#Isn't that why the first Witchers were humans??

[chairmanxmeow]

"You're telling me that the first Witcher was a badass elf."

Wait, what?? Why? Witchers were created by human mates, weren't 36 human children taken for training and experimentation? Isn't that how the Order of the Witchers came to be, I'm confused.

[veryace-ficrecs]

Hey! Could you do another daemon rec list? Your other list got me in the mood

Absolutly! d=====(￣▽￣*)b

More Daemon Fic Recs

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

Star Trek

Ni'Var by WerewolvesAreReal - Rated G

Humans have daemons. Vulcans have katras. Spock, born of both, has neither. Which he's fine with. Really. Meanwhile, James Kirk is a little curious about this whole daemon business, because how the hell can he have two souls - ?

a resilient touch by kurgaya - Rated T

Jim’s daemon used to be a wolf and Leonard’s not sure how he feels about that. Used to be. [STID Missing Scenes - Jim sleeps. Leonard worries. Someone unexpected talks some sense into them both].

Daredevil

Down to the Bone by SpiritsFlame - Rated G

Everyone always wants to know why his daemon isn't a bat. As though being blind is all that there is to him, the center point of his character.

Spiderman

of things unknown (but longed for still) by aloneintherain - Rated T

Peter Parker can’t walk around with the same daemon as Spider-Man. But she’s going to settle one day, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

The Witcher

Two Halves of a Whole by penguistifical - Rated G

Geralt doesn’t take much notice at first when the small brown bird alights on his table.

one for sorrow by Emamel - Rated T

There were other rumours, older and more persistent, that Jaskier hadn't been able to make a dent in. Witchers don't have souls. Witchers are no better than beasts. How could they be civilised, intelligent, compassionate, human, when they don't even have daemons. What was Jaskier supposed to do about that?

interconnected strand to strand by Hirikka - Rated G

Turns out Jaskier isn't the first person who loves Geralt to be driven away by the witcher. After The Mountain, Jaskier is found by Geralt's daemon. They adopt each other.

The Adventure Zone

a thousand points of no return by anonymousAlchemist - Rated T

Since wizard's daemons often settle as birds and urban legend says that elves are separated from their daemons, no one looks too closely at the fact that Taako and Lup are both single entities, missing the other halves of their hearts. They walk like people, they talk like people, and if they're hard to read because their daemons aren't fluffing up their feathers or swatting playfully with their paws, well, elves are notoriously enigmatic anyway. This lasts until their first death. All deaths on the Starblaster are strange. When Magnus first died on the animal planet, I'morko followed right after, both of their bodies dissipating into golden sparks, a strange inversion of the natural order. The pattern holds. Year after year, person and daemon alike dissipate into a fine mist of dust, knit together by the bond engine in the new plane. During their fifteenth year, Taako is shot through the heart with a well-aimed magic missile. Lup screams and casts one last firebolt, spell-sculpting around their bodies, before unspooling into a fine golden sand.

Yuri on Ice

hollow ground by Piyo13 - Rated T

There's no rules regarding where a daemon has to be in relation to their skater, only that they aren't allowed on the ice. This has always seemed a little unfair to Yuuri. After all, he loves skating like he loves his own soul; why can't he have both?

Batman

I know you won't leave by Speechless_since_1998 - Rated G

Jason was thirteen, adopted for over a year, and he was at his first gala. He expected the rich snobs who looked down on him, judging his daemon. What he didn't expect was to find a child hiding as his daemon took shape. Nor that Ace would adopt him.

everything you lose is a step you take by oceanofchaos - Rated T

“Tim,” she says, hesitant in a way that she never is, not when it’s just the two of them, “About settling.” Thirteen is hardly unreasonable to be unsettled, but rare given their night activities, and Tim’s been thinking hard about what Hestia will choose. “I don’t think I want to settle,” she says quietly, interrupting his train of thought, “Maybe not ever.” “Okay,” replies Tim, stroking a careful finger over her soft brown snout, “Not if you don’t want to.” ------------ Dæmon AU, the life and times of Tim Drake and his dæmon Hestia, before, during, and after Robin.

Fullmetal Alchemist

the lives of wild animals by ohmytheon - Rated G

military - but what people don't realize is that his daemon is just as wild as Mustang's in the end.

In the Shape of a Soul by redketchup - Rated T

Ed says, “Stupid Colonel Bastard.” “Brother, what are you thinking?” Alphonse asks evenly, which is his way of saying, Please, for the love of god, brother, the colonel is not responsible for every terrible thing, but hey, it ends up Alphonse is still loyal to his big brother, because he also adds, “I’m surprised he didn’t make an effort to call us. It sounds like something we could help with. Maybe the first lieutenant has been out recently.” Which conveys how little faith Alphonse actually has in Mustang when he acts outside Riza Hawkeye’s influence.

East City has a new string of murders and, much to a young alchemist's annoyance, his superior officer insists that the Fullmetal Alchemist's expertise is not needed. This leads to more trouble than anyone would expect.

talents of the souls by ohmytheon - Rated G

Edward's hand shakes as he draws the soul bonding transmutation circle on the inside of the armor. Alethea has to hold his arm up to keep him steady. “I won’t let you take them!” Ed screams. “Take my arm, take my heart, take my soul!” Alethea cries out as she buries her face into his stomach. He can’t feel her. He almost gets sick. Oh, god, why can’t he feel her? (Or, Fullmetal Alchemist with daemons, focusing on Edward, Alphonse, and human transmutation. Companion piece to "rummaging in our souls", which focuses on Roy and Riza.)

[fandom-blahs]

twofold. 1. The Lanterns show isn't just about Hal Jordan btw but are you looking forward to seeing it? 2. Emerald Twilight is just 3 issues though? how can that be a good story?

hi

The Lanterns show isn't just about Hal Jordan btw but are you looking forward to seeing it?

You're right about that sorry about that. I barely kept up with the project in the first place. I remember back when DC announced it years ago as part of their lineup but never bothered to check in because I had my doubts about the show taking off.

Am I looking forward to it...honestly for the past 5+ years I've been quite avoidant with Western adaptations moreso with projects that I either deeply liked it's source material or am aware of how good it is even if I never got around to reading/playing/watching (eg: Halo, The Witcher). The Green Lanterns are by far one of my favourite concepts in comic books and I always felt like they have so much to offer in terms of storytelling and visual storytelling yet rarely have I been impressed. I'm also worried in terms of budget. HBO is suffering from budget issues which were very apparent with HOTD where it effected it's storytelling (or maybe that's just my TG goggles on) I can't imagine it's a good idea to have another big budget show when they don't have the budget for one lol. I hope they don't spent time on earth that's so lame i'm sorry.

I'm a bit of a purist but idgaf when the source material is mediocre or "just alright" (The Boys, Umbrella Academy, a lot of anime lol, heartstopper, upcoming DMC anime)

For personal reasons Hal Jordan is one of my favourite characters in comic book so you can understand why I'm very hesitant to pick up the show. I'm very much pretending to ignore but I know curiosity will eventually have it's way (very much what happened with HOTD).

I kind of...tapped out of comic book adaptations for a while now lol and am very behind but it implies I care enough to keep up with DC/Marvel projects.

Emerald Twilight is just 3 issues though? how can that be a good story?

Good point but I meant more of a holistic view of Hal Jordan even if you take a non-chronological view (it's comic books, make your own canon) I think you'll end up with something worthwhile.

Obviously in the span of 3 issues him breaking down and becoming a villain is very very rushed but the overall arc, when combined with how great of hero Hal was (with a dash of being questionable human but not morally grey) him rising to the occasion and becoming the best GL from a shitty undermined planet to the greatest of villains has massive potential ... outside of comics lol.

