#Ask the Witcher Characters

[batsyheere]

Was writing songs for a character that has a bardic background and had a friend look over the bare bones start of one and he said "it's all pretty words but no actual content" and I looked him in the eye and asked him if he just told me I made a pie with no filling

He hit the brakes so hard while laughing he nearly killed us but I will never forgive him for being Geralt at Jaskier for a moment

[tcustodisart]

Yesss Witcher 3!! You’re a gamer of impeccable taste :) who’s your romance?

In all my playthroughs it was Yennefer! Although my favorite romancable witcher girlie is Shani (she deserves someone better than Geralt tho). In a perfect world Regis would've been a romancable option...

Fun fact, in my first bg3 playthrough I made Geralt into Connie's dream guardian fkgjfg. It's a silly thing but whenever I don't know what character to make I just try to make Geralt (I did that in my joja mart stardew valley playthrough and south park stick of truth of all games lmao).

[powdermelonkeg]

Just read your fic, I don't think I've seen anyone write Lambert so...calm? Not a critique whatsoever, I'm just shocked at how levelheaded he was, even when the dwarf was threatening him. It's a nice change of pace!

Thank you!!! (Fic in question here)

A lot of people write him as this angry, prickly, sweary little bastard. Which he can be, for sure, but when he's at his limit.

In the books, he's only mentioned for his mentorship of Ciri. <- Translation (to me): Good with kids. Compound that with his TW3 backstory of how he was treated as a kid, and you've got protectiveness.

In TW3, we see a lot more of him. His angry moments boil down to:

When he's tracking down a guy that murdered his best friend

When Yennefer says she's going to torture a being (that, to his knowledge, might be his niece under a curse) potentially to death

When he's being threatened by monsters that throw boulders at him

When Vesemir shows up with torture equipment that he kept for sentimental value

When Vesemir's dead and Geralt's pushing buttons

When he's relived some of his worst moments during his last trial where he lost ANOTHER friend of his, pointlessly

Which, tbh, are pretty solid reasons to be pissed off.

Is he sadistic? Yes. He killed two people that threatened his life by charming them into killing themselves and told the story to get a rise out of Geralt, and he's proud of the vengeance he got to exact on his dad.

Is he snarky? Absolutely. In nearly every sentence he says.

But off the top of my head, I've only ever heard him raise his voice twice: Once when demanding Jad Karadin's whereabouts, and once when Yen proposed the Trial of the Grasses.

Witchers are "emotionless mutants." This isn't true, but they ARE masters of their own bodies, from their reactions to their mutations. They can control the literal dilation of their pupils at will. Couple that with the kind of training that was exacted on them during Kaer Morhen's heyday, and you get someone who can shut down on command.

Lambert in TMYTIA, so far, hasn't been put in any position to make him angry. He's in control of the situation. He knows what he wants and exactly how to get it. Being able to hide how he's feeling on a job is always an advantage.

And beyond that, Lambert isn't governed by his wrath. He's bitter, sure, but he's also playful. If you take the few moments you get where he isn't grieving, you get someone who's incredibly silly, who likes to do impressions, who goes for a hug when someone says they love him, he names animals, he has the stupidest ideas when drunk. He plays Gwent and likes cracking jokes.

He's the kind of guy not to feel bad whatsoever about murdering a man. But he'd also drop a kid in a pile of snow just to make them laugh, or play whatever role game they asked him to.

[reegis]

are you in any other fandoms than the Mechs 0:?

i feel like at least one of these is pretty obvious jsjsj i dont know how to like things a normal amount so it’s limited to only a few at a time

[greenapplespider]

Hi! Hope you're well, I wanted to ask what would be okay to request if the requests are open?

I am a multi-fandom/ship blog and I love OC’s so yes <3 requests welcome.

Requests are (generally) always open to followers. If it is extremely funny then it’s no holds bar. For requests, I will draw sketches/line art. Of course commissions are open and tips appreciated. Requests are done at my leisure so they’re not always done in a timely manner and I can refuse for whatever reason I like ;p

Best fandoms for me are Naruto, The Witcher*, MP100, House, Dragon Age, Black Clover, and Stargate to name a few.

*(If it is a Witcher request and I think you are Marina then I will ignore it or dunk on you)

For example, about this quality wise.

