#disabled geralt

[alpaca-clouds]

Why I have complicated feelings about the Witcher Games

I started my yearly reread of the Witcher books and it once again reminds me of how complicated I feel about the Witcher games. Because... well, they kinda focus a lot on the power fantasy over the story and characters.

Let me quickly explain: I read the Witcher books when they released in Germany and I loved them, because... it literally was the first time outside of manga that I ever encountered queer characters in media, which meant a lot to my queer little self back then.

However, when the first game came out I did not make the connection between the title and the books I read. Like, the names vaguely rang a bell to me, but I really did not make the connection at first when playing that first game.

Now, back then I was still in my late teenage stage, and so back then the entire "sex minigame" with the sexy card collection was funny to me. It was before my feminism arc, so to speak. I just did not think too much about it.

By the time however that the second game came out I had rediscovered the books. And I found that... It really icked me. The entire sex thing. And also that they made Triss all sexy, completely ignoring that in the book she had this big disfiguring scar over her chest which could not be fixed because of her ALLERGY AGAINST MAGIC REMEDIES! But no, the game ignored that.

It should be said, I have... complicated feelings about Yennefer, which probably has to do a lot with internalized misogyny. But yes, I always liked Triss a lot, while... Ah, I just always got annoyed a lot with Yennefer taking so long to be honest about her feelings in the books. But again, probably internalized misogyny, I am honest.

Now, I had a ton of fun playing both Witcher 2 and Wild Hunt. I did. But when I was there, reading the books again, I could not help but very much just headcanon that those were two very, very different things. Because... well, the Witcher games are a cishet male power fantasy, while the books are anything what.

Geralt in the books is disabled because of his injuries, and marginalized because of his status as a witcher. And while the latter is vaguely hinted at in the game, it never really becomes a main theme. Because it would of course go against the power fantasy of it. And his disability? Yeah, that gets just fully ignored by the games. He is just very fit and very... everything. He is a walking, talking male power fantasy.

And that does do his character dirty in my point of view. It really does him dirty. Because that is not what Geralt is or stands for.

There is also the fact that the game turns the "women wanting to fuck him" into a part of the power fantasy, while in the books this very much is about him being objectified and fetishized.

And again, Triss gets to be conventionally attractive and her feelings for Geralt get turned into this love story, rather than this very awkward and kinda tragic one sided love, that made Geralt feel shitty for leading her on.

And I cannot help but be very frustrated with it. Because... Look, the books are not perfect. They are not. But... Geralt is such a wonderful character in them. A character with a lot of nuance. And I just hate how the games kinda did away with all of that nuance, so that the character could serve a power fantasy for white cishet dudes.

[chaosandwolves]

Also..

Will they have Geralt dealing with chronic pain now after the fight?

It looked like they will and I'd really love that!

[witcherkinkmeme]

Hurt Jaskier Geralt/Jaskier

Seconds after Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer go through the portal to take Voleth Meir back to her home world, a pillar falls in the great hall, Jaskier sees it falling and pushes Vesemir out of the way, saving his life but is crushed by the pillar himself.

With Yennefer's magic only just returned to her, she can only stabalize his injuries not heal them fully, the Witcher's rally round to keep Jaskier comfortable and help him adjust to a very different life. Geralt battles with his guilt for abandoning Jaskier on the mountain and bringing him to Kaer Morhen leading to his injuries while trying to deal with his feelings for the Bard.

Whether or not Jaskier's injuries are permanent or if they get healed is up to the writer.

Original anon prompt on Dreamwidth here:

Hurt Jaskier Geralt/Jaskier

[softness-and-shattering]

I am now invested enough in the witcher (show) that im worried it wont carry to a satisfying conclusion, particularly given the whole streaming situation.  I suppose I should give the books another try. Is the series finished? 

[teddybasmanov]

Accidentally reminded myself that I have a whole huge daydream scenario about specifically Jim's Witcher level seven event. One very sleepy me tomorrow because now I won't be able to stop thinking about it.