[breadknight-likes-things]

Bread's Game Of The Year 2023, #5: Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty

2023 is one of, if not the, strongest years ever for video games as a medium of entertainment. I am limiting myself to five entries for my longer form GOTY list, because describing all ten of what I consider to be the best games of this year and why they resonate with me would be a herculean task that frankly, I don't know I have the mental capacity for anymore. I can do five though, and coming in just under the wire, isn't quite a full game, but welcome to my first instance of bending the rules in this series of posts: Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty. I don't have to get into the saga of Cyberpunk, if you're reading an online blog about video games, you probably know the story of that games fall and subsequent anime based redemption arc. Phantom Liberty, though, feels like a clean break, from all of it. Phantom Liberty had it's fair share of hype, of course, but going into this expansion pack, at least to me, felt like a good, solid clean break from the expectations that had come before and wildly affected the reaction Cyberpunk had received, and not entirely undeservedly. Phantom Liberty feels like something new, even though it was built on the much publicized enhanced bones of something old. It's funny that I want to describe the story setup of Phantom Liberty as "Straightforward" in my head, because the plot is cranked up twelve on the insane-o meter from the instant you load the quest. Phantom Liberty is a story that lifts themes, events and ideas from influences as far reaching as Escape From New York, James Bond, to paranoid political thrillers featuring a new double cross every five minutes. Somehow, in the face of all that, it tells a story that I still think I could define as simple, human, and fascinating. Even in the face of Idris Elba doing a.....strange approximation of an American accent. That they even got Keanu Reeves back in the booth to record a sizable new amount of dialogue as the infamous piece of digital shit, Johnny Silverhand, is wild. Even more wild that his best performance in the entirety of his time as the character only comes if you follow one specific line of quests that many players could easily miss. As a game, Phantom Liberty also has the undeniable advantage of coming out after Cyberpunks much vaunted 2.0 update. An update that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe as "Transformative". Loose collections of systems were tightened into a cohesive whole, the general play experience was wildly overhauled. Playing Cyberpunk finally feels like it approaches the game it promised to be all those years ago. So having all of this fresh coat of paint be present for the launch of a new major piece of content, is undeniably important to the success of Phantom Liberty as a whole. The trappings are familiar, but given how much has changed and improved, if you sat someone down in front of the systems at their most nitty gritty and said "This is Cyberpunk 2", it would not be the least believable statement. CD Projekt Red is no stranger to making good expansion packs. Witcher 3, famously, has two of the best ever designed for any RPG, let alone in the modern era. So I think the quality of Phantom Liberty perhaps could have been more predictable that many of us felt. Still, in a year packed so full of great games, Phantom Liberty rose above some real heavy hitters and delivered one of my favorite experiences of 2023. I don't know that I'd ever want to spend any extended period of time in Dogtown, but after this, I sure wouldn't mind visiting again.

[soymimikyu]

Witcher S3:E6/E7

Too much stuff happened in episode 6 to even attempt to chicken scratch while the episode was going. Episode 7 is more chill so we can chicken scratch. *peck peck*

I am definitely confused why people didn't like this season -- it is following the book excellently. There were movements in earlier episodes where I was a little concerned about the camera / lighting work, but they seem to have fixed that.

Triss and Istred! AHHH squeeee! Also Istred just kicking people in the episode 6!

Tissaia :( She is the best. I do like how the show gave her a lot more depth compared to the book.

Radovid the Jaskier -- the way Radovid looks at Jaskier. It really nicely parallels how Jaskier looked when Geralt snapped towards the end of season 1. Except Jaskier forgives a lot faster. Not in a weak way, but more human.

This whole season has done character pairings so well! Phillipa and Djikstra! Owl to the rescue!

Maybe they saved their budget for the fight between Geralt and Vilgefortz? That was stellar -- like in the first season with Vilgefortz magicking swords. Except better.

The way they killed Rience. It felt like an homage to the book. Like yes the fingers must go.

I really like how there is a caped figure in the dessert in some scenes if you look carefully enough. Like on the edge of the screen.

FERAL CIRI! Lizard NOMS! num :3

SQUEEE we saw Milva! There is just so much to squee over in this show.

ANTLION! Antlions in fantasy are always great!

UNICORN! Little horse helping ciri find the good nums.

I am so happy they brought back Calanthe! Even though she is horrifyingly mean. But still Calanthe.

Honestly since the very first season, the monsters have been a bit lack luster. Episode 7 fixes that. Short lived (hurr hurr), but that was still a cool giant sand louse?

Also how many times did Ciri say fuck in this episode? Id say make it a drinking game, but alcohol poisoning.

It might be a plot hole, but did they never previously convey that fire magic is a taboo? It isn't very clear in season 1 and I don't think it comes up in season 2. Yet it becomes super important now. I don't recall it in the books either, but my memory of the books is a tad fuzzy.

Where did Jaskier learn the Dryad's language? Is it just eleven or a dialect?

The credits to episode 7 are so worth watching just for the song.

[ahiddenpath]

Recently, I've been thinking about reading for pleasure and reading for challenge and I remembered your answer to that ask game where you mentioned your friend's list of literature. If you feel comfortable, could you share the list?

Sure thing! This is going to get really long so... List beneath the cut.

So my friend split these into two groups: authors you must read for a masters in literature (that you will actually enjoy bc they kick ass) and books you will enjoy that kick ass. Her recs were centered on fantasy and magical realism, at my request.

Magical realism you’d be forced to read in a masters program that’s also good actually (tm) Salman Rushdie

Morrison obviously

Louise Erdrich (tho she’d prolly object to being called magical realism)

Haruki Murakami

Stuff that is Not School Stuff but Actually Good (tm):

The Witcher novels

These are the Witcher novels in order:

blood of elves time of contempt baptism of fire the tower of the swallow lady of the lake

There are also two short stories.

Kingkiller chronicles (unfinished but worth it anyway)

The entire hainish cycle by Leguin

Michal moorecock’s elric saga (as or maybe more influential than Tolkien in pop culture fantasy, why D&D exists) read this before the Witcher books maybe

Pratchett obviously

Kelly Link’s stories (all over the genre map)

Gene Wolfe shadow and claw collection

Books to Grow By

This is a combination of recs from my friend and stuff I found myself, apologies for linking out but typing it again seems redundant.

-List 1

-More on the biographies of women mentioned at the bottom of the post linked above

-More on The Left Hand of Darkness, LeGuin

-More on Beloved, Morrison and how it impacted the writing I was doing at the time, although it's embarrassing to say that bc Beloved is an absolute master class in the novel and is incomparable and I feel almost blasphemous even talking about it, except that it might inspire other people to read it, so I will talk about it!!!! In the hopes that people read it!!!! Please read it.

I haven't spoken about it yet, but I really want to add Ducks, Kate Beaton to the list. It's an autobio graphic novel about Kate, a woman from Nova Scotia who took a job on the oil sands to pay off her history degree. It gets dark fast, I would check out trigger warnings first.

This book is so packed with... So many things that I... I hate that they exist, but I really want people to see them, to know about them. I grew up in a lower middle class family on the east coast of the USA. My parents spoke about money problems constantly, so I legit thought we were poor. We were not, although my parents struggled with money their whole lives and will likely never retire and will pass away in debt.

When I was in college, I made friends with my literature pal above online. We've been friends for... God, probably about 12 years now, chatting daily online. I don't want to get into her life too much on Tumblr.com, but she actually grew up in poverty, and graciously taught me what poverty actually is. That might sound sarcastic, but it isn't at all. Sharing your life experience like that takes a lot of trust, time, and emotional energy, and it isn't something we can just... expect to be given for the sake of our own growth (ick, right??).

Like Beaton, lots of people are born in places where comfortable and lucrative jobs are not readily available. Also like Beaton, many folks earn a college degree that will almost certainly not pay for itself in terms of securing gainful employment. People in those circumstances often end up in jobs that destroy their body, their mental health, and their dignity. Class status isn't only dependent on income; it's also dependent on the type of work a family unit does. Jobs that wreck your body can pay well, but at what price?

There are a million themes and glimpses of humanity and horror in this book, I wish everyone would read it. The book was a huge success, and most libraries carry it, so try to check it out!

[littleladymab]

FebruarOC - Elżbieta

MY DARLING GIRL WILL SOON RETURN FOR SEASON 2!!!!! Once again keep your eyes on @sagasofthesunlessreach for those details but please enjoy the rebroadcast of S1 for her introduction 8') 

Um so yeah I love her a lot! And at the top, a huge shout-outs to Zach for inviting me to play in the campaign even though I was (and still am) the pathfinder baby of the group, and being patient as I fumbled through learning how to play on stream. Not nerve-wracking at all. 

Elżbieta is an Investigator that I gave the "Bounty Hunter" background to in order to flavor it as she was sort of like a Witcher, someone who hunted supernatural creatures because no one else would (or could). You know what they say about a vampire, right? Its greatest enemy is a dhampir! Aka a half-vampire. 

(Not-spoiler alert, Elżbieta is a dhampir). (Worst kept secret, but it's one of those things where all the players were in on it so it was hard to make it feel like a secret, you know?) 

Her father is a bum-ass vampire who has gone and fucked off (her words)! She doesn't know where he is! Her mom sure as hell isn't telling her! So she's using her monster-hunting background and investigative know-how to hunt him down. Does she find any clues about him? Well, I'm going to have to suggest you listen to find out ;) 

For her physical appearance, I had just finished watching Netflix's Shadow & Bone and Daisy Head as Genya was just BIGGEST INSPO. In a lot of Slavic folk-culture (and beyond, tbh, but I was pulling from a lot of Slav culture), red-hair is indicative of demonic lineage and they were considered witches or devils etc. And she's got flame-red hair, which she would try to keep as inconspicuous as possible, hiding it beneath a broad-brimmed hat. Pair that with a paler than usual (for a land with no natural sunlight) skin, and, well, she has perfectly normal teeth and blood why do you keep staring at her like that? 

