#Maria Barring

[nopekaat]

Geralt trying to be subtle in Baptism of fire 🔥

Spoiler : he is not.

The fact that’s an actual moment from the book made me go crazy, I love it hhh

Click for better quality :)

[blueallihc]

Milva's doodles at work

[leona-florianova]

Maria (Milva) Barring

[old-deerstalker-hat]

New still from vol.2

[sushiesproductions]

U don't know U don't know how tenderly I love her....

[dancingwiththefae]

at the end of all things

1.3k, Milva & Jaskier, reference to torture, flashbacks, hurt/comfort, potential (mild) book spoilers In a quiet moment in Brokilon, Milva and Jaskier come to understand each other AO3

“Rience is dead.”

The words came from the witcher's mouth with a wheeze. It wasn't a name she recognised, but then why would she. She waited for the bard's response. When none came, she risked a glance in at them. Jaskier sat with his back to her, leaning over Geralt. The witcher was still bed-bound. Sometimes she wondered how he was still breathing. For the first time since she met him, the bard was quiet. It was unnerving. When he eventually spoke, she had to strain her ears to hear.

“Are you sure?” There was a wobble to his voice. An uncertainty that she only ever heard from him in moments like this, when she really shouldn't be listening. But she couldn't help it. These people were strangers in her home. Her safe place. The witcher, she understood. Eithne vouched for him. They had a history, an understanding. The bard was a different story. Every inch the human. Swanning in here like he owned the place. His incessant chatter and naivety grated on her. He didn't belong here. He belonged in the comfort of cities. In moments like this she wasn't so sure. And that was what irritated her the most.

“Killed him myself,” the witcher replied. The tension eased from the bard's shoulders ever so slightly. He took a deep breath and dropped his head.

“Good,” he said at last, almost at a whisper, “that's- that's good.”

Jaskier turned away and Milva slipped away from the entrance.

“You should rest,” he mumbled, “I'll come back to check on you in a bit.”

The witcher hummed and Milva heard shuffling as Jaskier rose from the ground. He breezed straight past her as he left, either unaware or uncaring of her presence. Curiosity got the better of her and she followed close behind.

“Who's Rience?” she asked as she matched pace beside him. He didn't answer at first, heading away from the settlement. She followed in silence.

“He's a mage.” She almost jumped, she was starting to suspect he wouldn't answer at all. “With a penchant for fire.”

He stopped then and turned to face her. She studied him carefully. He refused to look her in the eye, he looked at almost anything but her. He worried at his fingers, a habit that she had noticed since he got here. He seemed to curl in on himself slightly. There was more to this than that.

“He hurt you?” she guessed.

Jaskier pursed his lips and looked down at his hands. And then he sighed and sat down on a log.

“He wanted information,” he began slowly, “information that I didn't have. But he wouldn't take no for an answer.”

Milva frowned, considering his words.

“He tortured you,” she said as she sat down opposite him. The bard gave a short nod towards the ground. They both descended into silence. She didn't know what to say to that. Something soft. Reassuring. Something like, 'it wasn't your fault' or 'it's going to be okay. They were not words that she could say because she knew that they were not true.

A small child with a bow in her hand who only ever wanted to please her father.

“Life's unfair like that,” she settled on instead, “the world is harsh.”

The bard chewed his lip, thinking over what she had said.

“You're right,” he replied softly, “but forgive me for wanting to believe otherwise.”

She hated him for that. She envied him. To still feel like there was good in this world, that things would work out for you in the end. She wanted to dismiss the thought outright. Call him foolish for entertaining the idea even after what he had been through. What his friend had been through. It was unfair. Unjust. Cruel. And that's the way it has always been. Will always be. The only thing to do was to harden yourself to it. If you saw it coming, it wouldn't hurt so much when it arrived. Yet he, who could worm his way even into Brokilon, who talks and sings incessantly, who has little regard for anyone but himself. He is allowed to think different. That, she decided, was what was truly unfair.

As they sat together, away from everyone else, she allowed herself a moment to feel the weight of it, just as he felt the weight of his own burdens. There was something different about him here. Like she was able to glimpse behind the mask, see the man that was underneath. If it was a facade he had, it was a solid one. But then, was she any different. He looked as though he had more to say, a crease forming on his brow, lips parted slightly.

