#smol essek

[bumble-b-goode]

i had to make an essek version

(original comic @its-soup on twitter)

[mightypieworkshop]

A silly doodle born in the ETFC ahead of the M9 live show! Look at this little bean, he’s clearly got the good business sense.

[hyakimth]

[mightypieworkshop]

if CR is gonna tell us it’s Hot Boi Summer, who am I to say otherwise?

(did a make a custom procreate brush just to give his swimsuit a beacon pattern? maybe)

appreciating the latest CR update email

[bittersweetyrn]

big fan of essek thelyss, not the fanon interpretation, which is either "smol bean, tiny fragile elf who's a sweetheart and basically a child" or people mistakenly calling betrayal of one's home country a "war crime" and then proceeding to be flippant about it anyway, but the real Essek

pretentious motherfucker that committed treason bc he though he was smarter than everyone else

learned to float literally just to impress other rich people

canonically neutral evil

basically head spymaster of his country and master of lies but sucks shit lying to his friends

stayed bitchy even after his redemption arc

"there is nothing I would love more than to not be around you all for the remainder of this day"

a space wizard that crushed someone with telekenesis just to show off (the person was already dying)

sexy feet, nice ass, overall hottie

fell in love with a traumatized wizard of his enemy country and it was mutual despite all the betrayal

faggot

gave away state secrets to enemy wizard bc he though he was sexy

discovered time travel with his boyfriend

proceeded to say they shouldn't use time travel (bc now he's a good boy) but was willing to sacrifice everything and help if his bf wanted to use it

once confessed he had such a bad fight with his dad that his dad ran into the demon caves and never returned (essek doesn't feel bad about this at all)

young for an elf but still 120 years old, he called his bf "young man" and flexed on him about how much more evil he is

[railroad-migraine]

Hey Poet! <3 First, thanks bunches for all that you do, your writing never fails to make me smile! If it's alright, may I please request Molly, Essek, Yasha and Caleb with a socially anxious F!teammate/friend or crush who's a half-dwarf? She usually passes for a short human, but her dwarven heritage shows in her body being hairier and a bit more thicc than the average human female, which makes her very self-conscious. Thank you and have a lovely day <3

Okay but first, you're adorable. And second, I never expected to have a request like this but I'm so so glad you sent it in. You're lovely, honey. Thank you x

~ Poet

Reassuring Fem!Reader about body hair

Caleb 💜

To be honest, as perceptive as he is, it's not something Caleb ever really regarded as something to be noted or commented on. Your hair is just another part of you, another piece of your body for him to admire - it's no different to how he loves your hands, your eyes, your smile... Cough not that he's ready to admit that he loves you yet tho cough

He's always looking out for you and can just sense when you're having a bad day. He gets them too. The perfect person to talk to about anxieties or insecurities with because he can share his own experiences with you. Together, you work to fight against the niggling voices in the back of your heads and grow stronger and accept this is who you are, and that's good.

He makes more of an effort to try convey how he feels for you. His pinky shyly links with your own and he mutters something about how nice you look today, how confidence suits you. You know he means it.

-

Molly 💜

Molly has never really been one to judge someone on their appearances, and you better believe he's not gonna start now. You are lovely. You are strong. You are healthy. You are so very normal (in a extraordinary way). You're hot, stop doubting yourself sm <3

King of reassurance and looking after you on days where you're less confident or more self conscious. Treats you like royalty, recommends and drags you to a spa day to treat yourself and ease your worries, make you feel pretty and comfortable in your skin.

Beauty standards and trends come and go. Your body, and the hair that comes with it, is yours for life. He wants you to learn to love it. If you let him, he sits you in front a mirror at a vanity and points out every single thing about your appearance that makes you special and beautiful and handsome. He kisses your cheek, and asks quietly for you to see yourself just as he does.

-

Yasha 💜

Yasha thinks you're the cutest thing. She's quite tall, and since you're smol in comparison, it's a huge win for her. Lifts you up like you weigh nothing, more than happy to hold you on her hip or on her shoulders. Likes how the sunshine catches on your hair and skin because you practically glow.

Is kinda hairy herself and stops shaving her arms when you confide in her. She never really had a preference to having or not having hair - it was more of a habit than anything else. She wants you to know that it's completely human to be as you are, and you don't have to change for anyone. Change because you want to, not because you feel like you have to.

