#anti witcher sentiments

[brucewaynehater101]

DC in a Witcher AU: Gotham's Royal Family

[Background stuff: Witchers are still being made at this time, and I've changed city names to match more DC names] @chiyana helped a ton with the set-up here. Many many thanks ^^

Bruce Wayne [Human] - King

At the age of 10, he became the king of Gotham. Due to his young age, he had a regent appointed. In order to protect himself, he developed an airheaded persona. Why would anyone bother assassinating what would become or is a puppet king?

Before he assumed ruling rights, he went on a "soul searching journey" where he trained with various warriors (including Witchers and the League of Shadows). When he returned, a bat-like creature also started to visit nobles and "evil-dooers." Bruce, who had learned from his parents' demise, could not tie all of his actions to his own as king. He needed an "uncontrollable third party" to limit retaliation against him or those who support him.

In this AU, he does kill. He despises it, but he needs to kill in order to maintain his position as king and protect his citizens. However, he is one of the very few human-run nations known to protect non-humans. This leads to him having a higher non-human population than most other human-run nations (though Starling Kingdom rivals this).

Dick Grayson [Part Elf] - Traveling Acrobat

During a banquet held by King Bruce Wayne, Dick's parents died. Bruce took young Dick in as a ward but was unable to adopt/officially claim his as heir due to political ramifications. Bruce was very new to his position and was still trying to weed out anti-elf (and anti-nonhuman) sentiments. Dick, who was nine, also did not want to replace his parents and did not understand the precise issues occurring.

Bruce wanted to protect Dick, but Dick was adamant about aiding Bruce in protecting elves. After Dick started getting into repeat fights in the capital (after sneaking out), Bruce finally trained Dick on combat and how to aid elves in a number of ways. This included smuggling, causing distractions, and directing them to people Bruce trusted.

Around when Dick turned eighteen, Bruce and him had a major fight. This was the culmination of misunderstandings, the pressures of being considered royals, Dick still not being officially adopted (which is/was a miscommunication), Dick's lifespan being naturally way longer than Bruce's, and other stuff. Dick left with his group of friends (Titans) to travel the continent. Nightwing, the traveling acrobat, just so happens to be in town where non-human injustices occur or at major ports for smuggling non-humans to Gotham or Star Kingdom

Jason Todd [Previously Human] - Witcher

King Bruce Wayne was enamored by the street kid daring to steal the wheels off of the King's carriage. The King took in and soon adopted this kid.

Much like the King's previous ward, Jason quickly started to get into trouble trying to help others out. He saw the way that nobles treated the poor and commoners. Jason was trained to fight, and he often ran to cities/towns around the capitol to ensure that they were being treated appropriately. He also visited non-human settlements to check on them and learn more from them.

At the age of fifteen, his mom reached out to Jason. Jason, who was fighting Bruce at the time, did not tell him about the letter. By the time Bruce learned about it, it was too late. Jason was presumed dead.

Jason, however, was taken in by the League of Shadows and underwent the Trial of Grasses. By the time he became a Witcher, he wasn't sure about seeing Bruce again. He decided to avoid the old man and continue doing what he's always done: travel around saving people where he can

Tim Drake [Human] - Count/Monster Hunter

Timothy Drake attended several banquets and ceremonies held by Bruce Wayne. It's during these events that he deduces that Bruce is not as dumb as he pretends to be, that the man is the bat creature, and that Dick Grayson assists Bruce in saving/aiding citizens. Tim keeps these realizations quiet.

When Jason "dies," Tim sees the ruthlessness of the bat-creature and how Bruce's airheaded persona is slipping. It is, unintentionally, causing harm to those Bruce and Jason worked to protect (especially due to people beginning to try more extreme measures to take out both the bat-creature and King Bruce). Tim travels the continent to find Dick to convince the man to help Bruce. Dick is very confused and concerned when he realizes this. Bruce thus gets a little noble child bullying him to be better.

Tim, with his current position as viscount, spies on nobles and infiltrates their lands. He basically establishes limits for Bruce, convinces the man to lean on others for support, and distracts him with helping others. Bruce sends Tim away to train with the same Witchers and warriors Bruce did (which Tim does, but he also ends up training with Lady Shiva)

Due to Tim not being officially tied to Bruce, Tim travels between his lands and Bruce's capital pretty frequently. What he doesn't tell Bruce is that he, and his group of friends, often hunt down monsters and/or travel around saving people. Tim is not needed at his estate as often as he leads Bruce to believe.

After Tim's parents die, Tim invents "Uncle Eddie" as regent. Uncle Eddie stays regent even after Tim gets adopted so Tim can rule those lands while being considered a royal heir. Tim uses his lands to help non-humans and humans (similar to Bruce but on a more direct and smaller scale).

It's during one of the monster contracts Tim picks up alone (which he does limit himself to smaller/easier monsters when alone. He knows, unfortunately, that he can't hunt certain creatures due to his human nature) that he meets a Witcher by the name of Jason.

Cass Wayne [Human] - First Princess

The LoS wanted a loyal assassin Witcher capable of reading intent via body language and intrinsicly knowing how to read chaos. They never taught her speech, but they rigorously trained her in preparation for the Trial of Grasses.

One of these trainings included killing humans. After her first kill, however, she disappeared. She was not found for eight more years.

By the time she's sixteen, she's constantly on the move, covered in dirt, and wearing whatever clothes she can find. Her eerie, inhuman like mannerisms and movements, along with her appearance, cause rumors to follow any sightings of her (despite how few these sightings are). When the Knight Commander of Gotham is saved by her, the man can't help but wonder if the bat-creature knows this new entity.

Bruce, upon hearing this account, seeks Cass out in his bat-creature gear. It doesn't take long before Gotham welcomes the First Princess and another bat-creature.

Damian al Ghul Wayne [Human] - Prince/Mage

Damian was created with the intent purpose of furthering the reach of the LoS, one day inheriting Bruce's kingdom, and being a powerful warrior. Talia, before she exchanged fertility for immortality, had Damian. She did not want nor need more children for her goals (though she does love her child and does not wish to replace him).

Ra's and Talia had hoped that Damian would be a strong warrior like Bruce and a powerful mage like Talia. They had wished that he would rival Ra's in potential. While Damian was a spectacular combatant for his age, his chaos was limited. Not only did he have access to less, but his specialties were *not* fighting. He was, in the LoS's eyes, mediocre at attack and defense skills.

Damian was instead extremely proficient in healing, much to Ra's disappointment.

Talia, after learning this, sent Damian to live with Bruce. With this, she hoped her son would be happy and able to inherit Gotham.

Damian's arrival caused immense turmoil for the nobles. Factions started to appear between those who valued blood ties to the throne and those who valued Tim's skills/upbringing in Gotham nobility.

