#eskel/demon

[inexplicifics]

WIP Folders Game

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Tag as many people as you have wips. People send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet or tell them something about it!

Tagged by @flawney - thank you!

Oooh boy. I think I need to learn how to make a readmore, because this is going to take a while. Also, I’m going to do non-AWAU fics only, I think.

I will not be tagging that many people! Please consider yourself tagged if you would like to be.

CAW Guxart mk 2

CAW: Cedric & Axel

CAW: Letho

Coën joins a pack (ISNLIV)

Jaskier writes to priscilla (ISNLIV)

SOH 3 (ISNLIV)

gaetan/letho in modern AU

Minor fall: Gweld

Pirate laiden - Aiden POV

Pirate laiden - Aiden POV 2

Gweld mk 3 (Three Bells)

Three bells - Vesemir

L/M warlady tribute 01

L/M warlady tribute 02

M/V guardian/mage

M/V guardian/mage 2

Aiden vs Puss in Boots

Broken lock - Marika & Milena reunite

Byzantine shifters - starbird

demon!Lambert/Milena

E/L wrestling

E/OC cursed Eskel

E/OC linnet

E/OC succubus rescue (outline)

Eldritch trio/Jaskier

Eskel & fae

Eskel character study

Eskel/Gaetan post-Tournament

Fine dining AU (notes)

G/E goat farm

G/E herbalist

G/E nostalgia deathfic

G/E prince & bodyguard

G/E/G2 packs

G/E/G2 volleyed & thundered 3

G/E/L 2nd 1st time sequel

G/E/L/J omegaverse claiming

G/J (?) werewolf!Geralt

G/J 5+1 Jaskier gets kidnapped

G/J catskier

G/J Geralt & a pixie

G/J h/c for Rose

G/J hostage essi

G/J little red riding hood

G/J mob AU

G/J modern AU lost J

G/J modern AU pack

G/J part-elf!J angst & h/c

G/J pirate!Geralt

G/J Rapunzel

G/J warlock!Jaskier

G/J warlord AU Jaskier volunteers

G/J whipping boy warlord AU

G/OC prostitute

G/Y dating

G/Y warlord AU

G/Y words

G2/S post tournament

Gargoyles with Starbird

Gen ? streetrats

Gen dragon wolf satyr bard

Gen high school AU

Gen KM with plumbing

Gen mercenaries

Gen nonhuman bar

Gen pavetta and geralt

Gen post-tournament school merger

Gen receptionist!Jaskier

Gen transformed Vesemir

Gen? Eskel & Deidre

Griffin pon farr

Gweld/Serrit modern college AU

J/W “warlord” CNC

J/W omegaverse pregnancy

J/W/C golden 3 - KM

knight!Milena

L/? Modern adult adoption

L/?/M space pirates

L/A against a wall

L/A collared Aiden

L/A d/s modern AU

L/A fae!Aiden

L/A fake dating modern AU

L/A hedgehog!lambert

L/A masseuse!aiden

L/A meet-cute karaoke 2

L/A modern with magic hedgehog

L/A neighbors

L/A omegaverse hidden scents

L/A pirate!Aiden for SAWB

L/A seven swans

L/A that-damned-cat

L/A thief’s reward sequel

L/A wrong apartment

L/A/M alpha!Milena

L/A/M auction: aiden

L/A/M bath aftermath

L/A/M bird!Milena

L/A/M cat witcher!milena

L/A/M cursed cat Aiden

L/A/M dire panther Milena

L/A/M dream soulmates

L/A/M duke’s third daughter

L/A/M fake dating

L/A/M fake dating modern AU

L/A/M forced marriage

L/A/M goddess!milena

L/A/M happened so fast second chapter

L/A/M high school AU

L/A/M holding out for a hero - finding Aiden

L/A/M knight!milena 2

L/A/M little merlambert

L/A/M mage!milena

L/A/M modern AU college

L/A/M modern AU tattooist

L/A/M modern auction

L/A/M modern tweet inspired

L/A/M modern wedding AU

L/A/M noble!Lambert witcher!Milena

L/A/M soulmate AU

L/A/M swan daemon

L/A/M time & tide alternate

L/A/M time travel soulmate AU

L/A/M Warlady Milena (and her Right Hand Zofia)

L/A/M wedding gift

L/A/V save that alpha

L/A/V/M bonding

L/A/V/M chase

L/A/V/M omegaverse

L/A/V/M omegaverse pt 2

L/A/V/M ruling omegas

L/A/V/M space romance

L/M batb beast!milena

L/M chained Milena

L/M chained Milena 2

L/M dom!Lambert

L/M dragon!Lambert

L/M hallmark yule mk 2

L/M holding out for a hero - marika miscommunication

L/M mail order milena

L/M meet cute in a cabin

L/M outsider POV

L/M sentinel/guide AU

L/M teacher!Milena

L/M werewolves darker

L/M wolves in the woods

L/M(/A?) modern bear trap

L/V cloaked

L/V/M begone to the witchers

L/V/M begone 2

Modern werewolf pack

tribute!Lambert warlord!Geralt

Vanyel in AWAU

Vexart tournament

Vipurr omegaverse human!gaetan

Vipurr regency AU

Weird omegaverse war prize thing

YW omegaverse acquiring Aiden

[starfirewildheart]

The Wolf and the Flame

Summary: Geralt had just found Ciri and was headed to Kaer Morhen when something drew him into the woods. He found a woman near death and things changed for them all. (I suck at summaries just read please!) Yennefer is bad in the start of this but she and Geralt work on their friendship. Eskel is a dick at first but there is a reason and it works out. Will have a happy ending. Ciri is younger here than in the netflix show. She is about 12.

Warnings: abuse history, injuries, hurt comfort, no one under 18 to be safe, will add when I need to 

Words: 3,936

Chapter 1

Ciri was trying to hide her chuckle at Geralt’s low growl but couldn’t keep quiet. The red spot on his forehead was already fading to soft pink due to his witcher healing powers. She’d been frightened at the goat-like creature that had jumped from the bushes at first because it looked like the demons she’d read about in books. Geralt had told it to go away but it shot a metal ball at him from a slingshot, catching the witcher in the forehead with a loud thunk. After a low growled “fuck” Geralt was off of Roach and had the little menace pinned to the ground. The entire scene was more than funny to Ciri and even though Geralt cast her a very frustrated glare she couldn’t help but laugh. 

This lifestyle was a far cry from what she was accustomed to as the princess of Centra and coupled with the loss and trauma she’d suffered she was glad for the levity. It had only been four days since she’d managed to find her protector and while she felt safe with him she was still uncomfortable with what being someone’s ‘child surprise’ meant. What were the implications of being a child surprise? Was she to be the Witcher’s mate when she got older? Was he just to be her guardian? What was expected of her? Was he now her owner? Could he sell her if he wanted to? Did she have any say in what was going to become of her? There had been no time to ask any of these things because it seemed something was always trying to kidnap or kill her. She’d seen Geralt fight several times in just the short time they’d been together and as reluctant as she was to admit it, even to herself, the witcher intimidated her greatly.�� 

Geralt had led them to a small town to get a room for the night. Ciri had never been more grateful for a hot bath and a bed. At dinner, she was introduced to the bard, Jaskier, who had been performing at the inn. She was surprised Geralt and Jaskier were friends as they were so different. They were like night and day. She wasn’t happy when her protector left her with the bard with a simple rumbled, “Stay.” She protested but he told her he had to take a contract and earn some coin if they were going to continue to eat. She sat at the inn for nearly a full day before he returned. He was covered in blood and muck and what looked to be entrails as he swept into the bar. The silence was deafening as he approached the mayor of the town and dropped a cloth bag containing a severed Endrega head on the table in front of him. The next morning he used some of the coin to get a horse for Ciri and they headed off, that was two days ago. 

Ciri finally worked up the courage to speak. “Where are we going?”

“Dorian.”

The witcher was a man of very few words and sometimes having a conversation was like pulling teeth. “Why?”

“Information.” Geralt wasn’t trying to be difficult but something was off. He felt a hum throughout his body. It was similar to when a monster was near yet not quite the same and he didn’t know what it was. It had him on high alert and he was trying to focus on their surroundings. 

“Can you speak in full sentences?” she huffed softly thinking he wouldn’t hear her.

“Yes, I can,” he arched a brow in her direction. “I may be a mutant but I am an educated one.” Geralt hissed and cringed; his shoulder and back felt as if they had been licked by fire. He could feel blood trickling down his skin and pulled Roach to a stop

“I didn’t mean to…” she blushed. “Geralt?” she asked worriedly.

He was off his horse and removing his shirt with a hiss. “Fuck!” The air felt electric and the pull he felt was even stronger. He wanted to run into the woods and find whatever was doing this. He looked up when Ciri came to him. “Hand me the kit in my pack.”

“What happened?” she gasped as she saw the large slash that went from his right shoulder down to his waist in a slight inward arc.