Mechanically, the first time I built her in 2021 it was before both the guns and gears and the book of the dead contents were released for Pathfinder, so I relied some on 'ghost hunter' dedication and haunt lore, which didn't quite fit the setting (it was useful Once), and had her start to take feats from rogue dedication at the end. But since it's an in-universe year between the two campaigns and I have these two new books to play with, I'm able to instead give her the "undead slayer" dedication which is MUCH more her speed for flavor and give her gunslinger dedication at later level! Which is specifically that she bothers Sorren to teach her how to use guns better because she picked up a musket in session 1 of the campaign and tbh didn't go back (Elżbieta voice "is this how you flirt????"). I think I used the nightstick once? I super wanted her to have a firearm but didn't know it could be a thing (and it was a roughshod thing at that) but now! Officially able to use gunslinger abilities. 

She came into this campaign as a "lone wolf" of sorts because well, she's a dhampir and doesn't trust like that. She wanted to find her dad and kick his ass. But now things have shifted slightly and she's looking to take down the bad guy with the power of friendship and this gun she found. But more seriously, she's interested in creating a space for half-bloods like her (or just generally non-humans in similar circumstances). And if that involves taking down the bad guy then so be it. They're the ones that are helping perpetuate the stigma against people like her! 

Her glow-up for S2 is going to be no hat and wearing her hair in a ponytail. Look at her go, not being afraid her defining features anymore!

Here's the character card with art by Bitmap that just is TRULY peak Genya Saffin vibes, and here is art I got done of Elżbieta and Sorren by Jack! And can't forget her pin board. 

And, last but not least, please enjoy rocking out to her playlist! AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, GO LISTEN TO SAGAS OF THE SUNLESS REACH @sagasofthesunlessreach!!

If you want to see the S2 Hero Forge mini I made and see her character sheet, they're up for free on my patreon!

PS If anyone can get me a copy of "Essays on Russian Folklore and Mythology" by Felix J Oinas for not $60 you'll be my favorite. 

[ellenchain]

I love Vampyr. My first run was a 'not even once' one with zero casualties. Then another where I turned the pillars only....and Geoffrey. Then one when I turned people I disliked....the murderer, serial killer, priest....and I'm currently in one where I try to have .....the most effect. Like you bite one character and then another obe does sth because of your actions, I love gameplay like that.

I agree that the gameplay could use some polish. Most of the fighting is sort of superfluous, you kill so many Priwen for basically nothing. Better to focus on the discovery and dialogue gameplay.

Geoffrey hits the perfect storm of classical antagonist, hunter vs monster, well meaning, modern knight, maybe even king arthur expy.....and relentless bastard. The interesting thing is that he's friendlier towards you if you turned him than if you spared him.

Elisabeth just wasn't explored enough, I almost feel like there's a part missing. In one mission she sends you dispatch her blackmailer, gives you no helpful information, scolds you if you get things wrong because of your lack of information and finally it turns out that her blackmailer was actually right and justified because she does kill helpless patients. And in the next mission Jonathan is in love with her.

Sorry for rambling, I have way too many thoughts about Vampyr.

Oh you've played it a lot more than me! Very nice! And since I'm fresh into the game, I love hearing your thoughts on it 🤩

I also think it's nice to see the effect that actions can have on the gameplay. For sure I'll give myself another run snacking on a few more people too. Just to see what happens! Some NPC were real dicks, it will give me great pleasure to make Jonathan bite them

I think it's a shame though that he immediately gets those bloodshot eyes - like, no other vampire has them, why does Jonathan immediately become a "bloodthirsty beast" haha (they suit him, don't get me wrong, it's just a bit strange)

I also noticed that Geoffrey isn't too sad as a vampire! Had almost thought he'd throw himself into the sun as his quasi-first official act as a vampire, but no - I think he actually likes it in the end. It would be cool if we got a second part (or a DLC) where Geoffrey as vampire helps us. Or he remains a human and helps us anyway, but we get to snack on him from time to time hihi

You're right, Elisabeth just wasn't portrayed well. Her character should have been given more depth. She came across as rather unsympathetic at the beginning, and suddenly Jonathan is head over heels for her. That didn't make sense in my head either. That's why the love story seemed a bit far-fetched to me.

In general, I also thought it was a shame that we didn't get to the East End and meet Jonathan's home until the very end. That part also came a bit too short for me. I'd have loved to learn more about his past. At the beginning I even thought he was "lying" about being a doctor because he introduced himself so hesitantly. The game opened so many barrels, but in the end didn't really close any of them and didn't really continue any of them... That was a bit sad. It could have been a great "Witcher" game (in terms of scale, you know what I mean)

But maybe I just need to play it a few more times, read some more fanfiction, search fan wikis and so on 🤭

[volixia669]

Rant about Witcher S2

Feeling kinda sad seeing Witcher Gifs. Not because people are enjoying the show, please, enjoy it! I'm not here to judge your viewing habits!

But personally, I actually thought it would be a good show in S1. They missed some things here and there, and it didn't reeeeaaally feel like it was based on slavic folklore & culture, but I was hoping that now people were hooked, they'd use more of what people weren't familiar with, and get into some of the morally grey stuff as well as the much darker aspects of Witcher lore & slavic lore.

Instead they turned Baba Yaga into a generic demon.

Baba Yaga.

(Click Keep Reading for the rest of my rant because I don't want to be rude but also wow do I have so much to say about S2)

Technically only identifiable as such due to the house with chicken feet, that's how badly they fucked such an iconic piece of folklore up.

Season 2 also brought us "what if Eskel were an ass, and we killed him, then were shocked that people were upset we changed his character AND weren't upset at his passing"

In addition, it downplayed to near non-existence the roles Triss and Yen had in mentoring Ciri, it used the generic demon to kill most of the witchers thereby making the fault of the witcher's decline (checks notes) Yen, Ciri, and a generic demon instead of HUMANITY.

It tried to do the whole "dubious ethics of Witcher creation" but without Lambert's justifiable anger regarding being made a witcher as a kid, it doesn't have the same emotional weight.

Oh, oh. We also have a beautiful friendhsip between two badass women formed, then ruined due to...Interference from Deus Ex Generic Demon.

And like. They could have actually used Yen, The Elf Woman, and Nilfgardian Sorceress (sorry, blanking on names), to show how Baba Yaga ISN'T an evil witch, but rather, well, more complicated than that. How the deals Baba Yaga offers depends on both her mood, and how much respect you give to her. That the morality of what's offered & given also depends on perspective.

But nope. Generic Demon.

Which that plotline leads to blood libel.

This will likely need more explaining, so buckle up.

First up, blood libel is a variant of antisemitism where Jewish people are accused of murdering children thereby fueling pogroms aka genocide attempts. It's been around in Europe for centuries. Centuries.

The holocaust was not the first attempt to kill Jews, it was just the most well known, and most systemic.

Now, sometimes writers will make a fantasy race an analog to the Jewish people. Sometimes the intent is malicious, sometimes its positive, sometimes its neutral. Sometimes they don't intend to, they're just using tropes another writer used which is based on another writer's tropes, which is based on a metaphor/analog.

Now, I do not know all the details about how the author of the witcher books originally wrote the elves.

I DO know that how they were portrayed in the show was as a people looking for a homeland, and were part of a diaspora, with concerns about not enough "purebloods" in the new generation.

Its not at all accurate to the experiences of actual Jewish people, but it IS accurate to the perception of Jewish people many goyim have. (Also yeah, there's some Jews who are concerned about not enough pure Jewish kids, but that's like, a couple of very specific sects and even within those sects not everyone agrees on that.)

Anyways, the blood libel comes in what happens when the elven woman's baby dies. The Jewish analogs go and kill a bunch of non Jewish, I mean non Elven babies.

Fuck you Lauren Hirsch.

Fuck you for that plotline.

Even if it WERE canon, why the fuck would that plotline be deemed appropriate. Even if we pretended it wasn't blood libel, it's still a minority murdering a majority's kids, which oh right, is exactly the kind of shit fox news blabs on about.

I mean hell, the elves were enslaved. I bet there's incredibly false, racist, enraging, propaganda from the 1800s claiming freed slaves would kill children.

But they even put blood over doorways in a fucking bastardization of passover. A holiday where some sects ACTUALLY DISCUSS HOW HORRIBLE THE WHOLE KILLING BABIES THING IS. Oh, and the blood over doorways WAS ANIMAL BLOOD TO TELL THE ANGEL OF DEATH THAT A JEWISH FAMILY LIVED THERE. IT WAS WARDING. IT WASN'T A THREAT.