[dahliavandare]

Witcher fics I previously read on AO3 and now can’t find to reread:

1) Early on, Jaskier had the tendency to say “I love you” in bed. He meant it as a non-exclusive expression of joy and enthusiasm, but partners tended to interpret that as indicating a commitment to them in particular. To combat the problems this causes, he switched to saying “I’m in heaven” in those situations. Then he and Geralt casually have sex. Jaskier says his usual stuff, but because he is into Geralt specifically he also mouthed “I love you”. Later it comes up that Geralt heard him. Happy ending. I think it came out before season two.

2) Geralt and Jaskier are investigating disappearances in a city where an above average amount of anti-witcher pamphlets are in circulation. They realize the people who disappeared were pro-witcher (prostitutes who were willing to serve them, a bard who played Jaskier’s songs with her band) so Jaskier acts as bait. He’s kidnapped by a mage, held with the missing musician, and then the mage is all “I’ve brought the witcher down to his basest instincts. He’ll rip you apart and prove what a monster he is, unless you make a statement about what an inhuman monster he is, in which case we’ll just burn you at the stake.” And Jaskier goes “Geralt, for sure.”

They put him in the basement with Geralt, who of course is gentle with him and protective and offers him “food” (raw rats he killed, but the sentiment came through). Yenn, Lambert and Eskel free them to take Geralt to Kaer Morhen and fix him. Still feral, Geralt brings Jaskier along. Yenn warned Jaskier that as soon as Geralt feels safe his attentions will turn sexual regardless of what Jaskier wants. While Geralt is protective and possessive and tries to kiss him, he is in fact very attentive to Jaskier’s mood/desires and doesn’t force him.

While they’re trying to cure him, they let Geralt hunt in the surrounding mountains, and he keeps bringing Jaskier monster parts to curry his favor. They cure him, Geralt’s all remorseful and tries to leave, but Jaskier’s like “I’m not even a little mad” and they get together.

[serenfire]

attention, anyone who cares about the witcher s3's character's motivations with regards to the books but who hasn't then read time of contempt, here is a post for you!

here's some interesting differences between the book and show characters, especially in ep 5 (spoilers for the witcher s3 so far and the books):

since yennefer does not have her s2 beef w aretuza subplot, none of the mages are her direct enemies, and she is a member of the lower circle of leadership within the brotherhood, called the council, with philippa and 3 others who are not in the show. she is also not the one who calls the conclave; she finds out about it while bringing ciri to aretuza, and attends with geralt so that they can draw out the mage who is backing rience. in the book, they're trying to convinced everyone that ciri died at cintra, and haven't been together since then to keep up the illusion, so going to aretuza together will draw out the mage who knows ciri exists and is trying to kill her

vilgefortz is, firstly, the hero of sodden in the books. he's the war hero against nilfgaard, and one of the leaders of the brotherhood. he's also (spoilers for probably the second half of s3) working for nilfgaard now, and not in the way that s1 portrays where he kills his comrade on the battlefield after the battle's over, but in an "even the hero of sodden who singlehandedly saved the north from nilfgaard wants power enough to ally with his enemy" way.

he is the leader of the chapter, which is the highest circle of leadership of the brotherhood. tissaia and francesca findabair are also members, as well as artaud terranova (guy who falls over the champagne glass table in ep 5). in ep 5 he recounts his backstory to geralt, some of it word-for-word, except for an important part: as part of his backstory, he fell in love with an unnamed mage before becoming a sorcerer, and after breaking up with her, decided he should pursue magic. he and tissaia are not together! i cannot stress this enough, in the books the mages are powered by their individual searches for power, and love does not tie them together! it's what sets yen apart: she's one of the only ones willing to sacrifice for another.

FRANCESCA FINDABAIR. member of the chapter/high ranked aretuza member, in the book shows up to the conclave party early, stirring up the northern vs nilfgaardian sentiments by being there. wild that she hasn't appeared there in the show yet. her motives in the show are WHACK. in the books she did not have a baby and did not say she wants to genocide the humans (although that is propaganda against her): she leads the scoia'tael to fight for nonhuman freedom and allies herself with nilfgaard to continue to fight the north, and she will receive a free land for the elves (dol blathanna) in return for the scoia'tael being branded as war criminals and outlawed. in the books she is the catch-22 of stuck between a rock and a hard place: allying with imperialism will save her people but gut her guerilla soldiers who fought for it.

philippa eilhart is so far the best-written character this season (to me) because she is one of the only characters who everyone knows is seeking for power (in the book she's referred to as the one who's really on the redanian throne, backed by dijkstra) and she, directly, says that she's looking to keep power in the north. in the books, most if not every mage's motivations are for power, whether in a king's court or by allying with nilfgaard, and the imperial machinations are what the politics in the books are about, so having a character not be preoccupied with interpersonal reasons and instead directly embody this is refreshing!

however! in the books philippa's position is anti-nilfgaardian invasion, not anti-brotherhood. she's pitted against vilgefortz, who's allied with nilfgaard, instead of against him because he's a leader of the brotherhood. the brotherhood as an institution isn't interrogated as a state (unlike the northern kingdoms and nilfgaard), and her specific grievances against other court mages have to do with the fact that almost every kingdom is goading nilfgaard to attack so they can attack back and vie for power. she's also got redania on a lockdown by killing vizimir right before the conclave party and i don't know how this will play out in the show considering radovid exists as well

also in the books radovid is vizimir's son who ascends to the throne after philippa and dijkstra kill vizimir, and (in the games) he makes it his life mission to kill philippa. he does not physically show up in time of contempt and adding him into the show as vizimir's brother 1) crunches the timeline down to a period of time that makes a bit more sense than the books and 2) allows the show to make up the funniest fucking subplot with jaskier. oh my god none of that happened in the books but wouldn't it have been hilarious. jaskier hooking up with the sweet and sensitive younger prince who's a fan of his music and then smash cut to twelve hours later and he's the fucking king of redania. the comedy potential is unmatched

[avatarskywalker78]

How are your OCs' relationships with their mothers?

Oho, this is a good question because it varies from OC to OC - so I'll group similar ones together (and I'm putting them under the cut because I have a lot of OCs)

Several do not have great relationships with their mothers - Nicky's parents left her behind with relatives when she was six and she's very bitter about this, and still doesn't entirely believe that her aunt won't one day do the same. Sophie Sloan (Diagnosis Murder OC) was abandoned by her mother when she was two years old - she doesn't remember enough to miss her, but part of her can't help but feel it was a judgement on her. My X-Men OCs Alex, Rosa, and Kate left their respective homes because of their mothers' anti-mutant sentiments and there's no reconciliation on the horizon because unfortunately, that hasn't changed in the years since. Marie Douglas (The Professionals) and Brianna Louise Wilson (NCIS) left home at thirteen and eighteen respectively because they were unwanted compared to thier siblings and damn well knew it.