“I thought-” Jaskier cut himself off and frowned. She waited silently for him to continue. “I thought it would be better when he was dead. I thought I would feel...happier. But I just feel the same.”

Her stepfather on the ground, spitting blood. The rage that had built up inside of her cooling in an instant. She gave him a few kicks and ran.

“If only it were that simple,” she uttered, almost under her breath, but the bard heard it anyway. The way he looked at her made her uncomfortable. It was like he could really see her. She had his full undivided attention, his sympathy, his understanding. She didn't like it. It was too personal. A part of her wished he would go back to being the idiot she had let into the forest so that she had an excuse to yell at him again. Eventually his eyes slipped away from her and she let out a breath. He seemed lost in thought. The air around them, though heavy, was peaceful and so she dared not disturb it by asking what was on his mind. It wouldn't have took much to guess anyway.

She followed his line of sight down to his hands, where he was rubbing his thumb across his fingers. Back and forth, back and forth. It was then that she finally noticed what he was doing. It was faint, but from this close, she could see the scarring. He worried at it rhythmically, soothingly. She couldn't help but lean forward to get a better look. Milva had been around long enough to recognise the tightness of the skin, the change in tone. They were burns. He pulled his hand back suddenly. She looked up to find him staring back at her. He looked as though he'd been caught, though she couldn't understand why. He opened and closed his mouth a few times and then stood abruptly.

“I should check on geralt.”

He made to leave. She reached her arm out to stop him.

“The waters,” she explained, nodding towards the scars, “they can heal you too.”

“Oh,” he smiled, the mask was firmly back in place, “don't waste it on an old fool like me.”

Milva wanted to argue, but something in his face told her not to. Instead she stepped aside to allow him past. He offered a small nod as he left, nothing more. She watched him as he walked towards where Geralt lay. The way he stood straighter as he left the safety of their hideaway. As he walked away, she was sure that what was shared between them would never be spoken about again. He was a fool. Fivolous and naïve of what lay ahead. But for a moment, she glimpsed something more, something deeper than that. And, she feared, he had seen the same in her. Well, if the idiot was going to walk straight into a war without thinking to protect himself, she was just going to have to do it for him. She went in search of her bow. It was time to go hunting.

[witcherscreenshotsdump]

ANYWAY i've discovered hero Forge lmao

[hanzajesthanza]

explanation of milva's pregnancy and regis' "poll" (baptism of fire chapter 7)

for those that need it. i made a similar post a few years ago, but it was a little more meandering and "well, it could be this, it could be that." but after rereading this scene a bunch more times since then, i'm now more certain of what i have to say about it.

at the end of the novel, it's revealed that milva has been pregnant for the last two and a half months. since then, she has wanted to abort the pregnancy, but has hesitated.

“I spent too long dragging my feet, meditating, hesitating. Now it won’t be so easy…”

currently, she is in the first term, it’s the tenth week of her pregnancy, as regis… decuded, somehow, him being “something of an expert”. and she later tells geralt that the pregnancy was conceived in mid-to-late june, the sunday after the summer solstice. and it’s late august by the end of the novel, when this conversation takes place.

milva knew she was pregnant, as the dryads could tell, but her procrastination (partially) came from there not being a right time to involve herself with it, as she was busy running intelligence for geralt and leading scoia’tael commandos in july.

then, geralt set off from brokilon in early august (around the 5th/6th), and milva followed, feeling guilt out of wanting to abort her pregnancy. she wanted to save his child, ciri, in exchange for the abortion she was about to have performed.