And instead of the elves being a faction with complicated motives stemming from racism, colonialism, and just having no where to go, they're turned into bland villains. The fuck kind of writing is this.

Oh, and before I forget, another pile of steaming shit to add to the shit pile? Vesemir giving a bunch of sex workers a date rape plant, thereby making it so they CANNOT CONSENT TO SEX, and also being okay with bringing strangers to the keep which makes zero sense.

Its disgusting, misogynistic, and seems like the scene was intended to be played for comedic effect with the mention of the plant as a sort of handwave to explain why the keep is still secret.

I have ZERO issues with sex workers, and in fact want more positive representations of sex workers. What I am not okay with is when media shows characters casually using an actual plant to drug sex workers thereby removing their agency, and it's intended to be a comedic scene.

Fuck that.

There's just...So much wrong with Season 2's writing, with the choices made, with the lack of respect for slavic culture, that I just cannot bring myself to watch the latest season.

Henry Cavill's Geralt is great! I love Anya Chalotra as Yen! I love that Joey Batey fought for Jaskier to be queer! There's so much great acting, costumes, and more.

But the writing choices.

The writing and directorial choices, as well as Hirsch's responses to criticism from fans means I just can't enjoy this season.

So I look sadly at the gifs, knowing that they're showing some great moments, but I can't enjoy them the way that I would have if S2 had been written better.

And you know what? I hope we get to hear more about what was going on behind the scenes. I want to know who wanted what. WHo shouted down what decisions. And just how, how in the world these writing decisions got finalized and aired.

[revoevokukil]

What's ur pov on the burning of birka and why this single elf burned the whole village after getting rejection from a single human women.At last I didn't know that any male elves find human women pretty enough for dating.

Ah, but it's a bit of question mark whether male elves are, indeed, averse to human women, isn't it? The incredibly high rate of mixing between Aen Seidhe and humans by the 1200s would not hold up otherwise.

I believe we hear about this topic for the first time in the Last Wish. In Geralt's view, pure-blooded elves are not known for admiring human women for their beauty; i.e. the reader is led to infer that male elves don't find human women attractive enough to have sex with, much less to pursue a romantic relationship with.

But Geralt is already, how to put it, compromised. He has met Yennefer. He is wont to wishful thinking, including dismissing any signals of Chireadan harbouring romantic feelings toward Yen. Geralt is likely looking for rationalisations to deny this possibility (besides, he likes Chireadan). Alas, Chireadan - a male elf - is very much infatuated with Yennefer of Vengeberg - a human sorceress.

Okay, but doesn't Yennefer have elven ancestry? Probably.

I wouldn't put too much faith in the words of any man who pulls any variation of the "tainted womb" argument with the woman they slept with, but then again this is the Witcher & I am partial to an elf who exploded the cousin of that line of argumentation onto the level of foreign and domestic policy, so whatever. It's always the women who are at fault anyway, am I right? Yennefer is born a hunchback; an elven changeling if there ever was one to dear pa, Janka. And it's only because of her vague and distant elven ancestry (and sorceresses' enchantments) that Chireadan could be taken with Yen in the first place, surely. What would that make elven males then? Bloodhounds? Because it's the elven women, who were blood traitors, surely, not elven men.

Ah. Well.

'Unbridled lust never leaves you, sex totally governs you; it’s a drive more powerful even than the survival instinct. To die? Why not, if one can fuck around beforehand. That is your entire philosophy.’ Geralt didn’t interrupt or comment, although he felt a strong desire to. ‘And what suddenly happens?’ Avallac’h continued. ‘Elves, bored by she-elves, court the always-willing human females. Bored she-elves give themselves, out of perverse curiosity, to human males, always full of vigour and verve.' - Avallac'h Tower of the Swallow

Avallac'h is pretty unambiguous - humans are easy and elves are ever so often looking for something that would keep them from turning into their precious Amell marble statues.

The entire discourse is an ethnic conflict classic in how it treats women's bodies, to be honest, but that's a longer story; I recently wrote about the political underpinnings of elven sexual relations. The realism of Sapkowski's fantastical races desires is sufficiently proven though, I think, in the very nature of the problems they are made to face. And not only long-lived elven women crave novelty (or intensity of emotion), and not only elven women should get the blame for it.

(Obvs blame game here is inherently fucked up in the first place, and a symptom.)

Male elves are not somehow biologically coded not to desire human women. Their contribution to the shared human-elf gene pool had to be pretty significant for it to have become hard at present day to find any human who would not have a dash of Seidhe Ichaer in their veins. In fact, the view Geralt parrots in the 1200s - when the Aen Seidhe have become a de facto ethnic minority - is probably more reflective of elven nationalist views adopted AFTER the experiment with coexistence and cooperation took a turn for the usual - ideological poisoning and resurgence of Them vs Us, persecution, cleansing & genocide.

Okay, sure. But what if it's just sex then? Romance is still laughable. Because did you read Auberon's & Ciri's interactions??? I did. One too many times, trust me.

But I don't think Aen Elle give definite proof. The reasons for all three rejecting Ciri 'the woman' on various levels - even while trying to get her with child as a matter of course - are pretty complex; not to forget that Ciri is not a grown woman yet and that this is - overall - her nightmarish becoming-of-age story, the loss of innocence, etc.

(For Auberon, romance is likely out of the question since Ciri's eyes remind him of his dead daughter - Lara - but sex might be achievable due to equal resemblance to Shiadhal, Lara's mother; and ends justify the means. There is also the deep-seated hatred for humanity as a whole, for humans cost Auberon his daughter's life & his ambitions which were installed within that life.

For Avallac'h, romantic notions are very much present in his idealization of the Swallow, Lara's daughter, but at the time Ciri offers herself to him, sex is still unacceptable; the humiliation too evident, the anger too deeply entrenched in ennobled suffering (even against the temptation of taking petty revenge), and the threat ever-present - of having the source of the projection of his romantic notions be over-written and erased in the course of the act, resulting in total loss of control over the narrative-Lara and narrative-Crevan Avallac'h has never let go of in his thoughts and forever-loving heart; like a true necromancer.

For Eredin, the notion of a storybook-worthy romance is veilled in a kind of wistful melancholy, irony, and indifference; because ultimately the notion is Ciri's projection, which he sees through and uses to further the elves' ends. They are both tools in the greater scheme of things - which orders them about - and while sex is not unacceptable, it is just unnecessary given the parts they presently have to play and, insofar, remains uninteresting. Ciri is Death and Eredin a corpse; a corpse can create nothing but itself through communion with Death. And that's not in the Plan of things.)

Elves are, by nature, a "not so rational" species; soundbite courtesy of Ida Emean. "Neither our race nor our power draws its strength from rationality. In spite of that it has endured for tens of thousands of years." Fey folk can be famously mercurial and temperamental, and, as we have learned, value beauty, novelty, and memory of life's particularity.

Bringing us to what happened at Birka, or the later Flaming Jealousy.

First of all - an elven farmer. Elves don't farm. So you have a mature elf who has tried to integrate, or a young elf who has been born into the current world order where elves are either giving up or losing their culture, magic (connected to land, which integrates them), and position in the society. Definitely not elven elite here, and we have already seen what elven elite can get involved in. However, upbringing matters in regulating expressed behaviour and in this instance we probably have an elf who is trying to go with the flow despite the difficulties; indeed, why not even entertain him a supporter of the co-existence and co-operation - khm, commingling, khm - ideals? In fact, would not pursuing a miller's daughter advance our elven farmer in the new social structure better than remaining isolationist along with his fellow elves? To then have this denied to you in the aforedescribed fashion is like the entire human society spitting in your face.

Secondly, nobody likes having their feelings mocked, especially if said feelings are deep and true.

Thirdly, it is said the elf exploded somewhat untypically for his race. That's what humans think due to elven haughtiness. Yet, if we take another explosion - Avallac'h at Ciri - then I cannot help but wonder how "untypical" it really was; if deeply personal matters are concerned (matters which give way for foundational memories in a long-lived species)? Especially given that jealousy and dramatic outcomes accompanied the Crevan-Lara-Cregennan triangle as well, and who knows how blind was Crevan's love or what was Lara's attitude to everything.

There is also the option that the story blames the miller's daughter. A culprit is needed, after all; a village was burned down! It better be that the cause for such tragedy is sufficiently dramatic and understandably horrible. A woman who slept around - with her relatives even! - just to spite an elf could serve as a solid wicked witch; co-existence advocates can blame her, while humans can blame the hotheaded, unreliable elf. Win-win. Given that we are given this information in Tower of the Swallow - the same book that provides a scene where Avallac'h says something eerily similar in effect about Lara's choices and their tragic consequences - the possibility of historical revisionism remains.

