#and they're separated from Ciri

[royalberryriku]

Finished reading The Witcher Lady of the Lake and I'm crying screaming throwing up

[winters-mistress]

The last rose will bloom

Bang!

Ciri's knees meet the horribly stone floor, and if she had any sense left within her, she would have gasped or cried out or made a noise of pain. But in this moment, she's so drained of all her energy and everything that's usually contained in a person, all she can do is close her eyes and let her body slump forwards, not even having the warewithal to brace for impact or put her arching arms out in front of her to not have to brace. But she can do none of these things.

Hard, strong arms capture her body before it can injure itself any further. She inhales as much as she can, but she doesn't get far with the blood streaming from her eyes that quickly make its way into her lips and nostrils. She can't open her eyes, her body is that weak it slumps into the hard, ridiculously large abdomen and chest. She breathes, and barely manages not to faint here and now.

"How the fuck did she do that?!" Ah. Lambert. Why was he mad? It dawns on her a moment later, he's not mad. He's surprised, frightened, taken off guard. But not mad.

"I don't know." she feels it more than she hears it, the vibration in the chest. "How are you feeling? Did she-"

"I'm-I'm okay?" That's Eskel. He sounds surprised as well, relieved and surprised. "Yes, I'm okay." His voice is hoarse as if he'd seen screaming.

"She just-" Lambert trails off. "I'm sorry but did she just drain you of all that poison, throw all the black shit in a cup and heal you?!" He's loud, but he's not mad.

"It appears so." That's Vesemir. "Wolf, your girl alright?"

"I think so." He draws her away from him for a moment, probably to look her over. She makes a noise at the back of her throat. "Just drained, it looks like. She needs to sleep."

A large, rough thumb wipes at her eyes. She breathes clearer, and the weight upon her cheek is gone. Ciri manages to open her eyes.

Geralt is frowning at her, eyes wide, hands bloody. She swallows, but she can't say anything as he draws her to his chest, picks her up as her knees groan with the strain of injury and unfolding.

Her eyes open when she realises they're moving, and Geralt is coming closer to Eskel. He's laying on the floor, his body separated from the leshy that was -moments ago- ravaging his body and making him scream.

Ciri open her mouth to speak, but no words come out.

"Okay, regardless of what happened here, she's no use half unconscious and bloody. Take her to bed, Geralt. Get her cleaned up and rested. We'll talk in the morning." Vesemir says. Ciri agrees.

"I'm sorry, I feel like we aren't focusing on what happened enough. I know he told us she had magic, but that's not fucking possible, what she just did. We should know that that's not how curses are broken!" Lambert cries out.

"Be that as it may," Vesemir begins. "The girl needs to rest, and so does your brother. To bed with her, Geralt. And then help us get him situated."

Geralt nods, and turns to leave, Ciri still in arms.

"Thank you, Ciri. For saving my pup."

Ciri smiles weakly, before everything turns black.

[limerental]

Ok spoilery initial reaction to s3 vol 2 under the cut okie dokie

The good:

some moments made me go WAHHHH aloud. frinfran supporting each other... every scene with them tbh made me insane. Cahir and fringilla reunion... they love each other.... the visuals in the cahir and ciri scene were spot on he's just a little guy. Uhhhh I forget what else. MILVAAAAAAAAA. women. Rats!!!! Tissaia's final scene/line I had to stand up and yell and cwy a little. Vilgefortz had his whole vilgussy out and he blew geralts back out with his huge throbbing staff amen.

The bad:

It wasn't very well-written plot-wise lol

A lot of stuff just... happens and a lot of characters make decisions based on ??? and they could have avoided everything that happened pretty easily. Travel and information goes around WAY too easily sometimes and not other times? Yennefer just jogging back into the battle, Ciri just jogging right into Tor Lara from the convenient beachfront entrance, Geralt standing there like 🧍‍♂️while ciri and cahir fight.

Not to do a "not like the books" comparison (that ship has sailed) but the tension during the Thanned coup in Time of Contempt is entirely in the sheer chaos of battle, making choices trying to escape and stay alive that have consequences, and ultimately everybody ending up permanently separated because of those places being the only place they can go in those circumstances. Book Ciri runs into Tor Lara because she can't go anywhere else. Book Geralt fights Vilgefortz trying to get to her, not fully knowing where she is. (I'm not as grumpy about Book vs Show yennefer changes but yeah by s3 I can 100% say they are vastly different characters.)

Other stuff I didn't like: redacting the entire war plot in boring ways and excluding the other kings. Having Dijkstra know that Phil killed Vizimir that's sooooo that's got me sooooooo. Yen being overly involved at Aretuza and presumably establishing the initial lodge instead of Phil? A bizarre choice. The coup in general being a last minute decision instead of planned in advance. (Like they had time to do arts and crafts with arm bands when did they do that? Phil hosted an orgy post banquet and was like hey girlies let's gossip about vilgefortz BTW he's evil)

Anyway. I forget what else. The main takeaway is the same thoughts I've had about twn for a while. The character moments are SO good and there are many character relationships that reach right into my heart and stab me and make me want to explode and have me spiraling into varying thoughts about them. And the plot writing is just bad and contrived lmao it's just not good.

Nothing was so egregiously bad that I won't watch s4 though I mean. When the character moments are good, they're very very good, and most of the actors are also insanely good (and hot).

[stillness138]

violence ask: 1 or 9?

or both >:)

1.the character everyone gets wrong i wanted to say geralt, but honestly, it's yennefer. there's of course the relationship, from yenralt truthers buying into the "it got magically fixed", or worse, "by the kid they both took care of separately", to people not even acknowledging the domestic violence. even if they both largely shed their individual self-loathing, learned to process their respective trauma and to let other people in, they're still two stubborn mules who clash all the time.

everyone calls her a complex character for the wrong reasons it seems like. i'm not even gonna go into twn's many issues with just this one character, but even looking at cdpr, she always felt all over the place, suprisingly understanding at one point, upset about bullshit at another. i get they didn't include her earlier for fear of not doing her justice, because in a huge game, messing up consistency of writing is all too easy.

as honorable mentions, cdpr also bungled regis and dijkstra, fandom often goes too simplistic with witchers and especially eskel and lambert, netflix fucked up everything else they could and only i am correct about milva's sexuality (or rather, lack thereof).

9. worst part of canon any time SA occurs and especially when it happens to minors. or in other words, the majority of ciri's arc and backstory, from emhyr's pedophilia making pavetta a mother at 14-15 to [gestures at mistle and the rats]. andrzej sapkowski to dziadek jebany 😔

in games it's never addressing the triss situation and instead ironically enough writing her as just as manipulative and obsessed only to make it tee hee cute in the end because the horny wins over the self-aware. also every other point on my cringe game moments poll.

[fablewoven]

Lemme scream about Yen and Ciri for a minute on main, okay?

Yen and Ciri in the books is so important to me, because even though they misstep in the beginning, and Yen works Ciri to the bone trying to train her (making Nenneke have to step in), Ciri absolutely just wants to be around her. They bond almost immediately, and Ciri starts climbing into Yen's bed with her and Yen holds her to chase the nightmares away.

Ciri calls Yen 'mama' and Yen refers to Ciri as her daughter pretty early on. They call each other that, they refer to each other as that to other people, and you can pry each other away from each other maybe--prolly not, because Yen would rather die. It's extra precious, to be honest, because Ciri hasn't had a mother figure since she lost Calanthe, and Yen in the books actually had her choice to be a mother completely stripped from her. There was no removal of a uterus, but Aretuza deliberately hid that the mages were being sterilized from them, so that they would grow dependent on the Brotherhood and the Brotherhood alone for loyalty.