Steph Taylor and Brianna Thawne get along with their mothers but it is somewhat distant - Steph's worked a lot during her childhood and while she doesn't exactly begrudge her that there's still a little bit of resentment there, and they only tend to talk on holidays and birthdays. Brianna's loves her, but unintentionally put pressure on her by talking about the high achieving relatives, which made Brianna push herself and push herself until she burnt out, and then she left home at seventeen to find herself (and became a Blue Flame Wielder), and has hardly talked to her since. Risa Redlark (Superman Returns) talks to her mother but struggles to connect with her as she doesn't understand why Risa wants to be a journalist. Áine (The Witcher) doesn't see her mother much because she travels a lot, but still tries to make time to see her when she can.

Some of them had positive relationships with their mothers but are missing them for one reason or another. Meri Solo, Isla Tinero-Antilles and Ashley Tanner (my Krypton OC) loved their mothers, but lost them at a young age - out of the three, Ashley has more memories as she was ten (compared to Isla at 4 and Meri at 5), but sometimes suffers doubt about whether her mother would've accepted her gender identity had she lived, and that unanswered question colours things a bit.

Eliana's mother Lana Lang is presumed dead - nothing's ever been confirmed, as there's no way to contact her Earth, but Eliana is mostly convinced that she's dead, because there's no way that her mother wouldn't have been helping more metas and aliens get off-world and she would be killed if caught, and Eliana misses her so much but hardly allows herself to think of any possibility she might be alive because it's too painful (but nonetheless, a small part of her hopes.) Nellith does think her mother is dead because of the severed Force Bond and this devastates her and she struggles to talk about it with anyone - even Meri, the person who ends up looking after her for the next fourteen years.

Emile Brooke has been mostly raised by her grandparents and doesn't see her mother often - as of the start of the story it's been two years since she last saw her - but she doesn't doubt that she loves her, even with the complicated circumstances. Lissa Blackwood has not contacted her mother in fifteen years and although she feels so very guilty about this, is nonetheless convinced it is for the best.

The rest have pretty solid relationships with their mothers. The Barnes children all adore Leah, and look up to her a lot, Gemma Laura McKinney still regularly visits both her parents, and James Connors thinks Nicky is the best mom ever and he's so happy to have been adopted by her. Maia Curry only knows the one parent but that's enough for her and she's never felt unloved or been bothered by the lack of a father. Sophia Reynolds has been raised only by her mom for the last eleven years (because they had to flee their home planet and have no way of contacting Mal Reynolds to let him know they're alright), and is very protective of her mom.

Theo Thawne loves his mom Laura to pieces and even started studying to become a social worker like her. Sarah Thompson got along very well with her mother, and Alex always tried to find a way to talk to her mom when she could, unless she was on an undercover mission - even though there was still some disagreement over Alex joining SHIELD in the first place. Hannah Edwards is happy to be Jane's kid, and though she has a desire to find her birth father, she is not so bothered about finding out about her birth mother (she does eventually get to meet Bobbi, but it takes some time for the relationship to become cordial). Caitlin Sherwood (Buffyverse) speaks to her mother once a week and sees her when she can and gets along with her well, she's just often very busy. Niamh (OUAT) lives with both parents and is the light of their lives, Joanna (Uncharted) was mostly raised by her mother and maternal aunt and considers them as the most important people in the life, and Mel Hathaway (Star Trek) has a somewhat strained but mostly loving mother (she just disagreed with Mel joining Starfleet after she was nearly killed while on a routine trip to Vulcan).

As for the others I just haven't got that far.

Tagging (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @shrinkthisviolet @starstruckpurpledragon @vexic929 @negative-speedforce @lady-of-the-spirit

@fezwearingjellybananas @daughter-of-melpomene @forchrissy

[oxygenbefore1775]

brief summary of jeankasa 3+1 witcher! au fic that I desperately want to write but would probably never do

(fiy this is books&games based, netflix series can go to hell)

Jean (early 30s) is the head of the royal guard of the Kaedweni King Henselt and the veteran of Brenna Mikasa (probs 40s-50s) is the sorceress at the Royal Court of Kaedwen, the veteran of the Sodden Hill and Brenna; her sorcery is almost exclusively good for the battlefield only and her politic influence is almost non-existent which is probably why Henselt tolerates her presence at court despite the fact that she is a half-elf

1: the year is something 1270-1271, before the death of Demavend and the beginning of the second northern war, Kaedwen

Henselt is on the hunt in the forest for boar despite the recent sightings of monsters/scoia’tael in the royal woods. Unable to change the king’s mind on the safety concerns, Jean insists Mikasa accompany them for protection. Jean likes Mikasa (something he suspects her of as well), but his duties as the royal guard keep him near the King, while she spends most of her time away from Court - and thus, he uses the opportunity to spend some time with her. Suddenly, a chort attacks the party, ramming down the front rows of the huntsmen (the beast probably had its den nearby and the presence of intruders who were ignorant of its warnings were enough of a nuisance to slay). Jean orders his soldiers to get to the King while he, momentarily forgetting the true extent of her abilities, rushes to Mikasa, who has kept to the side of the party. As the chort charges a second time, Mikasa makes a split-second decision to create a portal, moving the King and the majority of the party to a safe distance. However, the portal doesn’t last long enough for Mikasa and Jean to get to it before closing, leaving them alone in the woods with the rampaging beast. Setting up a portal is easy, but it still requires concentration to avoid rendering the transportation deadly - something Mikasa currently lacks. Additionally, the chort proves invulnerable to the sorceress’s magic and the soldier’s steel sword, leaving Jean and Mikasa no choice but to run. When that soon becomes ineffective, Mikasa takes a risk and teleports them. To compensate for the danger, she connects the portal to the place most familiar to her, one she can easily visualize. As luck would have it, that place turns out to be Mikasa’s chambers back at the castle. They tumble onto her featherbed. [...] Before they can do something about their compromised position though, the castle servants burst through the doors to investigate the noise.

2: the year is also something 1271, after the battle of Vergen but before the Loch Muinne gathering

The Royal Ball is held at Ard Carraigh in celebration of Henselt's crushing victory over the Vergen defenses. Jean enjoys the festivities, but Mikasa, despite being a sorceress, stands aside and doesn't engage in any conversations. Jean asks her to dance, and she agrees. As they dance, Mikasa shares her concerns about their victory over the army consisting largely of elder races, fearing it will fuel racist sentiments towards non-humans, of which she is one. Jean suggests that she seek ties with the noble families of Kaedwen to further her influence and spread anti-racism sentiments. Mikasa responds that it wouldn't be possible since she is not seen as marriage material by the nobles. Jean reassures her that such matters wouldn’t concern him (implying his deep feelings for her). Before they can kiss, the dance requires them to switch partners, leaving their moment unfinished.

