The internet’s reigning thirst-trap vampire, Astarion from Baldur’s Gate 3, earned himself a more wholesome artistic interpretation in a recent Muppet-style fanart.
German artist Charlotte, known as Aquarisma on X, shared her Jim Henson-esque rendition of Astarion, playfully wielding fangs and a dagger. The fanart showcased the Muppet vampire’s range in a variety of poses, including one where he kindly requested another bloodthirsty bite of flesh. Aquarisma also weighed in on which Baldur’s Gate 3 characters she thought would remain in their normal form in a Muppet version of the game, determining that either Raphael or Lae’zel were among the most likely candidates.
The Neil Newbon-voiced Astarion quickly became a fan-favorite Baldur’s Gate 3 companion, coveted in-game romance, and overall internet sensation. Astarion’s far from the first video game vampire to invite this particular brand of feral attention from gamers, though, with Resident Evil Village‘s Lady Dimitrescu invoking a similar frenzy from fans back in 2021. Astarion currently shares the sexy video game vampire spotlight with Zahn McClarnon’s Orlox from Netflix’s recent animated adaptation Castlevania: Nocturne.
Despite the bevy of highly anticipated games released since Baldur’s Gate 3, such as Starfield and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the Dungeons & Dragons game continues to captivate players and inspire a sea of art, cosplay, and other fan creations. Though Astarion dominates a great deal of the fanart spotlight, each Baldur’s Gate 3 companion has attracted their own passionate faction of fans on social media.
The viral adoration of Aquarisma’s Muppet Astarion has naturally led Baldur’s Gate 3 fans to request the same treatment be extended to other companions and characters from the game. “No promises on my part,” the artist responded to one such request on X, “but I hope this might inspire others too.” Aside from the unsurprising surplus of sexy renditions, Astarion has inspired a range of artistic interpretations from blood-soaked fanart that plays into his vampiric nature to comparatively fangless Chibi art. Aquarisma’s unique take playfully envisions a world where Astarion could easily play along with one of pop culture’s most iconic vampires and Muppets — Sesame Street’s The Count.