[eggcompany]

To travel from a heart to heart and back again (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/story/337084087-to-travel-from-a-heart-to-heart-and-back-again?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_myworks&wp_uname=EggCompany&wp_originator=zT4zo6yMwne%2F3EHhTdHiSNVmsHc8YQTJHl7WBvlk4NOnmb1iLcjBJx6KdoXx%2B%2B6D%2BwBWSc0L3SEjyhNyWLmL2x3Q%2B3xFkDAVY%2B%2Byz2OtM95zD0wZwCTJPjMRN1EYsG3Y Count Julian Pankratz, a chronically ill man who has more love than he knows what to do with with his short life. That was until he met his new nursemaid, a mysterious new man in town, Geralt. They grow to love each other, each thriving off each other, each learning to love, to live, to truly feel alive because of each other. Geralt had been around for so long he didn't even know he could love. Julian had been convinced no one would ever love him. Soulmates, they were crafted for each other at their very cores. But unfortunately destiny had other plans. Julian gets sick, he grows weaker and weaker, and he leaves Geralt. The white haired man doesn't know what to do with his empty heart, empty hands, and wish only to bring his one love back. There was only one person for him in life. Julian. And he was dead. Or is he...? One stranger's trek up a mountain a few hundred years later might just change Geralt's mind.

[aureliacetinn]

the witcher series sucks now but accessibility could of still happened! rant link below

[panur]

AU where Geralt gets his wish when he asks life to take Jaskier off his hands: Geralt gets isekai'd to an AU where Jaskier never met him and thus didn't spend 20 years cleaning his reputation and those of other witchers/nonhumans by extension

some headcanon highlights of this AU (feel free to use or discard):

this world is Awful, the way they treat Witchers in general (and Geralt in particular) is HELLA bad. Refused service and entrance in more than half the towns he enters and being paid poorly if he gets paid at all, people terrified and hateful towards him

He finds out Pavetta jumped off a tower after her mother had Duny killed (guess you're finally free of that child surprise, Geralt...)

Calanthe has become an unhinged warmonger having nothing to lose, particularly against elves, who are even more decimated than usual

Eskel was killed as result of witcher propaganda getting MUCH worse after the raise of the white flame + the whole Blaviken thing

Vesemir is a shadow of himself, living alone in Kaer Morhen, not having talked to anyone for years

Lambert moved permanently with the cat caravan and blames Geralt for Eskel's death

less witchers in general (with a lot having died or retired since continuing in the current conditions is unsustainable) means a lot more monsters, particularly Necrophages and Wraiths

Yen is disfigured and severally weakened/borderline disabled after getting majorly cursed from eating that infant dragon's heart + several botched attempts at making it better (maybe they can use the djinn to fix the timeline?)

#it's free real estate prompt just tag me so i can read

[thedemonofcat]

Modern AU:

Currently, Geralt of Rivia is in a tight spot; after a recent run-in, he finds himself in serious debt to some unsavory characters. Left with no other way out, Geralt hatches a daring plan: he’ll steal from the treasure vaults of the powerful Pankratz family. All that remains is to assemble the right crew.

Yennefer of Vengerberg (Code Name: The Witch) - The Hacker

Yennefer is charismatic, commanding, and a top-tier hacker with sharp instincts. Her expertise in bypassing security, manipulating surveillance, and disabling electronic locks makes her essential to the plan. She’s also Geralt’s ex, which complicates things more than a little.

Ciri Riannon (Code Name: Zireael) - The Infiltrator

The youngest in the crew, Ciri is agile, focused, and resourceful. Her training in parkour, stealth, and infiltration makes her adept at slipping into even the most fortified areas. She’s quick on her feet and can adapt to any situation, giving her the edge in tight spots.

Vesemir Morhen (Code Name: The Last Master) - The Veteran Planner

The wise and seasoned veteran, Vesemir is the crew’s strategist. With years of experience under his belt, he’s the one who lays out every detail of the heist and ensures each team member knows their role. He taught Geralt everything he knows and is the backbone of the operation.

Triss Merigold (Code Name: The Fourteenth) - The Face

Charming and empathetic, Triss is the team’s social engineer. Her ability to sweet-talk, earn trust, and defuse tense situations is second to none. She can get access to high-security areas and smoothly cover any mishaps with her skill at reading people and exploiting their weaknesses.

Lambert Bullion (Code Name: The Prick) - The Getaway Driver

Aggressive, quick, and fearless, Lambert is the team’s driver. His mastery of high-speed maneuvers, tactical driving, and quick decision-making make him invaluable, especially when things go south. He’s rough around the edges but perfect for getting the crew out fast.