So I think the burning down of Birka can serve as great insight into how deeply and strongly elves - those cool and distant-seeming creatures - can feel, and how partial they can become once they have made their mind up about something or someone, especially if spurred on by a strong emotion. (Consider how elves, who value life inherently, genocided and subjected humans to servitude in their new homeworld; how it all could have happened after Lara's death or as a result of developments between Aen Seidhe and humanity.) But I also think it can show us how unexpectedly drastic can be the results of male jealousy, and how retroactively told stories can always find a reason and an ultimate culprit.

Personal feelings drive most of the Witcher's tragedy - beneath all the great Plans and machinations - and so, too, here.

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Kingdom

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia X Reader

Word count: 1.8 K

Summary: You were on your way to Blaviken when you stumble upon a Witcher in the woods.

{The Witcher Masterlist}

The miles you walked in these woods are long. These cold, terribly silent woods... Until they're not silent anymore.

A voice reaches your ears, low, deep, being carried by the wind. You're not sure exactly what makes you follow it, despite that old man's advice. Go straight to Blaviken, he said, don't stop. A pretty girl like you should avoid talking to strangers.

But you've always been a little naive, something your parents always told you while they were alive. So here you go, following the sound of his voice – because you know it's a man, another red light you ignore –, until the sound is gone. He was talking to someone, but it seems like that someone is gone.

It takes some minutes until you see a horse, and soon after you catch a glimpse of a man. With... White hair. “You're not as silent as you think you are.” He says, startling you a little.

The man has a bowl in his hand, crushing something in it. “I wasn't trying to be silent. Where's your friend?” You ask, looking around for anyone, fixing the strap of your bag over your shoulder.

He looks up at you. “No friend.”

“Then who were you talking to?” Making your way over him, you sit on the trunk, keeping some space in between the two of you.

The man has an eyebrow raised when he turns to set his gaze on you. He seems confused. “Are you some kind of creature?”

Ouch. “Uhm... No, not since the last time I checked. Why?”

“Because you're a small, beautiful young woman and you shouldn't be this easygoing. Might get you in trouble.” And he goes back to crushing herbs.

It's not the first time someone commented on your height. “I'm not sure if that was a compliment but...”

“It's an advice.”

Nodding, you look forward, sighing and fixing the skirts of your dress. The thick fabric has been keeping the cold away when it gets chilly, but you hope to find some new clothes in Blaviken. “I'm (Y/N), by the way. And I have bread and cheese. Some fruits as well to exchange for the warmth of the fire.”

“Hm.” He mutters. “Geralt.”

“You're not... Entirely human, are you?” You say, gesturing at his eyes. “Eye colors, hair... A very nice but curious medallion.”

“You're very perceptive.”

“I am.”

“I'm a Witcher.”

“Oh.” Of course, you know what a Witcher is, you heard awful tales about them. But standing right next to this one, you can tell Geralt isn't like those from the tales. “Interesting.”

“Why aren't you running or throwing something at me?” He sounds genuinely confused.

“Why would I do that? You're like... One out of a thousand men because trust me, I know how stupid it is of a woman to approach a random man in the woods. But... It doesn't look like you'll hurt me so...” Shrugging your shoulders, you put the bag down, searching for it and reaching for a smaller one, in which you keep the food.

“I talk to my horse.” Geralt suddenly says, and it takes a while for you to understand he's answering the question you made a while ago. And you understand why. People don't really like Witchers. “And don't do that anymore.”

“Do what?”

“Go on and start chatting with the next man you find in the woods. Be careful.” At that, you only nod. “I have rabbit. Going to roast it. Would be nice with some fruits.”

Smiling, you show him what you have. Grapes, blackberries, and raspberries, more than enough for both of you.

Geralt goes to fill both your canteens as you take care of the rabbit. Once it's ready, the two of you eat in silence. After, you put a blanket on the ground and lie down, looking at the top of the trees.

“Why are you going about all by yourself?” He asks, seated on the trunk and drinking more water.

“I used to live with my aunt but she suddenly decided I should marry a very cruel, disgusting man. I said no and she said I was welcome to leave if I didn't accept the marriage. And here I am.”

“Was it a smart choice?”

“Yes. The plan is to see if there's anything good for me in Blaviken. Some kind of job, a place to live... Not sure if I'll find it though, but I can manage some more traveling.”

“I hope you find a place for yourself. You're a good girl.”

“More like a woman.” You smile to correct him, and he does the same. “It's getting dark. Can I share camp with you tonight?”

“Well, you already made your bed.” Geralt gets up, takes his stuff, and sets his bed near yours. Emphasis on near. Geralt lies down ten inches away from you. “Nights are usually boring.”

“I guess you're quite used to boredom. Since, well... You did say you talk to your horse.” He chuckles, and you like the sound. “You can talk to me now. Maybe it'll be a good change.”

“It sure is.” When you feel his stare on you, you turn your head to look at him. Geralt's eyes are beautiful, and the unnatural color only adds to it. “What are you looking at?”

"I like your eyes, that's all.” And you look up again.

“Yours are nice too.”

Giggling, you roll your eyes. “Thanks.”

From that moment on, you start talking. About many things, great, small, unimportant. He's very talkative after a while, and he makes you laugh every now and then. You tell him about your life, and about the small family you were traveling with until earlier today, when you took separate ways. He's more reserved about his past but opens up about some of the monsters he killed.

At some point, you both fall asleep, and in the morning, you have to say goodbye. It makes you a little sad, so you make it quick, shaking his hand with a smile as you start walking away.

•••

When you reach Blaviken, you visit some places, at first just checking them out, seeing if there's anything you could work with. After, you go to the market to buy some new clothes.

You're walking around town, already looking for a place to spend the night when you hear a commotion. Angry voices and yelling. You're wondering if you should satiate your curiosity, mostly after you were told something happened on the market a short time after you left. But when a louder voice says something that sounds like we don't want your kind here, you have a quick guess at what kind they're talking about.

Then you're moving, walking fast, and following the voices. You quickly find a mass of people, and you have no choice but to push your way through it.

All air escapes your lungs when you see Geralt, on one knee on the ground and sword in his hand, head lowered, trying to get some protection from the rocks people are throwing at him.

“Stop!” You shout, not thinking twice before stepping inside the circle. It takes less than a second for a rock to hit you, on the left shoulder. “Stop it! What the hell are you doing? Stop!” Turning to face the crowd, you raise your hands in front of your body.

But these people are as rude as they seem, because not even a newcomer, a girl, makes them stop. Two more rocks hit you, on the thigh and your left side.

“Go away! The two of you!” A man yells, and you see a rock aimed at your head.

Before you can even think of moving away, you feel an arm embracing you from behind, lifting you, and spinning you to the other side. You hear a rock hitting the back of Geralt's shoulder.

“Let's get out of here.” He says, his chest pressed against your back.

As you move, people get out of the way, but Geralt keeps you close, protecting you. The angry faces follow as you move, and the crowd comes behind you until the gate.

Once you're out of town, the people making a human gate to keep you from coming back, Geralt's grip loosens, his hand now resting on your stomach, under the ribs.

“Why did you do that?” He asks, deep voice right on your ear. “That was very stupid.” You almost trip on a rock, because walking like that, pressed against him, is very difficult. But Geralt lifts you, quickly, setting you down soon after.

“What did you expect me to do?” You say, and he finally let go of you. But you both stop, now far enough from the town entrance, standing face to face. “I couldn't just watch and do nothing.”

“That's exactly what you should have done. Those stones were meant for me, not for you.”

“Those stones were being thrown by a bunch of assholes who misjudged you. I knew better, so I'd do it again it I have to.” Crossing your arms, you sustain his stare.

He's about to say something else when his expression changes. And you know what that is. Pain. Witchers can feel it as much as the rest of the non-mutated folk. Geralt softens, looking down before his eye meets yours again. “I was just trying to-”

“You don't have to explain it, Geralt. I've only seen a tiny, little part of you, but it's enough to know you're not the man those people think you are.”

A low, heavy sigh comes from him, eyebrows furrowing slightly above the yellow eyes. “Nobody ever did that for me. I'm not saying it wasn't stupid but-”

“No need to thank me.” Smiling, you hook your arm with his, pulling him back to where he had his camp set because you know he left his horse there. “And since I can't stay in Blaviken anymore, I might just follow you for a bit, maybe defend you from another angry mob.”

“I'll pick you up and get the hell away next time.” He says, a hint of a smile in his voice.

“You did that already. But maybe next time make sure to sweep me off my feet?” Chuckling, you look at him, finding those beautiful eyes already set on you.

“I'll make sure of it, princess.”

The name makes you blush, quickly looking away from him and suddenly having to focus a bit more on putting one foot in front of the other. “Oh, I'm not a princess, I assure you.”

