#ESSEK WIP IS IN MY TWITTER

[tssaii]

LOOK AT HE AAAAAAA

im gonna cry. like. i did this HOW T—T

[the-kaedageist]

I hope you’re not all getting sick of my snippets! This one was written for @esseks’s prompt, “Just Caleb and Essek having a nice lil picnic in the garden of their lovely cottage“. These are slowly getting longer and longer...

Essek is expecting another quiet night in - that’s how they usually spend their evenings, curled up together by the fire, both of their noses buried in books and several cats parked on top of them. To his surprise, when Caleb returns from work for the day, he’s wearing a bashful grin and carrying a wicker basket in one hand.

Essek was once the Bright Queen’s right-hand man, a cunning spymaster; he can sense when a plot is afoot. “Have you been up to something, Caleb Widogast?” he asks, arching one eyebrow.

Caleb doesn’t even try to pretend otherwise, taking Essek’s hand in his. “Come with me,” he says, and leads Essek out into the back garden. It is only a week past midsummer, and dusk is just cresting the sky as they step out into the warm, hazy evening.

When they reach the grassy portion of the garden, Caleb reaches into the basket and withdraws a soft blanket, handing it to Essek. Wordlessly, the way of two people who know one another well enough to read intent, Essek spreads the blanket across the grass.

As they seat themselves, knees brushing, Caleb unpacks a veritable smorgasbord from the basket - wrapped cheeses and fine smoked Zemnian meats, a loaf of bread from their favorite bakery, a bottle of wine. Essek is breathless as he watches the food appear, wondering what deity he’d conned into thinking he deserved a man like Caleb.

“This is wonderful,” he says, reaching out to take a small wedge of cheese. It is sharp like he prefers, tangy on his tongue. “But what is the occasion?”

Caleb regards him with a doting look, so fond that Essek feels warmed through to his core. “It is the 28th of Brussendar.”

Essek scans his memory, desperately trying to place the date in a catalogue of known Empire holidays. He comes up blank. “Ah,” he says. “And…the significance of that is…?”

Caleb smiles as though he expected the question. “Ah. It has been two years to the day since we landed on your doorstep in Eiselcross like something the cat dragged in.”

Essek remembers that day, all nerves and fear of rejection. He’d just been thankful that the Nein hadn’t been murdered. He tries to imagine what has made such a day special to Caleb - not the day they met, not even the day they saw Essek as he truly was, but an ordinary day like that?

“I don’t understand,” said Essek.

Caleb uncorks the wine and pours Essek a glass, a vibrant red. The final hints of dusk begins to shift into night as Essek raises the glass to his lips; it is a dry red, just as he prefers.

There’s something earnest in Caleb’s expression. “The 28th of Brussendar…that is the day that I realized something important.” Essek blinks at him, frozen in the act of lowering his glass, his heart pounding even though he can’t fathom what is coming next. “That was the day that I looked at a man who I cared for very much, and whose ambition I feared very much, and realized he was as anxious and determined to do good as I. I watched his hands shake around his mug of spiked cocoa, and I knew.”

Essek’s mouth is dry. He doesn’t know what to say. He’d been a disaster when they’d arrived at Vermas, all abandonment complex and nerves worn thin as paper. To think that had been the moment that Caleb had decided to trust him - or at least to give him the chance. Knowing Caleb, actual trust had come much later, after careful watching and waiting. But that one moment of vulnerability had started the chain reaction that had led to him being…here.

Essek’s eyes fill with tears before he can stop himself. He looks away from Caleb, trying to hide the feelings that overtook him.

Caleb reaches over and cups Essek’s face with one hand, tilting him back towards him. “Don’t look away,” he murmurs. “I just thought you should know.”

Essek brushes away his tears as Caleb continues. “Since my stubbornness caused us to miss many other…anniversaries, I thought we should celebrate this one.”

Essek’s heart is too big for his chest, the sheer amount of love he holds for the man in front of him almost too much to grasp. Caleb leans in to press a kiss to his mouth, his lips soft against Essek’s own.

