#letho imagine

[snorunt-official]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! (ू•‧̫•ू⑅)♡

thinking. these might be a bit bare minimum but 1 - i'm alive 2 - i'm recovering 3 - my friends are the coolest people ever 4 - there are so many tasty beverages out there to drink still 5 - i can imagine almost anything in my brain and make it because its huge ❤❤❤

[inexplicifics]

I've gotta wonder if Witchers are even familiar with the concept of shovel talks.

Relationships amongst each other are a comfort and a luxury, and up until very recently, relationships beyond just sex amongst OTHERS were so rare they were basically non-existent, and even MORE rarely were they successful, if only for the fear of safety.

Roland, young as he is, might be a bit more familiar with the concept, but he's still being raised by those who know it abstractly at best.

The staff would be more familiar with it, so all I can imagine is Roland helping carry laundry or something and just:

Laundress: "So did Jan give you the shovel talk, or did Letho?"

Roland: "...The what? I, uh. I think Coen showed me how to use a shovel when I was real little, actually?"

Honestly, I think you're onto something here. Witchers wouldn't have had the context to come up with shovel talks up until very recently, and their approach to intimacy is a little different to anyone else's.

Poor confused Roland!

[stillness138]

can i ask for two characters: gezras of leyda and thaler? if not you can choose one of them xD

oooh nice, thanks! gonna do both

and cut it because it's gonna get long :D

Thaler

first impression:

i think i first saw him in gwent actually, and that was when 'silver spies' were still a thing. he was a pretty good card back then. only learned about his character once i watched a witcher 3 playthrough on youtube though. i don't recall it that well, but if i thought anything particular, it was probably "i hope he'll wash his hands at some point soon" because he's literally peeing at the start of the cutscene.

impression now:

he's cool! questionable hygiene aside, i love characters that have like, a thing? as in, a simple but fun premise or at least a surface reading. he's a spy, but very dedicated to the shoemaker cover, and that's how he manages to get by in an occupied land. i like that there's a little throughline with him about appearances often being deceiving. the shoes are one thing, but even further, he seems like a crude, self-serving bum, yet his loyality to Temeria is something so integral it's not even a question. This country really lucked out on devoted spies. Foltest was just that charismatic.

favorite thing about him:

willingness to do anything, no matter how uncomfortable, for the country. i think i like it because it's different from Roche's brand of servitude. again, cdpr is pretty good at writing ocs.

thinking about it now, he reminds me of a few guys i know. rural Temeria is, from an outside view, a cold, wet, kinda bleak bumfuck middle of nowhere, yet Thaler has this air of loving the physical country for what it is - he even mentions that he prefers the travelling more than a different cover like being an innkeep. like it doesn't bother him that it's cold, it seems he finds comfort in it in his own way. i find that kinda sweet.

least favorite thing:

seriously mate wash your hands 😭

i'd also rather cdpr didn't make him a vessel for racist jokes in the first game. (i swear i was looking for the exact clip where he talks about Azar and couldn't find it, i need to play the first game properly...)

favorite line/scene:

[how are you doing?] "A bit like a potato beetle. I keep quiet, stay outta trouble, and live on fucking potatoes."

i saw only a few scenes from witcher 1 and they were dubbed in czech, which adds to the hilarity of it to me, but his voice actor probably had a field day with it. "Nedělej si ze mě kurva srandu, seš zasranej amatér." [Geralt: will you play poker with me? Thaler: Don't fucking bullshit me, you're a goddamn amateur.]

favorite interaction he has with another character:

befriending and handling the three trolls. game Lambert has something to learn from him in that regard.

a character that I wish he would interact with more (or at all):

imagine if he appeared in the second game in any capacity, that would've been fun. in wild hunt, it's the same as with Roche: i wish the entire politics plotline was better. if i had to pick one character, it'd be Letho. there would be a lot of profanities but i actually believe Thaler would have more to say than even Roche at Kaer Morhen.

another character from another fandom that reminds me of him:

again i only know 5 things, and the only method acting spy in elder scrolls is Caius Cosades from Morrowind, whose similarities to Thaler pretty much end at taking a cover story too seriously.

as a side note though, i went to tv tropes to look at character lists in case i forgot about someone i actually do know, and in "sir swears-a-lot" subpage for videogame characters i found Thaler twice; gwent has its own separate mention. legends only.

a headcanon about him:

if Roche likes architecture, i think Thaler really enjoys music. maybe he even plays the lute. i'm also really curious about his youth and how he ended up a spy, but i do think it's quite different than Roche's background. i imagine he had a lot of friends as a kid and a comparably normal home life, but always showed talent for remembering what people say and for getting them to say even more.

