#ciri: you should see the other guy

[tr4umaborn]

[ inspection ] sender holds receiver's face while inspecting an injury they got / @ ciri

" kenz -- " it's nothing. it's a slash on their face that isn't nearly as grotesque as the other that sits there for the rest of their life. but they're realized quickly that once kenzi cares there's no getting them to stop. it's kind. . . which is even weirder.

they go to push on kenzi's hands, feet planted firmly in the ground to root themselves. " i'm fine -- " but the more they look into kenzi's eyes, the more they realize that they are in fact bleeding from the cut on their forehead and maybe. . . it would be nice to have someone care about that.

[hanzajesthanza]

the training montage in crossroads re-ignited a headcanon i had of geralt waking up and doing gymnastics, performing kickflips and mid-air spins around on a fencepost outside an hour before sunrise to ‘limber up,’ and bleary-eyed dandelion wrapping himself up in a blanket to be like "heyyy... what the hell are you doing 💖"

[eyezofstatic]

im going to be so respectful when i type this but i have to get it off of my chest before i think about it again. if rui and tsukasa and probably even akito and toya were all girls... originally planned out + executed in the final release of project sekai, I and so many others agree that the game wouldn't have gotten as popular as it had. honest to god i haven't seen this much hype around a rhythm game in years, primarily because of the mostly young female audience feasting over the four male playable characters, and, im not trying to make any assumptions, but obviously they are appealing because they are male.

opposed to the 16 other playable girls that they shove for the side like "extra content" for the gay love implications, it feels terrible to call myself a fan of this game because of this god awful fanbase full of actual children who love the yaoi and despise the girls. the queens. the mothers. the ones who run the show itself.

and no hate to my fujo or fudan siblings, but with the way pjsk is strategized as an articulated rhythm game and have the ratio of Character roster 4>16.. the amount of A03 works featuring ruikasa completely overshadows the most popular f/f ship on the site. look at the ratio for gods sake:

like oh my god what are we doing here you guys.

conclusion of my thoughts: this is why bandori didn't get so popular. this is why love live didn't get so popular.

so now comes the question. why do other rhythm games ( I'd even go to say media not in this genre) featuring female characters get so overshadowed by the inclusion of male characters even if they are the minority group in this case?

the answer isn't surprising.

its misogyny.

it's always misogyny.

because no matter if you're a girl, guy, or both, or none,

nobody likes engaging with female fictional characters in video games.

and unfortunately in the modern gaming industry, it's just a fact.

because the men are viewed as someone that you can relate to in every aspect, and the woman are viewed as a someone that you can treat like a dogs chew toy...;

... expendable.

[kirkenovak]

What kills me the most is that Jaskier is and going to be suffering in silence. Ciri is a priority. Geralt is a priority. He’s not going to burden Geralt with his stupid little infatuation. Broken heart? I don’t know her. And ok, even if he shared his pain with Geralt, what exactly would he say? “I’m sorry you got screwed over by a guy you had sex with once. Tragic. Hey you know what’s more tragic? Literally every other thing happening right now.” Anyway, Geralt heard him whine about being dumped, chased away, exiled by his love interests three times a month, why should he think this is any different. Jaskier is there to lift his spirits, he’s his bard, he’s to uplift, to joke around, to lighten the mood, not to bring him down with a tale of woe. And thus he will keep quiet about Radovid and he will not mention Radovid and if geralt sees him shading a tear over the news that Redania has a new king? Nah, he just really liked Vizimir, poor fella.

[laurikarauchscat]

You're a hypocrite. You hate the topic of pregnant Ciri and say nasty things about her, but you post it to me for evil.

I'm going to use this thought fascist 's irrational ramblings to enlighten you guys as to what my thoughts on Ciri and motherhood is. Converting trash into treasure 🥰

I don't want Ciri to ever be pregnant.

Ciri being traumatised by her experiences and not wanting to ever become pregnant is not a new or unique take. It is one I share tho. This does not mean I think people who do want Ciri to bear offspring of her own blood should stop. If you have this opinion ur a bit weird bruv. It's just not a Canon event for me.

In my head.

Personally.

So how do I see this playing out: Ciri becomes empress. Empresses need Heirs.

Bit of a conundrum, really.

Luckily for Ciri, she has two things most other rulers don't have. One is a harem, and the other is a husband who is more of a partner in crime than a romantic love match (and a bit of a man-whore, can't forget that)

Early in her relationship with (False!Ciri) Becca of Tigg, Ciri realised Morvran and Becca had met before, and seemed quite fond of one another. She decided to start nurturing the spark into a flame - and so the great Imperial Ploycule became a thing.