“I don’t know.” He laid out the kit and found the healing potion he needed. He poured half of it down his back on the wound itself, the sting making him growl then he drank the rest. “What the fuck is happening?” he wondered aloud. 

Ciri took one of the bandages, wet it from one of the water skins and started gently dabbing at the bloodll. Geralt tensed, “you don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t but you can’t get to all of this to clean it on your own. What happens if it gets infected?” She took her hand and turned the witcher back around. She knew it was only because he allowed it but still she wanted to be of use. His muscles were rigid and tense the entire time she was touching him. “Am I hurting you?”

“No.” He tried to hide the unease in his voice. He wasn’t used to someone caring for his wounds unless he was at Kaer Morhen. It made him uncomfortable. 

“There, finished,” Ciri said as she got the last of the blood off his skin. The wound was no longer open and bleeding but it still looked very red and angry. 

Geralt pulled his other shirt from his bag and quickly put it on. “We need to keep moving.”

They rode in silence for a bit before Ciri spoke again. “Has anything like that ever happened to you before?”  

“Quiet” he whispered as he pulled Roach to a stop again. The feeling was much stronger now. It was pulling him toward the forest. Whatever it was that was guiding him didn’t seem dangerous but he couldn’t be sure. His first instinct was to ask Vesimer but of course, that would have to wait until he saw him at Kaer Morhen. For now, he had to trust his instincts. 

A loud wolf’s howl ripped through the air and made Ciri jump. “Geralt!” 

“Stay on your horse. You aren’t in any danger,” the witcher assured her. He slid off of Roach and handed her reins to Ciri. “Stay close.” He walked farther down the trail, sword at the ready. The scent of blood and sulfur hit him before he saw the remains of the first body. “Wait here.” 

Ciri was frightened but did as he told her. Somehow the witcher seemed to have a calming effect on her even though she was scared. 

Geralt walked farther away from the road into the woods and he saw a small camp. As he looked around the area he counted the bodies of about twenty Nilfgaard warriors littered on the ground. It looked as though they had been torn apart by animals and fed upon. They were in various stages of decomposition and dismemberment. Suddenly he saw movement. Someone was alive. He rushed over to the prone body and knelt down. 

Naurel saw someone approaching but did not have anything left in her to fight with. This was the end for her and she was grateful for it. The pain was finally over she thought to herself as she saw a giant cloaked figure approach. Just as hands reached for her the world faded to black.

Ciri gasped when she saw Geralt running back toward her with a woman in his arms. An unconscious, bloody woman. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. There seemed to be a fight of some sort. Maybe with a beast or animal, I’m not sure. She is the only survivor.” He knelt on the ground lowering her gently so he could examine her. “Get my bag and bring me the bandages and my kit,” he ordered as he moved to unbutton the top of the woman's dress. 

 Ciri knelt down beside him to help and she had to look away from all the gore. “What would do something like that?”

“No beast that I know of,” Geralt growled. “This was done by humans.” He wiped away all the dirt and blood he could in an attempt to help her. “This is beyond my skill,” he sighed. “We need to get her to Lakeside. They will have a healer and with any luck, Triss will be there.” He knew the sorceress frequented Lakeside and stayed there with the healer a lot. She enjoyed the quiet and the herbs that grew by the lake. Geralt lifted the woman onto Roach and climbed up behind her. “We must ride quickly. Keep up,” he ordered as he urged Roach on. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Triss smiled as she heard people start whispering about the approaching witcher. One thing about a small village was that news of visitors spread like wildfire. She was anxious to see Geralt. It had been too long. Her smile faded however when she opened the door and saw the near lifeless woman in his arms. “Get her on the table, quickly.”

Geralt laid the woman down and helped Triss start removing her dress. He noticed among the wounds was one just like the one he got on his back before finding her. “Found her in the woods. She was the only one left alive out of about twenty Nilfgaardian soldiers. No sign of what or who did this though.” They stopped short of bearing her completely. No one noticed Triss's friend the healer slip out the door.

“These wounds are not from a beast or animal Geralt. A human; likely a sorcerer or mage did this to her,” Triss worried. She turned to the young girl that was with them. “Fill the tub with hot water. Use the tea tree oil and add some of the liquid soap to the left.” She saw Geralt arch his brow in question. “There are so many wounds the best way to ensure we cleanse them all is to put her in a tub loaded with antiseptic. Normally I wouldn’t because it will be incredibly painful but she’s unconscious.”

Geralt removed his armor and dropped it on the floor out of the way before tossing his shirt aside as well. As soon as the water was ready they rid her of the last of her clothing and he lifted her into his arms. Carefully carrying her the few steps over and lowering her into the water. The maiden’s eyes snapped open at the searing pain and she started to thrash about and struggle. Geralt grabbed her wrists in both his hands and held her still. “Shh, you’re going to cause yourself further injury. We are here to help you. My name is Geralt and this is Triss. She is a sorceress. She’s going to heal you.” 

The maiden’s mouth opened to scream at her to get away but the only sound that escaped her was a wheezing rasp. She wanted nothing to do with another sorcerer. Why couldn’t she just die? What had she done to anger the gods enough to make them let this happen to her? She could feel the restraints around her wrists and it took a moment to register that they weren’t metal cuffs but huge hands holding her still. For the first time, she forced herself to focus on the looming figure above her. Her emerald green eyes met gold and she slowly calmed down. She didn’t know why but all the fight drained from her as his low, growling voice soothed her and her eyes slipped shut again.

Ciri positioned another bucket of water under the woman’s hair as it draped over the back of the tub. She began scrubbing and picking muck and bone fragments out of her hair while Triss and Geralt cleaned her body. Ciri couldn’t help but stare at the witcher as he gently cleaned and cradled the maiden's arms and legs. She hadn’t seen the gentle side of him and it helped her relax to know he wasn’t always such a brute as he seemed. 

The snarl Geralt let out when he started washing her feet made them all jump. Triss quickly moved to see what he was so upset about. There were bruises and lash marks from a cane where the bottoms of her feet had been beaten raw. “It’s a war crime,” he growled in answer to Triss’s unspoken question. “They do it so the person can’t stand to run away. I haven’t seen anything like this since Falka’s Rebellion.”

Once she was cleaned Geralt moved her back to the table and Triss covered her breasts and pelvis with towels to preserve what she could of her modesty. “I can’t heal all of this,” she sighed. “I can heal the internal injuries, probably the broken bones and the worst of the burns but she is going to have a very long recovery.”

Geralt nodded, “do what you can.” 

“Girl,” Triss called to Ciri, who was now sitting in a chair by the fire. “I need to go out behind the cabin and collect all the wildflowers you can for me. I need the stems to be about this long,” she showed her with her fingers.  “Take those two baskets and that cloth bag by the door. As quick as you can.” Ciri nodded and ran out the door. 

Triss pushed up her sleeves and prepared for a long session of healing. “ Hold her so she doesn’t hurt herself more. Healing bones is extremely painful and the burns won’t be much better.” Several hours and most of the flowers in the village later Triss was passed out in her bed, exhausted and Ciri was asleep in the den.

Geralt sat beside the woman and kept the fire going in the kitchen. He put his shirt back on but was too tired to even bother buttoning it as he leaned back in one chair and put his feet up in another. He finally took the time to really look at her and study her features now that she was stable. Her hair was fire red, her skin as pale as his own, and her eyes almost crystal green. She was tall, with long legs, slender but muscular build. He could tell she was used to hard work be it on a farm or as a servant. She had several scars on her back and legs that looked like she’d been whipped and beaten throughout her life and he wondered where she’d come from. He took her small hand in his large one. “Who are you m’lady and what drew me to you?” he asked.

[hrefna-the-raven]

Misc.

Masterlist

Enjoy and feel free to reblog :)

►-------------------------------------------------------------------------◄

Disney's Hercules

Hades x reader

Hot as Hades (mini series)

Chapter 1 - Call me with a prayer

Chapter 2 - Prophecy

Chapter 3 - Third base (18+)

Chapter 4 - Invitation

Chapter 5 - The party

Chapter 6 - The tapestry of fate

Grigori Rasputin x female reader

See you in Warsaw (mini-series)

1 - 2

Favourite quotes: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

The Witcher

Eskel x reader

Another friendly one?

Supernatural

Loki x Sigyn

ᛁᛁᚾ-ᛘᛅᚾᛁ - Einmana (lonely)

ᛘᚢᚾᚢᚦ - Munuð (lust) (18+)

Good Omens

A drunken kiss (Aziraphale x female reader)

Speak French to me (Aziraphale x demon!female reader)

Harry Potter

I don't need your help! (Young Snape x reader)

The Mummy

Resut (Rick O'Connell x Evelyn Carnahan)

How is my wife more badass than me? (Rick O'Connell x female reader)

You've got to crack a few eggs to make a fire (Rick O'Connell x Evelyn Carnahan)

Borderlands 3

Timothy Lawrence x female reader

The handsome "Not-Jack" pot

Cheering up Timothy (18+)

Stranger Things 4

The Samwise to my Frodo (Eddie Munson x female reader)

Star Wars: Jedi: Survivor

Connected through the Force (18+) (Cal Kestis x female reader)

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The Expanse

Rough day (18+) (Joe Miller x reader)

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[okruchlodu]

Invisible ropes squeeze her throat and chest, and her jaw ticks under the strain of the tension that she is furiously imposing upon it, refusing to offer anything back to him in answer as she watches him set to work, determined and focused, some wild, feral wolf on the prowl, stalking its prey: this mission of his, whatever sworn duty compels him to do this. Yennefer does not deign answer; she swallows thickly, anger, cold and piercing stabbing at her, exploding in her veins as she restlessly moves through the cabin, pacing before the fireplace and casting sharp, cold looks their way as the witcher works on the girl.