a song that reminds me of him:

it's more vibes based than anything, but this czech song, most known from a movie. zmrzlinář means ice cream seller. it's all kinda... reminiscing, nostalgia and trying to find something nice or poetic in ordinary things (and in the case of the movie, in a shitty political regime). short movie version isn't on youtube, so i gotta upload it here.

an unpopular opinion about him:

this is less about the text and more meta, but i genuinely think he has a load of potential for exploring loyality, northern politics, motivation, and tropes or trope subversion (like the appearance thing i mentioned), but people sleep on him because Roche is right there. that's not to say dissecting Roche doesn't have merit - like i said, they're similar, but each has a different approach to what they do and what they believe.

favorite picture:

probably the gwent card. it says what it needs to and is surprisingly fun or even whimsical for a character most known for swearing on every third word. i think that's a neat choice though.

Gezras

first impression:

the cat school is, beside manticore, my favourite, so when the witcher expansion dropped i was curious who the leader will be next to Erland or Ivar. i wasn't disappointed. pretty sure i thought he's cute.

impression now:

*gently holds*

where Erland continued performing the trials to create a knightly order, Gezras and the growing cat school did it to protect themselves. it's the witcher dissected towards its core; a cycle of abuse maintained as something deemed necessary despite its harmfulness, out of desperation, out of a sense of belonging, out of losing touch with what's enough and what's too much.

and all that in pursuit of autonomy. Gezras; sold, experimented on, discarded, hunted. the fact the formula used on him was meant to suppress emotion yet ended up doing the opposite is a testament to that - this is about being treated as human. the trials are literally reclaimed, to strengthen other abandoned and thrown-out stray kids. to enact revenge. it's no wonder then that they'd seek refuge with the elves. the cat school was the one that took systemic oppression the most personally.

favorite thing about him:

that he's a unique exploration of the things i just mentioned. i find this very compelling and him relatable on that level, as an abuse survivor myself.

also his gwent card art and the bags under his eyes. that's relatable too.

least favorite thing:

it's meta again because i'm near incapable of judging the character without judging the writer: the little bit there is in gwent leans too much towards the edgy. he does have one voiceline about elven sages which i find especially interesting, but given that his trial ended up enhancing all emotions, if you want to show that somehow, give me rapid mood swings or something like that. gimme nuance!

this is me wanting every minor character to have dimensions.

favorite line/scene:

his flavor text; "Take a contract from Aen Seidhe over a dh'oine any day, as you’re far less likely to receive a knife between the ribs in place of coin."

favorite interaction he has with another character:

i think he actually has no lines or scenes with any named characters apart from the expansion key art where all the founders are together, because unlike the other three, he wasn't in the tabletop rpg books. i do however like his card's interaction with the bronze that happens to have my most favourite card art. there's awesome fanart about it too!

a character that I wish he would interact with more (or at all):

any named elf of his era, naturally, and especially the sages, but i am actually curious how he'd react to all of the other founders. Erland, i think i can imagine, but given both Arnaghad and Ivar ended up opposing Erland, that'd be more interesting. and even Iwan, the founder of manticore school as per the trpg, maybe he'd be the one Gezras would find most common ground with actually. If only for leaving the other three to their squabbles and seeking work and protection in a more equal society.

another character from another fandom that reminds me of him:

this is weird and i'm going to bring it up again, but Gezras reminds me of Allinall's work. weird because these are takes or adaptations of other media - particularly elder scrolls and berserk - but he specifically brings forth similar themes; conflicts of humans and elves, othering and otherness, cyclical abuse, coping mechanisms. the concrete characters i'm thinking of are Allinall's oc from the elder scrolls project and Rosine (and by extension the in-world fairytale character Peekaf) from the berserk project.

the nameless oc, mostly referred to as "One-Ear", had mixed parents, their human father cut their ear off in an attempt to hide their identity, even though their yellow sclera is undeniably elven. they join (or rather, their vulnerable state of trauma is exploited and they're indoctrinated by) a regime that aims to end material existence. Rosine is also a domestic abuse survivor, a village girl who comes across a promise of power in the form of an evil artifact that turns her into a moth-like elf monster. she starts devolving into bloodthirst and allows for horrible stuff to happen in order to maintain a fantasy of comfort and freedom.

a headcanon about him:

i didn't come up with it, but i love the idea that him and the saber-tooth tiger were buddies.