Eskel Hill (Code Name: Brown Wolf) - The Safecracker

Calm, focused, and precise, Eskel is the heist’s Safecracker. His engineering skills and patience make him the go-to for quietly dismantling security barriers, cracking safes, and navigating complex lock mechanisms without raising any alarms.

Jaskier (Real Name Unknown) - The Con Man

The mystery of the crew, Jaskier has no known history but a talent for deception. He’s a master of disguise, a natural performer, and a smooth-talking con artist. His role? Cause a diversion, draw all eyes, and keep the authorities busy with elaborate acts while the team slips by undetected.

With each member playing their part, Geralt’s plan might just have a chance.

[specialagentlokitty]

Who I write for/Rules;

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[alpaca-clouds]

The Witcher books always confuse me

And not for the reason you might think.

I can always be on the "I knew this, before it was cool" train for The Witcher. Based on the fact that I just read every fantasy book that our local libraries had. And one of the book series, that was in the library, was The Witcher, as they got translated into German in the early 2000s.

It meant a lot to me at the time because of Ciri. Ciri was the first ever non-anime character, I encountered in media, who was LGBTQ*. Because, you know, representation matters.

But, at the time, there was still so much about the books that I did not get.

Again, I read them from the library, not owning them. And also knew them under the German title "Der Hexer". So, when I was a young adult and my then boyfriend started hyping this new fantasy game, I originally did not even realize from the title that it was a game based on those books I read as a teenager. Imagine my surprise, when I played that first game back then and realized: "Oh, I know those characters!"

I read the books again in 2012 and was still fairly impressed with them. But over the years - reading the books again and again - I got confused about these books. How where these books written in the early 1990s by a white man?!

Like, these books - again - have not only openly LGBTQ* characters, with one of the main characters being openly bisexual, but they also just tackle a plenthora of feminist and anti-colonialist issues within the text. And I am just sitting there: How did this got written in the 1990s, before the age of the internet? How did it get published at the time? What kinda man is Andrzej Sapkowski, that he was actually interested in writing this?

You know... I do not hate the games. They are very fun games. While I only played that first game twice, I did put hours upon hours in Witcher 2 and 3. But also... I absolutely get Sapkowski's frustration with those games. Because the games literally just do not get the books. The point with Geralt as a protagonist is, that for the most part he is just some dude. He is not some superhero type. Heck, he acquires a disability midway through the books and struggles with a ton of stuff after that. But the games ignore this as much as they ignore Triss' scars (and her self-consciousness about them). Just as they ignore a good chunk of the colonization angle of the books.

And... Really... The books are probably my favorite high fantasy book series. And quite frankly, given that a ton of folks got into the fandom through the games, the fandom is obviously full of folks, who have not really gotten access to this full picture and are very ignorant about the themes of the book series. And while I am very on the "hey, adaptions can do their own thing" train... At times I just look at the games with their sexy times side quest and think to myself: "Hmm, they kinda didn't get it, did they?"

To me it is really ironic, though. That this Polish book series from the fucking 90s manages to align with my progressive values a lot more than most books being released these days.

[shy-urban-hobbit]

"May I have this dance?" Eskel asked offering Ciri a hand, causing her to stop bobbing around in her seat to the song Jaskier was currently debuting for them.

"Yes!" She cried out, grabbing the proffered hand in both of hers to drag the large Witcher to the open space behind them, the adults smiling and chuckling at her enthusiasm. Geralt and Yennefer were the next two to get up and join them after a wordless conversation which seemed to involve many head tilts and eyebrow raises.

Lambert raised his own in surprise when Aiden stood and gave him a borderline mocking bow,

"How about it?"

Lambert swallowed down his mouthful of White Gull. He wasn't anywhere near drunk enough for this (he wasn't even tipsy), but everyone else looked to be having fun. Yennefer and Geralt seemed to be treating it like it was some sort of courtly affair whilst Ciri was balancing on Eskel's feet, her delicate, tiny hands looking comically adorable in the Witchers huge paws.

"Sure, why not." He slapped his own hand down into Aiden's open palm, "But no way am I letting you lead."

"Do you know the steps?"

Lambert shook his head no as they made their way over to the others. It was a song Jaskier had come up with three days ago, there weren't any steps.

"Then who says anybody has to lead?"