“You are in this kingdom.”

“What kingdom?”

“Mine.” He simply says, and you bite your lip, heat spreading through your skin. “I'll keep you safe for as long as you need until you find a place you'd like to live.”

“...What if it takes some time?” You decide to ask because the idea of parting ways with Geralt doesn't feel very appealing.

“For as long as you need.” With that, you reach his small camp. You both get on Roach, and so the journey begins.

[on-a-lucky-tide]

alright, so "just one bed"! for the fanfic tropes

Now, Akhuna, my dear. You have unleashed a small, caffeine-addled demon with this ask. Because the way it is often approached in our beloved shared fandom? Graded U. It doesn't do it for me. Here's why.

In the Witcher, specifically, with its medieval/early modern aesthetic with occasional smatterings of anachronistic scientific theory/technology, the "just one bed" trope causes me a bit of cognitive dissonance. I know the Witcher isn't intended to be set in medieval/early modern Europe, but the costuming, the setting, the dynamics of their society, etc. It feels like that time period, so that brings me to a point.

In the medieval and early modern period, sharing a bed was not a big thing.

In fact, it was expected.

Whole families would sleep in one bed, because the bed was often the most expensive thing in the house and all but the very richest could only afford one. People were expected to share communal beds with strangers in inns, and my favourite example comes from as late as 1776 when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams famously shared a bed and spent the whole time bickering about the open window and blankets.

Communal sleeping wouldn't be unusual for Geralt, Lambert, Eskel, Jaskier, etc. But you could add a Witcher flair to the trope?

Perhaps Witchers aren't allowed to share communal sleeping areas because they're diseased/ostracised, etc. So, the first few years on the Path are extra hard, because they're used to the communal sleeping arrangements of Kaer Morhen. They're cold. Uncomfortable. But then, the first time Dandelion drags Geralt into the communal bed with a "don't be silly, Geralt, it's too bloody cold for this idiocy", and Geralt gets to curl up in the warm and have a good night's sleep? Because Dandelion is at his back and keeping him safe?

Or, or, maybe Geralt wants to communally sleep but the smell and sounds are too disruptive. Humanity smells different to a Witcher. He can't handle it, and Dandelion worries about Geralt out in the cold. One of Dandelion's fondest memories of his first visit to Kaer Morhen was watching Geralt get to bundle in with his family and properly sleep rather than the half-arsed meditation he did on the Path.

I just think "there was only one bed" could pull a lot more weight than we let it, when it's properly woven into the context of the story and characters we're applying it to, you know?

Anyway, much love. Thank you for the ask.

[dapandapod]

LOVE CONFESSION PROMPTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 💖 Pls combine "Saying I love you as a confession" with "Saying Ily angrily". Jaskel OBVIOUSLY. 😬 GO GO GO 🔥🔥🔥💪 thank you!!! ily!! 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

On Ao3    I love you-prompts     I love you-collection (Thank you @flawney for beta reading!)

The thing is, Eskel is good at reading people. 

It is not as much 'sniffing out lies' as some humans call it— more that it's his job to see, to notice when there is more going on, when someone is believing what they say to be truthful, or if they are outright lying.

Most humans lie to Eskel. Not about everything, and not all of them. Just most.

He knows it's superstition about his employment first and his visage second. Maybe the other way around. 

Maybe both at once. What he knows is this: humans don't like what they see when they look at him. Yellow eyes and big scars all over his cheek. Notches in his lip, big build, yeah he knows. 

Humans seem either to try to hide how fucking scared they are, or how much they distaste the general look of him. They're bad at both. Some show respect despite that, some are even kind and understanding. Very few are entirely truthful.

Up to this point, it had been a relief to be around the bard simply because Jaskier speaks his mind. 

There are very few things that he actually keeps to himself, even when he probably should. The filter between mouth and brain that most beings on the continent were in possession of seemed to be severely lacking in Jaskier. 

It could be annoying, embarrassing, or sometimes downright mean, but mostly, if he were to be completely honest, freeing. 

Eskel never has to think about what Jaskier might mean, because within the next breath he will explain himself, asked or not. Or expand on the subject. Or just. Rant.

He does that. A lot.

Which is why it is so strange to see Jaskier like this. Cold. Quiet. Eskel can see the signs again, the holding back. The stolen looks and thinly pressed lips. It is... hurtful.

It's just small things. A word held back here, a face turned away there. A touch that never really connected, a song he won't play when Eskel is around.

It's been going on for a little while, but more frequently as of late, as they have taken to traveling together for longer than they've ever done previously.. It doesn't feel good. 

He should be used to it by now, but he isn't. Not when it's Jaskier.

The tension is so strong, Eskel's ready to snap like an overtaut bow string. (He suspects if he loses it, he'll end up hurting himself here too.)It built enough for Eskel to snap. 

It comes to a head while Eskel is in the middle of changing into dry clothes after a cold, refreshing,attempt at meditative washing a nearby creek, Jaskier, for once, choosing to stay behind and fiddle with... something.

Hurt and worry lance through him, tainting his words cruelly, sharpening them before they leave his mouth. And Jaskier, ever filter-less Jaskier, gives as good as he gets.

"Why are you lying to me?" Eskel hurls out.

"I'm not!? Not once have I lied to you!" Jaskier throws back,spreading his arms wide as if telling their audience of trees to look at this fool of a witcher.

"Holding things back is lying too!" 

"You are not privy to my every thought, Eskel!"

"Oh yeah? You talk all the time, there is no shutting you up!" He regrets it as soon as he says it, afraid the dark look of anger and hurt on the bard's face meant he'd crossed a line.

"So what is the problem, then? How can I hold things back if I can't stop talking?... Which also seems to be a problem, I guess." Jaskier asks angrily.

"I can tell there is something you are keeping from me." He insists instead, deciding not to open that can of worms.

"Do you tell me everything?" 

"Don't deflect the question."

"Don't ask stupid questions!"

Eskel takes an involuntary step forward and bares his teeth, like a damn animal. Jaskier matches him, leaning forward and meeting him head on. 

Just  one more thing about the bard that is so very refreshing, just one more thing that he is so damn scared of losing.

The thought makes him stop for a second and blink.

"I have to, when you don't talk to me." He says, but his words have lost their heat.

"There are things I can't tell you, alright!" Jaskier seems more frustrated than angry, dragging a hand through the fringe above his eyes.

No, it's not alright.

"Why? Are you in danger?" Protective instincts are hard to push down, especially now. 

"No! It's nothing." Jaskier says, taking a step back. It is all about reading people.

"Obviously it is something."

"It doesn't matter."

"Why?"

"Fucking-  It would change things, and you don't want that." His eyes are earnest, begging for trust, but Eskel has such a bad history with being trusting.

"How would you know?"

"Because I know you. It's my problem to deal with."

"You said you aren't in danger." Eskel glares and crosses his arms.

"For the love of- Fucking FINE. I'll tell you. If this blows up in my face, this is on you. I fucking told you-"

"Jaskier-"

"No. I fucking love you, alright? That's my secret. I love you, and you don't love me. It's fine. I was going to keep it to myself, but here we are.

 The world stops. The sun freezes in the sky. The clouds don't move, and not a single leaf dares rustle in the wind.

What?

 "And look, now you are panicking, and you will leave, and I will lose you. I should just have kept my mouth shut." Jaskier sneers, turning away and kicking at one of the logs next to their little campfire.

It is not that Eskel is panicking, it is more like. Alright, maybe he is panicking a little.

Of all the things Eskel expected him to hide, it was not love. Jaskier wouldn't hide love. 

"You're lying." He says faintly, still trying to get a grasp on the situation.

It makes the bard turn to look at him, the anger shifted into something else. Something sad and lonely and fragile.

"I'm not. Why would I lie about such a thing?"

"You can't hide your love." Eskel says quietly, and Jaskier steps back in front of him. 

"I haven't been. Just didn't say the words."

It has Eskel thinking back. To all the little moments during their time together, and the big things. In this light, maybe Eskel didn't read too much into it. 

The way they are looking at each other across the fire, how their eyes linger. The little gifts, silly trinkets or useful tools. Casual touches that has Eskel wishing for more.

"You're not…lying?" He sounds astounded to his own ears.

Jaskier's eyes soften at the admission of his own confession. 

"I'm not. And now things will change, and I understand. I can be... a lot. I know that. Which is why I have been holding back. Your friendship means the world to me, and if it meant that I had to suppress this, I will."

No. 

No Eskel doesn't want him to shove this down into whatever black hole Eskel made him dig for it. Carefully he reaches out, catching Jaskier's hand in his own.

They stand silently across from each other while Eskel holds his hand. Jaskier's fingers are slender compared to his own. Long and strong, and so gentle in his grip.