i think it's safe to assume that he's not actually from Leyda. if he was mutated at Stygga, he more likely was a local kid from Ebbing. I do also think he stayed in Dol Blathanna at some point when the school was wandering around, though.

and maybe that's too shallow, but i like to imagine he did genuinely enjoy being in nature. and if he ever conducted any trials by his own, he might've been notably good at herbology.

a song that reminds me of him:

'To Die' by Allinall (relating to One-Ear), and Peekaf Song (to Rosine).

as for more personal picks, my forever favourite, Nihilist Blues by Bring Me The Horizon (and Grimes); "do you mind if i'm exhumed?"

and Unraveled by Lorn, which is kinda ambient, but i like the harsher noises and associate it with my own search-for-identity oc.

an unpopular opinion about him:

Gezras is more interesting to me personally because of that focus on abuse, autonomy and revenge, and he's already a bit on the side because Erland and Arnaghad's conflict is at the forefront when this era of witchers comes up, but i think Ivar Evil-Eye needs even more love. despite being in the trpg, no one talks about him (he has that in common with Thaler i guess) and that's a disservice to the viper school as a whole, i think it's just as fascinating and has just as much unique and profound stuff to say as the cat school's story.

favorite picture:

his gwent card is in my top 20, but i especially like his reward tree portrait; it's the most detailed likeness we have. the mega tired eyes just draw me in.

[jaskiersvalley]

This is GENUINE SERIOUS BUSINESS ANON HATE so you better take it seriously you Letho cosplayer bot you! You're just a moist sock and deserve all this hate for being way too funny and smart!!

Ooooh! Some 'serious' anon hate going on here XD This has been sat in my inbox for far too long because I was having too much fun laughing at everyone else's 'hate' and their responses then promptly forgot I hadn't replied. But long enough has passed now that I look foolish now rather than just super late to the party. I can live with that. And, as always, an ask gets a ficlet in reply. But an ask like this? It gets "rewarded" with dubious morals, questionable medical knowledge and some bittersweetness.

Choose a Different Path

Whatever it was that Tissaia had done to Cahir, it had left some permanent marks. At first it hadn't been obvious, the fainting spells and funny turns chalked up to being on the run, to sleepless nights, to not having enough to eat, to having lived through horrors beyond most people's imagination. It wasn't until Geralt took his ragtag group to Kaer Morhen that it became apparent more was at play than trauma and lack of physical care.

At first they thought things were getting better. The instances where Cahir's movements slowed to sluggish and clumsy before sinking to the ground unresponsive were fewer. He hadn't passed out at all in Kaer Morhen, even seemed to be able to smile again.

Eskel had a lot to do with the smiles. For reasons he wasn't going to question, Cahir had taken quite the shine to him. And Eskel was never going to reject affection, not even when Geralt glared at him while Cahir was slumped against his shoulder and softly snoring away. In a way Eskel found Geralt's near enough fatherly attitude endearing. He'd seen the way Cahir and Ciri bickered, teased and generally terrorised each other. But while Ciri was more like a niece, childish in her youth, Cahir had lost that attitude years ago. Not to mention that Cahir was the one who initiated the start of whatever it was between them.

Of course it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Eskel had more than once watched as Cahir, for seemingly no reason, stumbled or slumped over, eyes glazed and unresponsive to touch. Each time he came back, he was upset, confused and sometimes defensive to the point of lashing out. Yet after a while he began reaching for Eskel for comfort, mumbled "what's happened" and "where am I" were tearfully asked into Eskel's chest. It was rare for Cahir to remember what had happened in the run up to such an episode, mind completely blank, not even the odd whisper of memory to help clue them in to the cause.

As quickly as they had fallen in love, found solace and comfort in each other, things were just as quick to falter. Cracks were appearing, Cahir was much more inclined to stay by the fire while Eske itched to be out of the keep. They clashed over whether the cold made old injuries hurt more, just because Eskel had more scars didn't mean his opinion on winters not actually making things worse had more weight to it than Cahir's experiences. Meanwhile, Eskel grew fearful of losing Cahir who was only a fragile human after all. They were doomed from the moment they met, Eskel had come to realise. If he didn't die first on the Path, Cahir was sure to succumb to old age eventually.

Arguments became more frequent and, with that, Cahir's dizzy spells increased too. It didn't take a genius to work out that stress was what set him off yet Eskel was powerless to protect him from it. Especially as he seemed to be the source of so much of it. He loved Cahir, he really did, but he didn't know what more he could do to prove it.

In the end he didn't have to. They were in their shared room but Cahir was pacing, throwing his belongings into a pile on the bed, not that there was much in the way of that.