‘(…) For I would like you to find your Ciri, Witcher. To find her and get her back, with my help.’ ‘So that’s why you rode after me,’ he said, wiping his forehead. ‘That’s why.’ She lowered her head. ‘That’s why you rode after me,’ he repeated. ‘You set off to help rescue someone else’s child. You wanted to pay; to pay off a debt, that you intended to incur even when you set off… Someone else’s child for your own. A life for a life.’

the abortion she was planning to have would have been her debt, and following geralt and saving ciri her “baptism of fire.” these are two of the largest themes of the novel (see eithne speaking of debt in ch. 1 and regis speaking of baptism of fire in ch. 5).

milva had a peasant upbringing, in a village in upper sodden. she was taught the very strict functions and definitions of a woman (why she is so enraged about the peasant clogs insulting her in chapter 4 by insinuating that she's not a virgin, and therefore no use to them to hunt a vampire).

she defines womanhood as this traditional homemaker with children running around the feet. and, not wanting to come into this “mother hen with an egg” womanhood, fled home after she killed her stepfather.

(from chapter 2, after they witness the rape of the peasant girl:)

‘(…) I ran away from home. I didn’t want to sweep the cottage and scrub the floors. I wasn’t going to wait until they arrived and put the cottage to the torch, spread me out on the very same floor and…’

from there, she became a hunter, a killer—not maria, but milva—red kite. she killed men for brokilon, led false dryad scalping expeditions, leading them right into traps. this is “the blood that calls her” now.

‘What kind of Red Kite am I? A mother hen with an egg, not a Kite… Milva laughed with the dryads on the battleground, pulled arrows from bloodied corpses. Waste of a good arrow shaft or a good arrowhead! And if someone was still breathing, a knife across the throat! Milva was treacherous, she led those people to their fate and laughed… Now their blood calls. That blood, like a wasp’s venom, is devouring Maria from the inside. Maria is paying for Milva.’

the blood she spilled is blood she will have spilled—through abortion, or pregnancy (or, miscarriage, as it so tragically happened).

milva was conflicted about her pregnancy because it (a symbol of womanhood, the very traditional womanhood she had fled) conflicted with the identity she had come into since she had escaped that life (as a hunter, as a killer). remember that geralt calls her “half-dryad, half-woman,” when mocking the company as it was formed by the fish soup. milva feels this divide herself, tearing her apart, between hen and kite.

milva wanted to have the abortion because she did not want a child, to have a child conflicted with her identity and, i mean, just generally, her life (hard to hunt toting around a baby on your breast). but she also felt guilt that she planned abortion, because of her culture and social norms.

so she wanted to, but hesitated, wanted to, then hesitated again.

she was planning to head back with dandelion once he balked, but since dandelion never faltered as she had predicted him to, she didn’t have a chance to leave the company.

she didn't want to tell the rest she was pregnant, you can guess why, because she to them was milva and not maria, she didn't want to divulge her vulnerability.

‘I thought I’d drink some ergot or some other decoction, and you wouldn’t even notice, wouldn’t even guess (…) I saw how Dandelion puts on a brave face; but thought him weak, soft, not used to hardship. I was just waiting for him to give up and then we’d have to offload him. I thought if it got hard I’d go back with Dandelion… Now just look: Dandelion’s the hero, and I’m…’

during this time, she also didn't want to have the abortion, because it would have slowed the march and prevented them from travelling. similarly, she felt guilt because if she was to carry it to term, it would slow their company even more.

also, how in hell was she supposed to find someone to perform an abortion in this wilderness, in this warzone, anyhow?

well, by some miracle chance, they happened across a barber-surgeon. in a cemetery of all places. what luck for her, a medical professional makes himself known. (this meeting was on the first night of the full moon, the 18th of august).

The root of the [mandrake], which is a valued ingredient in medicine and herb lore, long ago had great import in superstitions, particularly among the Nordlings; human effigies (called alruniks or alraunes) were carved from it and kept in homes as revered talismans. They were believed to offer protection from illnesses, to bring good fortune during trials, and to ensure fertility and uncomplicated births.

but then, of course, the nilfgaardian stampede in the refugee camp happens (chapter 4, mid-day of august 19th) and said barber-surgeon turns out to be a vampire (chapter 5, dawn of august 20th).

and again, milva having being raised in the forest, and being a smart girl, and a human, fears supernatural things with fangs which sprout from darkness and simply disappear into thin air.

