Chasing a dream for a living

Another one for @shadesofmidnightsun, a mock-up cover for her cottagecore fae AU

I really hate Clip's text and vector tools NGL. Went in wanting to make a fancy font for the title and make it look all professional... and yeah. The watercolor brushes are great though :)

[ID: Gale and Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3 having sex. The room is dark and shaded in monochromatic blue, and everything is lit by the moon peaking out from behind the curtain, and the rosy glow coming from behind the boys. Gale is on top and folding Astarion in half, Astarion is lying on his back and grasping Gale by the head. They're staring into each others eyes. Astarion's are glowing pink, and they're framed by hallucinatory, semi-translucent plants, flowering vines above them, a bed of clover below overlaying the bed, and pink petals are blowing around them. Also I gave Astarion slightly more bestial ears, long, pointed, and with a little tuft of silver fur at the base. He also has faint scars around his neck.]

Hey read this Stardew Valley Fae Horror Domestic Hurt/Comfort AU (IDK if the artist is on Tumblr)

Like, the power-fantasy is the temptation the Ring uses against people It tempts Boromir with becoming the "one true king" that could save his people with fantastic power. It tempts Sam with being the savior of Middle Earth and turning the ruin that is Mordor into a great garden. It tempts Gandalf and Galadriel with being the messianic figure of legend who brings salvation to Middle Earth and great glory to herself.

The things the Ring tempts people with are becoming the typical protagonists of fantasy stories that we expect to see. and over and over we see that accepting that role, that fantasy of being the benevolent all-powerful hero, is a bad thing. LotR is about how power, even power wielded with benevolent intent, is corrupting.

And its so fascinating how so much of modern fantasy buys into the very fantasy LotR denies. Most modern fantasy is about being that Heroic power-fantasy. About good amassing power to rival evil. But LotR dares not to. It dares to be honest that there is no world where anyone amasses that power and remains good.

The strength economy is in shambles.

I’m so excited with how this turned out!

I made this piece for Chapter 19 of “Your Echo in my Scars” by shadesofmidnightsun on AO3.

Astarion has two sides....I'll take both please

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EDIT: Bonus smiley Astarion to warm the heart