Ciri gets an Heir to train/threaten into continuing her legacy. Morvran gets his blood on the throne. Becca gets to be the most important Ciri to at least one person (I know. Sad and fucked up, but such is her life tbh)

It's important to me that Ciri not be the primary caregiver because hot take alert: you can be a good ruler or you can be a good parent. You cannot be both. (Best exemplified by Fergus and Calanthe)

[tigerlyla-of-metinna]

I want to tag you for Give me a character game: Eskel, Olgierd von Everec, Radovid, Cerys an Craite

Yay! Another one. Thankfully I'm playing TW3 again and have gotten re-acquainted with the characters while on a quest to become the imperial paparazzi to Emhyr. My replies will be longs, so check em out underneath the cut

How I feel about this character:

Eskel

I never find this guy hideous. In fact he is probably more popular that Geralt when it comes to TW3 game fandom. He's charming all around and cuddly!

Olgierd von Everec

I am torn between helping this poor sod or handing his smoldering skull to O'Dimm. Mr. Olgierd "David Beckham" von Everec is hands down the most well designed Redanian I've set my eyes on. He is desperation personified and how that drove him into signing his soul to the devil.

Radovid

...Mad Rad is a result of mistreatment. As much as I want to sympathize with the Redanian king, I'd rather relieve the North of him. He is so black and white in the game that I can't see the shades of gray.

Cerys an Craite

Cerys is an anomaly. She is that rare gem glittering under a pile of pebbles. Wise, patient, but feisty. The thinking Skelliger and it's just right to place her on the throne of the Isle than her impulsive brother.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Eskel

The guy has no interest in relationships imho (that means Im not sold on the Trisskel ship), but I've been meaning to launch a rarepair with the scarred wolf with an equally scarred lass: Cerys. Story is still rolling in my head but I dub the ship Cerskel!

Olgierd von Everec

The OG pairing Iris x Olgierd. The canon pair for me. But since that ship has sailed, Olgierd is the lone surviving von Everec, maybe Im up for a Shani x Olgierd. Im also down for Ciri x Olgierd since I saw a fanart of it and it piqued my interest.

Radovid

Honesty I wouldn't bother shipping him. But if I must, then his one and only Adda the White and no one else.

Cerys an Craite

As I mentioned above, I'll be launching the Cerskel (Cerys/Eskel) ship someday. Other than that, I ship her with Ciri as two powerful monarchs that finally, or at least, smoothen the animosity between their realms. Make love not war and all that. Apart from that, I paired her with Folan, if he didnt die in the Battle of Kaer Morhen.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Eskel

Wolf Brother Lambert. Eskel is the only guy who has the patience to put up with his prickliness. They share stories and frustrations over mugs of The Gauntlet or vodka.

Olgierd von Everec

As I am also open to a Shani x Olgierd, I am also shipping them in a non-romantic concept. Shani cheers a newly mortal Olgierd of the fun she had with Vlodmir and help him professionally with moving on. Kinda farfetch since Shani is a medic, not a therapist. But she is a kind and caring individual regardless of their colors.

Radovid

Radovid and Roche. If Radovid wins the war, Roche takes the role of mentor for his future queen Anais and an ambassador of her kingdom to Radovids' Redania. Roche will have to get used to trading his blue stripes with red.

Cerys an Craite

Yennefer and Cerys. The queen of the Isle sees Yennefer as one powerful woman who knows how to wrap a man, any man, around her little finger. heck, Yennefer even had a romantic history with Crach, so Yennefer acts as a good council when dealing with these menfolk who might see Cerys as a wet behind the ears wench. And having Yennefer in an advisorial capacity can be the bridge between Cerys kingdom and Ciri's empire.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Eskel

He is clearly an expert in his own right, maybe even more than Geralt. Calling himself just a simple witcher is a disservice to his craft, and a wasted potential.

Olgierd von Everec

Now that I think about it, he should be handed over to O'Dimm for squandering his gifts and not treating Iris right.

Radovid

For a genius, he sure is dumb for not figuring out that Sigi Reuven is a name put together from his old enemy Sigismund Djikstra and Djikstra's loyal secretary(?) servant Ori Reuven.