She thinks that no one should feel like they have to conform to societal pressures and such. It can be hard, especially in the beginning, but she's with you every step of the way to give encouragement and reassurance when you need it. Beauty comes in many shapes and sizes, and you're no exception (°^°)

-

Essek 💜

Also enjoys the height difference. He's not super tall himself, but the levitation helps give the illusion that he is. Presses sweet lil kisses to your forehead when you least expect it only to see you flustered and smiley.

Hot boi finds it hard to grow hair anywhere other than the top of his head, so he actually likes the contrast between you two 🥺 You're soft and warm and he just holds you happily. There are qualities he seeks in potential partners, such as intelligence and emotional maturity and kindness. You have all of those. He likes the the shadows and the stubble and fuzz (no matter how thick) and everything that comes with you because it's you.

He also thinks it's nice that you physically show your dwarven heritage! He wants you to be happy and proud of your people, your background and where you've come from - it's just a reminder of how much he loves every single inch of you. Life is too short not to love your body, fluff and all xx

[lemxioz]

my favourite criminals 🧡💜

All I know is they’re married

[bumble-b-goode]

am i too late to this meme?

[mightypieworkshop]

Critical Role cosplayers! Will you be at Anime Ohio this weekend? Come see me at booth 913 in the main expo hall to get a photo with Smol Essek AND collect one of my brand new badge ribbons!

[hyakimth]

[ashisafriedpickle]

I love the short guy essek HC that exist because they’re so true and funny like “cause of a mass murder = just a lil guy, so smol, he float to normal height”

[luddlestons]

Beau, Caleb, and Molly, the most average sized individuals of the Moghty Nein watching the pocket sizes (Veth, Jester, and Essek) VS the giants (Fjord, Yasha, and Cas).

Hey, I just realized I had unintentionally evened the Tols, Smols, and Mids via HCs 🤣

Omg they do have a perfectly even grouping of heights!

The funny thing is, I think of the tall group, only Fjord could maaaaybe get roped into a fight about it (if Veth goads him enough, that is). Cad and Yasha are just like “hm? Did you need us to get something off a shelf? We can totally get something off a shelf if you need!”

[dsudis]

2022 Fic Year in Review

Scope note: I am including the WIP I completed this year, which will also appear in the previous year during which chapters were posted, if I ever get around to making a fic year in review post for that year. Stories posted for 2022 Christmas fic exchanges are included in this post.

In 2022 I posted 17 stories, including the concluding chapters of one WIP begun in 2021, for a total of over 104,000 words of fic posted in four fandoms. This was a pretty average number of stories for the past several years (since 2017, I've posted 12-18 stories per year) and a bit of a bounce back from last year's total of less than 82,000 words of fic posted. Weirdly, my word count total for 2022 was within a hundred words of my total from 2007, when I was, uh… working full time, in grad school, and shoveling most of my writing into a story I wouldn't post until the following year. 2022… also had its challenges, but I continue to regard it as The Year My Writing Came Back From The War, so I am pretty pleased all in all.

I actually wrote over 155,000 words of fic this year, with most of the unposted word count going to the Sandman Nightmare Apocalypse AU I started as a Nanowrimo project which… only needs another 80K or so, so… it could get finished in 2023? Maybe??

Story titles this year quoted The Mountain Goats, Taylor Swift, Rainier Maria Rilke, Beck, Swedish synth-pop duo The Knife, U2, T.S. Eliot and Sammy Cahn, who I have just this moment learned was the lyricist responsible for "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

Under the cut: fic list and year in review questions answered!

Critical Role

Whomever You Call Out to in the Night (Critical Role: Mighty Nein, Caduceus & Caleb, platonic rope bondage) Just One More Thing (Critical Role: Bells Hells, Orym & Ashton, Ashton's touch aversion) Dangerous Company (Critical Role: Bells Hells, Orym & Fearne, Teen, discussion of the PvP powder keg that is this party) Live Along Some Distant Day (Critical Role: Mighty Nein, Caleb/Essek, Teen, bonding over childhood religious trauma) One Hit, One Kiss (Critical Role: Mighty Nein, Molly/Caleb, Explicit, semi-public sex & spanking)

The Witcher

If I Could Never Give You Peace Emhyr var Emreis + Wolf Witchers, Teen, Emhyr is very confused by why all these people want him alive but inclined to go with it) The End Is Where We Start (Duny/Pavetta, VERY minor Geralt/Jaskier, implications of Many Complex Future Pairings, Explicit, time-travel fixit AU)

