I am literally ALWAYSS thinking about Matt saying Essek smelled musky when they met him in campaign 3. Even if he was a pretty boi in campaign 2 I think hes a proper MAN now
Campaign 2 beginning transition transman Essek. Campaign 3, transman who's been in the game long enough to be comfy with a beard and long hair both, and doesn't mind if his pits are a bit huffable (Calebs sure are, no shame in it). And definitelyyyyyyyyyy a big hairy belly. Maybe he was chubby b4 but he is a proper, proper fat boi now
i really love this anon. there is nothing so relieving & refreshing as takes on essek that arent twinkish but rather embrace that hes a bit rough around the edges now. i was honestly shocked matt chose to explicitly say essek smelled like he hadnt showered, because in the past hes acted like elves dont "ripen", but im very glad for the progress. look, theres nothing inherently morally wrong about lithe twink essek, but im so tired of him being held to a fandom standard that acts like hes a graceful eternal 18 year old, rather than embracing that hes a disaster and a man over a hundred years old, worthy of caleb, a middle aged man's, time.
while i dont think essek could or would ever be masc on the level of a bodybuilder, i really love the idea of him being bearish, simultaneously weathered by being on the run often but also spoilt by caleb & jester. made soft(er) by love & attention he's definitely happy to recieve (ft. a million different cupcakes ordered to his door by jester, with extra dust of deliciousness on top), and aged & hardened by the days he isnt with family. essek with a belly in particular just makes me so happy to imagine; imagining him curled into his mantle whilst traveling only to relax, take off his gear, and instinctively plop his belly on the counter - only to blush blue when he realizes what he did, caleb with an eyebrow raised in amusement. also as you said too, i imagine him with at least a decent amount of fur - something about the shock of white on his face & chest & belly feels like perfect character design to me. he grows his hair out because of how distracted he is and to connect with kryn heritage both, and finds it frames his scruffy double chin well. soon his face carries a beautiful snowy beard.
eadwulf notices the drow getting hairier & bigger every time they meet and glances at caleb with a look that says "are you trying to sample what it was like to be with me, bren?" essek initially blushes against his will. eventually he learns to adjust his clothes slightly so wulf can see hes gained 20 lbs. wulf does the same with his belly, 50lbs heftier. now it's calebs turn to blush.