Cerys an Craite

Instead of sending Svanringe to exile or death (as is the tradition of Skellige), she should've pardoned him because he played no part in Birna's schemes, even denounced her own mother: that shows character. As the heir of Bran Tuirsseach, Svanringe could be useful as an advisor or ally.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in cannon:

Eskel

Decides to stay in Kaer Morhen after the end of the game.

Olgierd von Everec

Visits Vlodmir's grave for the last time and we get to see this before he sets out for parts unknown.

Radovid

All his men becomes aware that their king is dead so I don't have to pass by any of them proclaiming "Long Live Radovid".

Cerys an Craite

Diplomatic talks with Emhyr, or with Ciri in the empress ending.

Whew! Thanks for the tag @gauntermetaverse

[feastingonfanfiction]

Watching the witcher ep 7 for the first time (a series of unfiltered thoughts as I watch)

(Watching mainly for tissaia/myanna)

Lil princess all alone

Geralt looking over a cliff....mousesack....is this the real mousesack??

Oh, geralt came to see kid's ok ....didn't even know the gender of lil princess

Oof harsh awakenings

Nilfgaard has yet to invade...?

Assassins? spooky

Oh a lot of assassins

Bro really uses mousesack like that

Queen grandma!

Oh queen grandma sees geralt again. Ooh she speaking facts geralt why should she hand her own heir to someone who didn't give a rats ass about her before

Ah yes the law of surprise again

I dont think you'd be a great dad right now geralt but idk maybe you'll do better

Grandma holding on to what left of her family...

We know how this ended before

She's trying to help you lil princess,

....lil princess :(

First thought seeing her take horse

Ciri wtf!

She was being nice and she just took her horse....

Like I get the sense of she feels she can't trust anyone but just....that was so mean she just took the horse!

OH I KNEW WHEN THEY SHOWED SHOTS OF NOT SHOWING FACE THIS WAS GONNA BE A CLEAR NOT PRINCESS, WHY ELSE WOULD THEY HIDE HER FACE FROM THE SHOT IF THEY WERENT GONNA PULL SOMETHING. Anyways can't believe queen grandma pulled a fake out, granny law of surprise ain't gonna be happy...can I say goodbye to my friends now? Does queen grandma have friends as hostage?! D:

No!.....geralt leaves...I know he has good hearing right? Though I guess it's no superman, but if secret gets out

Hey geralt where you going?

Oh fake princess, does geralt catch who the real lil princess who's currently in disguise right now.......wait hold on is this like right before nilfgaard takes over???

Did geralt catch that? Oh he did

No queen grandma ciri is not safe. Grandma really tests the law of surprise AGAIN YOU KNEW WHAT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME NOW YOU TEST FATES AGAIN QUEEN GRANDMA!!

...queen grandma that insult was a low blow....

Is this close to the point of the first episode? Like we see ciri dressed the same probs going to do the game in the first ep

Geralt if you were around more they'd have reason to trust you with the kid temporarily

You dropped away like a dead beat dad and only now come back for the kid

If he hears she's in danger he will come...where was he???

Oh it's yen pov

...is that her ex boy toy from way back

Who betrayed her? Or is this someone else? Is she going back to the guy who betrayed her??? I'm missing you??? Yen is this like you trying to fight whatever geralt wished for? IT IS HER EX LOVER

Play with rocks and working as mage

Power of position in court and not her power....oh she is trying to go back to her ex....is he over it? Every time he tried she rejected him now it's the other way around

Oh he brought up the creepo wizard guy

The creepy wizard guy told him focus on work

Oh....was she rejected?

Vilgefortz? This name...is familiar

Nilfgaard is getting mages and he's telling her they need to leave....

Go! To aretuza! I want to see more tissaia

Tissaia asked for you! Best student ever taught!

!!!!!!

Oh is she vanielle?

Oh they tricked her

Oh to hear tissaias voice...tho it's when she insulted her....

...they're just girls having fun that's harsh yen

And do you have any right to scold them when you didn't even want to come back to teach the next gen yen? Oh but she goes but fuck that old bag >:0 rude how dare

Why are you here yen?

Oh flashback to ep 2

Is she....teaching them?

Don't listen to them and mix the plants but now they're probs high on whatever you've done

Oh no I worry for the girls

oh...they were paid to be there

Yen isn't gonna quite like that

Worse than explusion...

Being turned to eels

But they don't know that...

Oh shot of the thing that powers aretuza...

Oh no! yen what are you doing!

