#shadowgast headcanon

[mini-minish]

quit ur politics job join our garage band!!!!!!!!!

(note: essek is canonly gay + demi, the jacket with the bi pin belongs to caleb)

[tieflingtea]

Essek "my elf ears get kind of droopy when I'm sad" Thelyss vs Caleb "is psychically linked to a fae creature who dramatically plays out his emotional distress while he sits there with a blank face" Widogast

[sldlovescartoons]

I’m just going to put this out there because I was going to write a proper fic but it’s look like that’s not going to work out so I just want to ramble about some ideas for a bit. For the purposes of this little post, I’m just sort ignoring anything that has happened in campaign 3 and things attached to the plot line, mostly becayse we don’t know where going to happen in the end yet. All things said here just sort of assume none of that all happens. Just in case.

So, at some point in time, Essek comes to a sort of realization that he’s… being stupid. He can’t effect real change to atone for his wrongs as a transient on the run from the government. It’s just punishing himself, his friends, and his boyfriend, and he doesn’t want to do it anymore. He wants to get Transmogrification cast on him, but he’s worried that he still might be caught, the people who would seek him out have magic to look in his mind if they suspect his new form. They might need to fake his death.

And then Caleb is like: well, we don’t have to fake it at all.

Because Caleb has a copy of Clone. And so a plan is made, they’ll grow a new Essek, make a spare spell book, and a new spell book to match the his new identity they are crafting, and when the year is up, the Nein will turn Essek in for treason. He’ll get executed, and once he wakes in his fresh pod body, they’ll escort him to the spell circle to start his new life.

The comedy potential in the planning stages for his new identity and form is great. Angst too.

After Essek picks his new name, he starts to insist they start to call him by it almost exclusively, and the Nein don’t want to, that seems weird. Essek’s insistence that he’d only had the name Essek for 30 years, he was barely used to it in the first place, it was no big deal and den members change names all the name because for many reasons, it soothes the M9, but also creates more questions. Like what was your Child Name, huh, hot boi? (He refuses to tell them as a point of pride. His child name was so silly!)

He and Caleb work very closely on his new form and there are disagreements:

On the angsty side: Essek puts forward that with some light modifications and a higher level of casting, they could also give the target the lifespan of the chosen race over the original. They could make him a human in his 30’s and they could spend the rest of both of their lives together. He doesn’t care about living a long time, just being with those he loves and atonning for his sins. Caleb refuses vehemently, that’d be paramount to killing Essek with his own hand and he refuses to do it. He makes him swear that he won’t do anything stupid when the Nein are all gone. He almost calls off the whole thing.

On the funny side: We have Essek, who as a member of a noble den had a through sex education that throughly covered gender and tried to prepare the young drow in early schooling that they could be in, or one day be in, a body much different from theirs. They try to ease they into the idea that might someday give birth, or might have already done so in a previous life. Gender and Body Dysmorphia are covered throughly. Gender is kind of bullshit to him. His form is kind of bullshit. He was acquainted with the fact his body might not always be or have been what it is at a very young age. He is largely unconcerned with how his new form will make HIM feel, he’d get used to it easy. He wants to know what Caleb would like.

Caleb, on the other hand, is trying to reduce body and gender dysmorphia as much as possible after his experience getting to know Nott/Veth. He’s trying to figure out how close they can get to the original without getting caught. To make it easier for Essek to adjust.

Caleb has absolutely no idea how to deal with Essek suggesting giving his new form a much larger penis (because he knows Caleb is a little bit of a size queen) or intersex body configurations (because Caleb likes both, right? He could very be both. He had some cousins that seemed very happy that were intersex or nonbinary.). He turns him down, explains why, but that doesn’t stop Essek’s brain train.

So naturally, when Essek asks if Caleb wants biological child and suggests they could just make him a woman if he did, the other man absolutely loses hugs shit and chokes on his tongue in shock. In take a long time to calm him down and the drow’s assurance that it wasn’t a big deal, he had a soul sibling (he actually used a weird drow word, but that’s what it meant) that his father gave birth to when he was woman and his mother was a man, they married into Den Mirimm to strengthen Den relations! Happened all the time! Did not in fact help Caleb much, he had several questions.