"I can't do this," he seethed. "I'm not some child to coddle, not some pet to pamper. I love you but you're suffocating!"

Conflict had never been Eskel's strength. His bulk and general appearance meant that he looked imposing enough that few people picked fights with him and the few that did usually used their fists instead of words. Most considered him too much of a brute to be a worthy opponent in verbal sparring.

"But you're so young. And fragile!"

Whirling around, Cahir looked downright murderous. "Looks, as you well know, can be deceiving. I don't make decisions for you. And you don't make them for me."

"I don't though."

"You do!" Cahir yelled in frustration. "No training because it is cold. Should have a bit more food because I look like I needed it even though I said I was full. You put more wood on the fire because it was colder than what humans tend to like. And that was all just this morning!"

"I did it all for you!" Voice raising, Eskel ran a hand through his hair, ready to tear it out. "I love you and I want the best for you."

Suddenly Cahir deflated as he looked at Eskel with sad eyes. "Do you though? Or do you love and want the best for what you want me to be?"

"You! It's always been for you and your needs." Tone shifting, Eskel felt the argument slide into something beyond annoyance.

Sadness tinged the air as Cahir shook his head. "I can't do this. Sorry." Before Eskel could ask what he meant, Cahir held a hand up to silence him. "I'll move my things into a separate room. This is your home, don't feel you have to skulk around and avoid me. I won't make life difficult, I promise."

"This is it?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry I couldn't be what you wanted."

Just like that, Cahir walked out of the room. Eskel watched his back, rigid like that of a soldier going into battle. Except there was no battle, Cahir wasn't a soldier anymore. Lost and at a loss for what to do, Eskel followed a minute later. He couldn't be there when Cahir moved all his things, left Eskel's room how it had been before the winter.

Noises from the Great Hall drew him in. Desperate for a distraction, Eskel shuffled in, shoulders hunched. Lambert was kneeling on the ground, yelling at Geralt to get something soft while Ciri stared wide eyed. Cradled in Lambert's hands was Cahir's head, his body rigid as another of his spells wracked through him. It was worse than they had seen before but Geralt didn't seem overly worried. He trotted back with a folded throw.

"He hasn't had one like this in a while," he commented idly.

Uncertain whether he was allowed next to Cahir, Eskel kept his distance. He watched as Cahir was rolled onto his side as his muscles relaxed. Eyes which had been rolling slowly blinked and tried to focus, only tears were quick to blur his vision as Cahir came to. It broke Eskel's heart.

"Esk?" Cahir's voice was a wobbly croak as he blindly reached out.

Resolve to keep his distance breaking, Eskel sank to his knees next to Cahir and cradled him against his chest. After everything, Cahir still called for him.

The usual, teary question of "what happened?" was met with broad strokes across Cahir's back and the reassuring rumble of "you took a funny turn. You're okay now." Eskel couldn't help himself. "What do you remember?"

A head shake and a sad whine was the first response. "I don't- I don't know. We went to bed. But we're not there now. Where am I?"

Distressed sobs were buried into Eskel's soft shirt. His mind was spinning. Cahir didn't remember that morning. Didn't remember the final couple of straws that broke their relationship. Didn't remember breaking up with Eskel. If Eskel was a better man, he would have been honest. But he was only human, he saw a second chance at happiness. And this time he could probably get it right. As long as Cahir never found out, never remembered that morning.

"You're safe in Kaer Morhen. Vesemir is bringing you a warm, watered down cider. While you drink that I'll go make sure our bed is setup, okay?"

Slowly, Cahir untangled himself from Eskel's shirt. Wiping at his eyes, he nodded and accepted the drink Vesemir was holding out for him. Standing, Eskel didn't run but he hurried back to his room. Their room. Swiping everything off the bed, he made it look like they were in the middle of having a tidy, adding his own clothe to the pile with Cahir's. Bed ready, he raced back to the Great Hall where Cahir was bundled in the throw, empty tankard on the ground next to him.

"Come on, I'll get you back to bed, okay? Then we'll see how you're doing after a nap, yeah?"

Meekly, Cahir nodded and allowed himself to be picked up, feeling so much like a weak kitten in Eskel's arms.

"Thank you," hu murmured, eyes closed.

"No," Eskel replied. "Thank you."

[sideshow-cellophane-blog]

Honestly leveling up to 30+, getting Tharael and playing the Rhalata quest line sets you up to kiiiiinda be prepared for the main story's similar themes. Nessa left Tealor Arantheal waiting for her answer for literal months so she could at least start a life in Enderal first. She gets through the Golden Sickle, does bounty missions, explores Riverville and the Sun Coast before finally drinking enough to take on the Monster in the Arena.