3: the year is 1271-1272, Nilfgaard has invaded Kaedwen already

After the battle with Nilfgaardian forces, Jean is left wounded. Despite the draining nature of healing magic, which she doesn't often practice, Mikasa goes out of her way to treat him. Using this brief moment of peace, Mikasa takes the opportunity to talk to Jean before he is moved from the front lines to an infirmary deep in the country. Kaedwen emerged victorious from the battle, but Jean is still worried since it was only vanguard forces of Nilfgaard; a much larger and more powerful army is still to come. However, he holds out hope as King Radovid is coming to their aid soon. Mikasa doesn’t share his sentiments, hope is a fool’s ally. She confesses her frustrations with her duty and the Lodge's expectations, admitting that she sometimes dreams of escaping the pressures placed upon her. However, she quickly reassures herself and Jean (if he were awake to hear it) that she would never abandon her responsibilities, especially if her efforts mean keeping the ones she holds dear safe. She hints at her feelings for Jean, hoping for a moment of connection. What she doesn’t notice is that Jean has fallen asleep thanks to her treatment and thus is unable to hear her. Before realizing this, Mikasa had hoped for a farewell kill, but now it doesn't seem appropriate.

4: 1272, after Radovid’s annexation of Kaedwen

After Radovid takes power in Kaedwen, he butchers almost all of the sorcerers and imprisons Mikasa to later torture her - not for information but to set an example to all others seeing as she’s a sorceress at the royal court. As she stays shackled in the dungeons of Ard Carraigh, Jean comes to her rescue. He sneaks her out of the dungeons by using the remaining influence that stayed from the years he served as the royal guard. He leads her to the channel on the outskirts of the city where an inconspicuous carriage waits for her - Jean has arranged it so that Mikasa will travel to the north where she can go to Kovir and Poviss in search of sanctuary. Mikasa wants Jean to go with her but he can’t leave his parents like this fearing that him fleeing will result in their deaths and generally he is in no danger under Radovid’s rule. It’s implied that they won’t see each other for quite some time, maybe years, so before saying her final goodbye Mikasa kisses him and disappears into the dark.

[valandhirwriter]

I just wanted to say I adore your Arnaghad and Erland fics! I think it perfectly encapsulates their dynamic and that you also write beautifully. I especially adore 'When wishes were horses'.

I don't know of you have been asked this but what do you think of the Griffin school and their code? Do you think they kept following it after mages caused an avalanche and anti witcher sentiment started to rise?

Now, there IS a complicated question. I have at least 2 stories where the Griffins to not keep to their code after the fall of Kaer Seren. One is of course Song of the Dragon, where most of the Griffins get involved into founding the school of the Dragon, and thus go a different path. Another story that explores a possible change for them was "The End of the Griffins" exploring ideas for their school to change, though that story is a one-shot.

I think individual Griffins will have kept to the code they were raised by, especially in the face of adversity. Which makes for great individual stories.

One topic that fascinates me, but that I have yet to get around to find a good context for, would be Erland himself, the Griffin Grandmaster and oldest Witcher there is, to undergo such a change. Not in the "betrays his principles" kind of way, but more in a story where this changes comes more natural, or maybe even out of principle or conviction.

But and there is a big but for this idea in my head, and that is my other Erland headcanon. The RPG books say that he was Skelligan Born and grew up on one of their raiders, so he wasn't very chivalrous or principled as a kid. My headcanon says that Erland adopted Talisien's code of honour so strictly, was because this code is all that keeps Erland from becoming a much darker and dangerous man. Erland was consciously trying to be a better person, and that code helped guide for three centuries. Who would Erland be, if he dropped that code and his skelligan upbringing (and they are Proto-Vikings, no doubt about that) would re-assert itself? It's a question that endlessly fascinates me.

What do I think of the Griffins and their Code? Now, that question is a bit coloured by me being me. I have a thing for knights, knightly orders, their code, and people who uphold a code of honour, even if the world around them thinks them crazy for it. Hence I love the Griffins more than any other Witcher school.

[thenightling]

I just took an unpleasant deep dive into the darker side of The Witcher book fandom and to my own disgust I'm seeing "Anti-elf" posts with the main basis being that they see the elves as an allegory for Jewish people. There's.. Anti-elf sentiment as thinly disguised antisemitism... I kid you not. Sophia from Mars' video "Geralt the Fanboy" in their Witchermania video playlist, alerted me to this unpleasant faction who badly misunderstood the point of the bigotry of The Witcher novels. I cannot believe (well, I don't want to believe) there are people who read The Witcher and what they took from it is "Genocide good." and "Because the people who were nearly obliterated were angry about it, they don't deserve to live." How... how are these people literate?! I can't even wrap my mind around this interpretation. https://youtu.be/-jlvlI05cOU To quote an old meme "This is why we can't have nice things!" This is deja vu of when my friend @endlessemptynight joined a Norse Mythology group that gradually turned into an antisemitic rant fest in disguise, so much so that a thread was created to try to figure out Neil Gaiman's ulterior motive for "culturally appropriating" the Norse myths.

[jazzmckay]

Truth in Melody on ao3

Chapters: 16/16 Fandom: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion & Priscilla Additional Tags: Inspired by The Accidental Warlord and His Pack Series - inexplicifics, Warlord Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Spy Jaskier | Dandelion, Espionage, Secret Identity, Identity Reveal, Slow Burn, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia is Bad at Feelings, Kaer Morhen's Fanon Hot Springs (The Witcher), Sparring, Canon-Typical Violence, Anti-Witcher Sentiments (The Witcher)

Several years ago, Geralt deposed a Koviri duke, and accidentally became a warlord.

Jaskier, a bard and agent of the Redanian Secret Service, has been sent to Kaer Morhen under the guise of being given as tribute. In truth, his assignment is to learn the White Wolf's conquest secrets and send them back to his home kingdom of Redania.

[nachoaveragejoe234]

if you look at a european and your thought is: "you don't need rep and can never ask for it" you're a problem.

EVERYONE DESERVES REP. WHEN PEOPLE CRITICIZE TAKING EUROPEAN CHARACTERS AND PAINTING THEM DARK IT DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN THEY HATE YOU. SOME DO OF COURSE AND SCREW THEM BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME THESE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY VERY KIND TO POC. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT IT'S THE POC WHO ARE BEING TOXIC AND INVALIDATE REP BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE MELANIN. AS A WOC (JAMAICAN-ZIMBABWEAN CANADIAN), FUCK YOU ALL!!!!! Most Europeans have been oppressed in history. Please don't apply American racism issues to movies and shows set in or made by Europeans or Asians or South Americans. They all have their own racial issues but they are not the same, and ust because Tangled or the Witcher Netflix are made by Americans, doesn't mean it's set there and thus there's no excuse to aplly racial representation statistics to those pieces of media. If you want to talk about racial representation in Europe, research racism and xenopobia in Europe and apply European rules to European set or made things. The fact that Germans are usually Nazis in media, Slavic people are always spies and Satanists in media, and the fact that there have been many anti-European events in America in the past, including the anti-Irish and anti-Italian sentiment, the KKK lynching Slavs, Ukrainians being interned like the Japanese in WW1, Italians and Germans interned in WW2 (not as much as the Japanese but it did happen), the First Red Scare, the Second Red Scare (since the Russia Ukraine war started), Europeans have been fucking colonizing Europeans for centuries for Pete's sake (see: WW1 and WW2, which was mostly Europeans invading and genociding other European countries, Slobodan Milosevic in the 80s, Kosovo-Serbia-Albania conflicts, the Russia-Ukraine war) and you still think "Europeans aren't and never were oppressed" and thus they don't need rep and their cultures are all the same and represent POC genocide is absolutely telling of your priorities and beliefs. POC online are actually very racist and toxic. I personally think the list of toxicity for races is like this on the internet:

Black

Asians

Fringe white people (yes a lot of white people are awful but that)

Latinos

Native Americans (I get where they're coming from but a lot of them I feel are overly mean and sometimes throw buzzwords about any white person online, but usually I can tell they don't truly mean harm, they're just angry which is understandable but still feels icky)

Average white people

I did like the Little Mermaid remake tho tbh (I find the remakes ans seuels guilty pleasures)

Alright, since everyone is back on their bullshit I have important words for everyone to hear.