Give them a couple of swords and it was almost like they were working a job together - moving completely in synch, able to predict the others next move without so much as a glance as they stepped and twirled. Of course, their jobs didn't usually require this much touching. Even when sparring, any holds were for effectiveness - disable your opponent as quickly as possible - they had a purpose to them. These holds...very much did not.

There was absolutely no reason for Lambert's hand to linger on Aiden's side, but linger it did, feeling the muscles flexing as the Cat moved. Aiden's own hands were resting on Lambert's biceps, feeling the heat of the others skin through the thin shirt - had the Wolf's arms always been this toned?

The outside of their thighs momentarily brushing together as they side stepped one another felt far more intimate than the action warranted before Lambert pulled Aiden into a spin, catching the Cat around his waist as he pulled him towards him. Aiden's hands found a new home on Lambert's shoulders and he was suddenly struck with the urge to wrap his arms around the Wolf's neck to bring him that little bit closer. He couldn't be sure, but for a moment it felt like Lambert somewhat hesitantly caressed his hip bones as he adjusted his hold before lifting Aiden off the ground and spinning them both.

Their bodies sliding together was a new form of torture as Lambert set him back down, their chests heaving despite the dance being nowhere near rigourous enough to warrant it. Both of them hyper aware of their hands on one another's hips but neither one pulling away.

"Uncle Lambert, dance with me!" Ciri yelled, breaking the moment as she crashed into his legs, grinning up at him. Neither of them knew when exactly Jaskier had started a new song but it definitely wasn't the one they'd started dancing to.

"Sure thing, Kid." He answered, not taking his eyes off Aiden until his niece started tugging at his sleeve impatiently.

"Save a dance for me, Princess." Aiden said, ruffling her hair, "I'm going to grab a drink, I think."

He moved back to his original seat and filled his glass to the brim from the jug of Gull before downing half of it, ignoring the bards too knowing smirk as he tried not to think about how Lambert holding him like that would feel without the barrier of clothing.

[hanzajesthanza]

i’m going to need more time to digest everything that happened to geralt in crossroads

geralt walked directly into a wolf trap (yes. a wolf trap. you know. the kind with teeth) and got his ass beat to horrific, actually horrible proportions, barely surviving, he spent months in the hospital—i mean temple—where he was entirely bedridden and afterwards could not even look at where he had laid because it filled him with such dread

has this man’s life just been one entire incredibly traumatizing agony and lethal injury. i mean c’est la vie du sorceleur, but my god.

the worst part of all of this is that it’s entirely plausible and everything that happened in this novel pretty much fits geralt in the saga for his neutrality and caution of revenge. but wow uh. i mean kaer morhen bruises them all pretty badly and young witchers are no strangers to pain, but geralt basically stepped one foot out of that stronghold and got bitten, beaten, chomped, sliced, diced, and his ass kicked six ways from sunday. and he was still 18

the more i think about it, i think this is the male equivalent of all the horrors which were inflicted upon ciri.

insert larger conversation here about how, in sf/fantasy especially, inflicting The Horrors onto female characters typically = SA/pregnancy, whereas male characters don’t endure those topics nearly as often. and i would say as much as i like the “all power in the hands of women” epicness that andrzej sapkowski is usually on, how he treats male characters who are SAed, or rather, are SAed but in the narrative it’s sloughed away easily like dead skin, is probably one of his worst approaches to a serious subject and a bone i have to pick. … but anyhow

that is all to say: that probably the only worse thing that could have happened to geralt would have been SA, but since that is often saved for the women in sapkowski’s novels, this is actually as low as it could have gotten for him.

because, Grevious Bodily Injury, so grevious that it’s not only incredibly painful, but disabling, which is emasculating… interesting to think about it from this lens.

what geralt got put through here was worse than what vilgefortz did to him, which is saying something. and the agonizing and humiliating feeling of that was detailed more here too, the recovery process, rather than being shown through dandelion’s and milva’s eyes.

geralt really is this guy that just exists to get fucked up so bad and that’s the story

[grandwitchbird]

I touched on some thoughts on adaptation especially re: Nilfgaard and the political plot in the Witcher games previously. Mostly that was so I could tackle the convergent narrative that emerges across the games as a mirror or homage to the novels. To do that I have to talk about romance choices in Witcher 3. And to do that I have to talk about Triss. Buckle up.