And then everything you experience during the Rhalata quest with the Father mirrors the main story. Pride, hatred, obsession, unethical experimentation (not the Order itself, but Calia's father), body switching, dealing with the cruelty of the world and madness, finding that ONE person who understands you and dealing with them being taken away by the world (mirroring what happened to Yero and his wife, the Aged Man, Letho, Sirius, etc).

The trial during "Part of Something Momentous Part II" is a piece of cake for Nessa, who already knows of psionic illusions and the mind games that evil magic can play. Not much in Enderal tops what nightmares happened in the Rhalata's excavation site. Her and Tharael share that trauma and they have definitely talked through nightmares and ideas and psionics, they are probably more informed than the Order is since psionics and The Butcher of Ark are banned. A lot of Keepers and Novitiates seem ignorant of a lot of Enderal's darker secrets.

Aixon feels like someone the prophet once knew, rather than a total figment of your imagination. He represents the fear that holds you from escaping. You can pick up that skull at the end, "Regret," and instead of picking up the human heart or empty wine bottle at the altar you leave Regret on the stone that frees you. You leave Regret behind and it frees you. Nailaq left behind Qalian, Tharael left behind Brother Wrath. You kill Aixon, who represents fear and anxiety, and it frees you from the trial (I personally tried to kill him every time he opened his annoying mouth).

Then the High Ones meet the prophetess, and because you're level 30+ it's a sobering experience...for them. They may have brought the prophet back into this world, but like The Father and Tharael, you are fucked up because of it and stronger than you were. If Tharael can continue on, so can you.

Honestly having gone through the Rhalata quest and have Tharael by your side after is my favorite way to play. It adds a feeling of readiness instead of hopelessness at being called pathetic over and over again by the High Ones, who need to read a thesaurus and get more colorful words.

Nessa gives them the middle finger. How about you guys?

[limerental]

I know it's not that because I did goof loading in my save the first time and had to redo a bunch and scrounge for my actual final save file which was stupidly buried in a huge list for some reason. These games are so functional.

game bugged and I can't recruit letho even though I spared him in my imported tw2 save >:(( evil game. Evil evil game won't even let me see a big ole guy on my computer screen again

[roughentumble]

idea for a witcher/homestuck AU. ciri goes to fight the white frost and seemingly defeats it, but something isnt right about it, and for some reason at the center of it all she finds some sort of game with complex instructions right there. she kind of tells herself that it was leftover from some other traveler, who came to the center of all that is to destroy entropy and found themselves lacking, leaving behind only scraps of who they were. but it seems so pristine... could it really be that...? whatever it is, she feels oddly compelled to play it. perhaps as homage to a soul that was lost clutching a game and thinking of joyful times with their family.

(there is no stopping the white frost. entropy cannot be fought back. but how is she to know? when avallac'h told her otherwise? is it so wrong to dare to hope?)

the game is called something silly, like hmlet(like sburb but instead its. hamlet.)

everyone is already gathered, so when they all slink off to nurse their bruises, when theyre all still together, she brings out the game. eskel thinks its a bit grim. lambert thinks its grim, so he's completely behind it. they shuffle through the confusing rules as the first icy, frozen meteor falls far, far away, on the other side of a world that's yet to be fully circumnavigated.

my preliminary cast list idea looks something like:

1. yen (witch of time) (derse)

2. ciri (mage of space) (derse)

3. jaskier (rogue of breath) (prospit)

4. geralt (knight of blood) (prospit)

5. eskel

6. lambert

7. regis (?)

8. avallac'h

9. cerys (?)

10. letho (?)

11. triss

12. zoltan (?)

with question marks denoting placements that are the most up in the air, though i'd REALLY like to keep letho and zoltan on board. im never going to write this but i am going to have fun turning it over in my head and imagining these 12 as fun gods of a new world.

[sageclover61]

Whispered Words to Listen To

Written with myself and @hyrulehearts1123​

@cake-shop-rarepair-bingo​​

Prompts: Reading Aloud

Fandom: The Witcher

Chapters: 1

Rating: G

Warnings: No Additional Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Letho/Gaetan

Additional Tags: Domestic fluff, fluff, pregnancy

Summary: After a long day, Letho was glad to spend a little bit of time reading to his small family, even if he was the only one who was able to hear his whispered words.

It had been a long day for both of them. Gaetan hadn't been sleeping well for a while, and Letho was tired in sympathy. But he wasn't about to let his partner suffer alone if he could help it. Letho opened the book he'd liberated from its previous owner in the last town to the first page.