So, you have two people who very much need each other, becoming everything to each other. Yen is literally ready to die for Ciri, but only under the condition that Ciri would be okay without her. She also is always rabidly ready for violence should anyone threaten Ciri. Goes even as far as to be somewhat okay with necromancy when it comes to finding Ciri, which goes a very long way in showing what lengths she would go to, for her child, and since this isn't about Geralt, I'll scream about the lengths she's willing to go for for him later.

As things progress, and they're separated and reunited, and everything, Ciri goes as far as to choose her own last name. She rejects the last name everyone wants to give her, and chooses to be 'Cirilla of Vengerberg, Daughter of Yennefer'. Ciri wants everyone to know that Yennefer is her mother, and that she is proud of that. Her own biological father even notices it and at Yennefer's begging, decides against his want of the prophecy child, and lets Ciri go to be with her true parents.

Why do I get rabid about it? Because her relationship with Yennefer is held as high if not higher than her relationship with Geralt in the books, and it's barely shown in the games, but we do get good stuff. Having it, even in the Netflix format, is INCREDIBLE. I love that we're finally getting to see it, and it's not erased or fully in the background. This is everything. I don't care what context it is in it, I just want everything they will give me, and I know it's going to hurt, because we're heading out of Time of Contempt, and that means splitting up again, but I just...I just wanted all of this.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[fandom-space-princess]

WIP Whenever

Taking inventory of my WIPs folder, and I'm starting to understand why I never seem to finish anything. I jump around too much 😅

WIPs for which I have, at minimum, started to bullet-point plot and character notes (by fandom):

Supernatural:

None But Shining Hours: midam sequel to "The Game of Us." Michael and Adam living their little post-resurrection life, featuring a Michael learning to take joy in life's quieter labors.

Artificial Nocturne: Raphael sequel to "The Game of Us." Raphael growing a garden for themself as they take up a position caretaking the Empty, and getting the rest and recuperation they deserve.

[untitled]: sabrifer sequel to "The Game of Us." I'm not actually sure this isn't two fics trying to be one fic. On the one hand, there's whatever Gabriel and Lucifer are doing whenever they're haunting the bunker, and Sam, and each other. On the other hand, there's the separate setting entirely of Lucifer taking responsibility for upending the structure of Purgatory, and examining what it means to be a creature created irredeemable. Need to work on this more because it is at all times scrabbling at the walls in my brain.

[untitled] oddly philosophical bondage kinkfic featuring [REDACTED]. This one meant to be sexy when I started writing it but these assholes just won't stop talking to each other long enough to get to the good part. Woe.

Stranger to Flight: midam oneshot featuring both Michael and Adam being incredibly weird about the concept of immortality.

[untitled]: Gabriel resurrection postcanon longfic. Canon-compliant AU. Gabriel finds himself deposited unceremoniously on the bunker's doorstep, and has to reconcile a headful of conflicting memories about how often, when, and whether he was alive or dead. He's uncertain if he's real, or if anything is; he remembers the many, many "draft" versions of himself Chuck wrote, and he's stuck in a body that doesn't answer to his whims like it used to. This is technically a sabriel fic, but it's so much more about Gabriel's relationship to embodiment and existence… one day I will finish this, and publish it, and then probably just die satisfied.

First Rites: midam oneshots about their "firsts." First kiss, first decision Michael makes for himself, first fight they have after the cage… heck, when I figure out how to write them baking a cake, Michael's first birthday.

Eastern Midnight Time: samifer fic that I will someday finish and bestow upon Sin like a flower crown for inspiring it. The premise is an allegory about sacrificial goats wrt the book of Leviticus, and the idea of Sam as "the scapegoat"/the goat "for Azazel," in contrast to Dean, as Michael's vessel, being a more pure/godly sacrifice. The premise here is a ~s4/5ish Sam road trip fic, and the lengths to which he would go to feel worthy again; about helping people as he moves, collecting sins as he goes.

Witcher (all media):

Metamorphosis, and Other Gifts: Eskel/Salma the Succubus fic that keeps stubbornly resisting me writing the final chapter. Eskel's relationship to his own monstrousness (and the idea in general of what it means to be a monster) makes me feel tormented. I think this might be the next thing I finish.

[untitled]: Ciri longfic. What if, in the aftermath of TW3, the Lady of Space and Time had a crisis of conscience and took up mutiverse-jumping? What if she pulled the members of Geralt's hansa from their deaths at Stygga Castle at the last possible moment, and brought them into the post-game future? Wouldn't that be awful for everyone? GLAD YOU ASKED. It definitely would! There would be unintended consequence! Crises of identity! Angoulême and Ciri having just the worst heart-to-hearts! I can't wait to sit down and work on it one of these days.

[untitled]: series of sequential/interconnected one-shot fics for Meve/Reynard/Gascon (Thronebreaker). I'm not exactly sure how many of these there are going to be yet, but I have notes for at least three of them. I do so love my OT3.

[Bonus!] Dragon Age:

[untitled] Whooo boy, is this self-indulgent. This is a gigantic fic that exists (… I use this word loosely) to tear a big goddamn hole in the fabric of the universe and let me write a story to the effect of: "if you sunder spacetime such that you have five or six Wardens with intact memories up to the Tower of Ishal, three or four slightly different versions of the same Hawke, and a half-dozen very angry Inquisitors, how badly can they screw up working together and saving the world?" God, it's so much. There is no chance of this seeing the light of day prior to Dreadwolf, though, so I wouldn't look for it any time soon.

[nooneexpectsthesithinquisition]

Hello! Figured I should make a list of blorbos so anyone has a chance of knowing what I'm talking about. In some particular order under the cut:

Jayne - DS Cyborg Bounty Hunter

Lot of firsts here: my first character, first through her class campaign, and the first and only I've started taking through the expansions so far. Got separated from her parents on Balmorra as a kid and figures they're probably dead. Likes to pick fights with Force users (hence the scar)

En'nead - DS Chiss Imperial Agent

Batman and James Bond's blue alien baby. Has a soft spot for droids. Romanced Kaliyo and took the Imperial ending. Middle child with family back in the Chiss Ascendacy he has a little brother named En'der

Meria Nura - LS Mirialan Jedi Consular

Daughter of one of my Knights and my Smuggler, she was supposed to have an arc about learning that being good isn't the same as following the rules but I never quite managed to play that out in the game so it's HC territory.

Thalia Clios - DS Ratatouille Rattataki Sith Inquisitor

You know that one line in one codex page on Korriban that says sometimes people sneak onto the planet disguised as slaves in an attempt to grab a bunch of artifacts Indiana Jones style and bounce? Well that's Thalia's backstory until someone realized she was Force sensitive and stuck her in with the other potential Siths. Probably hangs out as Darth Nox just long enough to figure out a way to dissapear into the frontier, being a Sith was a fun power trip but she doesn't plan on staying long term. Would've romanced Talos if he was an option.

Rhosse Nura - neutral Mirialan Jedi Knight

Lets all the power go to his head and ends up a grey Jedi. But also he hasn't left the starter planet yet. Meira's Dad, he does a lot better (and more good tbh) as Staine's smuggling partner who happens to be Force sensitive. Decent dad.

Staine Nura - LS Mirialan Smuggler

Aggressively nice in a "I'm going to kick that guy's ass for you but also you need to get good" kinda way. I think she's in chapter 2 right now? Meira's mom. Kinda looks like Ciri TheWitcher.

Triq Barnas - LS Nautilan Trooper

He's just a nice guy! Gives good hugs, wields big guns. I think he's on Coruscant right now. Hand to hand expert and Staine's buddy/ occasional Republic connection. Yes my whole light side crew is green.

