essekthelysssideblog

[essekthelysssideblog]

I know I've said it a lot, but it is genuinely so important to me that Essek could've been a textbook tragedy—only acting in his own nature, too stuck in his personal failings to change, a victim of the narrative sunk cost fallacy. It's important that due to the actions he's taken before the narrative and the society he lives in, he is doomed to failure and headed for a tragic, painful death or downfall.

Except that he does what is unfathomable to a tragic character—he changes! He looks at the path he's laid for himself and the fate looming over him, and he adapts. He changes his nature in key ways; he allows others outside of his own story to influence him.

In fact, this is only a course of action he can take because he is not the center of the story—that the central characters choose to offer him the perspective necessary to see it. (Hamlet cannot be swayed no matter anyone's pleading, because his perspective trumps all others.) And this actually lets Caleb avoid this cycle as well, as opposed to falling back into it in the eleventh hour—he offers the choice to Essek long before he properly takes it for himself, and when Essek parrots it back to him later, he can accept it because it originally came from him.

And it's also important that it is hard for Essek, in the end—his life is a constant process of illusion and fear and hiding—of becoming someone else. Not because he has to do some kind of penance, but because it is genuinely very difficult to change, to start over, and it is never a process that simply happens. You have to think about it everyday to maintain it, and it's gonna suck a lot of the time—but it's worth it, and you'll be better for it.

And it's also just so delightful that the character following this path is one who mechanically specializes in manipulating fate.

[essekthelysssideblog]

green beans

gardening | shadowgast week

[essekthelysssideblog]

ok so im watching m9 for the first time, and as its been out for years atp i know a lot of things that happen in the campaign. mostly, i know that caleb and essek end up together. and i know a lot of people talk about how courting of the crick like… prophecies their eventual love story, and i would agree i think it does. but theres another thing thats making me fucking INSANE about them.

so when m9 first get their hands of the beacon, caleb identifies it, because hes a wizard, and is scared by it right. but when its just him at the table, and matt is describing his dream he says “and for the first time in a long time you feel at peace” when hes dreaming about the beacon and dunamancy and whatnot.

its just so fucking insane to me that basically calebs first ever direct interaction with dunamancy is PEACE!! LIKE ARE WE KIDDING!?!(! HE FELT PEACE AND COMFORT!! AND HE FEELS PEACE ABD COMFORT WITH ESSEK!! THE FUCKING GUY WHO WEILDS DUNAMACY BETTER THAN ANYONE!! WHO FUCKING TAUGHT CALEB HOW TO WEILD IT!! UGH THEY MAKE ME CRAZYYYY

[essekthelysssideblog]

thread | shadowgast week

(i took some liberties with 'thread' as 'yarn' but i just wanted to draw the wizards in their downtime)

(also had to include tiny M9 portraits in the BG)

[essekthelysssideblog]

✨Them✨

[essekthelysssideblog]

Doodle prompt: roll a d4

1. Snessek, snakeleb, and his familiar, snumpkin

2. Mini mercaleb in modern au Essek's fish tank

3. jonas midst's least favorite holiday tradition (any holiday, midstian or not)

4. Mighty Nein Christmas decoration AU

There are Nein of them! Merry Critmas :)

[essekthelysssideblog]

"I'm sorry... It doesn't fix this but- I'm sorry..." "Then be better, Thelyss."

[essekthelysssideblog]

Happy wip Wednesday! Doodled this silly thing, sometimes it’s hard to tell whether or not your cat is your wizard boyfriend or an actual cat.

[essekthelysssideblog]

Being a prodigy is a lovely thing, and sometimes love for the craft can sustain one for a lifetime.

[essekthelysssideblog]

I just think he’s neat!

A wip of essek feeling the m9 love

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Just some kissy Shadowgast doodles

[essekthelysssideblog]

ᕙ(`▿´)ᕗ i gotchu fam

i gotchu

||ko-fi||

[essekthelysssideblog]

Critical Role really said forehead affection of any kind makes everything better(?).

[essekthelysssideblog]

[essekthelysssideblog]

An artist's rendition of Verin meeting Keyleth while Essek watches on

(the painting is "The Suitor" by Florent Joseph Marie Willems)

[essekthelysssideblog]

Liam hadn't thought about it ahead of time, but he came up with some canon on the spot:

Caleb and Verin met at some point, especially because Caleb and Essek traveled around the world so much. Maybe at something like a Bed & Breakfast in Nicodranas.

Caleb thinks Verin is a bit of a himbo, but is sweet.

Caleb appreciates that Verin likes poetry. Liking literature of any kind is a plus for Caleb.

Caleb thinks Verin and Essek are chips "off the same hot block." Not sure what the block is. Maybe the Luxon does that?

[essekthelysssideblog]

Favorite interaction from last weeks episode