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charminea · 21 days

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Hiii, I was just wondering if you're still working on the lodge of sorceresses piece from the show or has that been scrapped?

Hi!!! Unfortunately I am not active in the witcher fandom anymore, and I haven't worked on that piece for,,,, a while now. More than a year I think?

Honestly at this point I wasn't planning on finishing it, but I could if there was interest? For old time's sake?

For reference here are the parts that are completely finished and need no work:

As you can see,,,,,,, yup, it was not even close to halfway done

Thank you for asking about it tho! With the schedule I have I could pick it up in September if there was interest for it?

#if reblogs and hearts count for anything #then count me interested #cause this is gorgeous

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charminea · 2 months

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So I’ve been following this poll for some time now since it started going on the Witcher Netflix sub. Literally all the sorceresses from the books and the show were in it, from the least-important roles, like Coral and Vanielle of Brugge, and I thought to myself it could be fun - thinking I knew the potential winners. But no… instead, look at the winner.

Let this sink in - Sabrina BLOODY Glevissig won the contest for best sorceress.

Not Yennefer of Vengerberg, the MILF, best witch in the Northern Kingdoms and the member of the holy trinity.

Not Francesca Findabair, the tragic elven queen without a kingdom, who has sacrificed everything she had for her people and is still left with no one and nothing.

Not Triss Merigold, the survivor of the horrible Sodden Hill battle, who is trying to shape a whole new generation of sorceresses as a way to make up for failing to help Ciri.

Not Lara Dorren, a legend among elves, humans and mages alike.

Not Philippa Eilhart, the would-be queen of Redania, the one who could have saved the Brotherhood were it not for Tissaia, the one who is so ambitious she had both the king and the queen killed.

Not Fringilla Vigo, who has fought for years to be her own woman and come out of other people’s shadows, be it other sorceresses, her commanders or the emperor himself.

Not Tissaia, the great mother of all sorceresses who shaped nearly all of them into the women they are.

None of these ladies with compelling storylines and individual arcs.

No, it’s Sabrina Glevissig, whose impact has been a complete and utter zero, from the books to the show. Whose character barely has any depth beyond her sex appeal. But guess what? She has enormous tits so obvs she’s the best, no question about it.

Idk whether to laugh or cry at this. It’s meme-worthy.

Guess this is the only proper photo to finish this post

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charminea · 3 months

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The Grief of the Elven Queen

The moon was crescent in the night skies. Skies that were not hers. Not the skies of Dol Blathanna.

These heavens were different - these stars were not the ones gazed upon with awe by her elders. No, these were the stars of the Nilfgaardian people. The stars towering above the City of the Golden Towers. Emhyr’s city. He who had promised the elves a home.

Francesca Findabair, once Enid an Gleanna, sat in the large window, watching that sleeping city… watching those foreign stars, heart aching. She had not met with grief once - she kept the doors of her old soul shut to it, for there was always something to be done. Something that demanded clarity of mind. Even as she fell to her knees in the hallowed halls of Aretuza, covered in the blood of her destined one, as Fringilla urged her to fight, even then she had found a way to shut the doors in the face of grief. She had kept the doors to grief shut through the battle that devastated the northern Brotherhood and ended it forever… she kept the doors locked through her journey south to great Nilfgaard. She kept them bolted through the negotiations with the emperor and his court. But now, Francesca was alone. And she could finally unlock the doors - she could finally let in the grief - the pain for her child, the longing for her little brother’s voice… the aching for never saying farewell to her soulmate. Not a single candle burned in the vast chamber given to her. The soft breeze of the Alba river came along, playing with the strands of her loose hair, which bore the colors of sunset. Not too long ago, it was red with blood - Filavandrel’s blood.

Even now Francesca saw it - the great Tissaia de Vries, pure chaos leaving her fingertips… and ending Filavandrel, king of elves before her very eyes. The sight would follow her to her final day. She could burn the entire world and still, not enough candles would burn for all the ones she’d lost - thousands of elven souls, young and old - thousands of those who called her “queen”. And her family - the last people who truly knew her - Filavandrel, the last one who knew her true name. Was this some sick twist of fate? Finding the kingdom she’d promised only when all those to whom the promise was given were dead? Francesca held centuries of wisdom, thought she’d seen it all… yet now found herself stunned by the sick humor of life.

Thoughts she had kept away behind the doors now tore away at her heart. A tear left her blueish eyes, sliding coldly down her cheek. All the roses in the chamber withered instantly. The sorceress rubbed the blue stones in her rings. Three stones - one for her babe, one for her brother, one for her lover. The crescent moon faded behind dark clouds. She too was fading, she thought - all her joy had deserted her. She was a woman with no life in her womb. A queen with no people left to lead. A mother with no child, a sister with no brother, a wife with no husband. From the stars, her empty eyes danced instead to the mirror across the chambers.