Ashiok Vray - DS Togruta Sith Warrior

Used to be a trooper till she got grabbed by the Sith. Her family was Sith before they defected for a couple generations and she didn't know. Likes to mess (read:fight) with Sith and nobles but has a soft spot for the soldiers on the ground. Also Vette.

[theladyjssem]

Okay, I'm awful at other languages, English is my one and only despite a love for how languages affect names. That's just something I can't do.

My dad, on the other hand, for all of his MANY faults, is brilliant at other languages. Man is a certified genius, and when he wants to learn a language, he completely emerges. Radio, movies, TV, books, all of it in that other language.

I'm not certain if I've shared this story before. My dad loves the Russian language and, this is important, has a full bushy beard down to his chest. He has had it for years now since before my kids were born. When he was working in defence contracts (literally doing stuff that he couldn't tell people about with having to kill them, yes, he's told us that, yes, it's messed up), he literally jumped for the chance to go to Russia. They had a couple of days of adjustment to relax and tour the city.

Now, again, my dad is a very smart man, intellectually anyways, socially? Not so much. See, on these types of trips it's literally 101 to STAY WITH THE GROUP. DO NOT WANDER OFF. YOU COULD CAUSE SO MANY PRObLEMS IF YOU WANDER OFF.

So yeah, he wanders off.

Now, he's in Moscow, his escort and fellows on the trip have no kdea where he is, his escort is at wits end, and trying to find him, they didn't go to most of their planned locations. But, how do you pick an older, white cis man with a flawless Russian accent and a big bushy beard like a native older man or priest from, say, all the others in the entire ciry of Moscow??? I do have to say, yes, he did have a cell phone, but no, he did not answer it.

He had a whale of a time exploring and chatting with the locals while everyone was trying to get in touch with him. By the time evening rolled around, and everyone was back at their lodgings with their escort in a heap of trouble, and my dad waltzes back in, in time for dinner to ask where they were going. He was basically told that if he did that again, he'd be put on a leash and had to stay with the group from then on. Still occasionally got separated and confused for a local Catholic priest. But he was a non-native speaker being confused FOR a native. He even had the local accent down pat.

Russian is a liiiittle easier to learn compared to Japanese, I will grant, but at the level my dad knows it, and his seven other languages, that's a completely different thing. Also, yes, my dad can talk to a Russian rocket scientist and understand what they're talking about, and have a conversation with them. It would end up being about rocks.

This Twitter thread really spoke to me. I wanted to share it with anyone who hasn’t seen it. 

[doubleimages]

cirila of cintra

welcome to london, CIRILA “CIRI” FIONA ELEN RIANNON! did anyone ever tell you that you look just like FREYA ALLEN? well, no matter, we hear that you are EIGHTEEN and working as a UNEMPLOYED. we also hear that you currently DON’T HAVE your memories from THE WITCHER and have a tendency to be BRAVE as well as OBNOXIOUS.

some notes:

ciri has no memories of her real life currently. she doesn't know about witchers or elder blood or magic of any kind, or that she possesses any of it.

in her fake life, she is an only child. i have no set thoughts on her parents, whether or not they're together or separated or anything, so i'd be down to plot something out if anyone has ideas!

she's recently graduated secondary school in her fake life, and is currently open for old school friends and the like. pretty much anything tbh.

[fangirleaconmigo]

I Can't Believe It's Not Fanon Part III

Otherwise known as...

Witcher facts that sound like Geraskier fic writers made them up, but that are, in fact, book canon.

People have told me they're interested in this series, so I've made another! (full list of posts at the end)

For this post I'm discussing:

A popular headcanon/fanon that involves Geralt traveling with Jaskier for years before learning his birth name. The fanon scene where he learns Jaskier's birth name usually involves someone addressing Jaskier as “Julian Alfred Pankratz” and Geralt going “Excuse me Julian what? Pankratz Who?” 

In this headcanon, (which is usually a funny scene) Jaskier has kept his family origins/noble birth a secret, and there is more to him than Geralt realized. 

Jaskier having two separate names has inspired a lot of creativity in the fandom. People play with the concept of how Jaskier feels about his name, why he would try to separate himself from his family, etc etc. Queer fans especially may relate to alienation from family, fighting to establish your own identity, and changing your name. It is *throws glitter* transformative fandom.

Now, in TWN, Jaskier introduces himself as Julian Alfred Pankratz multiple times in Geralt’s vicinity. So, if you’ve only watched TWN, the headcanon that Jaskier has hidden his family name/nobility from Geralt for years might seem like pure fanon.

Well folks. In case you didn’t know...

It’s canon.

(sorry I may never stop using my Beyond Belief Jonathan Frakes gifs for this)

Now, I am going to share that passage with you with my analysis.

But first I want to set the stage for what the passage tells us about Geralt and Dandelion’s relationship. Then I’ll theorize why Dandelion has hidden his true name from Geralt. 

As always, minor book spoilers. I try to extract only the quotes I need to analyze, without spoiling the plot.

So, Geralt thinks that he knows everything there is to know about Dandelion. After all, he does know quite a bit. He knows that Dandelion had literacy beat into him at a temple school. He knows how and when he fell in love with poetry. His knowledge about Dandelion does imply many nights of aimless conversation. And Geralt has been listening!

Also, Geralt sees Dandelion as a motormouth who can’t keep secrets to save his life! Geralt laments his lack of discretion and tact on many occasions. He calls him a “prattler”. Which, tough but fair.

Combine those two things and you have a witcher who believes there is nothing new to learn about his simple friend. In Sword of Destiny, they have an argument and Geralt says as much. 

So in this scene, Geralt is upset at Dandelion for flirting with girls at a party. They are back in their shared room and arguing. (I’m going to do an analysis about that in my ‘Geralt and Dandelion share beds’ post, but I won’t go into detail here) But for the purposes of this post, at the end of this argument, Geralt insists that he knows Dandelion well. Dandelion responds:

“You only think you know me. Don’t forget: I'm complicated by nature.”

“Dandelion,” the Witcher sighed, now genuinely tired. “You’re a cynic, a lecher, a womanizer, and a liar. And there’s nothing, believe me, nothing complicated about that. Good night.”

Dandelion only replies:

“Goodnight, Geralt.” 

Sword of Destiny page 208

But does Geralt know him as well as he thinks he does? Two books later, Geralt is in the forest with his friends. They are searching for some potential informants who might help them find Ciri. They come upon some druid pilgrims being slaughtered by bandits and Nilfgaardians. Geralt and Milva (his archer friend and love of my life) jump in and start defending them, killing the bandits bloody and violent.

Once they’ve killed them all, some knights appear out of nowhere. Geralt doesn’t want to be skewered by their lances, and Milva thinks they’ll be arrested for killing Nilfgaardians, so they hide under a wagon. By the way, whenever knights appear in the story, you know it is going to be hilarious and ridiculous. They are always very competent but also very very pompous and the way they interact with Geralt is always gold. And if the witcher books are good at one thing, it’s effectively weaving horrors with humor.

So anyway, the knights approach and one of them calls out:

“Get out!...Drop your weapons and get out!” 

The knights make various threats, thinking Geralt and co. are in league with the bandits.

Geralt and Milva emerge, and one of the knights recognizes Geralt. 

So the knight he helped says:

“Free them with all haste!” he called. “They are not bandits, but upright and honest folk!...And that fellow is a goodly knight!”

A bit earlier on in the forest, Geralt saved this knight from bandits. The man mistook Geralt for a knight, and Geralt didn’t correct him. He basically said ‘oh let’s not talk heraldry there’s no time’ (LMAO) and ran off to find and help his friends. 