The Sandman

Licking the Spoon (Dreamling, Explicit, touch-starved Dream does some sensation-seeking with Hob) Lying in Wait (one-sided Dreamling, Mature, Dream in captivity fantasizes about Hob Gadling) An Endless End (Dream & Death, Teen, thoughts on what happens to Our Hero post-The Kindly Ones, Softer than you might think) A Dream of Unusual Size (Dreamling, Teen, Dream is Smol instead of Big for once) Introduction to Goncharov Studies (Dreamling + That Whole Goncharov Phenomenon, Explicit, Dream just gets Really Excited about story-making okay) The Weather Outside Is Frightful (Dreamling, Teen, Hurt/Comfort) Held Now by This Love (Dreamling, Explicit, kink/bondage/shibari)

Rock Bottom of a Hallowed Ground (Never Refuse You #1, Dreamling, Explicit, Dream decides that the Hob Gadling of 1689 needs some looking after and takes him on a visit to the Dreaming) A Symbol of Your Exegesis (Never Refuse You #2, Dreamling, Explicit, Hob is wandering around the Dreaming and encounters Big Dream)

The Cabots - Cat Sebastian

Caleb Murphy Gets a Hug

My best story this year: Probably "Rock Bottom of a Hallowed Ground", I think?

My favorite story this year: "Licking the Spoon"

My most popular story this year: Also "Licking the Spoon" by a fair margin but I swear I would love it even if it weren't!

Most fun story to write: Probably "Introduction to Goncharov Studies"!

Story with the single sexiest moment: (So I am cutting and pasting these questions from a previous year and the answer to this question from 2018 began with "I guess it depends on how you feel about tentacles?" which technically is not a relevant answer this year because I haven't posted any of that kind of Dreamling fic yet, but it feels very apt anyway.) "One Hit, One Kiss"

Story with the single sweetest moment: "The Weather Outside Is Frightful" almost in its entirety.

Story with the single saddest moment: Logic compels me to at least consider that it's "An Endless End" but I don't think of that as a sad story? I think it's probably "Live Along Some Distant Day" or possibly one of the other ones with Caleb in them because I mean: Caleb.

My weirdest/kinkiest story as demonstrated by reader response: "One Hit One Kiss" wins the private bookmarks quotient with 54% private, edging out "Held Now by This Love" with 48% and "Whomever You Call Out to in the Night" with 45%. "Whomever" did win the highest ratio of kudos to comments (which I fondly interpret as the "I liked this but I don't want to talk about it" quotient) with 21.4 kudos per comment, just edging out "A Dream of Unusual Size" (21.3) and "A Symbol of Your Exegesis" (20).

My most startlingly wholesome story as demonstrated by reader response: "Caleb Murphy Gets a Hug" has just one private bookmark!

Hardest story to write: [2018 answer: Oh, God. All of them, in the first three quarters of the year.] Oh, God. All of them, in the first three quarters of the year. "The End Is Where We Start" probably takes the cake, since I started it back in October of 2020.

Biggest surprise: [2018 answer: Monsterfucking!] My total failure to finish writing hardly any monsterfucking, given that I got into this year's Big Monsterfucking Pairing in September! Also, getting into this year's Big Monsterfucking Pairing in September.

This year’s theme and the story that demonstrates it most: Well, rope bondage made a surprisingly strong showing, but I think I wrote a lot of stories this year about people having their needs understood and accepted and getting what they need no matter how poor a job they do of asking for it, which is pretty on-brand for me, so I'll say that "Whomever You Call Out to in the Night" and "Held Now by This Love" kind of epitomize that (and are also the ones about rope bondage, and also the first and last one-shot stories I posted this year!)

Favorite opening line: Hob Gadling had a great deal to say about how much he had to live for, and no hesitation over saying it to Dream in a great rush of meandering detail. from "Rock Bottom of a Hallowed Ground"

Favorite closing line: It will be a nice problem to have. from "Lying in Wait"

[myrling-art]

Sometimes a comfort character is a neutral evil traitor who showed you that anyone can change and that kindness is never wasted on anybody and that's ok.

...I really miss Essek so I'm coping by making smol floaty hot boi GIFs. 💜

I also gave him a beacon because I could.

[senseofenterprise]

Our beans came just in time for the third night of Chanukah! Don’t worry, we’ll keep widobean from getting too close to the fire

[loyalhoundart]

Weezerds having a comfort food dinner date