She stands resolutely off somewhere near them, cold and resolute, vexation tugging at her frayed edges; she watches the child writhe and whisper something under its breath as the wolf casts signs upon it and Ciri flashes through her mind, something strange and deep and dark creeping up her throat, gnawing and fumbling and scratching at her core, and never hurting quite enough for her to put a name to it. It is not guilt, per se; but Yennefer, despite her coldness, her sharp, violent detachment, can not help the stirring of something soft that calls to her, drawing her to this wretched child; a small, scrawny thing on the floor, naught more than a young girl, its pained expression causing the enchantress' mouth to twitch and her restless, adroit hands to fumble over the obsidian star clutched between her fingers, as she stares at her, swallowing the bitter, impatient anger that rises in her throat at the mention of Triss, at the mention of her daughter... She does not want to think about any of this; Yennefer of Vengerberg has not shied away from the truth a day in her life, a powerful storm of a woman, always getting what she wants; she is not about to start avoiding the harshness of her reality now, but she does not deign talk about it, either, too tired, too impatient, too vexed to offer anything more than a dispassionate look his way in answer. She nods at Eskel, says only, yes... do what you must, voice sounding very cold and far away, despite the furious purple fire burning in her eyes, flashing, blazing with contained emotion.

And so, the world unwraps itself to them, again and again before they are ever ready to see it anew: there is dark, old magic choking the air around them; and as the clock ticks on and on, so do the monsters come for them from the shadows, gnashing their twisted, malformed claws and teeth at them: half-unknown, deformed creatures, saturated and made strange by blood magics come for them every night in this half-ruin of a cottage they take shelter within, half way across from where they are supposed to be; the child too, radiates such powerful, unnatural Forces, summoning forth and drawing to them beasts from songs and tales long writ and buried in the ashes of time; things, the neither of them have ever seen beyond the pages of ancient tomes and magic scrolls, much less encountered.

Yennefer's magic too, becomes a frantic, furious energy that thrums in her veins like fire, taking on vast, kinetic energy that she can barely contain, burning her from the inside out, violently reacting to whatever dark Forces drown the child- and everything around it. They try to set out to Kaer Morhen, but something twists and bends the world around them, and it's as though they are riding in circles, an inescapable maze that leads them back to the cabin and to the creatures that circle these dark, deep woods like vultures over the dead.

It is another such night and they are low on supplies; the child, too, is once more awake and thrashing its scrawny, ill-formed limbs at them, howling in shrill agony, its frame flooded in a mist of red light that seems to seep from its core, and Yennefer, battling with whatever dark Force is dabbling with her Chaos, draws upon the vortex of powerful energy that radiates from the child, hands flaming as she gathers forth her magic, screams, breathlessly, Celain, celain, deffraen! Celain, celain, davedar! furiously sustaining her spell to immobilize the girl to give Eskel time enough to slay the shriekers she has summoned forth from the shadows.

The bright skies almost immediately turn gloomy and misty, thick with a whirling vortex of energy that wreathes like a thread of smoke from the sky to her hands. A smoke-like substance seeps out of the girl, and she screams in agony, unable to move.❛ Eskel, hurry!❜ Yennefer screams over the roaring of her spell, breath coming in short, sharp gasps as she powerfully holds the child back- the shriekers screech and cry, lashing them with their tails and talons, and Yennefer furiously moves one of her hands whilst maintaining the casting of her other spell, to shoot a ball of fire towards one of them just as it leaps towards the wolf's back, breath hissing.

They need to contain the girl and once more try to escape lest the forces that bind them to this unnatural place sink them even deeper into their primeval currents, trapping them into a loop, but this time, Yennefer thinks they have found a way to block off the dark Force interfering with her magic long enough for her to get them to Kaer Morhen through a portal.

@wanderingwolfwitcher

Eskel wordlessly looked slowly back towards the raven haired Sorceress as she began to rant once more, the circumstances of the situation and what they had just survived getting to her. He understood where she was coming from with her outburst, in her condition, the brush with death, and her fair concerns about the threat the possessed girl yet posed, along with being unfamiliar and uncomfortable in a situation a Witcher was accustomed to. All the same... he felt a familiar stirring silent stab of irritation, marred jaw tightening... one he had known well in the past, every time she had visited Kaer Morhen in the old days, when she had still been with Wolf in an on and off stormy relationship of irritating and needless drama. Even at their ages and experiences, they had acted more like teenagers. The haughtiness and disregard for a girl in need, dehumanizing her, another unpleasant reminder of Sabrina and Deidre, and the way Yennefer had walked all over Geralt in front of him and Vesemir, in their own home and school where they had been raised and trained. To say nothing of constantly trying to tell them what to do and how things should be.

For Geralt's sake alone he had held his tongue back then, and was polite to her outwardly wile avoiding her as much as he could, where he had been able to be more genuine towards Triss. Lambert had been wiser in those days, avoiding the keep altogether during the winters Yennefer was set to visit... never actually meeting her until the time of Ciri and the Wild Hunt... but Eskel hadn't wanted to miss seeing Wolf when he could, walking the Path separately most of the time as they did in those days. So he had taken the bad with the good, as he always had. Though of course now Lambert was ironically resigned to his own similar fate as Keira Metz's errand boy, straying off the Witcher's Path and on to hers thanks to her influence. Another bitter doing of her kind towards his. On the other hand, given what had happened between Geralt and Yennefer more recently, it was no longer so high a priority these days to have to feign politeness to her. Even so, his deep voice remained calm and controlled as he spoke back to her, as his viper eyes turned from Yennefer and continued to examine the slumbering girl carefully.

"Calm yourself. Like Lambert told you once, you ain't talkin' to Geralt now. Don't gotta put up with your nagging anymore. I'll write it off as nerves, this was a close call, even by Witcher standards, and Demons and Monsters ain't your field of expertise, as they are mine. I will note that it was you who teleported us into the forests of Malleore without warning me where we were going. This all would have been avoided if you had, this girl still trapped. As it stands... what's done is done, and I ain't turning my back on her."

The Witcher wrapped his arms around the cloak enveloped girl on that note, scooping her up with ease and turning in the rain, getting another look at their surroundings. He wasn't familiar with the area, but from the sights, smells and sounds of the forest, air and animals... from experience... he would place them in either the Kestrel Mountains or the Blue Mountains. Didn't exactly narrow things down a lot, but at least it was something. He glanced over through the rain to their grazing horses... and to the saddlebags on Scorpion he would need to dig through soon. Then he turned his yellow eyes over to the abandoned cabin. Not in the best condition, but he had seen far worse, and it was better than nothing... as much as he liked camping in the woods. Given what the possessed girl might inadvertently summon their way... a place to hunker down would make things easier than being out in the woods. A central location he could magically ward up and set down traps around to defend. And given the Sorceress' preference for luxuries, he was liable to hear fewer complaints indoors than if they were outdoors in the storm. Turning back Yennefer's way again with a satisfied nod, he went on as if he hadn't paused, with a shrug of his silver spiked shoulders.

"You're free to leave when you are fit to, but I don't think you will. If not for my sake, you'll help me with the girl for the same reason you have helped Ciri. That's you, whatever else you've done, Sorceress or not, kids mean something more to you than using, hurting or killing them. Rare quality among your kind, in my experience. Cabin will suffice in the meantime, then. The girl is my responsibility. Need to find her a room inside, set up some magical wards around her, then see to brewing that healing potion of yours. Trust me or not, I'm good for my word. A rare luxury only a Witcher can seem to afford, these days."

On that cool, pointed note he turned from her, striding towards Scorpion while carrying the girl, whistling for the horse to come to their side. When he did, Eskel patted the Kaedweni war horse on the head, then retrieved the supplies and equipment he would require from his saddlebags, including his alchemy set. He wasn't sure how long they would be staying, but better safe than sorry. Then he set off with his things and the girl towards the cabin, climbing the steps and pushing open the door and leaving it ajar for the Sorceress, for when she saw reason. Stepping inside out of the rain, he studied the dusty interior... noting some candles and a fireplace with old chopped up wood still stacked next to it. Someone had lived here alright... left much behind they could use. Probably fled and abandoned it during one of the three fairly recent Northern Wars. Once he deemed it safe and secure, first and foremost, he found a good spot for the girl on the floor in the middle of the primary room, kneeling down next to her.