The other knights are incredulous. They look at Geralt and don’t believe that he is a knight. The man assures them. 

...”I give you my word! This doughty fellow saved my life when I was in need, after I was flung to the ground by the ne’er-do-wells. He is called Geralt of Rivia.”

So the other knight turns to Geralt and asks...

“Arms?”

Well, Geralt has no arms or heraldry because he isn’t a knight. But his response is hilarious.

“I’m forbidden from revealing them,” the Witcher grunted. “I can share neither my true name nor my arms. I have taken knightly vows. I am the errant Geralt.”

I’m dying laughing at that point. Geralt has such a complicated relationship with knights. He resents them a bit. They are often very religious, which is usually associated with believing witchers are abominations. So. Not good. But he wanted to be one, and would love to be seen as heroic, whether he admits it or not. He also admires their skill and competence. However, he finds their pretentiousness totally absurd. It’s complicated! Geralt automatically reverts to his driest most wilting sarcasm whenever he’s around them. I think it’s partly a defense mechanism. (that’s just me editorializing)

But ok, anyway, Dandelion appears with his ‘lute and his ever present tube of scrolls’. praising Geralt for rescuing them not a moment too soon. 

And then one of the knights, the one that doubted Geralt’s bona fides as a knight:

“...leaned over in his saddle, and his eyes shone. Viscount Julian?”

Hm, a wrinkle! Dandelion recognizes him and replies:

“Baron de Peyrac-Peyran?”

Geralt doesn’t seem to notice. He’s preoccupied with something else (finding the informants) and he tries to talk to the Baron. But, the baron ignores him because he:

...only had eyes, it seemed, for Dandelion. “Pon my word,” he drawled. “My eyes do not deceive me! It’s Viscount Julian in person. Ha! The Duchess will be pleased!”

At this point it registers with Geralt and he asks:

“Who is Viscount Julian?” the Witcher asked curiously.

He has no clue whatsoever. Five books in.

“That would be me,” Dandelion muttered. “Don’t interfere, Geralt.”

Dandelion is like...you’ve saved all of us from bandits but these people are barons and this is the part where I deal with things. It kind of reminds me of Stede telling Ed he can deal with all the asshole nobles in OFMD. Like. These are my people, this is what I do.

The knights are adamant that they must take “Viscount Julian” at once to Beauclaire Castle to the local Duchess, who would want to see him. Geralt says he can’t. He has unfinished business with these informants that he must carry out. Dandelion insists on going with Geralt.

“Me too,” Dandelion muttered, “I’m with you too...”

So, Dandelion turns down the opportunity to go to a luxurious castle with people who adore him, which is very very suspect. Geralt doesn’t need him on this mini-mission. The knights are a little offended, saying that they insist on taking Dandelion, that he doesn’t have a choice, and that the rest of them would be welcome too.

“As the companions of Viscount Julian, Her Grace, Lady Henarietta, would have gladly received you with all due respect and invited you to stay at the castle, but why, if you scorn her hospitality...”

So, their association with Dandelion would get them all kinds of special treatment. Geralt insists he does not scorn her hospitality and will catch up to them. He will meet them at Beauclair Castle. Then Geralt gets in a little joke. He says...

“We shall unfailingly go there. If only,” he added knowingly and with emphasis, “to ensure that no disgrace or dishonor befalls our comrade, Dandelion. I meant, Julian, by thunder.”

He is letting them know that if anything happens to Dandelion, they will answer for it. But he also gets in a little dig at Dandelion for having sprung this on him, and also the knights, who keep saying “Pon my word” and “By thunder” which Geralt thinks is pretentious as hell. (He makes fun of them a few times for it but they never notice.) The baron misses his sarcasm.

“Pon my word!” the baron suddenly laughed. “No disgrace nor dishonor will befall Viscount Julian. I’m prepared to give my word on it! For I omitted to tell you, viscount, that Duke Raymund died of apoplexy two years past.”

That is when we find out why Dandelion didn’t want to go with them. Not surprisingly, it was because the husband wanted him dead. We also get a taste of Dandelion’s utter lack of filter and signature lack of tact.

“Ha, ha!” Dandelion shouted, beaming all over. “The Duke kicked the bucket! These truly are marvelous and joyous tidings!”

You can just picture everyone looking at him like....excuse me? Because he quickly catches himself and changes course.

“I mean, I meant to say, sorrow and grief, a great loss. May the earth lay lightly on him. Lol very meaningful and sincere Dandelion. And then he agrees to go with them. If that is the case, let’s ride with all haste to Beauclair noble knights!” 

After Geralt rides away with Milva and Angoulême (another member of his party, a teenager I adore) Angoulême says:

“Dandelion claims that Duchess Henarietta is madly in love with him.”

Geralt is dismissive.

“Dandelion always claims that.”

The Tower of the Swallow, pages 250-260

(This is a bit off topic but Angoulême’s first reference to Dandelion in the books was to call him a ‘comely fellow’ which I thought was cute.)

Ok, so that was the time Geralt found out Dandelion’s family name and title, and learned that maybe he didn’t know everything there was to know about his best friend. It has a remarkable resemblance to all the fanon, at least some of which was written without knowledge of book canon. It just fits!

Your bonus...Ciri Finds Out The Same Way goes like this...

In the final book, Lady of the Lake, Geralt and Ciri return to Beauclair. They come upon some, shall we say, legal proceedings, where Dandelion is being charged with (among other things) debauchery and harlotry: (honestly, it does sound like him)

“Good gentlemen and burghers of Beauclair and the surroundings!” he read thunderously and funereally from an unrolled parchment. “It is known that Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove, alias Dandelion--

“Pancratts what?” Ciri whispered a question.

Lady of the Lake page 470

Now remember, Ciri knows Dandelion. Dandelion was even responsible for watching her when Geralt and Yen went to the Thanedd ball. But his family name is still news to her.

It is a funny running joke. And it makes his character a bit intriguing. There is always more to him than meets the eye. Why does Dandelion do this? Why does he hide his identity, and for so long?

It isn’t to hide from vengeful husbands, because he has committed just as many indiscretions as Dandelion. So there is no protection in that name. It isn’t that he has left his family entirely behind or that he refuses to be called Julian. In Season of Storms, his cousin Ferrant de Lettenhove calls him Julian, and he doesn’t seem to mind at all.*

I’ve seen one fan theorize that the “Viscount” title is more of a scam on Dandelion’s part. But Geralt does meet his cousin in Season of Storms, as mentioned above, so there is that proof of who his family is. Also, his cousin has a very respectable government position.

Dandelion does makes an offhand remark in Baptism of Fire that I think is pretty revealing. Geralt and his friends (including Dandelion) are all spending the evening talking shit and getting wasted on moonshine in Regis’s summer shack. (one of the best scenes in all the books) And Dandelion, drunk as hell, says:

“Ah, well.” Dandelion looked around the shack with a slightly vacant stare. If the Countess de Lettenhove could see me like this.”

The only person listening to him at this point is Milva who asks:

“Who?”

“Never mind. Bloody hell, this moonshine really does loosen the tongue...Geralt? Should I pour you another one Geralt?”

“Leave him be,” Milva said, “Let him sleep.”

Baptism of Fire, page 138

Now, I could be wrong, and am happy to hear other theories, but that sounds like his family would disapprove of his lifestyle. It is the only time I can remember him letting anything slip, and he immediately curses the moonshine for making him slip.