She's gonna reveal the truth to them...the harsh reality

Oh I thought she was gonna tell them they turn to eels But she's talking about how they take your uterus and not the eels

Oof, they don't know what yens been through but yen was so offended by that statement

Oh wait she is revealing to them that they become eels

Oh no

Harsh reality given

TISSAIA!!!😃🫠she here

You ruined one life, stop there

You didn't want to come back

And yet you got tricked and not by tissaia.

What's happening?

Triss!

Oh nilfgaard is going for cintra now the timelines are starting to catch up to the present

I mean they had mousesack?

Shut up creepy wizard guy!

Oh shut him down tissaia

Oh nilfgaard mage is coming in...

And yet they also cut them down horribly

WAIT GERALT WAS THERE ALL ALONG?!?!?!

Fringilla pointing out it wouldn't be like that If yen went

Oh no

No one saves cintra

Which we know but still

Creepy old man wizard is still alive and I'm so annoyed

You were right in rinde, Aretuza is all I have 🥺💔

Join us...do it for me...please...

(Oh my heart )

And yen really went have you ever used that word before?

FREE GERALT GO FREE HIM

BUT THEY DONT

THEIR PEOPLE ARE DYING AND HE COULD BE OF HELP

Escapes too late

Or early?

He's gone before they have a chance to change destiny

He's on his way but they JUST MISSED/ PASSED GOD DAMN IT

and then this sad scene again

The dots are connecting

God I do feel sad to see queen grandma's goodbye again but knowing the circumstances changes it somewhat but also nooooooo

Nothing can change it

She was right there and he sees it

And he starts to go like

I have a mission find the lil princess

What sort of prayer is this man going off of being born anew

Back to lil princess

Set a fire in a field that looks to be made of grass or straw a hazard that is...

and a stranger comes forward

Oh no

People she knew betrays her

Oh what prophecy magic is ciri doing

Ends in a scream???

[kaermorhenatnight]

But the one who really managed to go further and rape Ciri was only a girl, Mistle. Ciri told Mistle not to touch her, but she didn't care and continued to impose, and then died in shit. It is unlikely that after such a Ciri will be able to perceive girls as a romantic interest. Ciri had at least positive examples and experience with the guys.

TW: rape

Mistle rapes her and it made me so angry that people used to tell me, before I read the books, as a "proof" that Sapkowski is progressive: "Ciri has a girlfriend in that series!". Yeah, she does. A rapist girlfriend who "saved" her from SA from a guy just to assault her two seconds later.

But Mistle wasn't the only one that "managed to go further". The elf king Auberon also rapes her (she is forced to be there and he is performing sexual acts on her - it is rape). It is even said that to feel more comfortable during that she imagines Auberon is Mistle (which given the fucked up nature of Ciri's relationship with Mistle just makes this situation even more fucked up). And some other examples: Hotsporn manipulates her into letting him touch her chest by guilt tripping, that he's injured and she should let him do it (even though she pushes him away twice, he's still pressuring her and she finally gives up). And (and I will die on that hill) even Cahir rapes Ciri. He is getting her naked and touching her everywhere without her consent - because she is VERY young then, she is not even a teen. Rape doesn't require penetration (as we can see with Mistle), Ciri is definitely processing what Cahir did to her as rape, based on nightmares she has about him.

I never claimed Ciri doesn't have bad experiences with girls. But to be honest, even in your ask it's actually one girl. And A LOT of guys. But Mistle is roughly her age and my post was about pedophiles. About older and adult men sexually assaulting this child and sexualizing her the moment they see her and then in the midst of all of this that older woman being the first adult in the long time to see her as who she is: a kid.

About Ciri not being able to perceive girls as romantic interest (and as you suggest being able to perceive guys as a romantic interest): when I was writing my thesis about queerness in witcher I did a whole analysis of the lesbian masterdoc with the points about lesbians' "attraction" to men due to compulsory heterosexuality, things that make them think they can't be lesbians. For every or almost every point in the masterdoc I had examples from Ciri's life and experiences described in the books. I couldn't put it in my thesis in the end (I was analysing queer motifs, not trying to decide what's Ciri's orientation and I was writing specifically about games, the books were supposed to just give me a background). Maybe I'll dig it out, translate it to English and post it here if someone is interested in reading it.

I don't think Ciri is attracted to men (but not because of the assault) and I think she is attracted to women (also not because of lack of/despite assault). But in the post I was showing how adult men sexualize and abuse a child. And showing how different was an interaction with that older woman. I didn't even mention her attraction in my post.