"This doesn't matter? This is nothing?" Eskel echoes back the words as he slides their palms together. 

"If it means I get to keep my friend, it doesn't." Jaskier says quietly, letting his thumb trace back and forth over Eskel's thumb.

"This doesn't feel like nothing."

"No?" Jaskier asks, looking up with naked hope drawn on his face.

"No. This feels important."

"Even if it changes things?"

"Because it changes things."

Their fingers lace together and they take another step forwards, the toes of their shoes inches apart.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." Eskel murmurs, bringing up his other hand to the side of Jaskier's neck, pulse is jack rabbeting under the skin.

"I'm sorry too."

"I was... scared. People lie to me, hide things from me, but you never did."

Jaskier stands quietly and listens, pushing into Eskel's hand when it travels up to cup his cheek.0

"I couldn't stand it. If the one truly important person outside my family lied too."

Jaskier's free hand is resting on Eskel's bare chest, hot like a brand. 

"I love you too." the Witcher murmurs, and Jaskier closes his eyes, brow scrunching up like he is in pain.

"I'm sorry." Jaskier whispers, and Eskel caresses the lines in the corner of his eye with the pad of his thumb.

"Don't be."

"Do you want to... change things? With me?" Jaskier whispers, and Eskel wraps his arms around him in a big hug, pressing him close.

"I want everything you can give me."

[swanimagines]

The Witcher: Imagine being a princess who during daylight, is cursed to be a bear, after being cursed by evil sorcerer and Jaskier saving you with true love's kiss.

requested by anon, female reader

Warnings: reader is mentioned to having to kill animals and she's being hunted, mentions of reader being naked

A/N: A "bit" longer than a regular gif imagine because it's @dancingwith-sunflowers birthday 🥰

Word count: 1.3k

When your brother and the mages in the Kingdom had imprisoned a corrupted sorcerer that had been keeping a village of people as prisoners for decades, the sorcerer had vowed eternal revenge on your family. And you, a little girl at a time, had been under his spell in no time.

The sorcerer had gained your trust and then cursed you, made your family believe a bear had eaten you, and the bear had been then driven into the forest. The thing was, you were that bear. You were a bear at daytime, and a human at nighttime, and at first you were overjoyed to see you turned into a human as soon as the first star lit up in the sky - you could go back to the Kingdom and tell them who you are.

But the sorcerer had taken that into account and made a magical wall around the Kingdom which prevented you to go there at nighttime either, and so you lived in the forest for two decades without anyone else than fellow animals. You had to learn to hunt, and it pained you more than anything when you first bit into a living rabbit to kill it quickly. It caused you nightmares, but slowly you grew stronger every day by doing this kind of stuff.

People hunted you for your fur and tried to kill you despite you never going near any villages, and it had been difficult to understand why would they do that. You never hurt anyone, never hunted anyone's farm animals and fled rather than fought if someone was threatening you - but they still thought you're planning to eat their chickens, cows and sheep and then come for their children. How wrong those people where? But somehow they kept believing such things about you, even though none ever saw you killing an animal or stealing from farms. They always came with bows and spears if they saw you, and you never had an opportunity to tell the truth to them.

One day, just as sun was about to set, you were waiting to be transformed into a woman again in the middle of the forest when you suddenly heard singing from behind you. You turned abruptly, naturally being afraid of them being one of the hunters again but were met with a man with a lute, who stopped in his tracks the moment he saw you. Your cursed bear form was huge, maybe part of the reason why so many people were afraid of you. The man took a few steps back, his eyes wide and then glanced over his shoulder.

"Geralt!" He shouted and started running back the trail he came, and the moment he turned away, you began transforming into a woman again. Soon you heard running steps coming back and you jumped into the bush to hide.

"There isn't anything here, Jaskier," you heard a gruff man say and the other voice sighed.

"The bush is moving, it has to be in there."

"A bear wouldn't fit in to hide in a bush."

"Well, it can't have gone elsewhere either! It was huge, Geralt, bigger than any bear I've ever seen."

"Half of its size was probably made up by your mind. Or it was a deer that got scared by us. There are plenty of those around these parts."

"No, it was a bear, and it was planning to eat us while we sleep."

The gruff-voiced man sighed and you heard steps coming towards the bush. The first, singing man carefully moved some branches aside, looked at you for a moment, blinked and then turned away. "Oh, sorry. You're... um. Sorry."

The gruff voice spoke again. "What?"

"Nothing."

Now the other man came to the bush as if you weren't embarrassed enough from being naked, and he too looked away immediately. But the situation ended in them giving you a cloak and asking you if you needed help.

It had been so long since you had last talked to people, and you immediately just told everything to them. The grey-haired, gruff man was revealed to be a witcher and this other man was his traveling bard companion friend. And unbeknownst to you, while you slept in their tent, Jaskier convinced Geralt into taking you with them. You needed help and were exhausted from running away from all those angry villagers who thought you're there to kill their animals and children, and they could try to find a way to help you.

So then you went with them, you were quite a sight at daytime. A witcher, a bard and a docile bear. At nighttime, you could talk to the witcher and Jaskier, and slowly you started to fall in love with the bard, and he declared to be in love with you too. But you knew it wouldn't work, why would he want to be with a woman who could only sleep beside him but at daytime, would be clumsy and not being able to live in a regular house?

"We'll just build a bigger house, then," he said as you sat at the cliffside, waiting for sunrise, and you sighed, shaking your head.

"Jaskier..."

"We can make it work, my love. We can make it work together."

"No, we can't. I can't be with you and be like... this. I'm sorry."

Jaskier stared at you for a moment as you felt a tear rolling down your cheek and then he just promptly kissed you. It took you by complete surprise, and somehow you felt like something left you as his lips moved against your own, while butterflies erupted in your stomach. He broke away after a moment or two, looking at you pleadingly.

"Please, just... consider it. I want to live my life with you, whether you're a big pile of fur at daytime or not. And please don't cry, I hate to see you crying."

You shook your head again and stood up as sun peeked over the mountains and took a deep breath as you let your cloak to fall off and waited for the sun rays to transform you again.

But nothing happened. The light touched you, but didn't turn into anything else - had the curse been broken? How?

You turned to look at Jaskier, who looked back at you with a frown on his face, confusion in his eyes too. But then he seemed to realize something.

"That kiss, it was true love's kiss." he said and you snorted.

"That kind of thing happens in fairytales, it doesn't happen in reality," you told him and looked towards the sun again.

"This could be a fairytale. This could be real," Jaskier argued and grabbed your hand as you still waited for the transformation to happen. You felt him lifting the cloak over your shoulders but you shrugged it off.

"I don't want to rip it," you explained as you watched the sunrise. "I... it's happening soon."

"Jaskier is right," Geralt suddenly said from behind you and you turned to look at him. "The curse isn't there in you anymore."

You blinked in surprise and looked back at Jaskier. "It was a true love's kiss?"

He smiled at you and nodded, clasping the cloak around you again. "Yes."

You reached out, grabbing his hands in yours as soon as the clasp closed and pulled him closer to you. You pressed yourself against his body, kissing his lips as he wrapped his arms around you, holding you tight against him. You couldn't believe it, you would be able to go home now that you didn't have to be afraid of running out of time before sunrise, tell your family you were alive and they would declare Jaskier as a hero and would likely let you marry him too, even when he wasn't a royal heritage. Your family loved you, so Jaskier would be taken in as their own without questions and court would accept him too as a savior.

You would be happy for the rest of your life, and that was what you wanted most in this world.

Tags: @randomfandomimagine​ @dancingwith-sunflowers​ @retvenkos @amirahiddleston @mirroredpaladin @multifandomfix​ @bookfrog242​ @katherinepetrovawife​ @supervalcsi​ @doutorbaizhu​ // send in an ask to be added, and specify which of my fandoms you want to be tagged on! Don’t just say “can you add me to your taglist” as I can’t know what taglists do you mean by that!! ALSO IF YOU WON’T INTERACT BEYOND LIKING, I’LL EVENTUALLY TAKE YOU OFF THE LIST!!

[fangirleaconmigo]

I love your book analysis and show analysis posts! I like that they aren’t super gatekeeper-like and don’t talk down to people for simply enjoying the show. While I enjoyed the books more I don’t see the need to insult people who favor the show. Reading your recent post about “Burn Butcher Burn”/the “Mountain Break-Up” got me thinking about how different Geralt and Jaskier’s dynamic is in the books compared to the show. For instance, in The Edge of The World, Show Jaskier writes a song about Geralt but Book Jaskier writes about the Goddess. Or how in the show Geralt and Jaskier have a major fight early on in the series during the dragon hunt but in the books, they don’t have a major fight till later on during the Hansa's stay with Annarieta. Furthermore, the simple difference that Book Geralt and Jaskier are more affectionate towards one another than the show versions are. My question for you is, why do you think these differences were written into the show? Why do you think they changed their dynamic like this? (Sorry for the long ask! 😅)

Thank you! I am so glad it comes across that way. I think there are many very good reasons someone would prefer the show, and I do think a lot of the changes they made, made a lot of sense for the format. I adore most of what they've done with Yen and the sorceresses. I am intensely invested in her journey. I could go on about other things I love, but that'd be a different post.