As soon as he had, he drew a series of Yrden Signs upon her forehead and all the way around her on the floor in a circle, leaving the glowing violet magic active, and helping keep her sealed safely within the magical barrier wards. One that would protect her and himself alike, hopefully, or at least buy time. Then, satisfied for the moment, he left the sleeping girl there and lit up all the candles in the cabin with an Igni Sign, lifting back the curtain of darkness for the most part, so Yennefer could see with her ordinary senses. Then he set down his things on the floor before the fireplace, slipped some of the stacked fire wood into it and lit it up as well, the warmth soon carrying through the cold interior of the cabin. The task completed, he took out his alchemy set and got to work gathering the ingredients he needed, combining them, pouring and stirring them up and starting to brew the potion. Once it started bubbling on the burner, he looked from where he knelt Yennefer's way again, rising to his feet, retrieving his stewing pot, and moving down to where she was, gesturing back to his active alchemy set, low tone speaking up once more steadily.

"Won't take long to finish brewing the potion. Learned it awhile back, last made one around the time me and Vesemir found Geralt in the woods with amnesia. Triss was injured when Salamandra attacked Kaer Morhen to steal our mutation secrets. Being as our potions are toxic, we had to whip up some of this stuff for her. Worked like a charm. Just wish we'd had time to make one for poor Leo as well. Need to set down some traps around the cabin and yard, as a precaution. There's a workshed and barn out back as well, gonna take a look inside. Can do some hunting for fresh food in the woods if required, but I already have some food and water supplies, so perhaps I'll save that for later. There's a stream nearby, so I'll prepare a Blue Mountain Stew for supper... though I think we could both use a bottle of my Mahakaman spirit, about now."

@okruchlodu

[winters-mistress]

until the moon falls

"Umm, absolutely fucking not." Ciri is started at the gruff voice that interrupts her shuffling into the great hall. Her clothes are askew, her shirt is half poking out her brown leather leggings. Vesemir is gonna bite her ass off for the abominable way her boots are tied, and if Calanthe would have lived, Cirilla would have earned herself a slap from the state of her messy braid that's half yesterday's braid and half knots and frizz from her last attempt at sleeping.

She felt all five witchers eyes upon her when she came into the room, the sound of their grunts and jeers letting her know that she was the last one to come out of her room. Geralt's gaze burns brightest, and she tries to ignore it as she walks over to the large pot upon the fireplace, bubbling bland gruel an odd mix of off white oats, black specs and white milk that hadn't been fully mixed in yet.

Vesemir's eyes are heavy, and she licks her dry, chapped lips when he grunts at her appearance. She doesn't want a lecture, she tried her best to be presentable after another long night of no sleep, plagued by her ghosts and her broken heart, the voices off all she had lost and had been taken from her and the smell of smoke from Cintra's burning walls that never seemed to leave her nose no matter how many times she washed her face or dunked her head in water.

Aiden and Coën are concerned, they're the most sensitive witchers, probably considering they aren't wolves, that they had lost their families just as Cirilla herself had, and unlike their beloved wolves, there is no mentor or two brothers each to comfort their losses. They're more open with their feelings, gruff as a witcher can be, and they brought her comfort in ways that despite how much she loved Geralt, he never could quite understand. They stare at her with pity and understanding, and a baseline of concern that all present witchers wear.

Eskel is the most standoffish towards her, even with the red headed prick of a wolf lives in this cold, drafty keep. It's nothing to do with her, she knows that, but he has issues regarding a different royal witcher child surprise, one from so long ago that seems to echo in the same hallways as Cirilla. It took over two weeks for the witcher to not scuttle off whenever the Queen of Cintra was in the room, longer to recognise that this girl was not Princess Diedre, that this was not his child surprise. That the rightful Queen of Cintra was Geralt's girl, and there was no need to fear a five foot pretty blonde with a broken heart and a wooden sword. Now, he is lovely, and now he watches her with pity and his own grief in his eyes.

Lambert, however, he is the only one to bring her out of her reviere, her head aching and heavy from lack of sleep. Nerves shot to shit from her ghosts and her demons, her instincts slow and her body lagging with her exhaustion and her fear.

She hadn't expected Lambert to speak, hadn't expected any of them to, to be honest. They never did. Cirilla allowed them their ghosts and their pasts, and they allowed her hers. Ciri never asked Geralt about Blaviken, never bothered Eskel about Diedre, she and Lambert never spoke about his parents, Vesemir didn't tell her about all the bodies of the boys he had raised and loved and burned in the pyres, and Coën and Aiden kept their sackings to themselves. That was how it always was, how it always had been. Apparently, not today.

"What?" She mumbles, scratching the back of her head, feeling the impressive blonde knot at the back. Her attempt to fill a bowl with a couple ladelfuls of bubbling oats is shorted when her black chipped bowl is removed from her hands and the oats are returned to the pot.

"Nope." Lambert grunts, dropping the bowl and grabbing the girl's shoulders. "Back to bed with you, Majesty."

The nickname that had always been just a tounge in cheek joke didn't come out as snarkily as it always had, so Ciri frowns at him, spinning right around when he tried to push her to the doorway.

"What're you doing?" She slurs. "Got training-"

"No, you do not." Geralt and Lambert say at once. They eye each other, and Ciri looks from one protector to the next, licking her lips.

"Listen to Daddy, pup." Lambett huffs. "Look't the state'a you." He drawls. "You look like shit, nerves shot to pieces, got bags under your eyes darker than the markings on the milk cow. You really think we're gonna give you a weapon when you can't stand straight? You'll take your own hand off, loose a foot. Now, what you're gonna do is drink some water, get a ladelful'a gruel down your throat and take your prissy little arse back to bed. And if any of us see you even lookin' at the training grounds, you're banned from all swordplay til we see your arse sleep from dusk till dawn. Understand, girl?"

Ciri looks to Geralt for backup, only to frown in betrayal when he shrugs her off.

"He's right, Cub. No good to anyone, even yourself, if you're exhausted. Drink, eat, then go back to bed. I'll check on you after breakfast, make sure you're still in the furs."

"And he'll tan your hide if you think of sneakin' out when none've us are looking. You got that, Princess?"

Utterly betrayed, Ciri huffs, reaching over for the big brown water jug.

"Fine."

"Don't look so dour, Pup. After all, you can see me throw this dick off the rooftop any day of the week." Eskel smirks, Lambert flips his middle finger at him, and Ciri manages a smile.

[roughentumble]

i feel like the witcher netflix is setting everyone who cares about ciri against her, and its kind of upsetting

yennefer, her loving mother? tries to sacrifice her to a demon

vesemir, her loving grandfather figure? steals her blood, uses it to make more witcher mutagens, tries to turn her into a witcher which had something like a 2 in 3 chance of killing her

eskel, her big brother and mentor, only ever kind and sweet to her? basically calls her a bitch the first time he sees her, says that if he got a princess surprise he would sleep with her(despite ciri being like 12-16)

lambert, her fast friend, her best buddy? sneeringly calls her a princess, tells her she's not good enough, blames her for things that arent her fault

jaskier, nee dandelion, her loving uncle, who actively lies to spymasters to protect geralt and ciri's location? selling her out to redania for his own safety, in the hopes that the man who tortured him dies

no one is truly on ciri's side anymore. who does she have left who hasnt betrayed her in some sense? this vulnerable young girl with the whole world against her? its heartbreaking. why does this series not want ciri to have /anyone/?

[random-apollo-child]

Jaskier being quiet

Eskel concerned: uhh hey bard are you ok

Jask being a demon: I'm questioning if yall can safely consume nightshade

Eskel: Uhh, huh yeah uh we- "mm we can it'll just make us a little sick, whyyy?

Jask: Lambert hit my arm earlier and it left a bruse so imma go find some nightshade to put in his food

Cöen: should we tell anyone?

Aiden: no I wanna watch this play out

[stromuprisahat]

Slightly incoherent The Witcher S02 rant

(Finished and posted two years later with no Starbucks involved...)

They’re trying so hard to be The Next Game of Thrones, they’re erasing everything that makes The Witcher special. Things are changed unnecessarily, *new* *original* storylines added- much simpler and inferior to source material.

There’s a lack of ~variety~ of dangers. Different kinds, different degrees... It’s all life-threatening, fatal. The writers forgot some things can be dangerous only thanks to specific circumstances. Leshy in the woods can be just that- monster living in witchers’ keep’s backyard, not some weird parasite trying to murder or transform all the witchers.

Another trend I've noticed is "No rest for the heroes.". Characters aren't allowed to have a place and/or time to develop without preasure. The most peaceful part of Ciri's story got turned into parade of incompetent, inconsiderate idiots. It’s the same issue I had with first season of Shadow and Bone, where MC's studies and integration into new enviroment got struck out. Both were lacking "action". Both got cut short and re-written to be more "eventful". In both cases the story AND characters suffered. Characters aren’t developed, they become changed. Netflix seems to have a pattern, and- considering second season of S&B- doesn’t learn from its previous terrible results.