‘Don’t take the piss, Witcher,’ Milva growled. ‘You know more about vampires than we do. You’re mocking Dandelion, so tell me. I was raised in the forest, I didn’t go to school. I’m ignorant. But it’s no fault of mine. It’s not right to mock. I–I’m ashamed to say–am also a bit afraid of… Regis.’

so it takes her some time to get over her fear, until said thing with fangs explains himself and assures his friends (chapter 7, late august) … and that’s where we find ourselves now.

milva finally gets a chance, ten weeks into the pregnancy, to get some medical consult (of course regis knew long before this, actually the day after they met, for when she puked after punching the peasant clogs in the face—but he says nothing and just “smiled strangely”).

I think Regis realised the truth. But he kept quiet. He kept quiet until he couldn’t keep quiet any longer. When we stopped to make camp in a deserted woodmen’s shack, Milva led him into the forest, spoke to him at length and at times in quite a loud voice. The vampire returned from the forest alone. He brewed up and mixed some herbs, and then abruptly summoned us all to the shack. He began rather vaguely, in his annoying patronising manner.

so, what is happening in this “husbands and fathers” scene? why does regis poll the men, and why does milva choose not to have the abortion?

regis polls the “husbands” of the company because he wants to pressure geralt into speaking with milva.

(also, my opinion: i think milva probably asked regis to tell all the rest all about her situation, because regis is eloquent and has no anxieties about these subjects, and milva herself is terrified. i can 💯 believe that she told him, ‘oh hell, i don’t know how to say it, you tell them all…’)

‘She demanded,’ Regis began a short while later, ‘that I prepare and give her a strong and powerful… medicament. She considers it a remedy for the problem. Her mind is made up.’ ‘And have you?’ Regis smiled. ‘Without talking to the other fathers?’

this is a good time to remember that regis can be very coy, and sometimes likes to get to his point “rather vaguely.” (unlike the very direct and action-oriented milva (lady of the lake, ch. 7)!)

for instance, in chapter 5, when revealing himself, regis does not tell all the rest himself that they shouldn’t pity him and view as a wretched creature, that he’s actually very powerful, but rather he gets geralt himself to admit that regis’ value would be “bloody high,” so high that he doesn’t believe that anyone could afford it. it's only when geralt admits this that regis finally smiles and “fucks off,” as it were.

so, as it was then then, regis doesn’t immediately state what he believes or what he wants here—rather, he peppers the others with questions to get them to come to their own conclusions, just as a wonderful philosopher does. much to geralt’s annoyance:

‘Regis, you seem to be conducting something like a poll among us. Why? You’re the physician. The agent she’s asking for… yes, the agent. The word medicament doesn’t suit me somehow… Only you can prepare and give her this agent. And you’ll do it should she ask you for it again. You won’t refuse.’ ‘I’ve already prepared the agent,’ Regis said, showing them all a little bottle made of dark glass. ‘Should she ask again, I shall not refuse. Should she ask again,’ he repeated with force.

regis indeed will provide the abortive substance to milva, he won’t refuse here. as geralt points out, he’s the physician, he’s even already prepared the agent. regis doesn’t truly care about the results of this “poll” if one of the company were to refuse and express their disagreement. it’s milva’s decision.

he’s actually not asking them for their approval, at all. so, what does he want? why does he ask? what is he asking for?

‘What’s this all about then? Unanimity? Total agreement? Is that what you’re expecting?’ ‘You know very well what it’s about,’ the vampire answered. ‘You sense perfectly what ought to be done. But since you ask, I shall tell you. Yes, Geralt, that’s precisely what it’s about. Yes, that’s precisely what ought to be done. And no, it’s not me that’s expecting it.’

ah, more vagueness (which confuses dandelion, and potentially the majority of the fandom).

