i'm surprised i haven't seen any text posts yet about the Unsubtle Differences between astarion’s tiefling party/high approval forest scene and the one you get after the goblin party.
there’s something so terribly interesting about how the conversation afterward plays out depending on which variation you pursue.
like, most people have seen the tiefling party version by now. astarion basking in the sunlight the morning after, playing off most of what tav says with relative ease, even when they ask about his scars and he tells them about cazador. his cadence is smooth and composed, his smile almost friendly, even though you know, as the viewer, he’s playing a game of manipulation at this point. the only real crack in his demeanor is if tav notices that cazador’s “poem” was written in infernal, which, understandably, startles him.
but recently i watched the goblin party version of this same scene, and everything reads so differently. unlike at the tiefling party, it’s still the middle of the night when astarion tries to leave, thinking tav is asleep—almost immediately after the act, in fact. when tav does speak to him, he’s visibly nervous, halting and stammering in the middle of lines delivered unflinchingly in the other version of the scene. he gestures broadly and fidgets more while talking, his smile comes and goes. there’s even some of his distinctive high pitched, fake laughter sprinkled throughout the exchange, almost identical to later scenes where he's very, very obviously uncomfortable (like if raphael mocks him and magics off astarion's shirt to show the party his scars in act 2, or when confronting the gur children in their cell in act 3, etc etc).
siding with the goblins represents something deeply familiar to astarion, a level of cruelty he's more than familiar with and embraces likely because cruelty and duplicity, to him, go hand-in-hand with the power and freedom he craves so badly—but he won't stay the night with this tav, even if he approves of their actions. no, in this case, he'll keep to what's familiar and attempt to leave them in the forest under the cover of the very same darkness he resents having been cast into by cazador. when he gets caught, it sets him on edge, and everything he says becomes such a blatant lie to save face that tav would have to be completely oblivious not to see through him, or maybe just not care enough to.
but if tav saves the refugees? challenges his worldview and comes out victorious? oh, he'll complain of the poor rewards for his trouble at the party and whine about it being boring, but he decides to stay with tav through the night while they're asleep and on past dawn. he takes a moment to enjoy the morning sunlight, returned to his life after two centuries without. the same is true if you have high enough approval that he asks before the party, in which case, you've almost certainly hit his biggest approval gains: trusting him and supporting his safety. maybe he doesn't trip over his words when he speaks because, well, maybe this is someone he doesn't have to worry about. someone who's already more than proven themselves a foolish, heroic sort with a bleeding heart or otherwise demonstrated that they're already in his corner. in other words, not a threat—at least not to him.
does any of this make sense. i wanna study this guy under a microscope.
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Rin was Minato's favourite. he believed she had a lot of potential. being a medic to the team, she was truly important, and was already incredible at keeping them all alive. she would grow up and become even stronger. he knew she was stronger than she let on.
Obito was Minato's second favourite. sharing the same dream of becoming hokage, Minato would be drawn to raising Obito right and ensuring they both became great hokage.
Kushina's favourite was Obito. they, too, shared the same dream of becoming hokage. they got along well, despite all their playful arguing and fighting. Obito was adorable to her, especially whenever he tried to act tough.
Kushina's second favourite was Rin. being a girl, Rin was easy to get along with, too. she was adorable and got along with Obito, but knew when to put her foot down too. she was a kind girl but had been slightly influenced by Kushina and learned to be just a little harsh if she needed to.
of course, that leaves Kakashi. the distance between the three isn't massive or anything. he is loved no less.
at some point... Minato had lost faith in Kakashi, believing he'd never recover from Sakumo's death, believed Kakashi would never value comrades again. Minato had distanced himself just a little bit from Kakashi, and blamed himself entirely for it (because why would you back away from a kid with no parental figures and clearly needs so much help??).
he believed he could not help.
Kakashi never noticed until he got older and remembered the way Minato would look at him.
the realisation that Minato had no faith, no trust in him hurts, and it only builds a deeper hole when Kakashi knows Minato felt that way all the way up until his death...
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