[hanzajesthanza]

I saw a take that was like “Lady of the Lake” is a complete mess and barely even a Witcher book because by then Sapkowski just wanted to write Arthurian legend fanfiction and write and essay about meta text into the book

are you me?! lol, because i was on r/fantasy a couple of days ago and saw witcher catching stray bullets there too 😭

anytime i do hear this take, i want to say: “… and what’s wrong with that 😅🥲 and what’s wrong with that?!”

because, to be honest, i also didn’t really care about any of the arthurian stuff… but then i actually went and read his opinions on why it’s important; which turned out to be just as interesting as the book, so i see it as like… own author analysis of his characters and world… like this is the kind of thing you typically beg authors to explain about their series and he just did it 🤷🏻‍♂️

the problem with my take is that i didn’t read it when it came out in 1999 (probably due to not being born yet) so i have no abilityto judge it as it was “in the moment”. i also didn’t even read the series chronologically, and played witcher 3 before i read the books, so i suppose the ending had a reduced effect on me…

however; i was a mess at the ending… so i don’t want to know how i would have reacted had i read it free of spoilers… i probably would have been like the ‘99 fans and been pissed all the same. i get the frustration: “our heroes are dead and you’re prattling on about some old legend…”

but i feel like lady of the lake is a fine wine for how it ages well. well, maybe not the… library bit, or forest gramps bit. but it ages well if you reread it and do so with patience.

the nice thing about writing and reading is that it’s asynchronous. you have all the time as a reader to pause. if you don’t understand the references, use your time to look them up. you don’t need to understand it perfectly, you don’t need to be like sapkowski and become an arthurian fanboy.

you just have to understand what he was getting at: that in his view, the arthurian myth is the genesis of all the modern fantasy genre, and by not only intentionally writing parallels to it in his work, but writing his character into that world, he is humbly (hehe) submitting his work into the fantasy canon and sending it off after it's been completed; like ciri with her parents. if you understand it this way, it becomes very beautiful indeed. it’s not just “arthurian fanfiction” because in his view, ALL fantasy writing is “arthurian fanfiction.”

(and this is even more interesting from a cultural perspective btw to me because… well it’s better explained by paulina drewniak in her thesis, but arthurian legend (in welsh and anglo-saxon forms) is “western european”, same with the modern fantasy genre being english-dominate. and witcher is… well, poland is in central europe (look at a map), but characterized as “eastern” for socio-political, historical reasons. so witcher is absolutely insane genius because sapkowski took this western format and myth and mixed it with some polish history and sensibilities of the ‘90s audiences, as well as influences from polish romanticism, making something that ends up being intriguing to many more cultures than just the one. the internationality of the witcher began way before witcher 3 snagged game of the year 2015! hehe, also geralt as a character taking from american genre fiction—hardboiled crime, western genres. and at the same time he became a polish hero. (bold claim maybe, but i mean it like… well, i’m working on the essay for that now, so you’ll see i suppose 😅)

witcher is just so damn unique for this reason. i think many works try to stay monocultural, but witcher is like this big soup that sapkowski throws a bunch of different ingredients into—and skillfully, not randomly. anyways this paragraph is really off topic but i think this was really cool :) i’ll write more on this later, at some other time. but to connect it back to topic: what i mean is, the arthurian legend makes witcher all the more richer. and then for me as a “western” reader reading it, it’s like this big full circle (even though idk crap about arthurian legend before i read the witcher :’D ))

i think that lady of the lake made me a better reader because i realized that fantasy and genre fiction, aka what i understand as "entertainment" and "reading for pleasure" is much, much more similar to "high literature" and "serious reading" than i had initially received it to be. sapkowski said it something like: “all writing is literature, everytthing except the tv guide and A to Z nutria breeding.”

the way i separated them in my mind was that entertainment books were to just entertain, and serious books were to hold an author’s message, so you should work at what they’re getting at. the witcher showed me that “entertainment books” ALSO hold the author’s message and you should work at what they’re getting at;

in other words, it’s not just about you, the reader, your pleasure; this is a two-way street. this is a game, for the enjoyment of both parties. it’s a bit like charades, or pictionary. the author is saying something, thinking something, it’s your side of the game to figure it out. and i found that figuring that out is much more fun when you also at the same time are receiving a story that you’ve become emotionally attached to and makes you giddy. but it’s not JUST about that story, the joy is not limited to just this world and these characters.

i adored english classes for this kind of game, but because we read stand-alone novels, the characters always felt a bit flat—and of course because most of the time they’re just vessels intended to carry the story. but with the witcher, with this saga, you get the benefit of a “low” work: the stakes which feel personal and intimate, the long standing development of the characters, the fandom excitement and buzz, and also the benfit of a “high” work: the allusions and intertextuality, the hidden meanings, the cleverness and play. it’s really the best of both worlds.