Another huge issue is pacing. The whole season feels like it happened in a week, when Blood of Elves took more than a season of the year.

“I know someone...” As it turned out, we all do.

When we’re at things I hate, there’s the trend of connecting EVERYTHING. You have a minor part to fill? Give it to one of already existing characters to make their path more eventful and memorable. What happened to random soldier, corpse no. 54 or anonymous inkeeper in shithole MC’s just passing through? You don't constantly cross ways with the same three people! Make the world real by houndreds of faces you'll never see again! It’s like the creators didn’t notice this is a TV show, not a video game, where you have to animate every different feature, so more NPC with the same faces are to be expected.

I also dislike the trend of giving some storylines to one-off side characters or making new things up just to make them important enough to keep them around (Istredd, Dara, Stregobor). Why can't you accept some people appear, fuck up your life and you never see them again? Are they pushed to keep some actors around?

The books are mostly following Geralt’s and Ciri’s story, but not exclusively. Show offers a chance to add more background politics, wider picture. Instead they bait us with well-known, already beloved characters that get reduced to something they’re not. I’ve made a separate post about Francesca Findababair, but they didn’t treat Philippa any better. Instead of a badass, crucial for the plot, the intelligence behind Redanian Intelligence, she’s just an owl. Dijkstra’s messanger to keep in touch with some sad little elf kid.

Voleth Mier disaster

There isn’t more genric evil creature in fantasy than “demon”. Then they call it “Mother of Evil”? She’s feeding on fear? I’m starting to suspect someone in the writing room has some serious mommy issues. ... and no imagination.

Apparently Blood of Elves without a final boss fight is too boring to adapt faithfully. There’s no time to increase the stakes gradually. Every season needs to end with a BANG!

Shared dreams? Why is there the need to connect everything even more to make it MORE important and SPECIAL and INTERESTING?

Vesemir and the rest of Kaer Morons

Why the fuck is Coën Wolf, not Griffin? Remember how I talked about unnecessary changes? Why bother keeping names, when everything else is different?

Eskel didn’t deserve this shit. The writers are counting on our pre-existing knowledge of his relationship with Geralt, so his death has at least some impact. Zero effort on their part, merely one (1) flashback. The Wolf funeral is plain stupid, while supposed to look "cool". a.) There isn't many witchers, they tend to die on the Path. b.) I'm sure the mutations just make the witchers tastier. No side effects. c.) Eskel was a fucking tree. Did the wolves just use him as a fancy chewing toy?

Lambs is a dick, but a dick, who loves his family. Not a bully picking on young traumatized girls.

Vesemir’s probably the second worst, considering the whole mischaracterization mess. They’ve changed friendly grandpa into "Let us use Ciri to make more witchers". Not OOC at all.

The writers also kinda missed the whole point of only four witchers living in the gigantic keep, but never mind that...

Why do they bother looking for new stories, when they just grind it into homogenic crap corresponding with The Pattern™?

Since when are witchers training in temples? (So much for neutrality...) And where's the chubby Slavic panímáma? Melitele's tample was about healing and herbs, not magic, that's Yennefer's storyline. Yes, it matters. It completely changes the perspective.

Since there’s no emotional build-up for anything, creators went for low-haging fruit. But Roach had to die for more reasons. Aside from the obvious (Horses aren’t immortal and we can’t kill the bard.), it’s the perfect way to get Geralt on gorgeous black Friesian. Y'no, because other horses are never so cool. And the Hero™ can't ride just some chestnut these days... Don't get me wrong, I love Friesians since I was a child, but this trend is beyond annoying.

Why change 14th of the hill? That’s Triss’ storyline and passing it on Yennefer served absolutely nothing.

Then we have Rience, who is for some reason super powerful- not only he doesn't have a problem drawing from fire, he can teleport to witcher's keep? Place full of magic, the very same one that's hard to find and he's never been to? Compare with game!plot, where Lambert’s dimetrium bombs messed with Yennefer’s magic enough for her not to be able to call someone.

There should be a list of banned words, or words and phrases that are often overused: power, protect, save, curse(d), fault, ~ needs you. ~I~ need you., Together. *meaningful pause*, You can fight this., glowy eyes = evil, suicidal self-sacrifice, not perfect but real, family, I beliiiiieve in you., force, darkness...

Sorry, but using a quote from one of the strongest moments of Blood of Elves in completely different situation will NOT give you extra points. Quite contrary. This is how you ruin one of he best parts of the books- by holding a sword to your SO's (who's been through some serious shit) neck.

Honorable mention of Emhyr var AnotherDumbVillain, for publicly proclaiming Ciri’s his daughter ...now the whole Nilfgaard knows what he wants. Stupid and the easiest way to let his enemies’ spies know just HOW much is she valuable.

Things I liked about this season: Tris and Ciri's meeting, Vereena, Yenneskíer chemistry

If there’s one thing second season of The Witcher taught me, it’s “Keep your expectations low, you’re gonna be let down anyway.”.

[geraskierficrecs]

End of the Year Updates (2022)

Thank you all for hanging around and continuing to be amazing friends, writers, artists, and readers for the Witcher fandom!  You have all been incredibly supportive and make me so glad that I am a part of this too.  To that end, I’ve collected all the fics I’ve completed or are in progress this year.

Links and descriptions under the cut.

In-Progress:

The Sin Eater

“He doesn’t have much time now,” the demon observed, “Even Witchers need oxygen. This is your only hope of saving him.”

Jaskier’s face went firm and determined, turning back to the creature with no sign of his earlier hesitation.

The demon looked amused. “Are you sure he’d worth giving up so much?”

“All that and more,” Jaskier whispered.

Then he stepped into the circle. ————————— To save Geralt, Jaskier lets himself be possessed by the demon he was hunting. Will there be anything left of the bard for Geralt to save?

The Fixer

In the world of the wealthiest members of society, there is only one man who you call when there is a problem that needs to disappear. Whether it's killing off your competition or ensuring you have the blackmail you need to keep your enemies at bay, Jaskier--better known as Dandelion--has made a living getting his hands dirty.

So, when the offer comes to track down the missing child of a billionaire CEO, Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier is more than happy to go undercover and get the information they need to ensure Geralt doesn't become a problem.

But what happens when he starts to have feelings for the kind, smartass barista and his strange family?

Completed Multi-Chapter Works:

Lark of My Heart

“What do I smell like to you?”

Geralt looked up from where he was sharpening a blade to frown at the bard. “What?”

“You’re always sniffing around me,” Jaskier explained with a smile that covered the sheepish blush on his cheeks, “And I've read that Witchers have a keen sense of smell so tell me, what do I smell like to you?”

Home. ___________________________

After the mountain, Geralt faces the reality of what his temper has destroyed and tries to pretend like he's fine with that. (He isn't.)

Call Me Sunshine (Jaskier/Eskel)

It becomes a habit to keep an eye on the front door every Wednesday. Jaskier told him after the second week that he tries to grab the flowers on his lunch break. It’s how he found the shop in the first place.

“I tutor a kid near here,” he tells Eskel as he watches the florist trim the thorns off some David Austen roses. “He’s a menace, but his mom wants him to learn piano and is willing to pay for all the grey hairs I’m getting.”

“You play piano?”

“And a few other instruments. My favorite is the lute.”

Eskel grins a little. “A lute? Do you moonlight as a bard too?” ___________________________

Or, a florist AU with enough misunderstandings and pining to fill an entire season of a CW show.

Dying for You (Again and Again)

By his understandably shoddy memory, Jaskier had died over 1300 times since he first drew breath several hundred years ago.

Somehow, none of those deaths ever seemed to hurt as much as the dreams of Geralt. ___________________________________

Or, the Old Guard AU no one asked for, but I wrote.

With My Last Breath

Jaskier is tortured by Nilfgaard--angst, whump, and fluff follow.  In that order.

Wolves and Men

There was a challenge in his expression. A dare for Geralt to cast him aside once more.

Like he had on the mountain.

If life could give me one blessing—Geralt shook his head to banish the memory of those vicious words. Words he’d had plenty of time to regret in the years since Jaskier had walked away. Since Gerat had sent him away.

“Jaskier,” he whispered, voice thick. ________________________ Jaskier thought he'd found the perfect alpha to follow for the rest of his life only to be cast aside. He should have known better--the White Wolf always hunts alone.

If Wishing Made It So

Geralt stared down into the ravine and the glittering rocks below and wished the rumors of the Witcher’s missing emotions were true. He wished for a lot of things, then, staring down at the smear of blue silk stained red.

None of them came true. ———-

On a hunt that goes bad, Geralt is forced to imagine a world where his bard will no longer walk at his side.

Series:

Villainous Universe

Series featuring a supervillain Jaskier falling for the superhero Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.  Contains explicit content as well as all my favorite angsty tropes.

The Sentinel/Guide Verse

Jaskier was half way through a lackluster rendition of one of his least popular songs when his world went static.