There are also moments that imply how odd, even bizarre it is to see a poet out in a war zone wading through corpses in harm's way instead of (as Milva says) “writing rhymes in a quiet spot somewhere.” He’s always seen as out of place, and unsuitable for the dangerous mission. What he is doing isn't normal or typical for a poet. So it's reasonable to think his family probably disapproves, and hiding his connection is his way of either keeping them off his back for soiling the family name, or just as a way to escape whatever weight his family exerts on his life and decisions. 

But why wouldn’t he tell Geralt? It isn’t like Geralt is going to tell people. Maybe there is something deeper or more traumatic there that even he (the prattler) doesn't want to discuss.

I haven’t finished my reread, so I may think differently after I do. I do notice so many more things the second time around, and I may come up with more ideas or relevant passages. So if anyone else has any thoughts about anything obvious I’ve missed, let me know.

So yeah, that’s my take on Jaskier’s name, and Geralt finding out about it!

Alright, the other I Can't Believe It's Not Fanon posts and I've linked the ones I've finished. I'll come back and add links as I go:

A shape shifter reads Geralt's mind, then turns into Jaskier because he knows that’s the best way to protect himself. 

Geralt and Jaskier share beds.

Geralt and Jaskier share clothes.

Geralt may play it cool to his face, but he thinks Jaskier has a gorgeous voice.

Jaskier has a voice so beautiful, it can calm a monster.

Geralt drops everything to protect Jaskier, every time, even in the middle of battles when there are other people around to protect.

Geralt can smell lust

Bad guys kidnap Jaskier in order to get to get to Geralt. Geralt slaughters every single one of them.

They also share a kiss in a few of the translations, but not all. It's a very "y yo también" situation.

*There are all kinds of continuity issues with that novel. It was the last one in publication order, but ostensibly it takes place chronologically between The Last Wish and Season of Storms. So then, Geralt would have already known when he ‘found’ out in The Tower of Swallows.

But Sapko really doesn’t seem to care about things like continuity or timelines or maps or a medieval setting that is consistent with a real life historical setting. He just writes the stories and lets us nerds fight about the details.

[endiness]

partially because of the leak but also because jaskier gets shot in the books, too, which leads to some integral moments, so i'd assume the show would want to keep at least something resembling that moment. (also, i think the thing from the leak actually says "[something] cahir. jaskier shot." so maybe those are two different things, happening at once since they're mentioned in the same section? idk.)

i think it's probably going to end up being a bit of everything? like, i think radovid probably will be involved because there are too many narrative parallels and details between their romance and dandelion's relationship with anna henrietta and that was used as the excuse to separate dandelion from geralt and the hansa in the books. but i think there'll probably be something else to it, too. like, as you said, with jaskier and his sandpiper connections and his ability to sway public opinion, it's totally in the realm of possibility that jaskier leaves to help radovid with redania and the rest of the continent. but i could also see maybe jaskier being injured to be part of that too? like, maybe he literally can't physically continue but he can help geralt and ciri by going to redania and helping there with radovid.

ooo a theory i've just thought of within that, or at least a good fic idea anyway lol: in the books, dijkstra has to go to the country of kovir to beg for money to fund the redanian army and getting that funding plays a major role in the north eventually beating nilfgaard. during that part in the books, they go over the history of redania and specifically two kings named radovid, the second of whom — the bold — also had to go to kovir after starting a war with them that he lost but was smart enough to accept defeat and let cooler heads prevail and seek peace. what if! jaskier and radovid go to kovir to do the same kind of thing. the show could even fudge some book details and make it so that jaskier is part of kovir nobility hence why he's the one to go to there with radovid. you could even fudge more plot details and have ferrant, jaskier's cousin, be king or at least someone with a position of high influence to the king.

also just one last theory but this is a huge crack theory that i don't particularly think has any merit as it would remove jaskier from the hansa SO EARLY. but part of me really wonders if jaskier does get shot and he's seriously injured if maybe that it's so serious that jaskier has no choice but to stay with radovid because he'd have access to medical care that the hansa just isn't capable of. but, again, i don't really think that'd end up happening because it really does remove jaskier from the hansa way too early. although slightly in this theory's favor... after he gets shot, jaskier doesn't have that much to do in the story except for toussaint. so, idk, maybe the show would pull something crazy like that to actually give jaskier a storyline? but then that also fucks with the soup sceneTM and him writing half a century of poetry... idk.

i wonder if when jaskier gets shot if it won’t end up being a serious injury. because the show’s already done the whole “jaskier gets shot but jk it’s not that bad” book-esque fake out in s3. so would they really do the same thing again in s4? or would they up the stakes?

and i wonder if they do make the injury serious if it won’t end up taking the place of milva being pregnant and then having a miscarriage. because while the men (and narrative) all making it very, very clear that women have the right to choose, at the same time, like. i feel like everything else related to that storyline is… kind of a mess, so i could see why the show might skip it or at least omit certain aspects of it and change things.

and one last thing: i wonder if jaskier is seriously injured if this won’t be a reason to prevent him from moving on with the hansa later on? because one thing i’m really struggling with working out is how exactly the show is going to justify jaskier leaving. because i feel like he has way more of a vested, emotional interest in finding ciri and staying with geralt, especially in comparison to dandelion in the books. so i could see the show creating a situation where jaskier is eventually just literally unable to physically continue.

[beanarie]

currently obsessed with this prompt

by @literally-who-let-me

"geralt was cursed and couldn’t hear anyone/thing aside from jaskier"

bc omg

the brotherhood cursing geralt as phase one of their plan to take down ciri. like nivallen's curse, there's a loophole, but they don't see it being a problem. geralt has only his child surprise with elder blood, a part-elf mage who was tied to him by a djinn, and the other witchers, all of whom are bound together by the trials (aka magic). there is no one he loves, who loves him, without reason.

and jaskier's gone! they separated as soon as spring came to kaer morhen, so all anyone knows is that geralt can't hear. well, yen knows it's magic. she determines it's a curse of some sort, but not which one or how to fix it. in the meantime, she remembers that poor mute elf, who found another way to speak, and they all learn elf sign. idk if i'm actually writing this, but here's a scene.

"I don't like this," Yen signs. "Too much traffic. Too many people."

"Just for one night," Geralt says, unsure his voice even carries over the bustle of the city until Ciri nods with a slight, mildly optimistic smile. He busies himself adjusting the strap that started to slip off her shoulder and that's how he notices her reaction to something just to the left of them.

"Greetings, weary travelers. Well, I wasn't expecting to see you here, Geralt, Witch, Cirilla! Tavern later, all right? First round on me."

Geralt blinks after the departing Jaskier, stunned. He heard him before he saw him. He heard him.

After keeping her eyes on him for a long moment, Yennefer worries at one earlobe with two fingers then points at Jaskier's back, eyebrow raised in question. Geralt nods once shortly and Ciri goes stiff at his side. Yen gestures at Jaskier again, this time with some exasperation. "Move."

Jaskier hasn't gotten far. He stands close to a short woman with very bouncy hair and vibrantly colored clothes that do not match. They are practically on top of each other bickering over sheet music. He knows this because Jaskier is naming different notes and raving about how they do not fit. Whatever it is she's saying in response, he's only getting more forceful with his opinions.

"Jaskier?" Geralt says, feeling like a child waiting for the attention of a quickly-riled guardian. It's the same sort of powerless, anxious anticipation.

"Hm? Oh, sorry." Jaskier lays a light hand on Geralt's arm, and for that ten seconds before he lets go, the world itself comes rushing back. The wind, the birds, the wood planks under his feet. Fuck, he forgot how layered it all is. "I am thrilled to see you. I'm just right in the middle of-"

"Julian," Geralt enunciates at great length, which earns him a bewildered stare. "I-'' And suddenly he can hear his own voice. None of this makes any sense. "I'd appreciate a moment of your time." He doesn't dare look away. "At your earliest convenience."