[smiletimeisrunningout]

@storyhaven starter for Geralt

Emma walked quietly, something very uncharacteristic for her, because lost in thought, which was also quite unlike her. But while she was being led to the inn she couldn't help but reflect on the many differences between this land and her own, and how she may be in actual danger because everything was so much more difficult here, even finding people with magic to help her. She did pick some flowers for Ciri, however. "I could go for an ale..." she murmured, looking around once they arrived: even the inn was darker than the ones she was used to. This whole land seemed somewhat sadder, harder, and she had to tread carefully for once, she had to learn before she-her thoughts came to a quick halt when just as they properly got in she realized that the group of men near the corner was mistreating an unfortunate-looking one over his deformity, pushing him around. She put the flowers down on the empty table. "Those are for Ciri, don't let anyone throw them away, please?" she asked Geralt while picking up a mug and tossing it up to check the weight. And then threw it as hard as she could over the head of what seemed to be the leader of the little group of idiots, "I'll be right back, honey!"

Feeling quite the rage behind the cheerful promise, she turned to the men who were still trying to understand what had just happened, "See, I know I should try to stop you and tell you you wouldn't want to be treated this way, but you are asses so I'm just going to beat you, alright?" she informed them, picking up a stool just to toss it at them and running behind it so she could hit the first guy. Well, there it went her other ring, she'd have to pay for the damages.

[valandhirwriter]

That's kinda interesting how you guys bullied people for their stories, their vision and their ships (included Nilfgaard, Emhyr, Voorhis e.g.) and now you're pretending to be sweet and saint like it's you who are the victims of bullying. Or that's just a repayment, savvy?

I never bullied anyone. I never cared what others shipped, until certain people jumped me and tried to lecture me on their view of ships and of Nilfgaard. There were people who tried to make me write certain parings, or stop writing some pairings, or adopt their views on Nilfgaard. And that's where I draw the line. I write what I like, and how I like it. If someone comes along and constantly blathers about a certain pairing I don't write, or tries to make me see how "evil" a pairing I write is, I get annoyed. And if someone wants to impress on me how "wrong" my views on aspects of an imaginary world is, I certainly am not amused.

To make myself clear: I write Emhyr as a person, not a monster, I write Ciri as Crown Princess, not a Witcher, and I write Nilfgaard as a great nation in the vein of the Roman Empire, and the North as the barbarians in the woods. I write Witchers as heroes also. If someone does not like that, they should avoid my stories. I have no interest in being lectured because someone feels that their feminist, anti-imperialism or other views are offended by a story about a fictional world. But there are two people who constantly nag and harrass. One of them also steals texts. Both insult in their posts.

So to make it as simple as possible: Leave me alone, leave my frienda alone, stop weird anon asks. Especially: stop insulting my friends. And I will gladly go back and re-write Song of the Dragon.

[anxiously-kk]

what do you guys think jared sees as the game plan going forward. because unless cameron is sillier than we though and gets convinced to put up a jag or cormerica they are almost certainly losing a number this week so it’s him his mom izzy and blue as his solid numbers he still wants everyone to back door cameron, the main person he’s been putting work in with this week, next week and he’s purposefully antagonizing jag america and cory and he’s been talking shit about everyone else to everyone behind their backs. does he think the four of them are going to win out? is he not concerned at all with people piecing things together and turning on him? he doesn’t have the numbers if they’d all just work together. unfortunately they have done a really great job of making the leftover people feel isolated from each other but if he keeps messing with people for fun sure.y they’re gonna get sick of it eventually no? so ya where do you think his head is at with all this. oh also do you think he’d see resistance from izzy if he did try to target cory and america because i think for her personal game they are people she should be invested in keeping around or is she too willing to lay her game down for cirie and by extension her son?

[magic-multicolored-miracle]

The Witcher S3 Ep 3: Reunion AKA 🎵Everyyyyybody Huuuuuurts🎵

I think the metaphor might be getting away from you a bit

I really like her outfit. It is my kind of look

I love that Jaskier calls him "Firefingers." It's very in line with Yen's (and my) "Firefucker." And asshole doesn't deserve a name.

Sorry did you say "a friend of your mother's"?!

Aww, the adorant whisper. Because it's once again proved that Geralt is a big old softie.

Wait, that's news? I assumed she had been for a while (tbh I thought the ditching Geralt was to protect him from something or someone that was going to kill her)

So someone else did exactly what the two information brokers said Geralt should, with added mind altering...was the suggestion meant to be a tip off, since they knew he wouldn't take it in the first place?