In his ears, a foreign heartbeat thundered, ragged and wounded. It felt as though his lungs had gone sideways with the sensation. Even the air itself tasted like it was charged with lightning, bright and bitter as ozone. Deep in his gut, he felt something urging himself forward, pulling him like some invisible string towards an unknown destination.

Something brushed across his senses, rough as tree bark, and sinking into his skin to crawl like ants beneath. He froze, eyes darting around the room like he could spot whoever it was that had sent his senses scrambling against the hard earned shields he was always careful to maintain. In his hands, his fingers faltered, melody disappearing beneath the wave of wrong that felt like it was choking him.

The answer was simple--and impossible.

There was a Sentinel here.

The Full Cops and Robbers Verse

An enemies to lovers story revolving around a charming, mysterious thief and the cop that is absolutely done with his shit.

The Witcher Soldier Verse

Geralt barely managed to slam the pommel of his sword up in a glancing blow that shattered the metal latch holding the Soldier’s mask in place. The Soldier rolled into the movement with a dancer’s grace and came to his full height just as easily. For a moment, his hands reached up to run over the exposed skin, before he slowly turned to face Geralt once more.

The Witcher froze in a mixture of horror and near-frantic hope.

He stared into the eyes of a dead man and whispered, “Jaskier?”

The Soldi--the bard frowned at him in confusion and spoke with a voice rough with disuse,

“Who the hell is Jaskier?” ___________________________

Or, the Winter Soldier AU.

A Light in the Dark Series

One will rise And one will fail, But none can escape destiny’s call. ____________

Jaskier is a bard with a secret. For all the world knows, he strolled onto a stage ten years ago and made a name for himself as the sidekick of the White Wolf. But what came before? And will he be able to escape destiny's call?

A Three Part Series Exploring My Take on a Feral Version of Jaskier

One Shots:

Star Crossed

“It’s not true.”  The man’s voice is rough as a knife over gravel and is short enough to make the bard falter at his tone.  It takes him a moment to realize he’s referring to the story he’d told as part of the festival.

“You don’t believe in the lost lovers?” he asks, offended to the very core of his romantic heart.  He stands a little straighter to glare up at the larger man.  “I’ll have you know that my story comes from the works of Master Essi herself--she knew the lovers herself.  It's the foundation story of our whole town and this festival!  How can you say the story isn’t true?”

A shadow crosses over the stranger’s face and eyes that flash gold flick away from the bard to stare at the trees and the lonely hill.  Despite himself, the bard feels his heart ache at the grief in his expression.

“He didn’t come back.”

Burn For You

Jaskier twitched helplessly as the women filed out of the mill and left him where he was bound on the floor.  He arched his back slightly, trying to see to where the fire was slowly creeping from the bed to drip onto the floor.  It hit the edge of the floor and he closed his eyes, going limp with exhausted pain.

His body ached as he lay on the ground, bleeding.  The floor was cold at his back and noise came through staticky and broken like a voice through a waterfall.  He could just vaguely hear footsteps thudding toward him accompanied by shouting.  Still, his vision refused to focus, and the only thing he could identify around him was the flickering red of the flames reflected in the cloud heavy with rain that would never be enough to stop the fire spreading through the mill.

All he could hope was that the smoke killed him before he began to burn.

Gilded With Blood (Aiden/Lambert)

Aiden watched the slowly growing pool of his life’s blood dripping onto the red rock below him. His chest rose and fell in ragged little gasps made awkward by the sword still pinning him to the earth. Pain was far away now and he knew only the cold chill of death would replace it.

As his eyes closed, he couldn’t help but think:

This was going to destroy Lambert.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Seducing Your Fiancé

It is a truth universally known that Geralt fucking hated Viscount Julien de Lettenhove.

Their rivalry was the stuff of legends, the sort that drew the eye and the idle gossip of members of court. It ensured that each time they came within five feet of the other, the entire room would go still, watchful. Eager. For what could be more delicious, more exciting than a fight between the Crown Prince and his new betrothed?

I’ll Sleep Forever Next to You

“Geralt?” Eskel’s voice distracts him from his spiraling thoughts. “What’s wrong? Where’s the lark?”

Geralt seizes on his brother in arms, near desperate for someone who might know what to do. “He’s sick. He’s, he’s coughing, feverish--”

“How long?” The older Witcher looks like he does before battle, steady and fierce.

“I, I’m not sure.” Abruptly, Jaskier’s early night has all manner of new meanings. Had he been feeling poorly that long? His brow furrows. “He sounded like he was having trouble breathing last night.” _____________________________________

Or, three Witchers freak out over a bard with a cold.

Don’t Leave Me

Jaskier’s hands tighten around Geralt before slowly losing their grip, spasming where they fall limp. “Ger--geralt--”

“Don’t you dare,” he snarls back, “Don’t you dare try to give me your fucking goodbyes. You are not dying.”

“S--silly man.” Jaskier’s smile is full of painful fondness. “Would you fight death for me?”

Geralt swings him up into his arms and nearly weeps at the sound of familiar hooves running in his direction. “Every. Fucking. Time.”

Between One Heartbeat and the Next

Please. Please, not this.

Don’t make him listen to Jaskier’s voice beginning to strain in a way it never did on stage even as he continued to reassure Geralt.

“It’s okay… Geralt, you’ll be okay.”

Not without you.

“You’re...gonna be fine in...just a little while.”

You won’t.

“ ‘s...not...so bad...like going to sleep.”

Nononononopleaseno

Waiting for the Sun

Jaskier was dying.

The confirmation came with each cramping, shallow breath and spots of grey drowning out the mottled stone walls that would become his tomb. After all the years he’d spent terrified of this moment, it was almost anticlimactic to realize he was too tired now to fight back any longer. He was dying. The world would continue without him.

Blood dripped from his fingertips and formed erratic patterns against his own skin. Over the sound of his racing heart he could hear footsteps and murmured voices that made him want to vomit or rage in fury.

They were watching him. He didn’t need to look up into the window to see the strange faces twisted into cruel smiles, pleased at his suffering. He hated them.

Not a Damsel, Not in Distress

The one closest to him raised his trembling sword with a panicked expression at the unexpected violence. “Wh--what the fuck? You’re just a bard.”

Jaskier’s smile was more a baring of his teeth, made more alarming with the blood sprayed across his skin and clothing. “Your first mistake was believing that.” _____________________________

Geralt and Jaskier are ambushed by a pack of mercenaries. It was really their fault for believing the yellow eyed Witcher was the only threat.

Frantic

Geralt was hanging limply against the rough bark. Two daggers kept him pinioned like a bug in place and left dark streaks of drying blood down his arms and exposed chest. Silver hair was matted close to his forehead from a sluggishly bleeding would that left golden eyes hazy and unfocused. Worst still were the bruises littering every inch of exposed skin like a collage of torment.

His Witcher had been tortured.

———

There was a name for the emotion burning like fire in his blood, eating away at the dandelion bard that had made his living seeking the pleasure of others. A simple phrase that barely encompasses the new tension in his bones and made his mind focus with singular, violent intent.

Wrath.

A Blade in the Back

There was a flicker of movement at his side and he felt something slam into his unprotected flank.  Magic blew past him, ruffling his hair but leaving him unharmed. Surprised by the sudden attack, Geralt stumbled and whirled to face whoever had hit him.  

Only instead of a beast, he saw a bard.

Jaskier clutched at his chest where a dark stain seemed to spread over his heart.  His bright eyes stared at Geralt helplessly, mouth opening and closing without sound.  Geralt stared back at him in shock until Jaskier dropped heavily to his knees, collapsing like a puppet with his strings cut. ___________

In the midst of a battle, Jaskier is hit with an unknown curse. All at once Geralt finds himself locked in battle with the only man he wants to protect.

The Sweetest Poison

“And what do you want in return?  Your freedom? Your safety?”

Jaskier didn’t flinch from her scorn and Geralt could see his knuckles go white with the force of his grip around the small vial.  “Save him.”

The mage stared at him for a beat before letting out a burst of laughter that echoed off the wall like the flutter of vultures wings.  “All this trouble for the Witcher?” she asked incredulously, “Tell me, boy, do you really think he would do the same for you? That he cares at all what happens to the bard who follows after him like a lost puppy?”  She stepped forward, confident as a soldier preparing his death blow. “Oh, I know who you are, bard. I watched you trailing after the Witcher, eager for every scrap of affection or interest he’ll toss your way. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

Jaskier was breathing heavily now, jaw clenched tight enough that Geralt could see the muscles fluttering with effort.

“Were you hoping this ill-conceived rescue mission would be enough to make him finally notice you?” she murmured with a mocking smile, “Poor little bard--always singing of love but never truly experiencing it.”

Into the Jaskierverse Additions:

Interlude: The Thief

Jaskier opened his mouth to cry out, to scream, anything, but it was ripped away by the jagged shards of reality tearing through him.  It was the djinn all over again.  The agony of watching Geralt disappearing beneath the rubble of the house.  The first chill that always signaled Geralt returning to Kaer Morhen.  The pull of power and magic that he now recognized as the moment before a spell hit and he was left with no option but to wait for the pain to hit--helpless in the whims of an unnatural force.  

