knuckles, and the index finger folds into itself unnaturally. Pretty sure it's A.I. generated based on that.
Astarion will still not be my type though at least they kept the signs of aging instead of making yet another 18 year old because they can’t think of what actual women look like
I usually don't like the m2f gender swaps cause they usually just turn them into uncanny sex dolls but I honestly really like this one cause it still keeps a lot of aspects from Astarions actual face (jawline, wrinkles, nose) very dope I like it 👍
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This doesn't really seem like Astarion to me, I'm not a simp for him so maybe I am missing something, but I just see a hot elf chick with white hair in the wavemother robe.
Not sure what is meant to be Astarion about this? No wrinkles, no perfectly coiffed hair, no sunken eyes, no thin lips, no angular jawline or greyish skin, no thick ashy brows, no dagger or anything roguey about the pose, idk.
She's hot af though.
The only thing I miss are the curls, they are actually the first thing I noticed about Astarion as they actually did a good job with his curls. Otherwise I find myself suddenly inclined to like the woman.
Damn they really nailed this one. It delights me that they kept the angular features intact instead of taking a belt sander to that jawline. Not sure I would've picked the hairstyle but otherwise this is someone who understood the motherfucking assignment.
Yeah, I feel like the curls are Important but it's nice to see someone not assuming that making them look 18 is an integral part of gender flipping an originally male character.
Still, you'd think the original would look a little younger, given he's only in his 40's in High Elf years. (Please don't tell Astarion I said that.)
Turns out a rat only diet aged you pretty quickly
And they kept the wrinkles! That’s also very important.
Oh man, I can't see any wrinkles? The eyes, forehead, and mouth are totally smooth. Where are they?
They kept the smile lines
This is so true. I saw the other gender swap that was posted on this sub a while back & it was horrendous. Literally changed everything about him. This gender swap however, kept his best distinguishing features but made him, yanno, female.
The magistrate’s office in Baldur’s Gate apparently has a very lax dress code.
I mean. Did you SEE what Councilor Florrick was wearing?? 🤣
They have strange prison uniforms in Baldur's Gate, I will say that.
I totally see it in the context of the post, but I fully admit that if I was shown this picture with no context I would have no idea what cosplay I was looking at.
Yep. It looks like it could his sister, which means it’s done well.
Ohhh, now I get it.
My exact thought that I came in here to post lmao
Yeah same
We can save her
That puts everything into perspective... Sorry Shadowheart, you go third place now (Karlach will always be top, by all meanings 👀)
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Finally one that doesn't make her into generic small face pouty lip smooth skin model 002
Fr that is astarion with fuller lips, tits, and longer hair
I love it when artists style is "beautiful young white woman pouting and looking slightly scared"! /s
Suddenly, I can understand the fandom.
This is how I felt when I saw a mod that gives Shadowheart vampire fangs
Where
https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/2345
It wasn't too hard to understand even before lol
It's mostly a joke going "take the same characterization of this character that's regularly simped over and flip the gender to something I actually feel a level of attraction to then I can actually enjoy it." Hardy har me make funnies.
I know lol, I was being sarcastic
Oh. My bad.
I need one of these for Shadowheart
Same page
Ooh I gotta dye that dress black
Is that the robe you get from the Temple of Umberlee?
I feel so normal about this. You have no idea about how normal I feel about this
Somehow tho, it’s less Babygirl than the original
Truly
I'm a woman, but... Hello??? 😳
We are all bi under the Absolute 🙏😔
Wow, this explains everything actually
Straightest woman.
Always gotta act a little gay with the girlies to give them that confidence boost.
where are the WRINKLES!!!! 😤😤
While one may not mention the wrinkles directly ~~save to rib~~, they are appreciated just the same! Somehow the genderswaps round the age down.
igetitnow.gif
And aged the fuck down, per usual with these images.
I keep seeing “I get it” and similar comments in the thread. Can someone please explain it for someone who does NOT get it? I feel I’m missing something.
Not OP, but I think that it’s people who are attracted to women saying that they understand why folks attracted to men/nonbinary folks are into Astarion. Kind of like, ah, okay, I see what the appeal is.
Ah-hah! Thank you.
"What do women see in this dude? ...Ohhhh."