I really like Philippa's outfit for this meeting, and the fact that it is very clearly Not Matching the general Redanian aesthetic. The costume department this season is really Killing It. (Interestingly, it is matching, or at least similar to Jaskier's...)

He does seem stressed. His poor head is going to explode. I wonder whose fault that is?

Radovid, baby, that's not a very good attempt at hiding.

Oh it was on purpose for The Drama™ I love that

This is quite the Reason You Suck speech, Yennefer. Are you actually trying to get back into the Brotherhood's, or Tissaia's good graces at all? Part of me hopes not, honestly

Oh 💔 I mean, we knew that. But the look on Yen's face hearing it out loud...

Fabio, you're there to chaperone a teenage girl at a market, not barker like a hotdog on a street corner 🙄

How did that secret get out? Was it Yennefer? I bet it was Yennefer

I like that the captions specify it's to the tune of The Wild Rover. Otherwise I'd have heard it and gone nuts. (That song was the bane of my existence last fall.)

Istredd, my friend. You're looking Rough. But it...kinda works for you?

That's. Not ideal...

Poor General Kicked-Puppy, I'm glad he gets an invite home, even though home is not a good place...

"Prove it" doesn't sound good. There's an implied threat in "prove it"

Always with the leaning, Jaskier (and with the unbuttoned vest, it's peak casual yet slutty or maybe that's just the bard wearing it)

He's not wrong but also I hate him for saying it. I don't like that.

I think this might be the longest and most frank conversation these two have ever had. 10/10 relationship growth

Well shit. Stregobitch? Or Vilgefortz?

Uh. What?

Double "well shit". Or hopefully just almost. But I have a bad feeling about Anika's fate...

I love Ciri just strolling in behind the barker's back without paying or being challenged

Who are these two? They feel important

Go Fabio!

Can we form a secondary party of these youngins? I think I like them. And maybe recruit Dara back, eventually. (That would basically just be your average D&D party but that's not a negative)

Dammit Sabrina. Why are you a bitch? Didn't Yennefer almost die saving your fucking life from Nilfgaard?

My babies! Stop hurting each other! You both need hugs, stat!

Oh look, and now Geralt's hurting too.

Oh shit. I didn't expect the Queen to die. That's a ballsy move Philippa. But a solid way to make sure your king doesn't ever trust Nilfgaard, if it works.

Was Dijkstra in on it though? I'm not sure...

Radovid. Do NOT call a sneaky murdering bastard out on being a sneaky murdering bastard WHILE YOU ARE ALONE IN A ROOM WITH HIM! I swear to god, if you get yourself killed...(I know it doesn't happen yet, but that doesn't mean it won't later)

I don't like that almost-smile from Firefucker. Whatever his demand is, it isn't going to be fun...

Good to see Francesca getting back to her roots (and doting husband Filavandrel is pretty nice) but I have the uncomfortable feeling she'll get her wish...

You seem on edge Cahir. What are you about to do?

Well, rip. I was just starting to like that guy. But why?

Running away, completely alone. Seems like a bad plan even for Ciri, so I'm going to guess this is a dream...

Eredin? Why do I know that name? [Oh, cus I actually watched Blood Origin. I didn't think I retained anyone's name, but I guess I did]

Is Ciri's appearance and her being "death itself" a play on the whole "death came riding on a pale horse" or whatever it is? Or coincidence?

[supercupcakecollector-love]

1 and 17 for The Witcher and 22 of Lupin III

the character everyone gets wrong

I know I talked about this before but the idea of Geralt being the 100% main character of the witcher, just because he's the player character in the games and played by the most well-known actor, with the exception of the short story collection, The Witcher really is an ensemble cast that has many pov switches, by main character standards  Geralt shows up surprisingly little in the final two books, hell the final battle of TLOTL has none of the main characters in it for most of the duration) if anything, Ciri is the protagonist, it's her story

  also, the idea that Hcav's was a good representation of Geralt, he was just the generic buff grunty stoic hero guy to me, ( him as a father figure for Ciri is good) but he has next to no chemistry with any of the other characters,

he's defiantly not the "woah is me" overly dramatic wisecracker that has so much heart but is afraid to show it in the books or even the less whiny but more sarcastic and sardonic but with just as much heart version from the games, but people believe he is because he's attractive charismatic and is always going on about what a geek he is

( because this series has two very popular adaptations, that makes a lot of characters eligible for this, but I already talked about Triss and I think my problems with both adaptations of Ciri are best left to another post once I do more research)

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

Dimension hopping/ crossover fics!