Just a lots of Essek taking the whole much less seriously than most of the Nein because of his upbringing.

They end up make him a male elf roughly his age with very tan skin. They make up a whole amnesia story, Fjord and Jester pretend to find him washed up on shore. They wait 4 months him and Caleb to ‘start dating’ and two months after that to move in, claiming a ‘whirlwind romance’. They are married within the year. (Because fuck them breaking up because of lifespan angst, that’s bullshit and I refuse to entertain it lol.) They get to be happy together and make the world better as a pair, a unit, and Essek continues their various cause they’d taken up well after Caleb dies an old man.

[my-spiritualweapon-is-a-lollipop]

Not me once again thinking about if Caleb and Essek ever did exchange rings that Caleb would give Essek a ring that features an amber gem that is actually a condensed widgoast's vault of amber. Also that it would contain just absolutely anything Essek could ever need to defend himself (I'm talking armour, I'm talking potions, in talking components, I'm talking golems maybe?) So that he can be safe on his travels and so he can carry Caleb's unique brand of showing love via creative spell use wherever he goes.

I also love the thought that Essek has to figure this out on his own because he gets the sense that it's magical when Caleb gives it to him and Caleb smugly smiles at him when asked and refuses to provide any explanation, knowing Essek will enjoy the puzzle. When Essek finally does discover its properties Caleb gets tackled whilst getting kissed hard on the mouth.

[hello-eeveev]

How to Rest: Director's Commentary—Chapter 2

| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |

Chapter 2 is for cozy vibes, further establishing themes, and lightly pushing my grey-ace Caleb Widogast agenda. Chapter 2 Commentary is for discussing where Caleb’s head is at at this point in my timeline for this fic series and why it’s there, and further explaining my grey-ace Caleb Widogast agenda. In fact, I’m realizing that this chapter is kind of a companion piece to On the Nature of Attraction and I’m posting this on its anniversary! What perfect timing!

Let’s get started!

(spoiler warning for the entirely of How to Rest)

The setting for this is New Dawn, aka Exandrian New Year. It’s snowing in Rexxentrum and Essek visits Caleb to welcome in the new year. I imagine that just before this chapter begins, they had a nice dinner. I wrote this back before Mighty Nein Reunited came in and made my fics not canon-compliant, so I was working under the assumption that Beau and Yasha also lived in Rexxentrum, so maybe Caleb and Essek had dinner with them or maybe they stayed in. That can be up to the reader. Either way, it’s time for a fireplace, hot chocolate, and a cat, so it’s cozy vibes all around.

Let’s discuss the cat. I love cats. I don’t think that really leads into the discussion, but I gotta say it. It’s probably also pretty evident in how I wrote the cat. Anyway.

I haven’t written Caleb as adopting any cats of his own yet, and that’s because even this long after the campaign ended (1.5 years), he’s still not quite… settled. In 141, we’re given “six months to a year” before the shadowgast Aeor trip, which is implied to take place after the close of the Ikithon trial, and in my mind, it has always been much closer to that one year mark. So in the continuity of this fic series, Caleb spent the better part of a year dealing with the trial, which is not the most grounding thing to experience, and then he goes to Aeor with Essek for a month or two, during which he has to decide if he is going to risk the entire timeline to bring his parents back. That’s a lot. On both a material and spiritual level. And adopting a cat is big and permanent, and that’s just not where Caleb has been until quite recently. And it’s only now, after all this emotional turmoil has been resolved, that he is even able to start to settle into this life he’s making for himself, but he’s also still learning what that looks and feels like because he has next to no experience with a life of comfort and rest. The closest he got was his childhood, but that was 20 years ago, and even then, his life in Blumenthal is so drastically different from his current one. 

That’s where the title “How to Rest” comes from. Caleb doesn’t know how to properly rest and he’s trying to learn how. That’s also why he hasn’t started teaching at Soltryce even though that is very much his plan for the future. He needs to learn to live for himself for a while before he takes on the next big thing. Mentally, I am throwing blankets and pillows at him and begging him to take a nap.

…so yeah. no cat quite yet. 