‘Could you be clearer?’ ‘No, Dandelion,’ the vampire snapped. ‘I can’t be any clearer. Particularly since there’s no need. Right, Geralt?’

what regis wants is for geralt to talk to milva before she decides to go forward the abortion. because her pregnancy and his child are tangled up (her debt, her baptism of fire), which are making it difficult for her to make a decision based on what SHE wants. there's cultural pressure to keep the pregnancy, and quest pressure to drop it.

regis wants geralt to give her his shoulder to cry on, and to tell her something like: "i'm not expecting you to have an abortion just so you can help me out with finding my kid. we'll stick with you as a company, no matter what." and it's not regis that's expecting this, as he says, but milva.

again, if milva keeps the pregnancy, this will mean difficulty imposed upon on the entire company, as she ceases to be a "use" and instead becomes a "millstone" for the company to protect (also this may be why dandelion didn't understand what regis was asking geralt for. because dandelion is also a millstone for the company).

geralt has to tell milva it's okay to be vulnerable. that, uh, being pregnant is #valid? because you see how milva has come to view herself, as a hindrance:

‘You didn’t expect this when we set off, did you? When you let me join the company? You thought: “So what if she’s a peasant; a foolish, country wench?” You let me join. “I won’t be able to talk to her about brainy things on the road,” you thought, “but she might come in useful. She’s a healthy, sturdy lass. She shoots a straight arrow, she won’t get a sore arse from the saddle, and if it gets nasty she won’t shit her britches. She’ll come in useful.” And it turns out she’s no use, just a hindrance. A millstone. A typical bloody woman!’

this talk with milva is hard for geralt, because this means he has to step up and be a leader (which he did not want to be, as he expressed at the start of the novel!)

‘Right,’ the Witcher said, resting his forehead on his clasped hands. ‘Yes, too bloody right. But why are you looking at me? You want me to do it? I don’t know how. I can’t. I’m not suited for this role at all… Not at all, get it?’

so, he's reluctant to speak to her about this, but, well, tough.

It’s now or never, he thought. I can’t run away from it. There’s no point putting it off. It’s got to be done (…)

he speaks to her, providing his support, and offering some significant words about debt and sacrifice:

‘(…) You offered me help in a moment when I needed help very much. There’s no way of paying off a debt like that. It’s impossible to repay something that has no price. Some say everything in the world–everything, with no exception–has a price. It’s not true. There are things with no price, things that are priceless. But you realise it belatedly: when you lose them, you lose them forever and nothing can get them back for you. I have lost many such things. Which is why I can’t help you today.’

‘But you have helped me,’ she replied, very calmly. ‘You don’t even know how you’ve helped me. Now go, please. Leave me alone.’

geralt doesn’t tell her to not have an abortion, but rather provides his support for her no matter her decision. he tells her that he doesn’t expect her to sacrifice her pregnancy for his child, that he cannot repay her if she does. and he reminds her that “some things (…) when you lose them, you lose them forever. i have lost many such things,” he’s talking about the pregnancy, as well as his own child, ciri.

directly following this exchange is the scene of regis throwing the medicament into the bushes, which confirms that milva, no longer feeling the burdens of identity and guilt, decided to keep her pregnancy.

her deciding to keep her pregnancy means something to the company, though: that they will all be extra vulnerable, because soon milva will have to stop riding horseback and will have to rest and deliver. but geralt expresses that he (and the rest) are willing to take on that burden, to slow down the march for milva to carry her pregnancy to term, because they're a company, they're brothers in arms. they sacrifice for each other!

this is reflected in the next scene, the “change of plans” geralt informs regis about, saying that he no longer wants them to go through ysgith as they had previously planned (because it’s too dangrous for milva, which is what regis argues back to him about—“i would say even more than [physically] fit. the hormones…” ... lol, regis).

this is a huge moment for geralt’s character development, as he has come to identify himself as having a company, and then to value his company. in the beginning of the novel, he was willing to sacrifice anything for ciri, and now he has realized that there are some things (some people) which he is unwilling to sacrifice for her.

‘(…) I understood it was urgent. That it was important for you to acquire the information and set off to rescue your Ciri as quickly as possible.’

‘It is,’ Geralt said, looking away. ‘It’s very important to me. I want to rescue Ciri and get her back. Until recently I thought I’d do it at any price. But no. I won’t pay that price, I won’t consent to taking that risk. We won’t go through Ysgith.’

resulting in this reaction from regis, somewhat commending, and intrigued by him:

‘Geralt,’ the vampire said, still not taking his eyes away from the Witcher. ‘You’re a strange man. To make myself clear, I wasn’t being critical. Right, then. We give up on Ysgith, which is dangerous for a woman with child. We cross to the far bank of the Yaruga, which you consider safer.’

their new direction to across the yaruga, however, turned out to be just as dangerous, and with tragic consequences.