There are movies/shows out there where they have cast white people as characters that are supposed to be black, hispanic, and so on.

And now we have movies/ shows coming out casting black or hispanic people as characters that are supposed to be white.

If you think the first is horrible, but the second is fine then you are experiencing cognitive dissonance. If you think the first is fine, but the second is horrible then you are also experiencing cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance is the state of having inconsistant beliefs or thoughts.

You believe its horrible, disrespectful, racist, or cultural appropriation to innacurately portray people from different cultures and places, but its perfectly fine to you if the media in question caters to you specifically or people you like.

So now I ask that you all take a step back and choose. Either its never okay to inaccurately cast a character as a different race, or its always okay. Because this constant state of bickering and basically saying "its okay when we do it" is not helping anyone.

You know what would 100% help though? If Disney would stop half assing these live action remakes and making a fool out of specific demographics.

To those of you who are white and angry: Personally I wish they had picked a Danish girl to play Ariel, but its a fictional character and not the end of the world. And if you don't like it because you hate black people, well then go fuck yourself because nobody gives a shit about your hateful opinion.

To those of you who are black and excited about this movie: Don't be. Disney is taking an established character and story and remaking it with her being black to get your approval. There is minimum effort happening to make this movie. It's going to be a butchered POS compared to the original film, but they know you'll come and see it because they made a couple of characters black. You should be angry that disney doesn't see the value in creating an original character with your demographic in mind. You should be asking them why they aren't pulling from African cultures to make new princesses. You should be demanding the same effort and originality that the danish, german, french, english, and so on got when they pulled from those cultures to make Ariel, Rapunzel, Snow White, and the other "white" princesses. Minimum effort and a butchered live action remake with a black skinned redesign should not be what you cheer about or settle for. And you shouldn't be teaching your kids to settle for the bare minimum either. And if you only support it because you hate white people, then you can fuck right off with the rest of the white racists because youre just a different side of the same coin.

[bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher]

The world needs more feral!Geralt. Jaskier gets hurt or something and Geralt goes apeshit on everyone around them lol

“Get outta here, Witcher!” an old woman scowled. Her grandson, a fine young lad who would grow up to be just as calloused and jaded as she, lobbed a rather large rock in Geralt’s direction. He dodged it on instinct, not even thinking about the very fragile human who was being shielded by himself and his armor.

“Ah!” Jaskier cried out. Geralt spun to face the bard and found the palm of his pale hand clutched against the side of his head. Blood dripped from between his fingers to stain the apples of his cheeks and the collar of his doublet. His eyes were wide and watery, “G-Geralt I’m-”

“Hush, bard,” the Witcher soothed, backing them and Roach towards the woods and away from the angry mob that had gathered at the edge of town. Let the drowners have them. Let the forest swallow these people up, Geralt glared. “Let’s get some distance and set up camp. I need to take a look at that before you to go sleep.”

Another rock struck the bard on the shoulder, tearing the material of his jacket. Geralt snarled and pulled the steel sword from its scabbard without thinking. He took a few quick steps towards the gathered villagers and heard gasps of shock. 

The Witcher was seeing red and he stormed forward again. A low growl continued to filter from the center of his chest and push the crowd back. He backed towards Jaskier again and gathered him beneath the arm that wasn’t carrying the sword. 

“Geralt?”

“Let’s get you bandaged up. Then you’ll need to distract me so I don’t come back here and burn this place to the ground.”

Jaskier nuzzled against him and some of the rage faded away. 

Some things were worth protecting over all else; Jaskier was certainly one of those things.

[lamentingpat]

Day at the Orphanage

Alone once again, Geralt settles in at Corvo Bianco, living a life he never imaged himself having. One day he passes by a local orphanage and ends up spending time there and bringing things for the kids. He can't help but reflect on his life, past and present, and whether he deserves the life he's living. 

Warnings: None  Relationships: Geralt of Rivia & Original Character(s) Rating: Gen Word Count: 1321 

Read on AO3 

a/n: During my playthrough of the Blood and Wine DLC, I realized there was an orphanage not too far from Corvo Bianco, and it spawned this ficlet! (Only did I learn later that it serves a purpose in the story depending on your choices, but I'm not going to spoil anyone.)

Witchers never die in their beds. That was a line that Geralt had heard since he was young, young enough that it still echoed in his head almost a hundred years later. He was still here. He had lived through everything, he had even raised a daughter, which had probably been the hardest thing he had ever done.

It’s not as if his work was ever truly done, there were only so many Witchers out there still and just as many monsters, but he knew he was slowing down. Whenever the weather began to turn his joints ached, adding to the pain he already felt in his knee and sword arm almost daily. He was lucky, even though he was in pain, he was still alive, and that was what mattered.

Those like him never got good endings, Geralt knew that painfully well from seeing so many of his brothers die, but a small part of him hoped he would, grasping onto the notion firmly. That’s why he found himself at Corvo Bianco most of the year, doing work in the surrounding area of Toussaint. At times he was embarrassed that he was allowing himself something like this, the comfort of a home and warm bed every night, but the easing of the dull ache in his chest when there overpowered his embarrassment by miles. It felt right, spending time with B.B. and Marlene, checking in on the other vineyards, living as close to ‘normal’ as he could.

What felt most right was when he visited the Orphanage. He hadn’t originally planned to visit, but one day when he was riding back to Corvo Bianco he recognized what the plain building was when he heard the delighted screams of children as they played in the almost barren yard. The next thing he knew, he was donating his extra crowns to the woman in charge, having seen the poorly fitting clothes and some thin-looking faces.

Soon he was visiting near every week as long as there was no contract, food and gifts for the children in tow. Their enthusiasm and bright eyes were a nice sight, it reminded him of when Ciri had been much younger and training at Kaer Morhen. He hadn’t been back there since the battle, and he hadn’t seen either of his brothers since. Maybe it was shame that kept him from going back, or maybe it was grief. He wasn’t sure what he would do if he returned one winter to find that he had another buried brother, so in Toussaint he stayed.