They kiss for several minutes, the wine and cheese forgotten, until Caleb pulls away with a harsh laugh and rests his forehead against Essek’s own. “I did not bring you here to do this,” he says softly, “although I do not object. But look.” He tilts his head up, glancing towards the sky.

Essek follows his gaze and takes in the lovely midsummer sky, the river of stars in the east and the Luxon’s Bow bright on the northern horizon. It is breathtaking.

“Oh,” he breathes, and Caleb smiles.

[granteddrop]

let essek have a nice day 8c36

[finished piece]

[click here for image description]

[vdillustration]

So... all life is pain and suffering is eternal... my PC ate my current WIP - it was gonna be a pretty MerMay piece - but now it is un-openable ;_;

All I have left is a super early WIP screenshot, so here you go?

It was gonna be pretty, glowy Essek as a mer-jellyfish, doing a lil magic... swimming through a pretty galaxy-esque, space background...

I’m so tired... it was 80% done... </3

~

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[the-kaedageist]

Happy wip Wednesday! I posted this snip on twitter earlier, but in honor of finally having some free time and getting a whole week under my belt where I wrote every day, I am posting a snip for the first time in ages. This is, of course, from 2 Tusk 2 Love, which I will never call by its real name.

“I should be returning to Zadash,” Bren said. “I need to sleep.”

Essek rose too. “I will accompany you,” he said, and Bren blinked in surprise as though he hadn’t expected such an offer. “You have already teleported this evening and used one of your spells.”

“You teleported earlier today and used one of your spells,” Bren countered, which was equally true.

“Yes,” Essek said a bit haughtily, “but I have more spell slots than you.”

“By one,” Bren sniped.

“It is still more,” Essek pointed out pedantically. It felt refreshing, welcoming even, to be back on familiar ground with him. “I will teleport us.”

“You will not,” said Bren. “I am the one who knows the circle for Zadash.”

Essek felt triumphant. “I can teleport us without needing the circle,” he said smugly. “We can aim right for our room.”

Bren glared at him. “You have too many spell slots.”

Essek stepped closer and reached over to gently wipe a stray tear from his cheek. “You are almost presentable,” he said, not even trying to hide the embarrassing level of fondness in his voice. He took Bren’s hand in his own, unnecessary for teleportation but feeling like indulging himself all the same. As he began to cast, Bren leaned into him, almost as though he was trying to immerse himself in Essek’s magic; it was charming in a way that made Essek’s heart flutter.

Abruptly, Essek’s towers disappeared around them. A few seconds later, they found themselves in an alley in what Essek sincerely hoped was Zadash.

“Oh,” said Essek. “A bit off course.” He tried not to sound as embarrassed as he felt.

Bren laughed. Then, to Essek’s surprise, they were kissing, right there in a dirty alley in the middle of some city in the Empire, Essek wearing his true face and Bren’s nose red from crying, clinging to each other like there was nothing else in the world.

[the-kaedageist]

I posted this on Twitter for wip Wednesday and my small following there seemed to enjoy it, so I figured I’d post it over here as well! Here’s a snippet of the consecution futurefic that I’m in the middle of writing.

Quick context: Neither Essek nor Caleb knew Caleb was consecuted. Yann is Caleb reborn, but with disjointed memories. Essek has been operating in disguise, but Yann is 98% sure of his identity by this point. Meanwhile, Essek is just beginning to suspect something about Yann...

“I believe you were about to ask me to dance,” said Essek.

Yann gaped at him. “I would have guessed that you’d hate such a thing.”

Essek gave a grin. “I think perhaps you do not know me as well as you think,” he said, standing and holding out his hand.

“The dances of Lyrengorn are different than those on Wildemount,” Yann said, even as he took Essek’s hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. His palm was warm against Essek’s, slightly larger than Essek’s own and calloused from years of using a bow. Essek’s heart was in his throat at that small touch alone.

“And how would you know the dances of Wildemount?” Essek asked. What if, what if, what if.