Jaskier squints at him. "Suppose this can wait. Fancy a turn about my cramped rooms? Yen can't come. Not enough room for her ego and mine as well."

Just as he says that, someone pulls at his sleeve. Yen's signal. *I'm here.* Before Jaskier's attention diverts entirely, Geralt wants to say something else, but the words don't come. Fingers brush against the back of his hand. Ciri's signal.

"Yes, exactly. I *do* wish." Jaskier is now focused on Yen and they're engaging in their love/hate dance, with more affection than acrimony these days. "But when it happens, you will never, ever know about it."

Geralt turns to Yen and watches her shoulders shake with silent laughter. "I have missed you, peacock." She signed as well, for Geralt.

"What's that," Jaskier says. Even accounting for it being the only sound he can hear, his voice seems loud. Attention-grabbing. "That thing you are doing?" Jaskier turns and looks behind him. "Are you signaling someone? An archer? Assassinating me won't end your torment. I'll only haunt you."

She smacks his shoulder. "Shut up and take us inside."

[hanzajesthanza]

I love reading your book analysis and headcanons on the Hansa + Ciri & Yen! I also adore your characterization of the characters when you tag them on silly videos or posts, it’s like one of those YouTube “Witcher Characters as Vines/TikToks” videos but hilariously accurate to the point they’ve gotten me to laugh out loud! Since you like to analyze the books in their entirety, I was wondering if there is any art you’ve seen of the characters that you feel fits their descriptions to a tee. What are the artists that have made you immediately think, “That’s x!”. This is quite nit-picky of me but my common pet peeves on the depictions are, conveniently attractive Geralt and Yen, erasure of Ciri’s brutal scar, conveniently feminine Milva, and Dandelion not being drawn as the pretty boy bastard he is. I feel like from reading your blog you probably have these pet peeves as well, so I’m interested in seeing your favorite art of Hansa + Ciri & Yen. (Sorry for the rambling! ❤️)

thank you for such a wonderful ask!! what a nice thing to wake up to :) i'm so glad you enjoy the posts / blog content even when it's just reblogs of silly posts/vids/memes tagged as characters. i realized one day that that was a majority of what i posted, and i became self-conscious that for a witcher blog, i don't actually post much witcher... so i'm glad those reblogs are hitting the mark!

i also think you read my mind, anon, because i was just thinking last night that witcher book artists deserve more promotion.

i too share these pet peeves. i'll keep this post positive and about appreciations, but i'll actually make a sister post to this one where i talk about my personal preferences and annoyances when seeing fanart of the characters, and i'll link that post to this one. probably do it on burnfalka since that's my complaining sideblog :') (edit: link to post is here)

though here are some disclaimers for anyone reading:

this will be a very biased list, because anon has asked for my personal preferences of how i imagine the characters, i believe the point of this is that. i generally base my headcanons upon the canon (e.g., yennefer has a long nose and recessed chin), but i also have personal convictions (e.g., milva is butch, in the modern lesbian sense of the word). because of this, i also will be noting when details of the pieces directly contradict canon descriptions, but i don't intend this as criticism towards the artist, just as a note to anyone reading so they don't get confused on what's "canon".

these are the pieces to which i instinctly reacted like "omg! that's THEM!", but that doesn't mean that this is the only witcher art that makes me happy to see. i happen to also like witcher art that doesn't depict the characters looking exactly like i personally headcanon them to look. similarly, i'm not including all the witcher artists i like, even if they're my most favorite artists, because a handful of them do not fit the prompt (i.e., depict the characters as i picture them).

i won't be reposting any of the art in this post, only linking to it, because i don't believe in reposting without explicit permission. thus, i encourage everybody reading this to be OK with opening ten different tabs to see all this art and see what i'm talking about :') plus, direct links make it easier to reblog the artists' art from the source~!!

i have no say in how people draw the characters. unless i commission an artist or my friend draws something for me, i want to acknowledge that my opinion does not mean anything if art of a character is "correct" or not. people draw the characters how they like. these are just how i personally see them.

special mentions

for these artists, basically i like how they draw all of the characters and they're pretty much always so in tune with how i see them, there actually needed to be a separate section for them. every time they draw something i have that feeling of resonance. also, they're both quite prolific witcher artists and have large bodies of witcher fanart.

astrolunos, especially:

all of the environmental paintings: dol blathanna, melitele's grotto, the mayor's house in rinde, the dragon mountains, outer brokilon, belletyn, hirundum, thanedd banquet

short audiodrama animations: geralt and ciri, yennefer and ciri

"redid this lineup but better and with an extra little someone :)"

"i drew this in august of last year and and then never posted it but better late than never right"

untitled (character expressions and face turnarounds)

what i love about astro as an artist: their skill comes from a lot of practice and many different iterations, i get the sense that their goal is always to explore many different possibilities of what a character or a scene could look like. they're very meticulous and dedicated and i think there's a lot of overlap between what makes their art great and what makes their translations great, there's a lot of depth and research behind the gorgeous art, a painting is never just a painting. i especially appreciate how their personal favorites shine through their art, yennefer and geralt being parents to ciri and their love of the short stories. i really like how they draw yennefer because they humanize her in this way that i think is often forgotten by the fandom, the way they depict her incorporates her motherhood to enhance her overall character identity.

toussaintred / maturiin, especially:

finally drew my own hansa lineup!! with close ups

dandelion, zoltan, percival and field marshal duda…

assorted baptism of fire + tower of the swallow doodles

‘come closer,’ he coughed, ‘and you too, dandelion. together… for more warmth.’

what i love about ern as an artist: his style reminds me of a dream or a storybook, and i love how (to me) even the sketches feel like finished pieces. he always hits on key moments between characters, representing the emotionality of scenes so well through character expressions, character design, and choice of color. everything feels light and beautiful, but also intentional and running with a deep passion. he also includes a lot of comedy or comedic scenes in his witcher art which always makes me smile. it feels like the characters as he draws them naturally want to interact with one another like they do in the books. i especially appreciate how he draws dandelion, geralt, and zoltan because i think he has nailed their designs, he somehow captures that energy of dandelion like the rippling laughter and strum of a lute.

also it's worth mentioning that both of these artists are just very nice, funny, congenial people who i've had the pleasure to talk with <3 kind of weird to give them such formal professional appreciations haha but you guys know ily ;w;

now i will get into specific pieces for specific characters :)

geralt + dandelion

(putting geralt and dandelion as one category because they show up together a lot, both in fanart and in-universe)

paticmak: Best pals

what i love about this art: geralt's sharp angular features, his pointy nose and chin, paled face, headband holding back long, scraggly tangled strands of hair, his dark leather jacket. dandelion's blonde hair, the shape and color of his plum little hat, his lace collar, his jacket matching his hat and the outfit looking coordinated and setting-appropriate while also not drawing away too much visual intrigue from the rest of the piece, his lute having a strap to be slung over his shoulder, the proportionality of the neck of his lute.

other notes: i love the sunny, airy atmosphere of this piece, it reminds me so much of edge of the world. and i love geralt's calmed expression, closed lips while dandelion talks or sings on. it's so representative of their dynamic and the place to which dandelion brings geralt emotionally and spiritually, a grand representation of friendship...