But he does feed the strays, and he’s been doing that long enough that they know where he lives and that he’s a safe person to go to if, for example, they need a warm house to sleep in when it’s snowing in Rexxentrum.

Anyway, that’s a lot of preamble to discuss what is, essentially, 1500 words of Essek and Caleb kissing, but hey. that’s why we’re here :)

I’m not going to do a detailed breakdown of the initial cat section because it would pretty much just be, “hey, here’s a cat doing cute cat things and here’s Essek doing cute Essek things,” and I think that sums it up well enough.

They each drank from their cocoa, and as Caleb lowered his cup, he felt a tentative shoulder against his own. Essek was staring straight ahead, looking nonchalant as their arms brushed. Warmth flared in Caleb’s chest. He leaned further against Essek and caught a glimpse of the corner of Essek’s mouth pulling into a slight smile, despite his best efforts to hide it behind his mug.

It is still early enough in their relationship that Essek is still working out how to be direct, especially when it comes to bids for physical affection, but he’s self-aware enough that his coyness is more playful than it is an actual mask. He’s not really trying to hide his intentions, but he knows he is unable to just express them outright, so he does the “subtle” thing that his brain allows him, knowing that Caleb will understand and reciprocate.

He cupped Essek’s face in one hand and turned it towards him. Smiles such as the one Essek wore now—genuine smiles that touched his eyes and created a small dimple in his cheek—were once a rarity, but they seemed to be appearing with increasing frequency. At least whenever Caleb saw him.

Caleb gets a front row seat to the gradual lowering of Essek’s walls, and he is a big reason why Essek is able to! He makes Essek happy! These smiles are precious for those reasons and because Essek does not get the opportunity to be so genuine or so content most other places.

And something something who else does Essek let close enough—both emotionally and physically—to see all the ways his smile changes his face.

Then there’s cuddling and kissing, and they like each other so much, and it’s all very cute and sweet, but then we get into my grey-ace Caleb agenda. This is for two reasons: 1) set up the plot point for On the Nature of Attraction, and 2) the more grey-ace Caleb content there is, the happier I am.

He leaned forward eagerly, knowing how much closer he could hold him and how much better he could kiss him if they were laying down, without pesky things like knees and legs getting in the way.

This is Caleb’s intention. Nothing more than that. Caleb as the narrator is not obfuscating any secondary motive.

Essek tensed for a moment, as if he were considering something, then pushed them both upright with a small shake of his head.

Essek, however, cannot read Caleb’s mind, and isn’t sure if the motion to lay down is an implication of or invitation for sex. Certainly, the way romantic relationships are talked about would suggest that it is. And when confronted with the (perceived) possibility, Essek learns that his answer is “nope,” and he draws that boundary, which is readily accepted.

And it is because of this boundary that Essek establishes that Caleb realizes that his internal script for anything “romantic” that involves physicality has been very much affected by the Volstrucker training (see: that one tidbit Liam gave us in lockdown-era Talks Machina, that they were taught to be “as sexual as they needed to be” to get results for the Empire) and by his relationship with Astrid and Eadwulf being his main coping mechanism during that time. 

I have written in my notes for this chapter that Caleb has this internal script of “lots of kissing leads to intense make-outs leads to, if not sex outright, something more sexual than not.” And while I believe he understood in theory that this does not have to be the case, and that it certainly wouldn’t be the case with Essek this early on in their relationship, it isn’t until this moment that it really starts to sink in. And then he learns that he likes that they can just kiss and cuddle and that it doesn’t have to be a preamble to more sexual things, which he is also starting to get an inkling that maybe there’s some trauma mixed up in there.

and idk i think grey-ace Caleb is neat and considering the ways his trauma impacts that is cool (she says, feeling a great deal of complicated emotion)

Essek leaned fully into it, smiling and hooking his legs over Caleb’s so he was practically in his lap.

One thing I wrote when I was planning out this chapter was “this is a conversation without words.” Obviously, there’s some words still happening, but they’re not terribly explanatory, so they must rely on non-verbal cues.

With his boundary established and respected, and now that he has had a moment to come down from his initial “nope” and recognize Caleb’s action for what it really was—a desire for more physical closeness—Essek is able to respond in a way that meets both their needs.