Yann laughed and abruptly reversed the energy of the moment, tugging Essek towards the dancers. “I don’t,” he admitted, “but I have read that they are very orderly, careful things. We don’t dance like that. We’re people of the mountains.”

Essek had definitely registered the apparent chaos of the dancing around him, but he was still unprepared for Yann to spin him directly into his arms, their faces mere inches from one another.

“We dance how we want to,” Yann breathed. Up close, he smelled of warm spice. Essek felt the spike of heat from Yann’s dark gaze all the way to his core.

“Ah,” said Essek, floundering in the face of his own unexpected flare of arousal. “It appears, then, that I have much to learn.” He wondered vaguely what it meant that he wanted to kiss Yann again as they stared into each other’s eyes. Yann’s breathing was audible, despite the fact that they hadn’t even begun to dance yet. Essek felt a momentary spark of annoyance at his hormones, coming to life again after all this time, even as the beautiful man who had awakened them was stepping backwards in a beginning move of whatever dance he was envisioning. He never released Essek’s hand, his thumb stroking the back of it maddeningly.

The dance that Yann led him through reminded him nothing of the dancing he’d done with Caleb a lifetime before. Yann swung Essek around as though he weighed nothing, helping him through the steps as the room spun around them. Essek wondered if he’d had a bit more wine than intended or if he was just intoxicated by Yann’s proximity, his flushed face and his shining eyes. Yann pulled him back in and smiled, his gaze fixed on Essek’s mouth.

“What do you think?” he asked breathlessly as he spun Essek out of his arms and back into them again. Essek let himself be led, helpless in the face of such a force of gravity.

“I think you are going to ruin me,” Essek said, astonishingly honest from the rush of endorphins.

The energy between them shifted, the shining joy in Yann’s eyes catching fire like all he’d needed was a spark. He pulled Essek in close, their noses nearly brushing. “I have no intention of ruining anyone,” he said, his voice so deep it had practically dropped an octave. “But I can promise you’d enjoy it.”

Essek shivered at Yann’s words. He had no doubt he would.

Yann slowed their dancing so that they swayed together; neither of them seemed to care that it was incongruous to the beat of the music. “Do you what to know what I think about?” Yann murmured in Essek’s ear, his lips so close that they brushed the shell of it. “When I think of you?”

Yes, Essek’s entire body sang out, even though he opened his mouth and couldn’t manage any answer other than a gasp. When had he ended up so far out of his depth?

They stilled on the dance floor. For a long minute, Essek was sure Yann was going to kiss him again; he felt himself falling towards him, ready to meet him halfway. Their noses brushed as their heads tilted—

“—right,” said Yann, pulling away abruptly and releasing Essek. Essek had to dodge another dancer as Yann suddenly put space between them, as though he’d come to his senses all at once. “I should not get distracted. We are here to do detective work, after all.”

“Yes,” said Essek faintly, still not sure what had just happened. “Detective work.”

[the-kaedageist]

Hello, new friends! Welcome to my blog. I'm updating this because I used to have a very eclectic blog filled with many interests, but it has slowly morphed over the months to heavily feature Critical Role. Anyway here is a guide to my content!

...if you like Critical Role you are in the right place! I also tweet about CR over at @thekaedageist. The content I post here tends to be my fics, occasional meta posts, and I reblog a LOT of other fan content because this fandom is just so talented. My Twitter contains more stream-of-consciousness nonsense, talking about writing, and lots of tweets about shadowgast/Essek, so it has more original content. Feel free to hang out with me in both places!

...navigation I recently went through and reorganized my original content, although I will admit some of these are not sorted as well as I’d like. Here is a handy tag guide if you’re looking for stuff that I’ve posted:

my fics: the fics I’ve written on AO3 and tumblr

my wips: sneak peeks, works in progress, and wip wednesdays

my meta: all of my meta posts in one handy place!

my writing: writing process posts and information about my wips

my shitposts: occasionally I have been known to shitpost

my memes: I also sometimes make silly memes

my liveblogs: sometimes I post while watching/reading stuff

Thanks for checking out my blog and have a wonderful day. ☀️