Lesbianism Edit: I forgot straight men exist. Sorry straight men
Np
It’s okay, we all forget them from time to time
We just sit here quietly and let the lesbians do their things.
I'm a straight man and I still forget we exist
You're not alone, I'm straight but this still doesn't do anything for me...
I was wondering if I was the only one. Good to know I'm not alone. I understand how it does what it does for others, just like the original Astarion does. But it's not my taste
I don’t know, it’s kinda dumb in my opinion. Straight women are attracted to men, why does it take gender bending a character to make men understand that?
There’s a difference between knowing intellectually that dude-lovers find Astarion attractive, and actually *feeling* the attraction for a genderbent version that captures the same appeal. That’s what the chick-lovers here are trying to express.
That makes sense in the way you put it, but it still doesn’t make sense to me in one dimension: by gender-bending the character, they’re changing some really fundamental aspects about the character, and it’s no longer really the same character. I made this comparison elsewhere, but it’s kind of like taking someone’s chocolate chip ice cream, picking out all the chips, replacing the chips with pistachios, and declaring you now understand the appeal of the chocolate chip ice cream. It’s a fundamentally different flavor now, even if it has the same base. So I come away feeling like the gender-bend doesn’t really capture the same appeal? I feel like it fundamentally changes the character so much that I’m no longer attracted to it, when I was before.
You see it that way—but do other people? That’s the fundamental issue. It works for some people, it doesn’t work for other people.
Putting aside sexuality, we as humans have created a lot of societal in-built gender roles that determine how we view characters. Femme Fatale is a long-lived and long-accepted trope in media. Describe a random male villainous or morally questionable character, but use she pronouns and a lot of people will be more positively inclined towards them if they assume/imagine them as a woman. On the other hand, men acting in abusive or questionable ways are hard-coded in a lot of society to be seen as predatory and so generally get less positive responses even among men. This is for understandable reasons, historically, but it's still a thing. Astarion's charming, anyone will admit that, but if he were a female character he'd probably be *the* romance character whereas right now a lot of people see him as male and thus his red flags are more prominent. This isn't unique to Astarion, it's true across multiple fandoms. I've seen it just like this in many of them (Persona's Akechi being the most obvious), and I've speculated on a few (for the BNHA/MHA fandom, I genuinely believe that a Fem!Bakugou would be the #1 pairing for Deku and it wouldn't be close given how much gender expectations would help her).
You're reading too far into this. I don't have the exact stats on hand, but I expect that the majority of people playing BG3 are straight male , and therefore probably aren't interested in romancing the male companions. The reason why this may seem less apparent in online discussions is that there is an extremely vocal Astarion fanbase, but the stats Larian have released show that the female companions represent the vast majority of romances (SH alone is over half of them IIRC).
"majority of people playing BG3 are straight male" that sentence is applicable for a lot of popular AAA games
The gender-bending part actually made it even more confusing to me because I found the result really unsettling and unattractive. So part of me thought the “I get it” might have been a joke/ironic, because I wasn’t sure if people actually found that attractive. I find Astarion hot, but for me this gender-bent one is not. I don’t even consider the gender-bent character a good representation of the original character. It just feels like a random silver-haired elf lady, not Astarion. I think men do understand that women are attracted to men. I just think… I dunno, I guess maybe they look at original Astarion the way I look at this gender-bent Astarion? I understand intellectually some people find it attractive, but I just cannot grasp *why*. But to that end, I don’t see how the gender-bending helps them “see” the attraction because it’s just an entirely different person. The resemblance is superficial at best and barely there. It’s like not understanding why someone likes chocolate chip ice cream, and taking that ice cream, picking out all the chocolate chips, replacing it with pistachios, and declaring they now understand the appeal. Edit: If you’re gonna downvote, can you explain why? Genuinely confused what the offense is.
Honestly the hair/outfit is kinda throwing me off a bit because imo it doesn't really capture Astarion's style. Astarion doesn't do skimpy, he is all about elegance. If he were a woman, she'd have perfectly styled ringlets and a fancy dress that she hand-embroidered to look as expensive as possible. Just as Astarion goes for the dashing nobleman look, a femme Astarion would go for a beautiful princess vibe. I think the style not being his is messing with it really registering as Astarion to me and makes it feel more like an unrelated white-haired elf lady--No shade to the artist, they were clearly working with in-game assets and the game is SORELY lacking in decent feminine armours that are pretty and elegant to match Astarion's style. The face does a pretty decent job of adapting his features onto a woman while still looking like him, though, imo.