paticmak: The witcher drawings redraws and sketches

what i love about this art: dandelion's hat shape and shoulder-length blonde hair again, his features like his nose and lips, his concentrated but confident expression as he plays his lute

x4sj00: untitled

what i love about this art: geralt's angular features and headband, his overall lanky yet semi-muscular build, his height. the range of expressions is wonderful, from pained to enraged to saddened to neutral, and him calmly feeding roach an apple with his hair slung back in a ponytail is just the best thing.

lavodkin: I'm trying to accept the fact that in the book Time of Contempt (...)

what i love about this art: dandelion's age and style evolution, his ruff, his hair length, his insolent smile. my guy ages like est est

other notes: i couldn't put all of vodkin's work in this post, but they draw geralt, yennefer, and dandelion exceptionally close to how i imagine them

hvit-ravn: jaskier (link to repost on reddit because op deleted :( miss you hvit-ravn!)

what i love about this art: this was one of the first fanarts i saw of dandelion as he appears in the books and it remains a classic!! the long hair, the facial hair, the expression...

yennefer

darero-art: untitled

what i love about this art: i love the hair length and volume, the uncertain or judgy expressions, the dress designs, the kestrel as a clear reference to a shard of ice... she looks very noble, as i imagine her

mejev: этот шляпоблуд..

what i love about this art: her narrowed expression, her long nose, thin lips, *the way she is playing with her obsidian star!*

purple-soika: meet my wife Yennefer

what i love about this art: the length and volume of her hair, the volume of her sleeves, the design of her dress, the framing of how the poofy hair matches the poofy sleeves matches the poofy cloud! i like her casting magic in a fun and whimsical way, but it also represents her power as a sorceress. i also appreciate the smile on her face being more mischevious / amused than anything else, it adds a layer of humanity to her.

other notes: the limited color palette not only contributes to it being a pleasing artistic piece to look at, but reflects yennefer's own style of dress. a pet peeve i have about yennefer art, which this art does not fall into but instead is a great example which others should follow in my opinion, is that in a majority of yennefer art, the colors (usually a lilac, purple, or pink) are oversaturated and cease to depict yennefer for that reason. this piece uses a really tasteful and masterful use of color in regards to yennefer's character. it incorporates these shades of lilac through lighting/shading, but accurately depicts that she only ever wears black and white.

paticmak: my old witcher art redraw. Ciri and Yen

what i love about this art: yennefer's hair and her (short) height and build. the contrast between her dark dress and ciri's colorful jerkin, skirt, and beret is great. i love how ciri looks up to her. to me, this art has a special kind of sadness as i'd place this as kind of in gors velen during time of contempt, and i know that soon, ciri will adopt a different, similar beret, not having yennefer anymore to follow or look to, soon becoming taller than her mom, all while she and yennefer are separated...

nohtora: book yennefer 💜

what i love about this art: her curly hairrrr, her embroidered vest, her nose, her choker, her triangular face!!

nastyaskaya: Yennefer and the hand of Geralt

what i love about this art: her hair, her nose, her triangular face, her raw expression, the hopelessness of the scene

ciri

bathsebah: untitled

what i love about this art: the beret, the scarf!! the empty, lost, soulless eyes... the hair in her face, like it could be annoying her but she's too apathetic to care... this is what i picture when i picture "falka"

justanor: rats - falka

what i love about this art: the hard stare, the beret, the roughed cheeks, the ashen-blonde hair peeking out underneath the beret... it feels like, ciri in the disguise of falka

darero-art: “Ain’t youth meant to be beautiful?”

what i love about this art: again - large, emerald eyes, in this case large from fear, trauma, and tears, and her upturned nose and pouted lips. the sword on her back, the red scarf tied around her neck mingling with the blood running from her cheek...! nothing but exceptional genius. i freaked out when i first saw this piece because it depicts so much in its symbolism, that ciri's time with the rats directly led to her disfigurement by stefan skellen...

other notes: i know ciri doesn't have long, white hair, but i don't think this is a 'breach of canon' because there is a necessary degree of artistic license (like the color scheme is white, not ashen-blonde), and i interpret this detail figuratively - long, clean hair as a symbol of purity and girlhood, parallel to the blood that now runs down her face. it's a highly artistic piece with this level of symbolism and for that reason i love it more.

drawingllamas: I read The Tower of the Swallow some time ago and I really wanted to draw Ciri riding her horse in the winter storm

what i love about this art: ciri's large, emerald eyes, childlike but holding this betrayed energy, both wretched and determined. her upturned nose, her pouting lips. the wind and cold surrounding her, the scarf wrapped around her, concealing her, and also connecting her to geralt who i imagine at times wore a black hood like this when he was a witcher hunting his quarry.

other notes: the scar isn't in its canonical placement, but i mind that less than i mind the whole energy of the piece. this is really like, what i picture when i picture "ciri"

paticmak: The witcher drawings redraws and sketches

(yes, this link already showed up, but this is about the ciri piece)

what i love about this art: ciri's hair length by this point in the series, i imagined her to have this short medium-length, a little above the shoulder haircut. i love the ashen-blonde hair and again the environmental storytelling.

the hansa

(i actually have a lot of difficulty finding art of the hansa that directly reflects how i personally see all of them. i'll be linking to a few non-witcher inspiration images for this reason).

milva

wok: Milva commissions by the lovely @WOK Qing!

what i love about this art: her "over it" expression, her arms, her nose, her braid

other notes: this was one of the first pieces of milva art that i ever saw in the fandom and it still remains special to me!

toussaintred: baptism of fire has so many good moments

what i love about this art: her braid, her nose, her expressions, her face shape, her telling off dandelion

(me): milva and her OB-GYN bestie

what i intended to highlight in this art: milva's nose, short hair, muscularity

various inspiration for milva:

raging bull, sadie lee (this is basically exactly how i see her)

the last of us 2 abby

combat girls - rotterdam 1996

butches with long hair, meg allen

portrait of a woman. poland, 1938

cahir

(me): artbreeder hansa headcanons

this cahir i created in artbreeder remains the best representation for how i personally see him

dandied-lions: “Hey you, Nilfgaardian!”

what i love about this art: his curly hair, his !? expression

regis

toussaintred: regis’s black velvet outfit from the lady of the lake 😌

what i love about this art: velvet jacket, need i say more? his smug smile and demeanour is so in-character...

toussaintred: heres what being buried in the ground in pieces for 50 years will do to you

what i love about this art: his redemption arccccc!!! his chaos his peace...

other notes: here's where the "characters as they appear personally to you" part of this post really shines through because of the young regis design ;u;

(me): regis is serving looks

what i intended to highlight in this art: basically using neil gaiman as a reference to draw regis haha

angoulême

mejev: этот шляпоблуд..

what i love about this art: milva and angouleme talking is soooo sweet i love how milva looks like she's trying to explain something to angouleme but angouleme is like yep sure got it (doesn't got it)

mejev: from the book i did for my lovely partner

what i love about this art: her swagger, her hair tied back, her leggings, her expressions

essskel: Angoulême the orphan, the evocation of a daughter

what i love about this art: her defeated hopelessness and vulnerability of youth

justanor: angouleme + the fallen - angouleme

what i love about this art: her hair held back by the band, her braid, the youthful face contrasting with the red lips as she's trying to look older than she is, the freckles... in the second piece, i love her sad eyes and wry smile

i hope i didn't forget any pieces, but if i did i'll come back and edit :)

[on-a-lucky-tide]

Rawr! 2 or 19 with Vesemir and Guxart?

2. A forbidden kiss / has to be kept a secret.

Guxart and Vesemir had never seen eye to eye.

From the moment Aiden and Lambert had started dating, their two adopted fathers had bickered relentlessly over every minor area of conflict. From whether it was still important to have a "day of rest" on Sundays to the appropriate way to shell a damned prawn. Family dinners were uncomfortable, and their respective sons and daughters began finding inventive ways to keep the two separate.