Geralt picked up hobbies. He had never had time for those before. Soon the children were getting hand-carved items, starting out crude and slowly growing more refined over time. Little Colve carried hers with her everywhere, showing off the cat with a notch in its ear that Geralt had modeled after one of the tabbies that meandered around Corvo Bianco. It was nice to feel appreciated, even if the girl didn’t realize who he was, what he was. The people of Toussaint were kinder to Witchers, but even the best places had pockets of poison towards those not fully human. Most places were okay, but Geralt never could shake the fact that he wasn’t human. He never would.  

Even in his happier moments, he was reminded of it. “Sir, why are your eyes like that?” A curious voice had asked him one day. Geralt looked up from the log he had all but collapsed on, his now lighter satchel sitting on his lap. The boy looked no older than ten, although Geralt couldn’t be sure. His grasp on human aging was ok, but not that precise. After a while, certain age groups tended to blend together. The boy was new to the orphanage, and from what he could tell, was one of the quieter ones. Maybe he was still adjusting, but Geralt wouldn’t know, he barely remembered what it was like when he arrived at Kaer Morhen or what the other boys had been like. His memories before the trials were… sparse at best.

“I’m… I’m a Witcher,” He answered after he had processed his initial shock. In years past his hair had been an indicator of his inhumanness, but Geralt wouldn’t deny that he was getting old, so having white hair wasn’t exactly unexpected. His muscles tensed, waiting for fear, or even anger from the boy but he just kept staring. Surely he knew what a Witcher was? For hundreds of years, they had been the source of tall tales used to keep children in line, because what child would want to be spirited away by a monster with cat eyes that almost looked like a man.

“But sir, you’re too old. You have white hair,” The boy finally said, staring at him in confusion. Did he really look that old? Sure, Geralt had never been big on the whole ‘taking care of yourself’ thing, but most Witchers weren’t. It always boiled down to just surviving and that took up most of their effort. Not all of them were reckless, well, mainly Eskel. If Geralt had learned anything over the years, it was that he was more reckless than he thought he was but was too stubborn to admit it out loud. Especially not around his family, he would have never heard the end of it if he did.

“I’ve had white hair since I was young,” Was the best reply he can muster, breaking eye contact with the boy. Geralt had never been great at eye contact, but now he couldn’t bear to keep it up as his thoughts churned in his head worse than his stomach after too much White Gull. He couldn’t look that old, he’d been told plenty of times that he still looked relatively young by human standard… “Witchers don’t get old, that’s what my Pa used to say,” Which… was not entirely false. Few of them had the luxury to live that long. Vesemir had been one of the few, and Geralt had even thought at one point that he would end up being the one Witcher to finally break the old saying. He’d been wrong, foolish really, to think that Vesemir wouldn’t die in combat.

“And why did he say that?” Geralt asked before he could stop himself, his curiosity winning over his better judgment. He knew better than to ask about peasant rumors related to Witchers, it usually was all just lies that ended up causing more harm than good. It was still hard to look at the boy, but Geralt did, giving him the proper attention as he explained what he had been told. “Witchers fight monsters and monsters are strong,” The boy stated what he knew proudly and Geralt gave him a small forced smile. The boy was old enough to know what death was. But, he was still too young to know that what he said was technically true, even if the monsters that killed them most were the ones they were supposed to help protect. A cruel irony, really.

“Monsters are strong. This is from one,” He gestured to the left of his face, referencing the large scar that carved through his forehead down to his cheek. The boy’s face lit up in excitement, realizing that Geralt wasn’t lying to him about being a Witcher. It wasn’t a new reaction, Geralt had seen many kids get excited when meeting a Witcher, usually the younger ones. They didn’t yet understand why people were afraid of them, since how can someone who fights the monsters be bad?

“Can you make me a dragon?” Geralt had completely forgotten the wood he had in one of his hands until the boy brought up the dragon. Right. Carving. He could do that. Much less complicated than what he’d been thinking about previously. “Sure. If you sit with me I’ll tell you how I met one.”

[autistic-and-radical]

Please do not support Netflix's "the Witcher"

Netflix is erasing Slavic representation and cultural background of both story and characters

Not even one Slav was hired during the production of season 2

Slavs have been discriminated against for years and never got a lot of good representation

The director not only messed up the story but took away from us the only piece of decant representation that could help us destigmatize Slavs

[klinefelterrible]

I might have mistaken some titles but any search engine will correct me so no worries

If you want a nice and comforting quadrilogy I recommend David Weber and John Ringo’s „March upcountry” series - it’s a military science fiction, not without humour. Nice and easy.

Ann Leckie’s „Ancillary” trilogy is one of the most complicated at first but later on so fascinating book I was most definitely delighted and amazed by it. The very idea of a ship, a conscious artificial intelligence once in multiple bodies and now reduced to one sounds hard but leaves no survivors. Also a genderless, all-woman society? Mind blown!

John Scalzi wrote a very entertaining series, starting with „Old man’s war” and boy oh boy was that entertaining. It is also a sci-fi and of rather military scent but let me tell you this: it is important to read first two books, third was great too but the fourth, „Zoe’s tale” is a masterpiece. The best one of all six and more like a puzzle in the middle, as was „Silver Spike” in Black Company. I have chills just by thinking of Zoe and The Obin.

Very good was also Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga, I have read only six or seven books yet but I hopefully restart it some day and go through all of them. It is a sci-fi too, as one could assume after what I am recommending here, and although I read it few years ago, I think about it still. Lois has such a great and easy flow, so to speak, you smile to yourself every two or three pages because of how great the narration is and the characters and all. It should not be a surprise for anyone that this author was honoured with so many Hugo Awards for this series and other. Great reading!

I cannot stress this enough but „Not to say about the dog” by Connie Willis is a book that I absolutely adore and even though I read it only once, the ideas from it stayed with me forever and I am not ashamed to admit that I am hugely inspired by her books. This one and „Doomsday book” are so very, very good. Main theme is an imperfect time travel and discovering what happened back then at several occasions. Really great books. Hugo Award Winners too.

If you want a book that will stay with you for long, go with „American Gods” by Neil Gaiman. His „Neverwhere” is also very good. These books are dark, odd, and the specific darkness can be felt through every page, touching your bones, so to speak. What a great readings these two were.

Do you want more military books? Joseph Heller’s „Catch 22” will show you what a mess the second world war was, and I don’t think he was exaggerating much as similarities can be found in „Officers factory” by Hans Hellmut Kirst, a German WW2 officer who wrote also „08/15”, another military/anti-military novels. Almost all books about wars and military are either rather dry and dull or colourful and full of mischief on all levels. All the above are worth reading at least once. I once knew „Catch 22” almost by heart. Such a great read!

But let me get back to science-fiction. Robert A. Heinlein has at least two very good books: „Luna is a harsh mistress” and „Cat that goes through the walls” and these too are packed with interesting oddities. I am always happy to think of them, I wish I had time to re-read them again.