Only this time there was nothing to stop the raw power that seemed determined to unravel him down to his very soul.  

He

     was

                remade.

Not Without You

“Geralt?” he finally whispered, a fragile hope in the familiar word.

“I’m here,” Geralt said as he crossed the room to stand next to the table.  “I’ve got you.”

Kicking aside the corpse of the mage, he fumbled with the restraints until he was able to release Jaskier’s arms and legs.  They twitched weakly against him and Geralt ran his hands over the rough shirt and pants Jaskier had been dressed in, searching for any other injuries.

“Geralt?”

“It’s me,” Geralt soothed. “They won’t hurt you again, I promise.”

Jaskier’s hands found an anchor against the front of Geralt’s shirt and he shuddered violently.  “I thought...I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

[wanderingwolfwitcher]

DOSSIER

LEGAL NAME | Esau Kelly Kaminski MOST KNOWN AS | Eskel NICKNAMES | Witcher, Woodsman, Grandmaster DATE OF BIRTH | Early 1170's SEX | Male GENDER | Masculine RACE | Human (Mutant) CURRENTLY LIVING | The Path, Kaer Morhen, Blue Mountains, Skellige, Saskia's Free State, Toussaint OCCUPATION | Wolf School Grandmaster Witcher: Superhuman professional wandering monster, beast, demon and undead hunter and slayer, occult detective, exorcist, curse breaker, ranger, fighter, alchemist, guildsman SPOKEN LANGUAGES | Common Speech (Fluent), Skellige jargon (Fluent) Elven (Limited), Dwarvish (Limited) EDUCATION | The Witcher School of the Wolf (Kaer Morhen) PROFICIENCY | Weapons : All. Swordsmanship, fistfighting, alchemy, bomb crafting, trap making, survivalism, tracking, hunting, archery, marksmanship, horse riding, stealth, lockpicking, cunning, subterfuge, arcane/occult knowledge, basic magic HAIR COLOR | Brown EYE COLOR | Black serpentine pupils, glowing yellow irises, white sclera SCARS | Numerous and varied all over body, including blade scars to his face and a blade stab scar on his gut from his Child of Surprise, deep claw scars along forearms and back, Bruxa, Succubus and Water Hag bites around neck and collar, and more HEIGHT | 6'2"- 6'4" range RELATIONSHIPS | Vesemir (Former Mentor/Teacher), Geralt (Best Friend/Brother Witcher), Lambert (Friend/Fellow Witcher), Princess Deidre Ademeyn (Former Child of Surprise), Sabrina Glevissig (Former Savior, Enemy and Lover), Triss Merigold (Close Friend/Trusted Ally), Yennefer of Vengerberg (Reluctant Ally), Coën (Former Griffin School Witcher Friend), Ciri (Ally), Leo (Former Trainee/Student) Scorpion (Horse of Surprise), Lil' Bleater (Pet Goat), Beowulf (Former Pet Skelligan Warg Wolf) SEXUAL ORIENTATION | Heterosexual RELATIONSHIP STATUS | Single

LEGAL NAME | Unknown MOST KNOWN AS | Letho of Gulet NICKNAMES | Witcher, The Kingslayer, Assassin of Kings DATE OF BIRTH | Unknown: At least decades before the 1230's SEX | Male GENDER | Masculine RACE | Human (Mutant) CURRENTLY LIVING | The Path, Zerrikania, Tir Tochair Mountains OCCUPATION | Viper School Witcher: Superhuman professional wandering monster, beast, demon and undead hunter and slayer, assassin for hire, occult detective, exorcist, curse breaker, ranger, fighter, alchemist, guildsman SPOKEN LANGUAGES | Common Speech (Fluent), Nilfgaardian (Fluent), Elven (Fluent) Dwarvish (Fluent) Gnomish (Fluent), Halfling (Fluent) EDUCATION | The Witcher School of the Viper (Gorthur Gvaede) PROFICIENCY | Weapons : All. Swordsmanship, fistfighting, alchemy, bomb crafting, trap making, survivalism, tracking, hunting, archery, marksmanship, horse riding, stealth, lockpicking, cunning, subterfuge, political savvy, conspiracies, spying, assassinations, arcane/occult knowledge, basic magic (Quen Sign especially) HAIR COLOR | Brown (Shaven) EYE COLOR | Black serpentine pupils, glowing yellow irises, white sclera SCARS | Numerous and varied all over body, including most prominently his head where a Nilfgaardian soldier tried to scalp him with a two-pronged guisarme during the Siege/Fall of Gorthur Gvaede HEIGHT | 6'8"+ range RELATIONSHIPS | Serrit and Auckes (Former Fellow Viper School Witcher Friends), Geralt of Rivia (Friend/Ally), Yennefer of Vengerberg (Former Protectorate), Vernon Roche (Enemy), Iorweth (Former Ally and Pawn), Sheala de Tancarville (Former Lover, Pawn and Enemy), Emperor Emhyr var Emreis (Former Client and Enemy) SEXUAL ORIENTATION | Heterosexual RELATIONSHIP STATUS | Single

Tagged by @dev1lsadvocate

Tagging @gcldenlioness , @starwrittenfates (Any Muse), @fallesto (Any Muse), @swordluck , @frombehindpaleeyes , @torntruth (Any Muse) and anyone else who wants to do it.

[inexplicifics]

WIP List

Thanks for the tag, @nickelanddamned!

Rules: Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

I...uh...have a lot of WIPs. I call it the Horde o' Plotbunnies for a very good reason. So this list does not include the AWAU WIPs (of which there are many). Also, I sort my WIPs by pairing (usually) or by 'verse, so any listing that has a number after it means there are that many WIPs with that pairing or within that 'verse's folder. If you want to ask for a snippet, give me a number within that range!

Broken Lock - Marika & Milena

Cat!Milena

demon!Lambert/Milena

E/L wrestling

E/OC x 4

Eldritch trio

Eskel & fae

Eskel vs wyverns

Fine dining AU (bullet points only)

G/E x 6

G/E/G2 x 2

G/E/L x 4

G/E/L/J omegaverse claiming

G/J x 17

G/OC prostitute

G/Y words

G2/S post tournament

Gargoyles

Gen x 10

Gweld/Serrit modern college AU

J/W x 2

J/W/C golden 3 - KM

L/? X 3

L/?/M space pirates

L/A x 25

L/A/M x 35

L/A/V save that alpha

L/A/V/M x 4

L/M x 21

L/M(/A?) modern bear trap

L/V cloaked

L/V/M begone to the witchers

M/? x 2

Mafia AU

Modern werewolf pack

V&T sacking

Vanyel in AWAU

Vexart tournament

Vipurr x 2

Weird omegaverse war prize thing

Worth the wyvern barmaid

YW omegaverse acquiring Aiden

Cats Among Wolves x 3

ISNLIV x 3

Pirate Laiden - Aiden POV

gaetan/letho in modern AU

For obvious reasons, I will not be tagging this many people. What I will do instead is say that anyone who feels like playing should absolutely consider themselves tagged!

[eredins-a-king-aint-he]

Tfw three best friends go on a nice tropical vacay to unwind and one of them just HAS to bring his creepy boyfriend who also happens to be a fucking age-old soul-eating demon🙄

Dialogue under cut

Lambert: We’re going over 15 knots right now, how the fuck is he still standing? He’s not even swaying!

Eskel: Be quiet Lambert, he can probably hear you.

Geralt: Shut up, both of you— he can hear a mouse rip ass a hundred miles away and tell you exactly what it ate for breakfast yesterday.

[exitpursuedbyasloth]

“I don’t know why so many people are doubtful/suspicious of the Jaskier/Radovid romance”

idk, maybe because in canon Radovid is either 12 years old or Medieval Mussolini who partakes in witch-burning and genociding non-humans? So what reason did the writers have to chose HIM of all people to romance with Jaskier? Did they see a little boy and think “Jaskier needs to fuck him”, or did they see a racist fascist asshole and think “Jaskier needs to fuck him”, cause it’s one of the two. Those are the only two options, cause as doubtful as I am of the talent of the Witcher writers/showrunners, I don’t think they just picked Radovid’s name out of a hat (it’s possible, but doubtful). That being said, the smooth-brained mooncalves on the writing team don’t really have the best track record (Eskel and almost everything with Kaer Morhen in general, Yenn trying to sacrifice Ciri to a demon-thing, etc) so why should we assume they’re not also going to do something awful here? Maybe people don’t like it cause we don’t like the prospect of a gay romance somehow being retconned as the cause of Radovid’s villainy? There are lots of reasons. Mostly the Medieval Mussolini stuff, tho.

[eskelwolfed]

I wanted to keep quiet about this since I have a paragraph on smut in my rules, but I guess I have to be very direct about it once more.