TW: discussion of SA, nongraphic but frank

The first game specifically created some significant problems for 2-3. And no matter how I turn the issues around in my head, it really comes down to Triss. The amnesia plot is a silly contrivance, but so was Yennefer’s prison stint in the novels. If the contrivance does the job and gets a character where they need to be or out of the way for good enough reasons, we roll with it. The first game over-all has some interesting ~stuff~ happening as an rpg, but I’ve realized I mentally have it categorized as a Witcher-flavored rpg that mostly the next two games have to account for, for better or worse. It gets at some of the short stories’ charms but misses the weight of the novels. Intentionally I think. I guess we’ll see if that changes with the remake. Still, we can think of this as the kind of awkward prelude, a dip into the world in the same way the stories provide snippets of Geralt’s life before Ciri’s story really kicks off in the novels.

The second game is a bridge between this kind of standalone homage to the stories and the 3rd game’s homage and epilogue to the novels. It suffers for it. And Triss is right in the middle of that.

The Triss Problem

Triss Merigold, Yennefer’s best friend, sometime-mentor to Ciri, friend to Witchers, Geralt’s rapist. That’s the woman the first game decided could be sacrificed on the altar of characterization so Geralt could have a random red-headed love interest.

In the novels, Triss is a young sorceress with a complex about her friend Yennefer. She’s a coward. She’s sweet. She’s manipulative. She’s deeply insecure. Shes very into Witchers. She’s also a powerful mage and a pretty solid teacher and support to her Witcher friends and Ciri. Her arc in the books sees her facing herself and eventually growing a spine.

Along the way, however, she essentially magic-roofies Geralt when he’s in an off-again phase with Yennefer. He represses so hard he’s kind of just weird around Triss forever. Nobody else knows. We know why these two don’t address it. Triss is a coward and Geralt is king of repressing. It’s horrible. It’s also notably nongraphic and well-written, centered entirely on the abuse of power and trust and what that does to Geralt.

The Triss we leave behind in the novels would never repeat that choice, I think. Or any choice like it. She went and she changed on her own for her own reasons. The Triss we encounter in the second game is very much doing a retread of her novel arc. But now it’s worse because she’s literally used Geralt’s amnesia to act out her fantasy of supplanting Yen, everything is reasonably graphic, and everything after does kind of stem from the abuse of power.

In a way, I think this is the game owning the mistake while trying not to punish non-reader players for it. No matter what the player does, these two split. Geralt will go after Yennefer. Things will be weird in the 3rd game. Geralt gets back in character and being in character for him means repressing and being weird around Triss. He can’t blame her. She’s his friend. It’s painful to watch. Time is a circle I guess.

Yennefer of Vengerberg

Part elven, invisibly disabled, over a century old, absolute menace of a woman. Yennefer is mean. She’s petty. She scares the hell out of Geralt’s friends. She’s the best friend anyone could ever ask for and also intimidating as hell. She causes problems wherever she goes. This is not an rpg love interest. She is the only woman for Geralt though. And it’s obvious. The 3rd game can’t and doesn’t avoid the obvious ‘canon’ nature of this relationship. It does try to counterweight canon a bit for RP by resetting the sense of conflict and how other characters react to the relationships.

In 2, Dandelion’s narration characterizes the relationship with Yennefer as “toxic.” This goes along with the overall reset and retread the games are doing for characterization beats. In the books, we were well past this version of Dandelion. We see the same thing play out in 3 where everyone and their uncle has to weigh in on how hard Yen is to deal with and how nice Triss is. This is probably handled as well as possible. Eskel’s exasperation with the dynamic, where Geralt can actually clarify and push back, is reasonable. Vesemir is likewise just kind of put off by Yen, which is fair enough. And you essentially have to ignore Yen’s quest entirely or actively treat it as purely a gameplay mechanic to break the romance off at all. The question isn’t whether Geralt and Yen are together, it’s whether or not they can move forward. This is contrasted to all of the pressures towards Triss coming from her own desperate manipulations and people who don’t understand anything about the history the two share.

