EDIT: BI /PAN CAN HAVE PREFERENCES! I know this! I should’ve worded my question in a less inflammatory way but I can’t edit it now. This is not a question about what his sexuality really is or headcannons but about the writer’s deliberate choice to have some very visible connections of his to be male while also not explicitly specifying he has a preference. If anything I thought the choice led to bi erasure from a media standpoint and feeds a lot of the “Astarion is gay arguments *even though they’re wrong.*
- Sebastian
- The darling boy story
- In the ascended origin epilogue, he reaches out to a male npc
- The upcoming prequel
I guess you could argue coincidence, but if you’re just looking at M/F there was a 6% chance he would randomly be with male each time. And this *isn’t* random—each of these instances was a choice by the creator of that content. So where the heck are all the ladies?
Back when BG3 was newer I remember hearing people argue that Astarion is gay, and others would correct them, often citing bi erasure. But is it any wonder some came to that conclusion when the most flamboyant character is only shown with men? Call me ridiculous but it actually made me feel like I was doing something wrong romancing him when I exclusively play female Tavs (edit: I don’t feel that way now knowing he’s canonically pan)
So what gives?
EDIT: I should clarify my question. Why was the choice made by the creators to consistently pair him with men if he’s canonically pan? This is a question about media portrayal, not about if bi/pan characters can have preferences