Gaetan had only just drifted off, but he’d mentioned before that he found Letho's voice soothing. If he was quiet enough, maybe it would be enough to help him rest better.

"'And in a hole there lived a creature...'" Letho read quietly, even as he listened to the slow steady heart beat of his lover, and the faster, quieter echo underneath it.

It was a miracle, being able to hear that soft noise following his lover's every step, proving that he'd gotten what he'd always dreamed of having. And while Letho had never seen himself as being a father before, he couldn’t imagine any other life for himself, now.

He shifted, twisting so his head was resting against Gaetan's stomach as he continued reading quietly.

He didn't know if the child hidden behind the barely-there swell could hear him or not, but he’d overheard a midwife discussing the importance of speaking to infants, so they would know the voices of their parents, and he was more than willing to read to them.

He wanted them to know, from the beginning, that he was going to be there for them. This would not be like all the young witcher trainees abandoned by their parents to the fates humans believed to be worse than death.

They would be loved, and cared for, no matter what path their life followed.

"Letho?" a sleepy voice above him asked. "What're you doing?"

"Reading," he answered, smiling softly as he gently rubbed slow circles over Gaetan's belly. "I thought they might like a story."

"I think they might," Gaetan decided after a moment. "I think I'd like one too."

Smiling, he turned the pages of the book back to the beginning. "'And in a hole there lived a creature...'"

[catscraftsandcommentary]

Okay, I want this AU now. Animal shifter witchers who shift into their school's mascot at specific times (or NEED to shift to restore energy, or something, Idk, work out the rules later.)

All the shenanigans that come up by having LITERAL ANIMALS grouped together for the winter or for training. (Trainees learning to control their shift!)

Imagine cats who curl up in big piles for warmth, but then That One Guy gets too close to someone who can't stand them, and gets the shit slapped out of him and the whole pile takes off in ten directions.

Human witchers chilling with their shifted friends! Geralt or Eskel lying on top of each other, with one shifted and one not.

Vesemir sighing over his pups - his LITERAL pups - and the silly things they get into.

Young Witcher Eskel carrying around teen wolf Lambert tucked in the crook of his arm while Lambert (pretends to) be mad about it.

Giant fuck off viper Letho curling around little Gaetan and just fucking DARING anyone to say something about it.

A horde of puppies running to training, each with a silver sword in their mouth.

So many cute things!

Werewolf: *transforming* You have to go, now! I don’t want you to see me like this…

Human s/o: Don’t push me away! I’m not afraid of you!!

Werewolf: No no I’m just really dumb as a wolf and I don’t want you to see me bark at a mirror for two hours 

[inexplicifics]

If Kiyan is 5'6" how tall (or short) is Gaetan? Because I've been imagining him as this SUUUUPER short guy I knew in high school, who was short even to short ladies (I'm 5'2") but was wiry, smart, and had NO respect for authority...unless they earned it. One of my clearest memories of him is him sitting in class, messing with a rubik's cube, which if you subbed a throwing knife, would absolutely be Cat behavior.

Gaetan is, in fact, probably about 5'2" and wiry. He does not get flung, thank you very much. He flings himself.

(Often at Letho.)

[dragonslayer-5fanfiction]

The Vipers Venom Chapter 3

“Here.” He reached out waiting for the rag. I groaned, doubling over and handing it to him. He pushed my legs open and I felt warmth spread from where he touched. He leaned down dipping the cloth in the water. “I told you to leave it alone. I’m afraid you’ve ruined your relationships.” He began wiping at my face.

“Ouch.” I hissed.

“Sorry.”

“They aren’t ruined, you know? My relationships.” He said nothing, instead tilting my head up. We made eye contact, but neither of us dare break it. I reached up and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He said quietly. “How does your nose feel?”

“Hurt. Throbbing. How do you feel?”

“Fine.”

“Mmm. Sure, you look like it.” I said unconvinced, pushing him away from me. We stood chest to chest and I turned 180 and pushed him to sit on the edge of the tub. “Let me help you.”

“I’m fine.” He insisted.

“Yeah that busted lip and cut by your eye says so. You may be a witcher, but you can still get hurt.” I dipped the rag in the water and came to stand in between his legs. I cleaned the blood from his eye. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“You got this because I distracted you.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“I still feel bad. I don’t think it’ll scar though so that’s good.” He opened his mouth to say something, but I stopped him. “Nope, you can't talk anymore. I’ve got to work on your lip.” I began to dap and wipe, he winced a little. I just bit my lip but said nothing. I moved closer to him and he rested his hands on my hips. I was distracted by my thoughts and pushed a little too hard.