As far as why they did what they did to Geralt and Jaskier's relationship? Ok, so I have my theories, but keep in mind this is all just me talking. I don't know anyone on the show. I'm wildly speculating.

I'm tagging TWN critical but this is not critique. It's just wild speculation and analysis.

My guess is that in order to deliver the kind of show Netflix wanted, they had to simplify. So, they looked at the show and said, we choose-- "Geralt's emotional arc will be a closed off, gruff, grizzled man who is changed by the love of a woman." And then they crammed everything else into that.

I think this for a few reasons. First, in S2, when Nivellen asks Geralt what changed him, why he is saving Ciri, Geralt says that Yen changed him. So it is said explicitly there. That takes away most of the guess work of the arc.

But also, in S1, pretty much all of Geralt's friendships and non romantic relationships were erased. I think if they'd have shown him being so loving with Ciri, Nenneke, or warm and affectionate with Borch, Jaskier, Chireadan, or Yarpen, it would have undermined that 'changed by romantic love' narrative and character arc.

That's my guess.

The way I differentiate between book and show Geralt is,(I've gone way into detail here, but to summarize):

With Book!Geralt, we see a man constantly trying to connect with a world that rejects him over and over again. He navigates these rejections with a bit of self consciousness and caution. His hurt is evident. But he always jumps at the chance to make a friend.With TWN!Geralt, we see a man who has shut himself down to protect himself from the world’s cruelties. He rejects people preemptively. They are like the inverse of each other in a way.

I think the nuance of the book version is...Geralt yearns for connection but it's complicated. He doesn't know who is going to hate him for being a witcher and the bigotry of the world can make him assume people are just morbidly curious or objectifying him (and indeed sometimes that's true). The discrimination has made him cautious at times, especially with humans, so he can be awkward and careful until he knows he isn't going to be rejected.

He tries so hard to reach out to people all the time, with varying levels of success. Yes, he tries to push people away sometimes, but it's when he is literally actively heading into dangerous situations. And then he is very open about why he wants to go alone. He's like...I am going alone. I do not want you to die. We like to tease book!Geralt about being broody lone wolf, but the fact is, it IS mortally dangerous for people he loves.

Now, I think that is incredibly difficult to translate all of that to screen under time and space constraints. We don't have Geralt's internal voice on a show, and they aren't writing a character driven show. Netflix decided on an action show. Some people say that The Witcher was Netflix's answer to Game of Thrones. But I see it as Netflix's MCU or Star Wars.

I know Game of Thrones fans complain about the reduced quality of the writing after they ran out of books. But BEFORE the books ended, they lifted a ton of writing from the books. The language could be very stylized and witty, and reminiscent of what modern people expect of medieval language. There was a bounty of character and relationship development.

The Witcher just fully went with plain modern speech, and a faster moving plot. I really think they're thinking MCU here. They wanted a franchise they could develop that would make them a player in the scifi fantasy realm. Those properties try to deliver genre, action, comedy, and a bit of heart. Whether they succeed depends on the show/movie.

So. Going back to Geralt. That nuance in the book was flattened, which I think made it easier to translate to screen. Plus, when you go genre/action you cut out almost all of the space for multiple relationships or character dev, so you have to pick one. And they picked his romantic relationship to center it on.

But wait, I hear you say, they didn't spend enough time or effort on that either! And all I can say to that, people who are consumers of the romance genre often do not need all that space to be filled in. That genre often speaks in tropes, and it is accepted and understood that the viewer will be invested automatically and will fill in all the spaces.

I think the way it was written, they were counting on that. For me that doesn't work. I'm a very unromantic aro person. (Yes, I write romance. I do love love! Just not romance on it's own. Trust me, it makes sense in my head) For lots of people, it does. My older sister told me that Geralt's love for Yen is what humanizes him for her, and she wouldn't have been invested in him otherwise post-S1. My other sister (I have three) said she immediately understood their bond and didn't need anything else. So. To each their own.

So that is all a very long way of saying, his best friend was a fatality in the reframing of Geralt's emotional life and the choice they made to focus on the romance. Season 2 tried to play catchup somewhat, but had to focus mostly on the Geralt Ciri relationship to make up for cutting out their entire relationship S1.

And I do think the common fandom criticism has some truth to it. They just do not 'get' how to portray a complex, nuanced masculinity that allows for affection and love coming from men who are also strong and deadly and very very traumatized, to other men. They allllmost had it with Geralt and Vesemir before they pulled the rug on that one.

I've seen people say that the show knows how to portray complex femininity but not complex masculinity, and I think there is a good case to be made for that as well.

ETA: I've also seen people say there is a very American flavored no-homo anxiety to the show. They are trying to please everyone and maybe they fear affection between men would alienate certain types of cishet male fans who want to see themselves in Geralt, and would interpret these types of things as emasculating. This is the 'no-homo' anxiety. Could be. That's something I think you'd have to be behind the scenes to know. But I never doubt the power of the enforced gender binary on our society and in our stories.

[youaremysunshine-court]

In lieu of the season finale, I'd like to talk about something that has been pointed out to me multiple times (specifically by cishet males). I'd like to preface this by saying this isn't a criticism because I'm pretty sure it's intentional (and if it's unintentional, the show should work on either dialling it back or making it a plot point). But I want to talk about feminism and the empowerment of women in WoT.

Don't get mad just yet, I'm on your side!

Just a few times I've seen men shown as less powerful than women, or "weaker":

Logain in Tar Valon: he comes in, he's all big and bold and sasses the Amyrlin Seat, and then at a few words from her, he crumples. He's led away in tears, kicking and screaming, not great for his honor...

Rand in the Blight: saying it was meant to be Egwene, even though canonically the Dragon can only be male. And moiraine not refuting that.

The Aes Sedai: come on, the White Tower is a huge threat to any male, like they have Warders that they can bond (non-consensually in the books) and the trainees who'll eventually become Warders, but otherwise its completely female-run.

The Seanchan: look at that boat from episode 8. The men were clearly just there as guard dogs, and it was the d*mane that held all the power.

Every single ruler: has an Aes Sedai whispering in their ear. That's a lot of power for women to hold. Are you starting to see a pattern? Good.

Min and Dana(sp?) : both shown as strong women who take no shit from men, who can clearly hold their own. They look cool, they act cool, they may be "barmaids" but they can and will kick your ass. (Yes, she was a darkfriend. She was cool before we found that out.)

Moiraine: she has a man who follows her around like a puppy and never questions her. He appears to be around for her to order around, and to protect her and that's about it. (Shh, no moiraine bashing here, that's how the world was built)

Lan: when he does get his own story, it's falling in love with a powerful woman who (as far as we know) doesn't need anyone. (Yes, his arc expands later, but let's focus on this season.) She makes all the moves in the relationship, and yet he's the one spouting his feelings for her, asking her to stay the night, etc. (We love the Lan speech! It's adorable and the first time I read it I cried)

Now, take all those instances and swap the genders. Thank you. Doesn't it look a lot like our modern world, when you swap the genders? Yeah. Makes you wonder why so many of my friends and YouTubers* online are spitting mad about women being in power. And yet they don't bat an eye when they see it in the real world.

*the amount of videos I've watched that are like oh warders can't fuck each other, oh women have so much power, oh there aren't any sexualised prostitutes (cough cough witcher), oh women are shown as human beings not objects... sorry, I'm a little mad about this.

Now I don't know if this was a conscious choice that the people in charge made. And I cannot tell you whether it's a good or bad thing, because I, as a book fan, am terribly biased. And also you have critical thinking skills for a reason. You come to your own conclusions.

All I can say is, if people are feeling uncomfortable at the amount of power imbalance. If people think that women are abusing their power in certain situations (as we shall see very soon). If people are wondering why men aren't given the "respect they deserve" and why they're "crying" and "having feelings", then I would like to ask how they missed it all in the books. Women had just as much power in the books, maybe more.

But now that the show has explored that facet just the slightest bit, people are up in arms about it being feminist and modern and catering to women. Okay then, sorry to burst your bubble but the real world is patriarchal and backward and catering to men. So if the power imbalance in WoT makes you uncomfortable, why doesn't the power imbalance in the real world make you uncomfortable?