[zoeysdamn]

||The Witcher tarot | The Moon | Milva Barring||

[Other cards of the Witcher tarot can be found here and on my Instagram art account]

[DO NOT REPOST OR REUSE WITHOUT LEGAL AND EXPLICIT AUTHORIZATION]

When drawn upward, the moon card isn’t really optimistic: fear, anxiety, risk, confusion. But it’s also all about overcoming all of that when picked downright. Those meanings and the general, more classical imagery of the moon led me pretty obviously to Milva. The Moon is historically associated with femininity and the Greek huntress goddess Artemis, famous for her fearlessness and archery skills, no one could have fitted the role better than Milva. She’s probably my favourite character in the whole Witcher Universe (with Regis). I mostly got the outfit inspiration from her Gwent card, and also added some amazon-like elements like the half-leather/half-steel breastplate or the forearm protection. I really wanted to give her that ancient Greece female warrior vibe, because she’s the modern amazon and Artemis of the Witcher ; not only because of her bow and arrows, but also because of how she fights for herself against men’s violence, and the power over her own body (if you know, you know). I love her so much * sob *

[knifemushroom]

[yellowspiralbound]

Since season 3 of The Witcher Netflix comes out tomorrow...here are some of my concerns on adaptation from this season onward. Potential spoilers for the future seasons and definite spoilers for the books. Long post ahead.

The Hansa's Dynamic

I am so worried about how the Hansa is going to be handled in the show. Like shaking in my boots terrified. The showrunners already really messed up Dandelion & Geralt's dynamic...and that's one of the easier dynamics present in the Hansa imo. The dynamic is already going to be screwy because Cahir is a middle aged man and not a petulant teenager if he's present in the Hansa at all (though I think he will be since Emhyr called him and Fringilla out at the end of s2).

Emhyr as a Character

Speaking of Emhyr...I think they might attempt to give him a redemption arc, and I cannot emphasize how bad of an idea that is. They're going to retcon the whole "wanting to impregnate Ciri" bit, which I have mixed feelings on. Like yes, on one hand that's fucking gross but on the other hand, that bit is in there to show how fucked up Emhyr is and why Geralt needs to get to Ciri so quickly; it adds a sense of urgency to the Hansa's travels. If I see Emhyr sympathizers on my dash after this season I will lose my fucking mind.

Milva's Pregnancy & Related Scenes

I suspect that Milva's pregnancy is going to be cut entirely or play up the rest of the Hansa's concern for her as a weird "men think they can control women's bodies" thing which Milva will have to fight with them about so the show can be appropriately pro-choice without exploring any of the pro-choice nuance the books bring up. I can just see Regis talking to the guys about it being turned into a "the father deserves a say in a woman's choice to abort" scenario instead of the "I will give this woman her abortion regardless of what you all think about that (and I've made that VERY clear) but I think she's making this choice because she believes you all will abandon her/not support her if she wants to keep this baby and someone needs to make sure that she knows that won't happen" scenario that it actually is. This is also plays into my concerns about the Hansa's dynamic as changing that scene changes it irreparably.

Characterizing Nilfgaard as a Nation

Right now I feel like the show could go one of two ways 1) Nilfgaard is wrong in everything it does or 2) Nilfgaard is right in everything it does (if Emhyr gets a redemption arc). The show has already made a show of the Northern Realms' racism, which is book accurate mind you, but I fear this will translate to a sort of "Nilfgaard is the better nation as its less racist" scenario. While Nilfgaard is better in that aspect and a few others, it is still a militant slave nation. Nilfgaard and the Northern Realms both have their evils and their virtues; that's a big point in the books and the games. Neither nation is 100% good or 100% bad - they're just nations. I don't think the show will be able to handle that kind of nuance.

Jaskier & Radovid...