Most beautiful woman in the world, her people had called her - and many humans agreed. The ginger hair, the eyes that went from blue to green in the shifting of light… the soft skin untouched by time - all of that stared back at her in the mirror. Yet all Francesca Findabair saw was a living corpse. A woman who was dead but did not yet know she was dead. A woman victorious, yet one whose victory was empty.

Suddenly, she knew why the heavens here seemed different to those of Dol Blathanna - they had not changed… only she had. It was not them that were empty, but her. She who was the last of the first. The last of the true sorceresses, the last of the elven glory. Enid an Gleanna, Queen of Dol Blathanna. Who thought the star-filled skies nothing but a bitter desert… one reflecting the very image of her life.

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A random prompt I wrote some months ago - this is how I imagine Francesca felt like when she got to Nilfgaard in the S3 finale, right before Fringilla told her the truth.

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charminea · 4 months

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I gotta bitch - why on earth does Yennefer's tag constantly get flooded by Geraskier posts that don't even mention her a single time??? Like what does any of that have to do with Yennefer - I'm following her tag for content on her, not ships that aren't even remotely related and barely, if ever mention her - and when they do, it's just a single line.

#yennefer of vengerberg #yennefer #geraskier #twn #the witcher #it's annoying #nothing against the ship but these posts have zero stuff to do wit hher #netflix #anya chalotra

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charminea · 4 months

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Yennefer of Vengerberg & Triss Merigold (The Witcher)

At Sodden, after I’d been burnt by that soldier, I was on the ground, screaming, and you walked by me. I’m so sorry. I sent you to that gate. If I’d have known… No. It’s not that. We were all there to play a part. We knew we might not survive. I remember thinking, "If only one of us gets to live, I’m so glad it’s Yen".

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charminea · 4 months

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charminea · 4 months

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You just know she was contemplating all she’d lost here, her entire family and hundreds of her people in this needless war. Every candle was for someone she knew and someone who'd died in the war she herself got them dragged into.

This was her finally mourning properly before Fringilla shows up. The fact that she was willing to accept Emhyr's offer - no schemes - says it all.

#in an alternate closer-to-the-books universe #this is francesca mourning tissaia after thanedd #my own delusions

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charminea · 9 months

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Hollywood has no concept of what 5th century Romans looked like. If I'm watching a movie about the final days of the Western Roman Empire, I should be seeing zero togas. It's like if you made a movie about the Trump administration, you wouldn't have people dressed like the founding fathers. That's how wrong it is.

This is what 5th century Romans looked like:

I think the problem is that pop culture has this theme park version of history that treats time periods like distinct worlds with no fluidity between them. In Roman Times, people dressed like this vs Medieval Times when people dressed like that. But that is obviously not how time works. The end of the Western Roman Empire led directly into and overlapped with the Middle Ages, and the aesthetics we associate with medieval Europe were already long established.

On a related note, the "barbarians" didn't dress like you think they did either. Less of this:

More of this:

(Art by Angus McBride)

Again, the end of the Western Roman Empire was the beginning of medieval Europe, and it already looked like it.

The notable exception was the Franks, who apparently really did dress like that:

There really is an exception to everything, and it's usually the French.

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charminea · 9 months

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Roman miniature painting on gilded glass medallion, depicting a mother and her children (3rd century)

Santa Giulia Museum, Brescia, Italy.

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charminea · 9 months

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Musings on Tissaia & Francesca at Thanedd

Just finished S3 and can I just say, these two badasses were the standouts of the Thanedd Coup for me.

The unspoken equality between them as Tissaia stands on one side with all the mages behind her and Francesca, the elven queen directly across from her with the Nilfgaardians and the elves.

The way they look at no one else but each other before it all goes to hell, each woman knowing that the other one is the largest danger and threat there - Tissaia representing the human mages of the new order and Francesca representing the ancient order of the times when elven mages built Aretuza.

Finally, the epic moment when Tissaia prepares a deadly spell to kill Francesca (when Tissaia was the very same woman insisting Francesca was not their enemy in S2 while Stregobor and the Brotherhood were losing their shit over the elven exodus to Cintra).

And then the moment it all climaxes in a tragic trade of sorts - Tissaia destroys what Francesca loves most (Filavandrel) in front of her very eyes, so Francesca destroys and burns down what Tissaia loves most (Aretuza). All the other sorceresses - Rita, Sabrina, Keira, Triss, Fringilla, Marti, even Yennefer - are secondary to these two ladies in that moment - truly hell hath no fury like a sorceress scorned for these two proved it then and there.