Time is a Circle:

Recreating the Convergent Narrative

At the end of 2, we find out that Yen is essentially a prisoner again (hello Vilgefortz lol) and we set out to find her. This is where W3 opens more or less. We’re tracking a Yen who has since written to Geralt and is on the run. We don’t yet know from what. She, of course, finds us instead. And we find out that Ciri is back and on the run herself. Now we’re really doing a speed run of the novels. How many times can this family separate and miss and lose each other before they find each other again. Yennefer is off to Skellige (again) and Geralt is doing a (one man this time) road trip and playing detective. Ciri is being the protagonist of a much crazier mythic story, with space elves once again causing her all kinds of problems and a tyrant trying to claim her power for himself. Time is truly a circle.

Somehow, the games have pulled all of this together in 3 via rp options for Geralt. You can play as book!Geralt and stay on theme. This will ultimately lead to the Witcher ending where Ciri takes over as not just protagonist of her own story but as the Witcher herself. This closes out the convergent narrative the game has been recreating and sets them up to carve out their own stories in future. Or you can deny your role. You can rp a random-rpg!Witcher hero and lose Ciri forever, one way or another.

All that said. The Triss Problem(tm) is a problem. It’s the biggest, most glaring flaw in the series to this day, and we’d probably all be better off if that had really been some random redhead in the first game. 3 gets some serious credit here for Geralt just being generally weird around her again, but the rp demands to counterweight the pull of canon with Yen have done nothing but confuse non-readers and frustrate readers. Narrative conveniences are fine. The Hunt becoming a plot device works to pull the mythic layer of storytelling back in, and it gives everything a solid motivation. Regis being back just stretches the lore a bit and serves a great story. The political plots can be a bit of a sticking point but flesh out the game world. We can even forgive amnesia. But The Triss Problem(tm) is forever.

Honestly, as a reader, I kind of respect the skill involved in reworking the arcs and the commitment to not just cutting Triss out after the first game. I also appreciate the effort made to bring these characters back to essentially their book-selves and to give game-Geralt a final hurrah without just wiping the slate. It shows a certain amount of integrity in the writers room that I think we’ve since seen confirmed with the additions to Cyberpunk 2077, where they committed fully to the night city experience and doubled down on it in phantom liberty.

[lucigoo]

Weekly Roundup: 18th November - 24th November

Hey hey all (sorry were late againm but at least its only 1 day not 4 months .... lol)

So, I have written 5,495 words this week, which isnt a whole lot, but ut has made me hit my 50,000 word goal this month so WHOOP!!! Im at 51,505 words for November at the moment. I also finished another 2 wips, so of my 63 wips, I have finished 11 and im feeling pretty proud tbh.

But, as always, here are the fic recs for others first!

Value - didoandis - Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Geralt/Jaskier, soulmate au)

Summary: The four lives of Julian Alfred Pankratz: noble, sex slave, soulmate, bard.

roots - not1_2write - Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Geralt/Jaskier, Warlord au. This is legit one of myfav fics ever!)

Summary: Jaskier saves the Warlord's daughter. Despite his family ties, he's allowed to stay in Kaer Morhen while he recovers from his injuries. Eventually, it becomes home.

No Grave Can Hold My Body Down @chaoticangel666 (Bilbo/Thorin, get your tissues ready!)

Summary: Bilbo returns to The Shire after the Battle of the Five Armies. He might be going insane though, because why does the ghost of Thorin Oakenshield keep showing up when he least expects it?

Follows the events from the end of The Hobbit until the end of The Lord of the Rings.

Under the Eucalyptus [+Podfic] - xinasvoice - Harry Potter (Sirius/Remus, muggle au with wonderful disablity rep)

Summary: On his first day working at the queerest zoo in the Australian outback, Remus meets Sirius, whose smile is bright enough to knock him over. Sirius doesn’t speak aloud, but that doesn’t stop either of them from falling in love.

A soft romance about the value of slowing down enough to listen to each other and watch the sun rise.

I Was Pledged to You, To You I Pledge Myself - anarchycox - Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Geralt/Jaskier, alternate first meeting, its just cute asf tbh)

Summary: When he is four, Jaskier escapes out his window to avoid a boring family dinner where his cousin was getting betrothed to someone. He just wanted to hear the frogs. Frogs sound neat.

That daring escape, and the rescue that it required changed his whole fate, because he was the one who ended up betrothed to a witcher - the plan to marry when he was 20. He didn't really care he got to hear the frogs croak, what did he care about this Geralt of Rivia?

As he grows up though, he ends up caring a great deal.