They were just too different. Guxart was a well-dressed, wine-drinking professor of business and finance. He enjoyed the debates on Radio 4 and regularly attended operatic performances at the theatre. Vesemir liked his workman's jeans and jackets with lots of pockets, preferred draft beer and taught anthropology at the local polytech. Guxart thought Vesemir was slovenly, and Vesemir thought Guxart was a snob.

When Aiden proposed, the wedding planning forced Vesemir and Guxart into close proximity for extended periods of time, and Lambert organised a betting pool to see who would throw the first punch. Geralt put down a hundred quid on Vesemir, but Eskel was certain that Guxart would soon pull the stick out of his backside and beat Vesemir with it.

The wedding day arrived and the two grooms cornered their respective fathers separately.

"Don't ruin this for me, old man," Lambert said, waggling a finger at Vesemir. "Keep a beer in your hand and your mouth shut."

Vesemir huffed. "If he behaves himself, then I will."

"Fucks' sake."

In a room not far away, Aiden took the glass of wine out of Guxart's hand. "Be polite. No snarky comments about his bowtie or his tweed suit." Guxart huffed, rolled his eyes, but nodded in agreement.

The vows went off without a hitch. The speeches were suitably embarrassing and dinner was perfect. Everyone crowded into a huge hall for the reception to drink the rest of the night away. Lambert and Aiden spent their time thanking guests after their first dance but met for a breather a few hours in.

They clocked their two fathers propping up the bar as they flopped on one of the soft couches at the edge of the dance floor. Lambert's eyes widened and he lurched forward to intercept, but Aiden grabbed his elbow. "No, wait. I think--I think they're being civil."

"No way," Lambert breathed and looked again. Aiden was right. Vesemir was leaning on the bar with a pint, nodding as Guxart talked. Guxart was emoting with one hand, something he only did when talking earnestly about something, while he cradled a glass of merlot in the other. Lambert whistled quietly. "Shit, do you think we should split them up before they realise what they're doing?"

"Nah. We'll keep an eye on them. Send in the big guns," Aiden flicked his chin towards Eskel and Geralt doing shots at the far end of the bar, "if they start throwing hands."

"Gotcha."

The night drew on, Guxart and Vesemir took up a seat at one of the empty tables, still immersed in deep conversation. Everyone was too drunk or too busy dancing to notice the way they leaned towards each other, their palms open, their bodies tilted close. Eskel dragged Lambert over for some shots and Aiden was swarmed by his extended family to do the macarena; Vesemir and Guxart slipped outside into the gardens.

Geralt and Ciri followed them about twenty minutes later to get some fresh air (and check that Vesemir and Guxart didn't have their hands around each other's necks). They both stopped dead on the gravel path as they sighted two bodies pressed close in the shadows of a poplar tree. Vesemir had Guxart pressed to the trunk, their mouths locked in a slow, passionate kiss. Guxart's hands kneaded at Vesemir's waist and Vesemir had a hand tangled in Guxart's curls, the other supporting his weight on the tree behind.

"What do we do?" asked Ciri.

"Uhhh...." Geralt was still rebooting after his mental crash.

"Dad, do we tell Lambert and Aiden?"

"You know what?" Geralt rested a hand on Ciri's shoulder and turned her back towards the venue. "Ignorance is bliss, what they don't know can't hurt them, and, uh..."

"We saw nothing?"

"Yeah, we saw nothing."

Geralt and Ciri returned to the dancefloor.

Vesemir and Guxart had discovered a lot in common that night. Their left-wing political ideals, their love of cricket and jazz music, and the begrudging but earnest crush they had developed on the other. They had become so used to being lonely old men, self-sufficient and guarded to avoid disappointment, that they had feared giving it a chance. Their adopted sons being in love only complicated matters further.

Well, whoever said love was simple?

[essskel]

hello babe hiiiii, opinions on getting into the witcher via the novels?........

!!!!!!! I have . So many opinions! It got long I'm cutting this :)

(Disclaimer - I actually got into the Witcher from the games - stopped to read the books - then finished the game)

I'll start with the pros: the story is mostly linear and easy to follow in relation to most popular adult high fantasy series, there's 8 books but none of them are longer than around 500 pages so it's a low time commitment (I recently reread the whole series and it took me about a month and a half? Two months? (I was reading other stuff in-between idk), the translation is not over-worded or dry, and reading the books will tell you everything you need to know about the Netflix show, and provide backstory on 90% of the video game main players.

Cons: The treatment of women is hard to read. There's a lot of sexual assault mentions and near-depictions - especially with the very underage Ciri, the female characters - despite being overall well-written, strong, and full of agency and character!!!! - fall into some pretty obnoxious tropes of 'her boobs were huge did I mention that her boobs were huge', the world-building is fun and not overly dense, but not clearly explained in any glossaries or preambles - you just sort of have to run with it , and unfortunately I've heard from a lot of Polish fans that the english translation by David French sometimes takes some minor liberties with dialogue changes or character descriptions.

Sidenote - the Netflix show is the most accessible gateway to the universe, I totally get that. However, Season 1 of the Netflix Witcher was notoriously confusing. Yes, it tells you that Jaskier is goofy and Yennefer is a hot sorceress and Ciri is a Chosen One that Geralt needs to adopt, but it completely botches the world and timeline. If you're going to watch the show first, you're definitely going to need a wiki - but! If you're ok with doing some background research and homework to avoid a lot of reading and/or an 80+ hour videogame published in 2015 - I'm not gonna blame you.

With all that in mind though, it's the inspiration for so many wildly successful projects for a reason. It's a modern story, it's themes are alive and well in our society, the characters are memorable, and it's not a slog, it's not a textbook - it's a very self-aware, fantasy-genre-critical story about parenthood and politics. It will also make you cry.

So, my best advice would be this:

Read the first two books: The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny. They're collections of separate, tonally diverse short stories that take place in the Witcher Universe and slowly introduce you to the characters you're going to need to know later on. They're fun, short, easy to understand, and will explain all that was muddied in season one of the Netflix Witcher that you can then watch without any confusion.

If you you want to stop there, cool, but if not - great! There's 5 more fantastic books waiting for you, go crazy.

[ghostinthelibrarywrites]

N, P, F for the fic asks please!

I answered F and P here

N. Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

I have a bunch of ideas for long, plotty fics that I know I'll never have time for that I would love to outsource to someone else. I've tried to foist them on my Discord friends to no avail. A short list of fic ideas that I've come up with lately that I'll never have the time to write:

Geralt accidentally becomes the ruler of a small kingdom via Law of Surprise and has to marry Jaskier because Plot Reasons.

Pavetta hires Yennefer to help her escape her betrothal banquet. In exchange, Yennefer wants her firstborn. The banquet happens, Geralt saves Duny and claims Law of Surprise, and then next thing you know, both Geralt and Yennefer have a claim on Pavetta's child.

Modern with magic AU where Geralt and Yennefer get custody of Ciri after Pavetta and Duny's deaths, but Calanthe contests the will and they're afraid she'll win because of the public perception of witchers and mages. The best solution is naturally for them to marry Jaskier so Ciri will have one ostensibly respectable (ha) parent.

Post-season 2 fic where Eskel and Yennefer become drinking buddies while they cope with everything that happened with Voleth Meir

Season 2 road trip fic set while Jaskier is escorting Ciri to Kaer Morhen. Jaskier does not know how to deal with children and Ciri doesn't have time for his shit. They get separated from the dwarves, some bad guy comes after them, and everything generally goes to shit.

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