The Witcher is one of the most crossover friendly stories iv enconted in awhile, due to Ciri's powers and dimension hopping being canon to the story but also the fact that the story not only has elements of fantasy but also elements of other genres like sci fi, detective stories, Horror, Crime dramas, war stories and even id argue westerns

I know that there are technically a lot of them but most of the "crossovers" I see are AUs of the witcher or witcher AUs of other fandoms not " two characters from different fandoms meeting" type of crossover

particularly I would like to see Witcher crossovers with Xmen, Castlevania, and Hellblazer

Dimensional travel fics whether being done by Ciri or an OC are also difficult to find because they often have inconsistent tags

( if you have recs for any of these, please feel free to share)

[mountedeverest]

Kay so, Rival tattoo artists snipet below cut

“Where did you serve?”

Tommy blinks, the question barely registering over the steady buzz of his machine. Sometimes, he forgets it’s there, the faded lines, the eagle atop the globe, the ‘USMC’ in hollow letters beneath. 

“Uh, yeah. Afghanistan, then Iraq. Three tours.” 

It was his very first tattoo, paid 20$ and a 6-pack of beer for it. Got it after his first tour. Since then, it seems Tommy had done an active effort to bury it, covering himself head to toe in ink. He’d thought about blasting over it many times, hoping to avoid questions like this. Eventually, with a lot of help from therapy, Tommy figured it was a part of him, just like the scars he would try to hide, physical and other.

“Cool. Thank you for your service!”

Cool. He can still feel the hot air of Fallujah kissing his face in his nightmares. That and the smell of burning– breathe. In, then out. You’re out of the sandbox. You’re here. Steady hands.

“Steady mind.” Tommy whispers under his breath.

“What was that?” 

“Uh, um. I said ‘that’s kind’. Kind of you to say.”

Thankfully, the kid in his chair switches subjects. He starts raving about the new Witcher 4 about to come out upon noticing Tommy’s Ciri figurine on his many adorned shelves. Tommy smiles, banters easily with the guy while shading a particularly sensitive area. The guy winces, and then laughs, says something about being tougher usually. Tommy promises there’s not much left in that spot.

Then in walks Evan– Buck. As ever, he greets everybody with huge smiles and waves. He even sends greetings his way. Tommy nods in return, cursory, acknowledging. He could swear he sees Buck’s smile falter a bit at that. 

Buck goes to the lobby and his client is already there. It’s the usual ticket too; young, attractive, female. Tommy notices the back-and-forth, thinly veiled flirting between the two. He sees out of the corner of his eye how Buck’s fingers brush just under her elbow, how she looks up at him ready to eat him alive. He scoffs discreetly to himself. Unprofessional. 

It’s not that Buck has a bad work ethic, nor is he predatory in any way. But he should know better than to get pulled in by these girls, jeez. It’s not the first time Tommy sees this in a shop either. It’s quite a rampant problem actually, especially with young, talented and attractive tattoo artists. Sometimes they get cocky at all the tail it gets them, and they start hitting on clients. 

Thing is, this is the kind of shit that can get real ugly, real fast. Buck should know better.

She wants a rib tattoo, of fucking course. 

“Hey man, you ok?”

Tommy snaps back to reality. The kid in his chair is looking at him funny. Tommy wonders if he’s been pushing the needle too hard or something but it’s none of that. The guy must have caught Tommy’s deer-in-headlights look and reassures him he’s not in pain or anything. 

“What did that guy do to you? You’ve been a black cloud ever since he walked in.”

Damn. That kid is nosy. That or he just lacks a sense of tact. But it’s fine really, besides, why should he let it get to him? Tommy scoffs and laughs it off. Assures the guy that it’s nothing, just got distracted. But out of the corner of his eye, he sees Buck put the stencil on her ribs, his thumb a hair’s breadth from running along the curve of her breast. They’re giggly and pink the both of them, Buck’s huge hands running over her ribs and sides more than necessary. She bedroom-eyes him so hard Tommy can feel it and it makes him want to gag. Unprofessional.

Bucktommy Alternate Universe Ideas Free To Good Home:

- Buck as the cupcake bakery owner, Tommy as the real estate dipshit (with a hidden heart of gold) who wants to buy his shop.