And then, once Aretuza is in flames thanks to Francesca, how Tissaia falls into a numb state of sorts - she climbs the tower to resort to the most dangerous and life-draining spell known to mankind to destroy the elven invaders she once defended. This spell destroys everyone and everything - all the northern mages flee out of the way - only Francesca (and Fringilla) stays to fend off the lightning. Finally, when Tissaia can no longer keep up, the moment is perfect when all the northern sorceresses step in front of Francesca, making it clear she will not get to Tissaia so long as they live.

Ultimately, all the sorcerers were good - Rita who stayed there from start to end and defended Tissaia - Marti and Sabrina who destroyed people left and right and Bianca, Tissaia’s poor friend. But Tissaia and Francesca’s magic was by far the most epic of the entire battle. The absolute sheer destruction was amazing to watch. And the way they clearly targetted each other throughout the battle was perfect.

You know what the saddest thing is in the end? - in the books, few people were as close to Tissaia as Francesca was - here, they are mortal enemies instantly.

Side-note: I love how Philippa starts up shit and then escapes the moment it all goes to hell lmao

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charminea · 9 months

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Hi mercisnm! for the drawing challenge if you're looking for asks/requests: Since you said it needs tissaia; tissaia and francesca finding each other after the coup where all is (if for only a brief moment) forgotten and forgiven between them? Pose 1a or 2a perhaps? Xx

hello rilirili, i set out to draw this as soon as i saw the ask. only after i was 90% done did i realise you might as well have meant the book version

oh well, instruction unclear, have friends to enemies back to friends instead : D

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charminea · 9 months

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Call me crazy but am I the only one seeing just how these two are eyeing each other? The amused eyes, the mix of hate and interest, the barely formed smirks that are still there? Someone tell me I'm not imagining it. Also all these sudden Tissaia/Fran posts are to blame - they got me seeing stuff that might not even be there in the first place.

Anyways, just imagine - the two most powerful sorceresses the Continent has ever seen (canonically the oldest two as well) hooking up. They'd be rulling the northern kingdoms in days.

These women had one episode together (still a mess about them not being close like in the books) and ZERO DIALOGUE yet the way they looked at each other, like in the photo above was PURE FIRE.

Forget Tissaia x Yennefer or Fringilla x Francesca, this here would have been the SHIT.. Also guess what? Tissaia was closer to Francesca in the books than she ever was to Yen / than Fran ever was to Fringilla so this isn't even that wild.

No one can convince me Tissaia didn't want a piece of that so she decided to kill Filavandrel cause honestly who needs him when she got the chance.

Also yes, this is my second weird ship after Emhyr x Francesca but screw it, it's too good not to think about. I hate these dumb breadcrumbs that will never pay off but it's nice to just fantasize.

Kinda headcanoning that these two were besties centuries ago but then the Brotherhood turned all anti-elven and Francesca got kicked out/left or something. And Tissaia replaced her with Philippa and then replaced Phil with Yennefer. Also, remember how Tissaia was all pro-elven in seasons 1 and 2? That right there is proof that this could've been something.

Anyways, now I'm done. Sry lol.

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charminea · 9 months

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ship I never thought I'd ship... you know...

cause he killed her baby and all.

And then she killed some babies.

Doesn't that make them the same though??? Same hobbies and all.

They look good. Think about it - most powerful emperor in the world and most powerful sorceress in the world... it could work right?

She's also a fresh widow. And he needs a queen.

And idk what I'm talking about, just need someone to write a fanfiction based on this.

But out of context?? - this totally looks like flirting. Fringilla was probably feeling awkward as eff watching her boss flirt with her girlfriend. And that's why she's so done with Emhyr later omg. See, it all tracks. Also helps that Dilfgaard has all the hotties. Emhyr, Fran, Fringie, Vilgefortz, Rience, Lydia etc.

Yup, all this, that's my headcanon. Don't mind me.

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charminea · 9 months

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Messing around in my S4 fantasy save with the lodge sorceresses (from the Netflix show as you can probably tell). They decided for a photoshoot in front of Tol Lara lol (or what that thing in the seas behind them is supposed to be anyways). I wanted Rita and Yen next to each other cause they're bffs in my headcanon and Triss behind Philippa for all the lesbian reasons. Some of them are supposed to be wearing dresses from the show (or as close to it as I can get with S4 stuff). And since I couldn't decide on what to have them in, I just did the same photos over and over in different dresses.

Also wanted to do the council of the Brotherhood. Along with the lodge girls, there's Tissaia, Vilgefortz, Bianca d'Este, Artaud Terranova, Stregobor, Istredd and Radcliffe... and obvs Tissaia cause it doesn't work without her.

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charminea · 1 year

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charminea · 1 year

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charminea · 1 year

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