“Ouch.” he was rather apathetic, gripping my hips a little tighter.

“Sorry.” I whispered. We continued to move closer, like gravity was drawing us in.

“There. Your face is done.” I stepped back and rested my hands on his shoulders. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No.”

“Good, because then Lambert would get an earful.” I let a soft chuckle escape. “Letho…” I muttered as he leaned closer.

“Hmm” He hummed, stopping a couple of inches from my face. “Is this okay?” He asked.

“Yes.” I whispered. He smiled and finished leaning down pressing a fervent kiss to my lips. We stood there for who knows how long, before we pulled away. “I should go.” Letho muttered abruptly standing and walking away.

“Letho!” I called after him. “What the fuck?” I mumbled to myself. I sighed and stomped off to my room.

The following day at lunch we were eating together, when Letho came in. I slid down, hoping he would sit next to me, but he chose to sit at the opposite end of the table. I tried not to let my face fall, but it hurt. Later when I went out to the stables, he was there taking care of his horse. I gave him a smile, but he pushed past me like I wasn’t even there. After dinner, where he chose to avoid me, I decided to go talk to him. I found him in the library, and stood between him and the exit. I was determined not to let him get away this time.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“Yes.” It was short and he refused to look at me.

“Are you avoiding me?” I decided to be upfront about this.

“Yes.” I gawked, not ready for his reply.

“Why?”

“Does there have to be a reason?” He finally looked at me, but it was with something in his eyes I haven’t seen before.

“Yes. There is. What happened?”

“You happened. You interfered and made things worse.”

“I made things worse?!” I was surprised. I didn’t think I did.

“Yes you did. I told you not to interfere, and yet you did.”

“Letho, this isn’t you. What’s really going on?” I was pleading now, desperate to see the man I saw last night.

“You don’t even know me. What gives you the right to say that?”

“I-I didn’t think-” He cut me off.

“That’s right you didn’t think. I want nothing to do with you.” He was trying to push past me now. Before he could I wrapped my hand around his forearm, stopping him in his tracks.

“I’m sorry it wasn’t my intention to make things worse. I won’t bother you anymore.” I gave his arm one final squeeze and let him leave. I stood there not sure what to do anymore.

A couple of days passed with Letho continuing to avoid me. I chose to ignore it and pretend that it had never happened. That way it was easier for me. Not as painful. I was sulking in the library when Vesemir, Lambert and Eskel came in.

“Dove? Is everything okay? I haven’t seen you in a few days.” Ves asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Now I know that’s a lie. What’s going on?” Lambert pushed.

“Nothing that matters.”

“Dove…” It came out more like a warning from Ves.

“Fine. I’m upset. I don’t know how to feel or what’s going on.”

“What happened?” Eskel asked coming over to sit next to me.

“I have feelings for Letho.”

“I see. I had my suspicions, but I wasn’t sure.” Ves said knowingly.

“Thanks, that makes me feel better.”

“Sorry, so what’s so bad about that?” Eskel asked.

“He doesn’t care about me. He hates me. I made his life miserable and he wants nothing more to do with me. He doesn’t even want to see me.” I mumbled looking at my hands.

“I’m sure that’s not true.” Eskel said, rubbing my back.

“It is. He told me a few nights ago.”

“That fucker said that to your face?” Lambert all but yelled.

“Lambert, please.”

“Well did he?” He insisted..

“Yes.” I felt the tears spring to my eyes, at the memory.

“I’m going to kill him this time.” Lambert was raging, I could feel it radiating off of him.

“Dove…” Eskel trailed off at a loss for words.

“Please just leave me be.” I asked them, curling in on myself. They said nothing and left in silence. I stayed there for a little while longer before getting up and heading to my room.

[jaskier-cult]

Lmao you know how there are fics of the wolf witchers being cursed into literal wolves?? What if the viper witchers got turned into snakes.

Enter Jaskier.

Jaskier is the kid who loved every animal and insect regardless of how ugly it looked or how dangerous it was. He purposefully sought out lizards and snakes to play with as a child and absolutely adores them. He coos over snakes the way someone would find puppies cute.

So, Jaskier ends up finding Letho, who was cursed to be a snake. (I'm thinking Vipera berus, the common European adder).

At first Jaskier doesn't realize that Letho is cursed, he only recognizes the markings as that belonging to a common venomous snake he would find all the time on the grounds surrounding the manor. (Jaskier has non human blood and never suffered from the bites he sustained). The snake doesn't seem aggressive, so Jaskier easily scoops Letho up in his hands and coos over him.