I love smut. I love writing it, I love reading it, I love it when a story is 90% smut and 10% plot. I'm so super comfortable with smut happening, that's why I have a multimuse that's smut centric and I literally have a succubus OC. You can't play a succubus if you're uncomfortable with smut.

BUT ladies and gentlemen and fellow enbies,

that doesn't mean we have to write it if we're active partners. You want a story driven plot? Gimme. You like to fade to black? Alright! You need some time to open up and be comfy with smut? VALID. You're ace, sex repulsed, hyposexual or WHATEVER and you just don't want to write smut? VALID AS HELL GUYS.

Just don't -- don't shame me for being a lover of filth. Don't act like you're holy, because smut is a rare thing for you. Don't put yourself on a pedestal and preach how you need a "connection" or "chemistry" to ship or write smut.

BECAUSE guess what. I'm the same. Sometimes I don't feel the smut. Sometimes just throw your muse at mine and they be fucking in reply no.3. It doesn't matter really! As long as we vibe and respect another! I can write 90% plot and feelings and 10% smut OR LEAVE IT OUT COMPLETELY. I'M A SKILLED WRITER Y'ALL. I'm doing the tango since I'm 14 years old!

We all roleplay for the fun of it, or as an escapism or exploring something you wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole in your own personal sexual expression. ALL OF THIS IS VALID. It doesn't matter why you RP, but it matters how you treat your partners, especially when you have different opinions about smut.

I'm allosexual and queer and yes, for fuck's sake, I'm sex positive and I'm ship positive and some of my muses are hella promiscuous. If you demand respect for your choices, you'll have to learn respect other people's choices, too. It's that simple.

Also btw, since the old reblogs confused some of you:

Eskel is not gay. Eskel is not Geralt shipping only. Eskel is not hypersexual.

He was planned that way, because ep. 2.02 broke me, guys. I wanted him to have a happy ending obviously. When I started writing him I did not have in mind to make him my primary muse. But I got so entangled with him, I love him so much, he just became what he is now.

Eskel is pan- and demisexual, I ship him with boys and girls and enbies, I ship him with human characters, with elves, werewolves, demons... but even the amount of sex he has -- you have to keep in mind that all of the threads are technically starting off a 'clean slate'. Means, when he meets a girl and he hasn't felt for a girl in AGES, he'll be surprised, because he is mainly still a little more attracted to men - every thread will handle the connection he has as unique. He has like half a dozen verses, but in every thread it basically starts off in a different timeline.

I still ship him with Geralt, but man, all the amazing OCs of my partners? *chef's kiss* and even though they never met canonically (in the show), right now I'm much more enamoured by Jaskier/Eskel. I love the potential angsty ship Lambert/Eskel.

In my opinion, he indeed shifted from being very hyposexual on the spectrum to the middle.

I started playing him as a massive submissive bottom, and that's still his usual preference with male partners, but he can also take the lead.

Overall, characters aren't written in stone. The longer you write a canon character, the more he becomes "original" as you drop stuff you don't like about the canon portrayal, etc. And we all agree that Witchers are horndogs, right? They're canonical horndogs. ALL OF THEM.

AND ANOTHER THING just because I'm a massive smut slut I'm not less of a skilled writer of what happens inside a character (and I'm not talking about the penetration here). Angsty-Shippy threads can have a much more in depth character building and analysis than a monster killing thread.

This is the very last time I'll speak about this. I'll add a statement to my rules and everyone who follows me and comes complaining about Eskel or any of my other muses being "sex crazed" will just get a block. I'm tired of being shamed for enjoying smut.

[paper--moons]

i absolutely adore everything you create! thank u so much for sharing your writing 😸💖

do u still write for the witcher? if so, perhaps i could request some little geralt hcs? maybe with cg eskel, or all of the wolves taking care of him! thank u so much 🫶

Oh, thank you so much for your kind words, dear anon! And for reading, of course! <3

I do indeed still write for The Witcher! It just isn't one that I receive a whole lot of requests for (I think I've only ever gotten the one other request?), so this was a nice treat to see pop in my inbox! Perhaps I'll post some minis for this fandom based on some private fic I have in my WIP folder?

Anyhow, I can absolutely get you some regressor!Geralt headcanons! I have a lot of thoughts about him and what I think regression would be like in this setting, so I tried to get some of my favorite concepts out to you. Originally this was intended to be a sort of exploration on Geralt perhaps regressing due to something that happens while out on a hunt, but I rather enjoy the idea that regression is a common phenomenon amongst witchers, so I went more with that angle instead. Common enough that he isn't lost or confused by what those initial small feelings might mean, and also common enough that it's something other witchers would pick up on or know to look for. While I enjoy toying with more fantastical origins of regression in such settings, I also find the idea that it's just something inherent in a group that often gets demonized by the common folk to be interesting—to have someone that is painted as being a heartless monster turn out to not only be capable of a childlike innocence but also prone to such a state is very fun thematically (for me at least).

Also also Eskel is one of my favorites so it was so much fun to include him! He's part of Geralt's little family, you know? It only makes sense to include him imo—and if you hadn't of asked for him specifically but just for Geralt, there would have been a high likelihood that he would still have appeared in these haha. (And like always, it is important to note that I play with a blend of book canon and game canon along with a sprinkle of my own shenanigans, so please keep that in mind! Timeline is a little wishy-washy as well due to things like the inclusion of the goat, but I just think baby Geralt would adore the goat so Lil' Bleater is eternal.)

But yeah, the headcanons can be read over here. Thanks so much for sending in your request! 🌙

[slumberingcorpse]

The Wolf and The Fox

Part 3.5 “Midnight Memories”

Summary: Tangled in his pups’ arms, Vesemir stays up to think about the path taken and the paths awaiting him.

The wind howls through the keep’s halls. Usually, Vesemir would have to cover himself up with three layers of fur to withstand the winter’s winds but tonight he was as warm as ever. He was exhausted and yet he couldn’t get a wink of sleep.

On his right, Eskel peacefully slept tightly hugging his arm as drool rolled down his chin. On his left, was Geralt, curled up against his side clinging onto his shirt with an iron grip.

Yep, there was no escape. Not that Vesemir would ever want to leave. He couldn’t remember the last time he held the boys like this. However, he did wish the two boys didn’t reek of alcohol. He was feeling dizzy just lying there.

His ears quickly perked up hearing Geralt whimper and start to fuss. Immediately, Vesemir wrapped his arm around him and pulled him closer to his chest. Luckily, it helped Geralt relax and loosen his grip on his shirt.

Becoming a witcher, Vesemir was constantly reminded about his inability to have children, and yet here he was with three boys.

Vesemir smiles at the memory of Geralt calling him “Papa”. It filled his heart with pride. It was the first time any of the boys called him that. Never in his life did he ever imagine being called by that name. However, his smile quickly fades remembering his words before...

“Please, don’t leave us...”

Vesemir knew about Geralt’s nightmares. At times, he would wake up screaming or sobbing. Of course, Vesemir would try to comfort him but was always pushed away. It's only now did he understand what his memories were about.

He remembers the day he met Geralt. He was right where his mother said he would be, sitting against a tree clutching a bundle of dandelions. At the time, his hair was brown and curly, his eyes were a soft amber, and he was silent.

He remembers sitting next to him and commenting on how pretty the flowers were but the boy blankly stared at the ground only answering with a nod. It was like that the whole trip to Kaer Morhen, no matter how much he tried to talk or cheer him up there was no reaction. It wasn’t until Geralt met Eskel did he start to speak.

Being abandoned in the woods with no explanation only to be taken away from a stranger must’ve been terrifying for a child and yet Vesemir has only realized that now. Does Geralt think he’ll be abandoned again?

Vesemir frowns before turning to Eskel. He has always had a big heart. With every challenge or test, he would exile. Eskel was one if not, the best pupil trained within these walls but like Geralt, he hides his emotions. He hides them underneath a smile but Vesemir knows.

He notices how far Eskel is willing to reach perfection. To him, failure is not an opinion which leads him to be reckless.

Last winter, the boys were learning simple witcher signs. As always, Eskel perfected most of the signs with ease except for aard. No matter how many times he’s tried, he couldn’t get the sign quite right. After a few hours, Vesmir dismissed the boys and went to clean his swords only to be urgently interrupted by a panicked Geralt.

Following him back to the courtyard, Vesemir’s eyes widen seeing Eskel collapsed in the snow with his ears and eyes bleeding. If it wasn’t for his mutations and the vial of Swallow, Eskel would’ve been dead.

It was stupid and dangerous to try to train unsupervised and Vesemir told the boy as such in a furious passionate scolding but he couldn’t help but feel guilty. Especially when all Eskel kept repeating was “I’m sorry...”

At the moment, he thought he was apologizing for what happened but now he wonders if he was sorry for not being perfect.

Vesemir sighs and looks up at the ceiling. Being a father is hard. Even harder than being a witcher at least he knew how to fend off those demons, the boys’ internal demons though, not so much. And now there was another pup that needs his attention.

With that realization in mind.

Vesemir smiled.

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Tags: @wrongdodo