what will always be one of my favorite things about astarion is that he still wants to be loved. he's been hurt so much, hurt beyond comprehension, hurt beyond words, but he still hasn't given up on love. perhaps he doesn't realize it, perhaps he doesn't understand it, perhaps he doesn't know what kind of love or what love even looks like but he craves it. he craves it deeply without having seen it. it will be painfully unfamiliar to him but he will latch onto it instinctively and maybe hate himself for it but that's so beautiful about him. somewhere deep down, there's a part of him which knows he deserved better, wants better, will fight for something better. it's seen in his protectiveness. life has done every possible thing to make him bitter and selfish and cruel but he isn't. he's so soft when he feels safe enough. he's so gorgeous in the way that such a fragile and kind part of him survived unfathomable horrors.
Also trying to get faster at it so i might start doing these quick ones more regularly, this Gort took a bit more than an hour with a heavy reference (under cut)