From the fantasy side, a First Law Trilogy and next standalone books by Joe Abercrombie. This guy can write! His books are compared to Lord of the Rings but directed by Kurosawa and it is not a bad comparison. „Blade itself” is a first book and if you don’t feel like you’d rip a brick wall for the next, you’re reading it wrong ;).

I could recommend The Witcher but I hope that we live in a world where everyone has read it at least once. I know it by heart but it’s my sentimental journey and yes, I recommend it but I also recommend breathing. It’s rough, harsh, merciless and anyway so great. Bear in mind I am talking about the books, not any other media.

Glen Cook’s Garrett PI books are so fun. Imagine 1930s noir in a fantasy world.

(I might add more later)

Maybe not exactly what you wished for, but each one was a very enjoyable experience.

So I’m finally reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, and it’s revived my obsession with a Thing in books that I don’t know how else to explain than just.. narrators who have Opinions or otherwise interject their knowledge/thoughts/etc into the text. So here’s an incomplete list of more books I’ve read that do this:

Almost anything by Rick Riordan, but particularly the original Percy Jackson series

That weird middle grade Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch. I read that series multiple times when I was in middle school

The Black Company by Glen Cook. Tbh I just wanted it over with by the time I finished this series, but some of the narrators made it worth it

Basically anything by Sir Terry Pratchett. He is my comfort author

The Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin (although I think this is to a lesser degree in the beginning)

Genre is literally irrelevant. Basically I just want the character to go “this is all fine” and the book to record scratch and the narrator goes “everything was not in fact fine” or otherwise interject and world build. It’s delightful

If people have other recommendations for similar vibes, please

[tree-woven]

One year ago, when I told a friend I wanted to visit Poland she scoffed, telling me the roads were bad and refusing to believe there would be something worth my while in Cracow. When a polish girl brought sweets from her home country, a majority of our classmates refused to touch them. I won’t go into detail about what kind of reactions polish names get, how hardly anyone even thinks about looking into slavic languages, cultures or history, as I’m sure you all get my point: There is a good & popular side of Europe and a bad, inferior side of Europe for as long as I remember and tbh, that needs to change. The issues of course won’t be solved by one show, but my hope is that with the Witcher, some people will get to see that it’s not just certain countries who have interesting stories to tell. That when I tell someone that I find slavic mythology interesting, I won’t immediately get talked over because celtic/germanic/nordic/greek stuff is so much cooler (by default, as hardly anyone knows anything about the former)  ...

[lambden]

29 (I know this is ur witcher blog so I understand if legally you have to write a witcher drabble)

well. british one x superman/the lesser Hemsworth it is

G, 1592 words, no warnings except some canon anti-witcher sentiment

“Look at this,” rants Jaskier. Geralt doesn’t turn to look, sure their attention has been caught by the same thing. The notice board is rather scarce. Isla wants a farmhand to help with her unexpectedly rowdy herd of kids, without specifying if she means goat children or human ones. Preben, recently widowed, wants for a new wife— but not unless she’s blonde. The local guard wants everyone to pay the new levy without a fuss. Good luck with that one.

The only posting of any notice at all is a request to clear out some drowners by the river. Low risk, low reward. Geralt sucks his teeth at their circumstances, more bored than disappointed by the lack of opportunity, and his bard takes the sound as taciturn encouragement to continue complaining. “It’s unforgivable. Fucking bastardly idiots and their idiot propaganda! I— I’m going to take it down!”

Before Geralt reasons that they should probably take it down after killing the drowners, Jaskier lunges for the board. He doesn’t tear down the contract at all, instead going for a poster that Geralt hadn’t even noticed. He’s seen so many of these pinned up in the area that his eyes had honestly glanced over its details, but he is familiar with the general idea behind the idiot propaganda. In fact, he’s been dealing with similar bastardly idiots for decades before Jaskier was even born. He deadpans, “You gonna save it as a nice keepsake from your travels?”

“Save it for kindling, more like,” spits Jaskier, his eyes already blazing. He crumples up the poster in his hands, tossing it to the ground and then crushing it under his fancy but very solid heel. 

Even though Geralt hadn’t seen the specifics, he supposes this is probably a nice gesture. If the Great Temple of the Eternal Fire were the ones who posted it, their local chapter would waste weeks trying to deduce who was behind this heinous, heretic act of vandalism. And if the reigning local government posted it as an anti-magic measure, the consequences could be even greater for the town. Considering the hypothetical repercussions makes him grimace, but… Jaskier has already intervened, catalysing this town’s fate. For someone who claims to act as a narrator to the world’s plots, he is alarmingly good at stepping in and changing them. Geralt supposes the same could be said about himself, although he does it to his own chagrin whereas some great force drives Jaskier’s actions.

He wants to ask the bard what he might call that force, and what would possess him to venture so far out of his way to incur the wrath of people in power. But the inciting incident is already crumpled up in the dirt, and Geralt has no desire to enter yet another cyclical and monotonous conversation about why the bard does the things he does. It’s not like things will change. He has seen dozens of kings rise and fall, and the minutiae of each one’s rule only comes with more and more catastrophically cruel fallout for their kingdoms. Jaskier might have ripped down one poster, but an even harsher and more explicit one will be nailed up in its stead.

Geralt swallows his twisted, uncomfortable thoughts. He glances around to check that no one saw. Then he tears the drowner notice down from the board, shoving it into his pocket.

-

The mid-day sun beats down on them with a violence that would surely burn the shoulders and scalp of any normal human. It’s too bright to properly make out the path ahead, and they’ll need to stop soon so that Roach can drink and rest. Even Geralt, the only Wolf to ever survive the worst Trials twice, is fighting off fatigue. Maybe he should have taken Jaskier up on his offer to play an extra show last night, so they could have stayed in Novigrad another day. Instead they’re riding along the bank of an unnamed river, languishing together. And while the proximity to water should come as a relief and lower their temperatures, instead the humidity is just making his armour torturous to wear.

Or, rather, Geralt is riding along the bank and languishing. Jaskier, as he has been for the last few hours, is strumming his instrument and singing a quiet but fervent melody to himself. If Geralt didn’t love him so much he thinks he could kill him right now.

“Stop,” he commands, and Jaskier heeds him immediately, fingers going still on his lutestrings. “No, I… keep playing, if you want. But Roach needs a break.”

“I know what that’s code for,” sings Jaskier, which infuriates Geralt even more because he doesn’t know what that was code for, and he’s the one who fucking said it. “While I’m touched at your concern for my well-being, I’m right in the middle of composing, darling! Give me twenty more minutes and I think I’ll have something polished to perform at Midinváerne.”

Geralt digs his heels into Roach’s sides anyway. She stops cantering with a patient huff, and he directs her down towards the riverbed. 

The bard, despite his stupid request to continue onwards, trails after them down the bank. “I’m not that same boy who followed you out of Posada, you know,” he huffs impatiently, sounding amusingly similar to Roach. “My heels have blistered so many times they’re practically leathery now. And I can hold my piss like a champion.”