“I am very happy that you are here,” he whispered.  Essek’s fingers curled tighter in Caleb’s hair, and he turned his head and pressed his nose to the side of Caleb’s. “As am I.”

They just like each other so much. And they make each other happy just by being there.

“Sometimes I wish we were back in Aeor,” Caleb said after a while.  “Do you now?” Essek sounded amused, if a bit drowsy. “Mm,” Caleb said with a nod. “I miss studying magic with you every day, knowing that you were always close by.” “I could do without the bitter cold and mage-killing monsters,” Essek chuckled. He tightened his arms around Caleb’s shoulders. “But yes. I miss that, too.”

One thing I frequently try to do when writing Caleb’s dialogue is have him say something that’s like, a few steps removed from what he actually means. People talk like this in general, but Caleb’s meaning tends to be a few more layers deep than the average person’s, especially when he is stressed or experiencing heightened emotion. It’s one of the things I like about him; I think it’s funny.

This exchange is a very obvious example of this: Caleb says something, Essek lightly challenges him on that, and then Caleb is able to state more clearly what it is he actually wants. In this case, while it’s still in the frame of Aeor, Caleb is able to tell Essek that he wants to spend more time with him and that he feels better when Essek is nearby. And Essek is able to reciprocate while still keeping it within the “safe” zone of “haha wouldn’t it be nice to be back in Aeor? haha jk… but?” They are starting to build ways of communicating with each other, and this is one of them.

“Where will you go after this?” Caleb asked.  “You know I can’t say.” He sighed. “I know. But you will be safe?” “I will, I promise. And I will see you again as soon as I am able.”

And the tragedy of their situation is that Caleb can’t know where Essek is most of the time, only that he will be far away, because that’s the best way to keep them both safe. And yes, Essek promises to be safe, but how much of that is within his control?

“I am afraid,” he said, taking Caleb’s hands from his waist and bringing them up to his lips, “that it is time for me to go.” Caleb groaned and felt his face contort into a pout that was almost embarrassing, except that it made Essek laugh, and it was a sound so beautiful that it washed away any feeling of shame, leaving only warm happiness in its stead. “Soon, Caleb Widogast,” Essek said as he kissed Caleb’s knuckles, voice brimming with fondness.

I love this image. It is so full of affection, particularly on Essek’s behalf. If I could figure out a good and interesting angle, I would draw it. I just think it’s cute and sweet and that’s what we’re really about over here.

Essek kissed him on the cheek. “Rest well.” “Travel safe.”

These are their hopes for each other at this point in time. Essek wants Caleb to have peace and rest, and Caleb wants Essek to be safe while he is alone on the road. They are very normal things to say when parting, but they are being completely earnest here.

So Essek leaves, and Caleb has a one-sided conversation with the cat. So to close out this chapter commentary, I will be showing you this scene again, with the cat dialogue included:

The cat he was hosting for the night, seeming to notice Caleb’s sudden lack of companionship, stood from his spot in front of the fire with a meow, stretched, and padded up to the couch. “Hello.” “Oh, hello. Do you need something from me?” Caleb asked.  The cat butted his head against Caleb’s legs, then ran the whole length of his body along his shins, tail curling around them. He meowed again—“I would like pets”—and looked up at Caleb with round, eager eyes.  “Oh, come here, Kätzchen.” Caleb scooped up the cat and laid down on the couch with him on his chest. “Thank you for keeping me company.” He scratched the cat’s ears and chin. “I think I must like him rather a lot, hm? To feel his absence so soon after he’s left.” “Perhaps you’re in love with him,” the cat chirruped as he settled into a loaf, paws softly kneading into Caleb’s shirt.  “Well, I don’t know if I would say that,” Caleb answered. “Something akin to it, maybe.” The cat pressed forward and rubbed his head along Caleb’s beard, purring loudly. “I think so.” “Probably,” Caleb conceded. “But patience, my friend. These things take time. It is not as simple for everyone else as it is for you.” Caleb kissed the cat on his little forehead and closed his eyes. Purrs rumbled through his chest and ribs, and he let the rhythm lull him into a pleasant, dreamless sleep.