Letho is instantly enraged.

Imagine a cute little snake hissing angrily, but his bite isn't doing anything and he is essentially harmless. Jaskier can't get over how cute he looks.

Eventually Jaskier figures out that the snake is a cursed witcher, and finds Letho's gear.

Jaskier can't figure out Letho's real name, so he calls the witcher "his little viper" based on the witcher amulet he found, which depicted a viper.

Don't tell Jaskier but Letho secretly likes the endearment.

Just imagine Jaskier fawning over this larger than average adder, and calling it "his baby boy" and "his little viper." Other humans are terrified of this monster of a snake - unusually big and with giant fangs.

During the colder months Jaskier tucks Letho around his neck and under his shirt to help keep him warm. Jaskier shows Letho unconditional love.

When they run into Geralt, the wolf witcher is not happy.

[oneheadedcerberus]

he's a huge bitch <3

[g-a-y-b-a-c-o-n]

Okay, but, Aiden in these:

[roughentumble]

extremely funny that kiera metz and letho of gulet are both going to be in kaer morhen

[proheromidoriyashouto]

imagine the influx of orders of soft warm shirts/tunics/dresses for the seamstresses

the sudden rush to appear approachable to the keep's children

the tentatively giddy orphan-trainees trying to subtly imply they would like to be hugged

the standoffish older trainees trying to sublty imply that they do not want to be hugged but will tolerate a hug if a Witcher who wants to hug decides to embrace them in a way that is most likely to get them more hugs without appearing vulnerable or talking about it "because they are not babies"

different kinds of hug brackets; best scoop-and-lift-slightly hugs, best bear-hugs, best warm hugs, best cradled-in-arms hugs, best group hugs, etc.

disabled Witcher specific brackets; best one-armed hugs, best side-hugs, best sitting hugs, best head-nuzzling hugs

the very old Witchers getting in on the action in a "Grandpapa" bracket

Treyse lowkey hoping Mouse will imply an interest in hugging him

he doesn't remember his brother's face or smell or laugh but maybe hugging a grandchild of his will feel like Phillip-Leon is with him still

Mouse wanting to hug Treyse because they're family and he's her beloved mentor but afraid he'll react poorly given the hissing matches that happened when Gaetan tried to hug him after hugging Guxart first

Ciri is banned from the judges panel because she tries to get the geese to submit votes for Eskel

Lil Bleater is allowed to cast one vote on behalf of all the livestock

Jaskier taking advantage and "training" Eskel on his hug technique

the sorcerors get the biggest ICK from this soft shit and avoid grouping of Witchers and children at all costs

Geralt is soft-bullied into competing and its mostly for posterity because he's so affraid of hurting the little ones that he can't relax into it enough to really contend

Julita rallying the smallest snakelets into "ambushing" Letho

one breaks off for Serrit because she reminds him of his mama-she is not competing- loses his nerve as he gets a better look at her face and saves face by tackling Gweld's shins

The Griffins try to pull a fast one and build a "roost" in their section of Kaer Morhen with soft materials to appeal to the most children at any given time

its moderately effective, bringing them to the top of the group bracket leader board

Axel and Cedric get nominated by Aiden on behalf of his pre-grasses self in secret and when they find out they crush him between them for hours

Set in @inexplicifics' Accidental Warlord AU,

Someone starts a rumor that Eskel gives the best hugs of all the witchers. (Everyone knows he gives good hugs, that's not in question, but the best?)

The Cats - chaotic, competitive, and cuddly brats that they are - immediately decide to challenge this. The Cranes - just as chaotic, but in a "can we science or explode this" way - jump in with ideas on how to test it.

Of course it spirals.

By the end of the week, the Cranes have organized a competition - complete with rules - to determine which witcher gives the best hugs. There's an entire scoring rubric. And criteria for who can judge. And who can enter, and how.

Several of the more sensible residents of the keep just back away slowly.

Jaskier, of course, cheers the mischief on whole-heartedly...and then nominates Geralt and Eskel (as a team) and Aubry (by himself).

(The Cranes quickly reshuffle things to add a team bracket. Cedric and Axel start looking for someone to nominate THEM.)

Somehow, the children of the keep - at least the ones unrelated by adoption or step-parenthood to competing witchers - end up as judges.

The Cats are sure they have this in the bag. They're funny! They're friendly! They like cuddling! They even PURR! Clearly there's no competition. Eskel's done for.

...

...

...then Letho dark-horses his way into the title of "cuddliest witcher ever."