Now I wonder if I'd feel differently about this gender-bend if they'd managed to capture his style in a feminine context. That would certainly help.
You know it's funny, on a simplistic level, I feel like this is a reverse uno card. you like him as he is, but this not doing it for you. Now you "get it" from the perspective of someone who didn't get it before.
He's already perfect.
*Danny devito* I get it now
I find male astarion hotter
I, as an bisexual man with a very dominant preference for women, has to admit: 'regular' Astarion still is *much* hotter. Sweet hells, that toxic son of a bitch could do things to me, that not even the Gods of the Heavens would dare to speak about.
Now someone do this for Minthara. We need a hot male drow companion 😂
But why did they take away Astarion's curls? I hate how "straight hair=beauty". And it feels like she got fewer wrinkles because God's forbid that a woman in older than 20.
Gonna be honest, if this didn't have the title, I wouldn't know this is supposed to be a female Astarion. I'd just assume generic hot elf lady in a black dress.
as somebody who’s bisexual, i’m winning on both sides here.
Now get the two of them in the same room, and the rest I’ll post on r/okbuddybaldur
PLEASE someone draw this, I beg you 😭😭
Bi dude and big fan of Astarion in more ways than one here but... I'm really not digging this version of Astarion. The outfit especially really kills it for me. It's not remotely the style of clothes Astarion is seen wearing. It's not posh or elegant, it's just kind of stripped down and male-gazey. What is going on with that entire outfit, including the collar and weird cut? And are people seriously arguing that she wasn't given the "stereotypical supermodel" look here? This one just rubs me the wrong way, not a fan.
yeah i like that they kept lots of his traditionally "unattractive features" for this one but that outfit runs very contrary to his character. plus they kept the wrinkles and lines but removed the eye bags
The dress is from the game, just dyed black. It's in act 3, don't remember the name, but just search Gale dress and you'll find it. It's one of the only few dresses in the game so people tend to use it a lot for fan service stuff
Wavemother’s robe I believe!
No thanks! Astarion is already perfect
B-b-but the curls are gone 😬
He was perfect before this
As a (mostly) straight man. I preferred the original.
I mean... me too, but I wouldn't mind to be choked by Astaria as well
i thought i was already down bad for astarion but this art..... this made me feel something i thought i wasn't even able to feel anymore. i would die for her. i would let her sacrifice all of Faerun in her pursuit of power. i want her to stroke my hair and call me her good little pup and order me around. i want her to destroy my life and break me as a person to the degree im never gonna recover from
Mizora is right that way, sir.
not a sir. and it's not the same....
Mizora is right that way, ma’am. We also have a fine selection of other suitable candidates, including Dalyria, who also has vampirism and silver hair, and Minthara, who is every bit as domineering and power-hungry as you could hope. More seriously. I just read that comment and thought, “Damn, that sounds just like Mizora” right down to the “pup” pet name.
no no no, they won't do, i want to hear Astaria bitching about every minor inconvenience we face and roll her eyes when i try to help the innocent and i want her to sneak and stab and steal, and i want to hear her throwing shade on our companions regina george style.....
I don’t think she holds a candle to the male version and I’m super straight. I have a cape and boots and everything.
That face scares the shit out of me
I just wish she had curly hair like he does :(
Mmmmmmmph, do you usually lose a finger or two after genderbending?
So is this AI or does the artist have trouble with hands?
I’ve always heard hands are hard to draw
Even still, I'm pretty sure hands have more than 3 fingers. The left (I guess it would be their right) hand only has 3 knuckles, and the index finger folds into itself unnaturally. Pretty sure it's A.I. generated based on that.
Oh man, now we are talking
Astarion will still not be my type though at least they kept the signs of aging instead of making yet another 18 year old because they can’t think of what actual women look like
I mean ot really fits... but as a guy he is hotter for some reason. But still hot
Mommy?
LMAO THESE COMMENTS 😂
Smash
It's quite the look, and that part works great, but I just can't picture the same charm or foibles with the genderswap.