And that’s Chapter 2! I hope you enjoyed! May you all have a nice nap with a purring cat (or whatever your preferred equivalent is).

Until next time!

[sapphireofmars]

Shadowgast being all smiley like they basically cannot look at each other without thinking "omg i can't believe how smart and hot my wizard bf is"

[ensinful]

wizard hands 🫶

uncensored version now available on my bluesky and cohost!

[all-made-of-stardust]

I forgot to share this here last night, but here it is! You want some fluff???? You want some chaos???? You want some awesome body positivity???? Join these two in their epic quest to make Jester feel comfy in her own skin (and also tease the entire Nein while they're at it).

[demigoddessqueens]

Headcannons for Reader x Caleb x Molly

Also Reader x Caleb x Essek

Awww! I missed Molly 💜💕

Two mages and a tiefling

You and Molly just naturally got along so when the Nein first forms, Caleb just assumes you and the tiefling are a thing.

Butttt, all that changes when you introduce yourself. Caleb just thinks you’re being polite (who is he to think he deserves nice things like love?) but you both start coming on to him.

After revelations of his background, Caleb thinks you both will turn away and shun him but he’s wrong. Molly has a whole new level of trust and respect for him now, and you talk freely to him. Being here. Holding him like he doesn’t loathe himself for his past.

It’s the beginning of something that Caleb hasn’t felt in a long while, and for once he feels happy. Molly’s encouragement (and surprise kisses), and your comforts. That is until tragedy strikes and Molly is taken away from you both and the party.

It breaks his heart at this, and to see you like this as well. You have each other now, and for a while that grief evolves into a more intimate level of understanding each other.

When you both meet Essek, you and Jester are the most welcoming and Caleb feels the draw too. Every time you all meet the drow again, you and Caleb make the most of it getting to know him.

Long talks, long walks, conversing over the books you’ve found, and sharing the few intimate moments in caring for each other.

Yet, tragedy strikes again with Essek’s betrayal and this is the most despairing you’ve seen Caleb. He still has you but even now he fears that you’ll slip away from him too.

With the coming defeat of Trent and Essek trying to make things right, it makes for a tense reunion but you both can’t deny the feelings still held for him.

In the end, once there’s some sense of peace brought with Trent’s defeat and you three make up, everything feels right just for the moment. A peace that Caleb can finally grant himself the happiness of

[all-thestories-aretrue]

The return of hot boi. Let the sexy wizard times begin.

[mini-minish]

m9 pirate + essek joins earlier + speedrun any% au 🏝

disclaimer these are just sillies for fun bc i wanted more pirate times please don't think too much about plot divergences; feel free to add your own ideas in the mix!

spoilers for the mighty nein

• fjord becomes a captain earlier

• caleb escapes the prision earlier

• while on the run and covered in tears and mud, he meets beauregard in one of her many cobalt soul escapes

• a lone half-orc captain with a cursed sword but no ship or crew walks into a bar, sees two anxious looking humans in the corner: a scrawny woman with a grumpy face and a scrawnier ginger with a towel to his recently broken nose

• seems easy enough.

• girls night!!! they steal their first boat

• rule #1 of stealing methods of transportation is that you should watch out for blue tieflings stowaways trying to get as far away from a recent problem as possible

• back on land they loose beau (got got by the soul ☝️😔), caleb gets locked up in a shady storage while looking for her and there he meets nott the brave

• fjord's first response upon seeing a goblin following his navigator is to pull the sword on it

• nott's first response upon seeing some green dude shove a sword in her face is to pull her crossbow at him

• they look up and down for beau, but she finds her way back to them eventually

• still, they'll need more hands if they want to keep their totally legally owned ship afloat

• still on land, The Circus Plot happens and they acquire two more crew members 🎉

• molly loves the ocean, yasha likes the wind

• all of them like to go up to the crow's nest and bother caleb, nott more than the others; eventually he stops hiding up there so much

• yasha starts getting anxious about her unfinished business at the same time jester stars getting anxious about their clothes not being pirate-y enough

• they lose their first ship (of pristine papers as long as you don't look at them in the light) and have to travel on land until they manage to borrow a new one without asking it's owner and with promises of never returning it