and the hussite trilogy takes this farther because it’s a historical fantasy so sapkowski could include as many historical and literary references as he desired… if they existed by the mid-15th century and were known in central europe. but that’s a LOT of sources to draw from already, pretty much an unimaginable well of context. and did i understand everything, no. i didn’t understand much. but i was pleasantly surprised because i understood more than i expected, and when i didn’t understand i could figure the intended meaning out through context clues. i mean, this proved to me that these references to other works are all just extra sauce anyways, to make the dish a bit richer and fuller…

it’s just nice metaphor, and a lot can be done with this. if you compare geralt to arthur or reynevan to lancelot (well… as HE believes himself to be…) … that makes the meaning sooo much deeper. i like this with “electra” most of all. i think we should all adopt classical or mythological psuedonyms that we feel represent us; these are shorthand for what we stand for and what we believe in, who we are. if you know a bit about just a few myths, you can extrapolate so much from just one name. this is also the case with fictional characters from the modern fantasy genre, so i see what sapkowski was getting at when he draws lines connecting the two.

the only reason i DON’T like it when he does this is because… i do feel a bit like: i went into a library to return a book, but instead of taking my book back, the portly old librarian wordlessly shoved two NEW stacks of books into my arms, then pushed me out the door back onto the street. because andrzej sapkowski is basically the offline version of a guy on forums who recommends you twenty new books every time you mention you enjoyed one. i cannot keep up! so now i have a reading list ten miles long. i think his recommendations and what he intertwined into the witcher will literally keep me occupied into my 30s. but that’s ok, i know what to bring now if i ever get abandoned on a deserted island.

for this reason, i think witcher is both the worst and the best introduction back into reading i could have asked for. if you dig for two seconds are basically handed a road map to not only the entire genre, but the wide open world of european literature, both western and eastern. and american literature too, which i think i’ll be giving a second go…

[turtles-allthewaydown]

Out of curiosity, what chapter of It Takes A Village (hurt/comfort, hotel residents helping Angel Dust in various circumstances) are you most interested in?

*already exists, click for Chapter One: Niffty

**already exists, click for Chapter Two: Vaggie

[xejune]

modern times come with modern solutions

[simplyclassified]

My fave opera moments #iruma #demo

[in-tua-deep]

So I followed you years ago for the first season of tua. It has been years and now tua has come to an end. I just watched the final season. Did you or will you watch it? I might not be able to recommend it. Which is such a shame. The first season was amazing and will be forever one of my favorite shows.

I have a terrible confession to make…

I’ve only fully watched season one of the umbrella academy. I started season 2 and haven’t finished it yet 😭

[rebrandedbard]

Ooh for the most memorable thing, I think the moment in your Rumplestiltskin AU when he finds his name! I loved that twist

Oh man, I love that part! Here's a sketched visual of the scene for you. This is how I imagined the border (roughly) between the human world and the faerie world, with the buttercup right on the edge of the two.

[littlewriterfullofwords]

Hello!

Since I am bored and kinda proud of my existing characters, I'd like to do an ASKING GAME FOR OC

The rules are simple, I write down fandoms I am in and the names of OCs I have there, you send an ask with either the fandom's name or the name of an OC and I answer with some information about the OC.

And I think that's all.... let's get into fandoms!

SUPERNATURAL

Ariela

Isabelle (rp)

Porchay (rp)

Archer (rp)

Hasumi (rp)

THE WITCHER

Blair

TEEN WOLF

Hyo Yuki/Cassidy

PERCY JACKSON

Roxanne

CAMP HALF-BLOOD (rp)

Ezekiel

Vincent

Alan

Namseok

Pandora

Hanashi Miya

CRIMINAL MINDS

Alastair

Tatiana

Bianca (rp)

Alan (rp)

Colettee (rp)

Hayato (rp)

Delilah (rp)

HIGH&LOW

Yuken Rin

Amamiya Mia

SQUID GAME

Hwang Jihyun

GENSHIN

Miya

HANNIBAL

Keres

MERLIN

Daere

ALICE IN BORDERLAND

Murderous twins

WEDNESDAY

Thana

THE GIFTED

Tony

HAIKYUU

Kozume Hoshi

[http-piloaf]

For the character ask game:

Eskel for witcherverse, and Rhaenyra Targaryen for hotd?

Thank you so much for the ask! And sorry for how long this turned out to be lol

Eskel

How I feel about this character

I really like him, I've always felt that Eskel is the responsible one of the witchers of Kaer Morhen - he's the version of Geralt that doesn't get involved with politics, sorceresses and destiny, and instead was a normal witcher (not that Eskel doesn't have adventures!). I think that, unlike Geralt and Lambert, Eskel is the only one who would still be a witcher if he had a choice, despite how hard that life is.

I like how despite being the most physically intimidating, he's probably the most compassionate of the witchers. My favorite Eskel moment is in the books, when Ciri gets scared by his face and describes him as looking almost non-human, but with a smile he calmed her and made her feel safe.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Tbh I headcannon to Eskel as aromantic, sleeping with women on the path but never with the intention of settling down or starting anything serious.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I love his friendship with the Kaer Morons - the drunken scene in the Witcher 3 is one of my favorites in the franchise - and he feels like the older brother of the trio. I like how he knows and avoids talking about the things that upset Lambert, and how he speaks his honest mind to Geralt - no insults or shame.