- Rival tattoo artists who OH NO have to merge their businesses cuz the owners Athena and Bobby got married.

- Good Omens au - Buck as Aziraphale/Tommy as Crowley (or swap, I’m not the au police)

- secretly rich Buck and secretly richer Tommy (thankyou Evelyn Bogtroll for the image of the two Spider-Man’s pointing at each other WAIT YOURE RICH TOO?)

[tigerlyla-of-metinna]

12,11,14 + 17 for the violent ask 👌

Yay1 My first ask for this daunting game!

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them.

Morvran Voorhis. In the social circles where I lurk/ frequent, he is very much disliked because: nilfgaardian (therefore bad guy), he's gonna marry Ciri , he's pimply, arrogant looking, and his funny accent. But really! Ignore those superficial qualities and he is the most polite, gentlemanly and friendly guy to Geralt! Beat him at the races and he is such a sport! Let him win, and he is very humble. He is no Cahir (my poor boi!), he may become a son-in-law, but he is one of the better marriageable candidate for Ciri (other opinions might disagree on that, but you are asking mine :D).

11. number of fandom-related words you've filtered.

Not many. Mostly names that I want to stay away from. Then there's the usual stuff I want to avoid, like gore, vore and scat. I may do nsfw stuff, but even I have my limits.

14. that one thing you see in fics all the time.

I'm no expert on this and I haven't read many fics, but I do read stuff where the protagonist is in situations where it's obviously written that they will be saved by the love interest, then it ends into a love confession. Nothing wrong with that, in fact I get giddy at the idea of being rescued by the intended love interest. It's just something I observed done many times, and it gives me warm fuzzy feelings!

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art.

Art based on fics! Nothing pleases the writer than a reader who found their fic so fascinating, then making art - or a series of shots- based on a particular scene they like. I've done one set of pics for @witch-and-her-witcher where Emhyr and Ciri duked it out. And, of course, I make my own art based on my fic.

Still hoping someone out there would make one for moi (*sob!*)

Anywhoo! Thanks for the ask!

[fulgursmediaanalysisdrama]

As I haven't played the witcher games and know essentially nothing about them I can only suspect why so many of it's fans turned out to be edgelords, bigots and machos.

But like instead of talking about how much emphasize there has been on making characters sexy, appealing to the male gaze. (Feedback I've also gotten from guys, in the form that they mostly care about the looks of the characters ingame. First criticism about the witcher show one of my roommates gave. He said and I quote "to me that isn't Yennerfer anymore. She's like not sexy" like I'm not joking) or anything along those lines

Thing is

Geralt is not actually a very flexible character, his growth over the books is slow and steady to no existent. He simply realized he has to care in targeted fashion, care about big issues instead of solving single squabbles again and again. Being a dad does do you that you wanna care about your child, cool

It's not a lot but he doesn't need much, there are other things I omitted, the things around Geralt in conjunction with his opinions carry a lot. Because his values didn't change, he just started applying them in more useful way honestly. (Not to say he didn't change ok)

So what I feel like is the biggest issue is that Geralt is the main character, the player character in the games. It's no good because Geralt is super passive everywhere he goes. Just reacting to what happens either because he doesn't know or because he's subjected to forces more powerful than himself.

This him being powerless is also like shown in any sexual encounter, he doesn't initiate them usually, he doesn't enjoy them in the form you'd expect. Because Geralt gets objectified, fetishized and while horny and generally willing to comply he isn't like happy about it. Never sets any boundaries that man and instead accepted his fate that everyone wants him for a quick bang with zero child risk (and because he's a so so exotic witcher)

But in the games playing him gives the impression that Geralt has influence, has power, he is the one fate works around not ciri. Like you get what I mean right. It forces us to see him as active because we are active, enabling Geralt to be a male power fantasy and then together with all the other crap it kind of strips everything of it's larger meaning. I mean Witcher is antifascist and Fascists love it somehow, I don't know if that die to the games or their cognitive dissonance allowing to misinterpret even the most on the nose stuf but yeah.

And now I don't know how you'd make witcher games that don't encounter this issue since Geralt is functionally our main pov character but also I'm not a game designer. (And I don't have any need to experience this story in game form. Like just don't think it's fit for that)

The medium should be chosen to fit the story, not because it's the medium you want to use.

Fitting a story to a medium can be good as well, but like at that point you might just write a book again because that has less limitations than games or movies since they engage the readers creativity and imagination.