#calebessek

...but also if you give me any other details i can try and look on ao3 (i have fun doing this lol so i'd be happy to). is it mostly following canon or AU? does trent actually show up as a character? was it complete?

True Soulmates share one (1) brain cell

this is sleeping in the shadow of an other self by nonwhal! a BANGER of a fic that i absolutely should have done a proper rec post but apparently i haven't!

a post-campaign 2 AU in which Verin and some other Dynasty soldiers come to arrest Essek after learning of his whereabouts, only to find him with his child. They still take him back, but Verin ends up staying behind, meeting the Mighty Nein, and eventually helping them to free Essek. i loooovvveeeddd this fic! i was itching for something long and plotty recently, and i found this, and what a delight it was!!!! i think the plot is super cool and has layers to it that i didn’t expect, and verin is a delight, and the m9 make for a great ensemble cast. i fully admit i know nothing about kids, so idk if the kid character in this is realistic, but i thought she was cute and believably childlike. the action sequences really reminded me of critrole episodes too, which is always a hard thing to do in writing but i thought this author nailed it

set throughout campaign 2 (up through the endgame). Caleb accidentally stumbles into Essek’s own private pocket dimension, and they sleep together. and then they do it again. meanwhile, the events of c2 are unfolding and as you might imagine, that gives them both a lot of emotions to try and juggle at once. i really love the ways both caleb and essek are characterized here—they are complicated people with a lot of mistrust and a lot of bad habits but they’re also just Lonely!!! i think this does a very good job of portraying something i really love about the shadowgast relationship, which is that the reason they fit together so well is in part because of all the mess between them.

I found this fic to be a really fun read! Chaya portrays Essik as someone with a dry sense of humor, as well as having clear sense of purpose and where his place in the world this. Contrasted with Caleb, who is only beginning to get there, Essik stands out and I loved getting to see his side of things. If you’re looking for a Shadowgast fic with a side of political intrigue, hold the angst, this is definitely for you!