Scenes from Jaskier's life of meeting every witcher but his betrothed, until one day in a shitty tavern, he finally meets Geralt.

ruffled - PenAndInkPrincess - Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Geralt/Jaskier, Fae Jaskier au)

Summary: Supper secured and stuffed away in his trousers, he looks up to find the silver-haired stranger in the corner, the one person who hadn’t heckled him. The man is objectively gorgeous, with fascinating hair and a body that makes Jaskier’s mouth water a little.

Oh yes, he decides quickly, he will be climbing this stranger like a tree.

He’s a little wrong-footed when he works out that the stranger is a witcher with big scary swords Jaskier’s heard horror stories about, but after a quick moment of thought, he also thinks about how very many things the fae elders have been wrong about all his life and decides to ignore them once again. The witcher–Geralt of supposedly Rivia, even though Jaskier can tell from his accent that that’s a lie–tries to get rid of him, but Jaskier is nothing if he’s not determined, and he’s simply too damn interested to get scared off easily.

The witcher has clearly not realized that Jaskier is something to be hunted, and Jaskier, well, he’s never excelled at silly things like self-preservation.

As always, I hope you have a wondeful week, see you next time <3

And, as always, here are my fics. As I said, there are only two this week, but im pretty rpoud o the fact thats another two that have just been languising in my wip folder now finished and uploaded!

The Night I Couldn't Stay Beside You - Lucigoo89 - Harry Potter (Remus & Hope, please mind the tags, especially the MCD and grief ones!)

Summary: Its the full moon again. Remus hates each and every one of them, buy especially this one as he looks down a this mother and can do nothing but hope she will still be there when the monster leaves him gain for another month.

All he can do is hope that she stays, thats all he wants, all he will beg and plead and pray for, his mum to still be here with him when he awakens with the moonset.

And last but not least

Finding my fate in the sensory room - Lucigoo89 - Harry Potter (Sirius/Remus, it is a fic for a very dear friend of mine but I hope you all enjoy it to)

Summary: Remus is tired, exhausted more like and so he takes his hyper 4 year old into the empty sensory room to have alittle bit of peace and quiet.

Unbeknownst to Remus, that one action, on that one specific day, would change four lives for the better.

[darksidescorner]

I feel you on the Harry Potter thing. I grew up with it and still enjoy the books on my own, but I hate Rowling now with a fervor and can't find the same enjoyment in the series as I used to since I've learned more. I still treasure those memories though.

THIS.

It hurts a lot that I can't enjoy something that shaped me so much anymore, but thankfully there's other fantasy franchises (with better established magic imo)

But like the sheer extent of my love for Harry Potter when I was a kid? Unmatched. I used to pretend I was in that school too and I had an owl of my own and I felt SO cool. I always imagined I'd excell in the botany and potions classes.

Some good games/media franchises I recommend in the place of Harry Potter, especially if you love lore heavy fantasy are:

Elder Scrolls - the games get clowned on (deservedly) but they're SO much fun. Lots of crazy, in-depth lore. I spent hours just reading the wiki because it was so much fun.

The Witcher - much darker, MUCH more in-depth. The Witcher games (especially 3) go hard, but stray from the books a lot, like how Geralt is disabled.

A Song of Ice and Fire (THE BOOKS!) - All of the TWs apply to it, but it's really really fun to read. Me and my mom started reading it together, and then just forgot, but it's so much fun to read.

Halo 1-3 + Reach - Not a traditional fantasy, but very in-depth lore. A story of Aliens and the fight against an oppressive religion/cult within The Covenant. Has plenty of comics and books with SPECTACULAR lore. Game-wise, however, I only recommend the following games (in order): Reach, CE, 2, 3, and then ODST. Halo 4 is okay but not great, 5 isn't good. I don't have an opinion on Infinite. Halo Wars is also good, but a different genre of game altogether.

Legend of Zelda - Very in-depth lore. Not all of the games are like BoTW or ToTK but they're still very fun. Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess have my favorite lore and story. Both are depressing. Not all of the games are depressing (if you need a guide to emulating these games, message me and I will show you the magic)

I'm sure there's more, but these are my personal favorites. I'd recommend Dragon Age (my boyfriend is a HUGE fan of it), but I can't go in depth about my recommendation. He could probably write a 8k word post for it. It has extremely in-depth lore and he adores it. Start with Origins and go in chronological order.