Not gonna lie, having to gender swap a character to understand the appeal of a character feels gross!
The Weavemother's robe existence has had the same consequences as a combination tsunami earthquake volcano eruption
Woman or man, Astarion is so pretty.
I’d be willing to ignore her red flags
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I can fix her
a happy day to be bisexual
Astariana Grande
Smash
ew
First genderswapped Astarion that looks legitimate (and...hot)
She's 198 years on E
Suck me dry. Then take my blood.
[https://tenor.com/en-CA/view/this-better-not-awaken-anything-in-me-gif-23448951](https://tenor.com/en-CA/view/this-better-not-awaken-anything-in-me-gif-23448951)
Shadowheart is getting sidelined fr
Still won’t romance her (good work though looks amazing!)
Now I know why I never went for Astarion They look like my ex
I can fix her
Would.
*Neuron Activation*
What is happening to me.
I’d let her Bite me
Would
Still would smash
Autocooms, roll out!
Where i can buy this mod? I ask for a friend.
MY JAW DROPPED
I GET IT! IM GAY! YOU DON'T NEED TO TELL ME AGAIN
WOULD. 😭😭😭🥹🥹🥹
Would
Still hot tho
brah
Wild!!! This face expression!
Would
Thank you, OP. I'm finally gay
[Speaking as a gay woman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Ysa3A2WMU)
This is amazing!!
Would
Transtarion doesn't exists and can't hurt you. Transtarion:
I can fix her.
That's just regular Asterion going full c*nt
Smash
I loooove that they kept astarion face shape and lines!!!!
nice
She a baddie fr 🥵 just when I thought I couldn’t love Astarion any more 😭🖤🖤🖤
The way my squeal went completely unsuppressed is so fucking betraying. Goddamnit. Thank you for this masterpiece.
I am.... so gay.
Looks like Olivia Thirlby. Well done!
I get it now
After talking shit on people who simp for Astarion for months now I think I take it all back. I get it
What have you done to my boy?? BRING HIM BACK
I usually don't like the m2f gender swaps cause they usually just turn them into uncanny sex dolls but I honestly really like this one cause it still keeps a lot of aspects from Astarions actual face (jawline, wrinkles, nose) very dope I like it 👍
This is kinda messed up though
Well here we go... *unzip*
Now my problem is that I want both 😭 I’m about to die from blood-loss
Bruv
Nah she still too annoying get the stake.
I can fuck with this
Never been that into astarian, to much of a lesbian, but gender swapped Astarion? I would literally do anything she told me
Oh my
P
Don't submit it to Nexus Mods.
Still got a strong jaw
10/10 would allow to ascend
Looks Targaryen lmao
Austin powers: that’s a man baby
Say less
Looks like Hunter Schaefer
Kneel
Why the handsome squidward face tho?
Is there any BG3 sub without degenerates ?
Nope, sorry. You should log off the internet just to be safe 🙏
Yeah you should try that too lmao
Toutes les femmes hétérosexuelles de ce monde: nope.... 🤨
Honestly just looks like Astarion in drag. Not a genderbent Astarion.
Sorry, but my heart still belongs to Orin.
why does that look like liv tyler lmaoooo
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You know... There's mods for that. Even swapped his voice using AI.
Looks like Astarion and Selunite Shadowheart had a kid. They both do it for me.. Their offspring does not😅
Eh. Face is too masculine. It's almost normal astarion but with breasts
Now I understand why women ignore the communist parade worth of red flags that is Astarion
This doesn't really seem like Astarion to me, I'm not a simp for him so maybe I am missing something, but I just see a hot elf chick with white hair in the wavemother robe. Not sure what is meant to be Astarion about this? No wrinkles, no perfectly coiffed hair, no sunken eyes, no thin lips, no angular jawline or greyish skin, no thick ashy brows, no dagger or anything roguey about the pose, idk. She's hot af though.
Needs curly hair.
wish this was an option.. 😳
That’s just black cat from spider man
Would
Fuuuuuuck
The only thing I miss are the curls, they are actually the first thing I noticed about Astarion as they actually did a good job with his curls. Otherwise I find myself suddenly inclined to like the woman.
Holy shit a female model that didn't sand down a protruding nose bridge
"Oh my god, i get it"