“That’s not why we stopped,” Geralt grunts, because ‘shut up’ would be too impolite. Unfortunately, he isn’t the same man who led the way out of Posada either. “How can you even compose without singing any words? It’s just humming.”

“Oh, I learned a long time ago to write my songs in my head,” laughs Jaskier, carefree. Guilt stings briefly and sharply at Geralt’s heart; he bats it away, turning to face the rushing creek beside them. “I can remember the entire thing, and I’ll take it down on paper once we make camp for the night. Got my invitation to eternal damnation. Get in line, pass the wine, we’re going straight to hell!”

Geralt’s pierced heart freezes, and it takes him a heavy, long moment as his blood runs cold through his veins without any added toxicity to get ahold of his suddenly churning emotions. He can just picture Jaskier’s pyre now, and all the bigots who would line up to applaud the demise of a loud-spoken free-spirit. “You can’t perform that.”

“What?” Jaskier stops strumming again, although this time the silence is paired with genuine hurt behind his open, vulnerable expression. “You don’t like it? That’s only the bridge, the rest is far more evocative. It’s a love song, really, and it’s about loving your community and your comrades. And it’s a call to arms—”

“No arms,” grunts Geralt, made ineloquent by his fear. “They’ll… What brought this on?”

“I will admit, I took inspiration from a source I thought I never would.” The bard drags his fingertip along a lutestring, clearly remembering something Geralt doesn’t from their travels. The fidgeting makes him look younger than he is, and it serves as an abrupt and unwelcome reminder of his immortality. Geralt scowls. “Oh, come now. You haven’t even heard the chorus!”

“Fine.” He stares Jaskier down, and while the bard has never looked intimidated by him, some form of tension does grow between them as they exchange a heavy look. The only sound in the world around them is Jaskier’s finger playing with the string of his instrument; even Roach is silent as she laps up running water. “What’s the chorus.”

“Umm…” The bard plays the same chord progression Geralt has heard over and over the last few hours, enough that it has phased into background ambience— only now, he accompanies it with the worst words Geralt could have imagined. “This hell is better with you… ?”

“They’re going to hang you,” Geralt blurts out before he can help it.

“They won’t—”

“They will,” insists Geralt, aware of the slightly pleading tone his voice has taken but unsure how to suppress it. Without quite meaning to, he stomps through the reeds over to Jaskier. Before he can think any better of it, he grabs the bard by the face and holds him tightly in place so as to impress his fear more clearly upon him. Maybe that’s what it is— maybe he’s fearful, actually afraid, for the first time in a long fucking time. “Jaskier. You can’t.”

“I have to,” says Jaskier, possessed by that horribly dangerous passion that Geralt has seen ignited across his young face a thousand times before. “It’s important.”

“You’re important,” Geralt blurts out.

The river rushes beside them; slowly, through his fear, Geralt realizes that he’s cupping Jaskier’s cheeks in his hands and standing rather close. Jaskier inhales sharply, his heart somehow beating even faster than the witcher’s. Neither of them pulls away.

“Alright,” Jaskier mumbles, blue eyes bright with emotion. “I’ll save it for just the two of us, then.”

-

“Walk a mile on these coals, busy cleansing my soul… getting ready for the night… damned for eternity, but you’re—”

“They’ll burn you alive.”

“There’s no one around,” Jaskier reminds him, gesturing at the wide, empty trail around him.

Geralt thinks on this, then thinks on it again.

“Damned for eternity, but you’re coming with me into the afterlife—” Jaskier’s lute plays a sour note as Geralt jumps down from Roach’s saddle, trapping the instrument between them as he kisses Jaskier like they’re both doomed. Which, of course, they are.

[dancingwiththefae]

Geraskier

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙the calm after the storm | T | 648 words | AO3 |Tumblr

mild hurt/comfort, referenced past torture and injuries

Jaskier still feels like an outsider in Kaer Morhen and struggles with the memories of Rience. Help comes with a knock at the door.

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙give me shelter | T | 649 words | AO3 | Tumblr

fluff, established relationship, kissing

He warned him about the rain. In fact he told him several times. There was a storm coming. He could smell it in the air. But Jaskier was adamant that they had to leave that morning.

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙Kiss me once, kiss me twice | T | 708 words | AO3 

first kiss, fluff

Jaskier had been flirting with Geralt since the minute he set eyes on him, but he never seemed brave enough to take it further. So Geralt decides to do it instead

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙 when you know I can’t love | G | 731 words | AO3 | Tumblr

bittersweet, unrequited love (kind of)

Blue eyes caught his from across the room. A subtle smile offered that Geralt could not return. Jaskier didn’t seem to notice. 

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙“I can’t leave now” | T | 826 words | AO3 | Tumblr

Hurt/comfort, blood and injury

Geralt is about to leave town when a commotion in the alley stops him in his tracks

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙fed up | G | 841 words | AO3 | Tumblr

hurt/comfort, anti-witcher sentiments, understanding Jaskier

Geralt is having a bad day. Jaskier tries to distract him. It doesn't go as planned.

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙A simple hunt | T | 916 words | AO3 | Tumblr

Hurt/comfort, death, established relationship 

Jaskier knew that a witcher's life was not a fairytale, but it was different seeing it close up for the first time.

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙 “I need you to distract me” | T | 967 words | Tumblr

hurt/comfort, character injury, healing wounds

Jaskier gets badly injured during a contract

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙 These inconvenient fireworks | G | 1.1k | AO3 | Tumblr

Modern AU, meet-cute

Jaskier is running late for work and in his rush he doesn't see the terrifying hulk of a man until his coffee is already down his shirt. 

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙Buttercup in bloom | E | 4.4k words | AO3

Homophobia, biphobia, frottage, further tags on AO3

Jaskier discovers he's bisexual in a world that doesn't accept him

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙Deep into that darkness peering | M | 17.4k words | AO3

Major Character Death, heavy angst, implied/referenced torture, angst with a happy(ish) ending

Geralt is being haunted. Even in death, Jaskier dogs his every step

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙 Mind, Body, Yours | E | Ongoing | AO3

Rience/Jaskier, Geraskier endgame, non-con/dubcon, mind control, further tags on ao3

Jaskier wakes up tied to a chair, injured and no memory of what had happened. Rescue comes in the form of a strange mage who gives him refuge as he heals. Jaskier quickly finds himself falling under Rience's spell. And when he tells him that Ciri would be safer with him than with Geralt and asks him to take her from under the witcher's nose, Jaskier cannot say no. 

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*

🌙Addicted Series:

🌙Cold turkey | E | 8.1k words | AO3

Higher Vampire!Jaskier, blood, addiction, dub con, further tags on AO3

Jaskier accidently exposes his vampiric nature to Geralt. The witcher gives him an ultimatum: stop drinking human blood or be put in the ground for a few centuries

🌙new beginnings, old friends | E | Ongoing | AO3

Blood drinking, addiction, jealousy, further tags on AO3

Geralt and Jaskier try to manage their new relationship, Jaskier's recovery from his blood addiction, and call upon an old friend to help.