• they also lose molly :(

• but they get caduceus :) who's not very keen on being in a boat for long periods of time but he'll adjust

• one thing he'll have in common with the cat

• fjord has a problem: The Voices in his head telling him to get back on the water

• jester has a conundrum: they got all of these nice, proper pirate outfits but now they have no ship

• love wins

• she did get frumpkin his very own little coat

• in the night, as the mighty nein crew wispers around two pushed together inn tables, a cloaked figure approaches upon hearing they are in need of help

• dezran, or dez, for short, for friends, an inconspicuous sun elf from, you know, around these parts, who is in dire need of work and oh would your captain be so kind to-

• insight checks fly around the pushed together inn tables

• but all of them know each of them is running from something or someone, and not all of them have a destination in mind, so really it's not like they're going to ask.

• plus nott thinks she saw a really nice boat on the dock with it's lights all out

• welcome aboard!

• cue the guy running from stealing things having to steal things

• cue a disguised drow's inventory slots full of the strongest sunscreen balm he could find this side of the continent

• maybe caduceus or jester finds out first, around when ess- dez, for friends, got a little too reckless and a little too hurt some time or other

• but the wildmother shows caduceus a lonely star when he asks, and artagan hasn't been paying attention, and anyways that's dez, that's right, their friend who has been nothing but helpful and fun, if a little skittish depending on the weather, and who always tries jester's pastries

• besides, far from him being the only person with a fake identity at the function. he's not that special.

• when fjord and beau find out, they're suspicious, but they won't make him walk the plank. there's protocol for that.

• yasha is not one to question someone running from their past

• when nott the brave finds out, she doesn't ask what he really looks like

• when caleb widogast finds out, during a siege on the ship, he grabs essek's arm and sees the drow underneath the disguise, and wants to know who are you, but circumstances are that later, they'll talk about this later.

[tieflingtea]

When Caleb and Essek fight, Caleb always sends Frumpkin over to comfort Essek because he wants to win the argument but he also knows how upset Essek gets when they have conflict

[spottedenchants]

Heyyy WIP Wednesday! Here's a continuation of this snippet from We Should Explore Other Things :3

-

Recentered, Essek sets his mind firmly to this reframed pet project.

“And the verbal component?”

Caleb’s tone shifts quieter, perhaps thoughtful.

“I was wondering. What if it could be more private- thinking the message instead of saying it out loud, for everyone to hear.”

The change draws Essek’s attention and-.

Oh, Caleb fixed his hair a little. Not entirely tucked and pulled tight, but a tasteful tidying all the same. Caleb is, also, currently watching him.

Returning his eyes to Caleb’s work, Essek matches his murmur, if only to tease with a mimic under such focus.

“And what, if I may ask--”

“Ask.”

Curious at the quite-soft interruption, Essek refocuses to Caleb, looks Caleb’s entire face over this time.

As if there’s anything playing between his laugh lines but quiet amusement, maybe a little mischief.

He meets Caleb’s level gaze, chin up to challenge a flirt back.

“What sorts of conversations are you planning, Caleb?”

Caleb’s nose, his eyes, crinkle further as he leans closer. 

“I’m not allowed to tinker for pure fun, Essek?”

Hm. 

“Who am I to impose allowances.”

Essek relents with a muted smile, muttering his original inquiry while turning back to Caleb’s notes.

“You’re wanting to keep all functionality?”

[reilora-borealis]

a shadowgast headcanon

I imagine that a short while after Caleb's death, Essek, who has seen a few members of the Nein die but has never been shattered by grief like this, who has been alone for so much of his life already, realizes how much longer he will have to be alone, and it breaks him.

He will never again set foot in the tower; try as he might to recreate it, it won't be the same. He understands better than anyone that magic can stop time, heal wounds, bring people back from the dead, but it's all just temporary. It's not natural, as Caduceus keeps reminding him over and over as he bargains. It's not what he would have wanted.

Worst of all, Essek knows - in that hopeless, irrational, melodramatic, fundamentally true way that a person knows things when they're grieving - that he will never love anyone in the same way ever again.

So, in a moment of weakness, for the first time in his almost 200 years of life, Essek casts find familiar.