Apparently, Radovid is supposed to be one of Jask's love interests this season. Radovid is a massive racist, a war criminal, and a teenager. I'm sure all of that's going to be retconned but for fuck's sake just make a new character if you're going to age up and completely change the personality and insanity of an existing one. Important note: I am 1000% in support of queer Jask. I have never shipped that man with a woman in my life (even in the books and games) but for the love of God why did his LI have to be fucking RADOVID??

Mistle & the Rats

If they make Ciri and Mistle a love story, I am going to be disappointed but not surprised. Let me be clear: Mistle is a rapist and an abuser. I suspect they will change that to shoehorn in a queer relationship (even though Triss and Philippa are RIGHT THERE if they want a semi-canon wlw couple). The Rats as a whole are definitely going to be made into more robinhood-like characters because God forbid a main character like Ciri is morally grey or does questionable/bad things.

Geralt's Disability

If this season ends with the Vilgefortz and Geralt fight, as I suspect it might, Geralt will be disabled permanently by the end of this season. The dryads do not fix it. Magic does not fix it. Geralt becomes disabled and stays disabled. His disability becomes a hindrance during the books and the reader actively sees him grapple with the fallout of this. I do not trust this show to handle that - especially with how much more closed off Geralt is in the show compared to the books. If I had to guess, Geralt's disability will be handwaved away or mentioned in passing and never actually shown to impact him which is not cool.

[cheweduplemon]

The Witcher: Aen Hanse members ↳ [1/6] Maria Barring, better known as Milva

Are you playing the gentleman all of a sudden? I may have to squat to piss, but my coat is lined with wolf skin, not coney fur! Don't call me a coward, because you don't know me!

— "Baptism of Fire" by Andrzej Sapkowski

[astaldis]

Whumpers-Monthly Issue 28 - Falling

Long, long way - Chapter 4: A Bloodbath

Fandom: The Witcher

Whumpee: Cahir

Caretakers: Geralt, Regis, Milva

Published: 2022-10-14; Completed: 2022-10-30; Words: 16,617; Chapters: 7/7

Milva lets go of the string. The arrow flies off with deadly speed and precision, much faster than the best horse could run. It swishes through the air into the nightly sky. Milva holds her breath. As do her comrades. For a split second, time seems to stand still, frozen with anticipation and trepidation. Then the arrow hits its target. Exactly where it should. And, in spite of the distance, with enough force to penetrate the black metal of the Nilfgaardian's armour. The man gives a cry of agony, then he lists to the side and starts to fall, taking the other rider down with him.

"Fuck!" Geralt sprints off with super-human speed, praying to all the gods that Cahir is okay, that he hasn't broken his neck in the fall or sustained any serious injuries. His three companions run after him at a considerably slower pace, but still as fast as they possibly can. Then Geralt sees something move. However, it is not his friend. The Nilfgaardian commander is clambering to his feet with difficulty, the feathered shaft of Milva's arrow protruding from the back of his pauldron. In his gloved hand he is holding the dagger.

"No!" the Witcher roars. Then he is upon the enemy. He hits him hard on the helmet with the pommel of his sword. So hard so that the man goes down like a felled tree. And stays down. 

Geralt lets go of his sword and kneels next to his comrade who is lying face down in the grass. There is blood in his hair and he does not stir. "Cahir? Cahir!" Very carefully, Geralt turns his friend over. Cahir moans softly, then blinks his eye open.

"Geralt?" he whispers, hardly audible.

[slowpokegamer]

More of my designs for my silly little Warrior Cats AU for the Witcher, featuring the Hansa and that one scene from Baptism of Fire when Dandelion took an arrow to the face and Geralt killed like 7 people

[old-deerstalker-hat]

[sarah-lance]

"Back there, in Brokilon, I became indebted to you and swore I'll repay you. Unwisely. Stupidly. You offered me help in a moment when I needed help very much. There's no way of paying off a debt like that. It’s impossible to repay something that has no price. Some say everything in the world–everything, with no exception–has a price. It’s not true. There are things with no price, things that are priceless. But you realise it belatedly: when you lose them, you lose them forever and nothing can get them back for you. I have lost many such things. Which is why I can’t help you today."

Andrzej Sapkowski, Baptism of Fire