I also like how he gets along with Triss, as both are caring and concerned for others - I'd like to see that friendship explored more. I also think that he would get along very well with Regis, and that they could have very interesting conversations, since in my opinion Eskel wouldn't be ashamed to talk about himself (unlike Geralt who usually gets uncomfortable in that kind of conversations).

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don't have any unpopular opinions about him. I hate his fate in the Netflix show - not only does his death bother me, but his entire characterization - but I don't think that's controversial lol.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wish he had his own pre-Kaer Morhen side quest in the Witcher 3 (in the same way that Lambert had his with Aiden's death and Jad Karadin) - and that his past had been explored more (although I haven't played Witcher 1 yet, there might be more Eskel content in there that I don't know about!), especially his relationship with his mother and how he became a Witcher, since I remember a small dialogue with him in the Forktail mission where he said all he remembered about her was a song she used to sing to him.

Rhaenyra Targaryen

How I feel about this character

She's in my top 5 characters from hotd (with Alicent, Otto and Criston and Helaena)! At first I thought she would just be Daenerys 2.0, but she's grown up a lot for me throughout the show. I love the way she is trying to stop the war, I feel that she unlike others is not blinded by her power or ambition and this allows her to anticipate how deadly the war will be, which leads her to make increasingly desperate attempts (and to a certain degree a bit absurd, like infiltrating Kings Landing). I feel that in the last episode, when she sent Rhaena to the Vale, it's because Rhaenyra realized that she and her family will 100% not survive the war, and that's why she sends the children with her - in a way Rhaenyra trying to talk to Alicent might be because she knows that this is the last chance to stop their own deaths.

I think the only reason she wanted to be heir was to have her father's aproval and validation - amd that's also why she isn't focused on having power, but rather on uniting the realm and preventing war, like Viserys wanted according to the prophecy. When Rhaenyra talked with Alicent in the most recent episode, she was so heartbroken at the possibility of her father abandoning her at the last minute.

I have so much more to say about her but this is too long already!

All the people I ship romantically with this characte

I think the entire war would be over if she and Alicent ran away to Essos together on Syrax to live in a farm and pick oranges for the rest of their lives. I also really enjoyed her relationship with Harwin Strong, they looked really happy and she deserved to have a husband who not only appreciates her but respects her as a queen (unlike Daemon!).

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I loved her friendship with Laenor, even though he failed to fulfill all of his royal duties, she never blamed or insulted him, and I'm so glad she gave him a happy ending with his boyfriend (even though they killed a random guard lol). Outside of canon, I'd love to see her interact with Daenerys - I feel this would help prevent the entire catastrophe that happened at the end of GoT, as Rhaenyra would help Dany stop seeing the people of King's Landing as enemies, and see why people supported Cersei and not her, the same way Rhaenyra tried to reason with the Greens (thanks to Rhaenys' advice), and how she empathized with Helaena and Alicent after Blood and Cheese.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Although I love her patience and empathy, I feel that she lacks badass moments where she shows that she's a strong queen - I feel like she should inspire both compassion and respect/fear, since I think she's falling into the same mistakes of her father by not taking action. The end of s1 left me wanting to see her violent and rageful side, but she has yet to seek revenge for her son or usurpation.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wish everyone would resolve their differences and become friends and go on a family vacation :)

Jokes aside, I wish we would have seen her interact more with Alicent's children, especially Aegon before he seized the crown. I think it would have more impact to see how their family relationship was before, and then see how drastically it would change with the war.

[hanzajesthanza]

that would be a really fun (though exhausting) video to make, just "explain the witcher [entire series] from memory"

[caninecutiez]

Can you make a bot with Yennefer from the Witcher 3.

So basically Yennefer x fem assassin user.

The rest is up to you and thanks 🙏🏻🙏🏻

click here to chat

[captzexx]

🍷 a character i want to write but never made a blog for

Duncan Waycrest or Duncrest for sure.

He's a vampire I came up with randomly to use as a Regis like character for Eld in my Order of Embers stuff and later when I transitioned into writing Witcher stuff for a bit. He's got a lot to him story wise and I feel makes a great ally to my hunters as he has so much knowledge and power but is so damn melancholy.

I'm still thinking of using him again as a lot of people recently found him and have liked what I was doing with him. I liked what I was doing with him and maybe should, but my brain is all over the place with characters. We'll see with the upcoming DWC if I'll jump back into him.

If you want to look him up you can read about him some at: @eldridgecandell - tag: Duncan Waycrest or Duncrest

@acrowamongsparrows - tag: Duncan Waycrest, I even got a character page for him pinned

And as a slight mention of the upcoming Daily Writing Challenge (DWC) - @daily-writing-challenge

Thanks for the ask @amorthonblackwood