Of course, there were the cats that Caleb kept in their cottage, plus the strays that he fed in the back garden. There were the dogs that Beau and Yasha adopted, the menagerie of critters Jester collected over the years and foisted upon all of their friends. But Essek knows none of them will be around for long. Compared to the lifespan of a drow, most pets are like mayflies. They will all leave too, sooner or later. Everything will.

He doesn't know what to expect, as he's casting the spell. He doesn't really have a shape in mind, he's just looking for something to take the loneliness away, anything, calling blindly into the dark to see what answers back. He thinks this is foolish, this exercise. He thinks he will never heal. He thinks of Caleb.

When he completes the ritual, he opens his eyes and there before him is a cat. A familiar brown Bengal tabby cat.

And Frumpkin climbs into Essek's arms. Because someone needed this fey spirit once, long ago, someone in pain. And even though Caleb set him free, he knows that someone new needs him now.

[kmackatie]

I am in a place currently where despite having many ideas of shadowgast stories I want to tell, the thought of actually sitting down and writing them is a herculean wall I cannot get over

they will return in time. I am still very happy to discuss ideas and headcanons and everything else, but new work may be a while off yet

[aeor-is-for-reccing]

Hand Kink: A Shadowgast Rec List

This week, we have Nine fics that have to deal with the wonderful allure of a wizard’s hands. As ever, if you like them, don't forget to Kudos or comment!

magic hands by Anonymous, KmacKatie (kmackatie) (19606, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek enjoys the subtle touch of his Mage Hand, while Caleb watches and pretends not to notice. Two parts, from each of their POV.

Reccer says: This is a deeply romantic and sensual take on an evening in the Tower, where wizard hands doing casual, mundane wizard activitites get some well deserved love, and spectral hands get their spectral fingers wet. The tension of the playful voyerism/exhibitionism is delicious, while the atmosphere remains warm and easy throughout.

the finer things by Capitola (2102, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek shares some luxurious caviar with Caleb.

Reccer says: Slow, heady hand feeding, and a neat take on consensual and comfortable use of aphrodisiacs.

gilded by renquise (1949, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek Teleports into Caleb's house, dressed in court robes. Caleb undoes his glove.

Reccer says: A classic. An original. A hand kink must-read. This is sweet and slow and delicate, lingering on highly specific sensations, dipping into some interesting cultural headcanons about hands.

Legerdemain by ladyofrosefire (1764, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek likes Caleb's hands.

Reccer says: Very to the point, and very hot

when you move, i'm moved by bloodredribbon (10829, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

An AU in which everything is the same except Essek can pole dance. And Caleb finds out about it. And hatches a clever plan to… find out about it some more.

Reccer says: It's fun and hot and sweet!

like the love that discovered the sin by bloodredribbon (4960, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb warms up Essek, who's severely underdressed for the weather in Eiselcross.

Reccer says: It's very tender, sweet and also... extremely hot.

the undisclosed desires in your heart by LivThael (3786, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Dubcon/Consensual Non Consent, Under negotiated kink

Essek is extremely into Caleb's hands. He takes it a little too far

Reccer says: I liked it!

take what you can't keep by stygius (6712, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek teaches Caleb a new spell, while trying to solve the mysteries of both of their complicated desires.

Reccer says: The cream of the crop in terms of Wizard Hands: There is intricate spellcasting tutoring and demonstration, guided/corrected gestures, gloves, breaches of intimacy, handjobs, and more. Also a deeply intriguing fic in general that takes place during one of the highest-tension phases of Caleb and Essek's relationship. Highly delicious.

And two recs for

beneath, you are cavernous by lakrisrot (3124, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Dubcon/Consensual Non Consent, dubcon is of the mutual manipulation type

Caleb's study session with Essek ends different than expected.

Reccer 1 says: The dubious relationship between the two and the way the subtle power shifts are portrayed is spectacular! Reccer 2 says: It's got some great mutual manipulation vibes, plus a lot of descriptions of hands and magic

Aeor is for Lovers is an 18+ Shadowgast Discord server. The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. All fics, unless otherwise specified, will primarily feature Shadowgast.

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