#renfri lives my love

[tawnyfool]

They gave Renfri's sword and scabbard to Ciri ...surely this isnt a recycle and there is a deep lore reason right??? RIGHT??

#Renfri #The Witcher #i feel sick #my girl isnt even cold in the ground #dont get me wrong i love a good recycle #if it's an ornate gown from the borgias #but not from the costume of a character whose brooch lives on as a reminder #like hello you met that sword in battle #idiot #witcher #witcher s3

[limerental]

limerental's themed self-rec lists

read my old fics, you cowards! these are majority witcher fics, because i have an illness.

silly goofy modern au

how long we were fool'd - jaskier/yennefer(&geralt)

married neighbors yennskier, suburban dad!geralt, modern witchers, little kid ciri, aroace geralt, relationship misunderstandings, borzoi roach, supernatural mystery, some canon-typical violence, found family nonsense, and my own clairvoyance in writing yennskier husband-wife but it was spring 2020

(don't) poke the sleeping dragon - jaskier/yennefer/geralt

a retelling of bottled appetites but it's a nerdy fantasy music festival, copious drug use, yennefer's sick wizard van, unicorn edibles, golden dragon dildos, outdoor sex, geralt getting pegged and double penetrated, a dialogue only threesome, accidental yearning old friend geraskier tenderness, and someone once told me they wouldn't read this fic because yen had her tits out in the summary and i will always remember that criticism for the rest of my life

as if you were a mythical thing - yennefer/geralt

old married couple, dom/sub dynamics, sex unicorn mention, geralt is very vanilla but loves his kinky wife, and he's too autistic about horses not to ruin ponyplay with horse facts

this one might hurt

long on the road & how light carries on - geralt/jaskier (eventual geralt/regis in the sequel, plus many platonic relationships)

the 80s trucker/hitchhiker au that got away from me, vietnam vet trucker geralt, aging hippie musician jaskier, AIDS crisis, terminal illnesses, dealing with mortality, falling in love, road tripping, copious american geography, period-typical queer community issues, and then... life after loss, aging, grief and mourning, queer and traumatized family dynamics both found and otherwise, finding love again, and watching the sun set on a life well lived

in dark and twisted braids - fringilla &/ yennefer

aretuza school days slumber parties, girlhood crushes, pining, unrequited love, i shook a sorceress and intergenerational trauma fell out, the inherent adolescent horror of making lasting decisions about your future when you are barely 18 but even worse because there's war and violence and permanent alterations to your body and forced sterilization and your little schoolgirl crush on someone you thought was a friend ends in betrayal and bloodshed and you end up on opposite sides of the war and she never even looked your way or thought about you and--

then send down the storm - aiden/lambert, lambert/geralt(/yennefer)

witcher roadtripping, just guys being dudes, horse stuff, winter at kaer morhen polyamory but different, ~trauma~, the mortifying ordeal of accepting you deserve more from life and also of being known, but it's too late (or is it?), grief and mourning and loss and love that was worth its loss, and also, the character death(s) are largely temporary.

aw that just ain't right :/

the witch in her tower - eskel/yennefer(/geralt)

dark fic, fairytale elements, hurt no comfort (mind the tags), morally dubious heartbroken yennefer, pining and years of yearning for geralt eskel, unrequited love, non-consensual mind control during sex, flashbacks to messed up witcher child abuse and violence and cruelty, the inherent horror of mutated and manipulated little boys becoming men who think they can't or shouldn't love paralleled with the inherent horror of enchanted and manipulated little girls becoming women who-- you get it.

the flesh calmly going cold - geralt/jaskier

this one's gross for real, a hunt gone wrong, hurt NO comfort, major character death and it's gross and tragic, gore, necrophilia, organs lovingly described (and jizzed on), basically it's just like that scene in twn where filavandrel exploded but if francesca humped his goo after. sorry.

blood of the covenant (water of the womb) - geralt/&renfri, geralt/stregobor

supernatural pregnancy body horror as revenge, ......pregobor, black sun princess trauma and curses, apocalyptic monster fetus imagery, it's about women and violence against women and evil men suffering for inflicting that violence mostly, and also the evils of standing by and watching evil happen. also, yes stregobor is magical yucky bella swan pregnant and then bad stuff happens to everybody.

#my fic #self-rec #witcher fic #themed rec lists yay! #the last three have dead dove themes technically but not like. idk i've changed my mind on what constitutes dead dove in this fandom #basically there's gore and body horror and some non-con in the last few #the tone difference from the first to the last is SO funny

[freetheworms]

Perhaps "I love you" as a promise for the prompts? 💚

hiiiii wren <3

a million thank yous for sending this and also your patience because it took me soooo long to write this lmao (life is insane, what else is new!!!) but finally it's done! idk what it is exactly but here! for you!!

(Geraskier, 1.2k words, warning for MCD i guess? reincarnation tho don’t worry)

**********

Geralt names all his horses Roach. 

It is strange, he knows. He’s been told, even, that it’s too boring, too impersonal, too cold, and yet still he does not change.

“Don’t you think it’s a disservice to the love of the last Roach? To name them all the same?” Jaskier had said after that third winter; the first time Geralt had spotted the bard from the back of a new young mare with the same old name.

(Well. Truthfully, the first thing Jaskier had said upon introduction to the new steed was, “Geralt, not to alarm you, but you do know this is an entirely different horse, right?” but Geralt doesn’t feel much like laughing just now.)

Geralt had merely grunted in lieu of an answer, and blessedly, Jaskier had shrugged and prattled on about some colleague or other that had wronged him over his winter at Oxenfurt. He hadn’t yet learned to push his fingers into the cracks of Geralt’s armour.

Good. Better Jaskier not ask about the why.

Because the why is something even Geralt himself doesn’t quite know how to name.

The why is the way his mother left him all those years ago; doomed him to a life of loneliness and loss that doesn’t follow him, but begs him to ride along the soft curve of it’s back. The way he accepts time and time again because at least it’s something to hold onto.

The why is his brothers lost. The family he was never meant to have, but now mourns in the dark of the night when no one can see him. The men that did not return to the keep one winter or another, no word, no warning, no goodbye. The children they were, are, could never be, will never stop being.

The why is Geralt, just a few years on the path, holding axii to that first mare’s coat, gritting his teeth against the flood of emotions he’s been told he no longer has. It’s the way his shoulders shake as her heavy head lolls in his lap, no pain left in her, but neither any life. The way that suddenly, he’s never felt more alone.

The why is the way Renfri had looked at him, all dark eyes, pleading for something Geralt couldn’t give her, let alone himself. The way he’d watched that look bleed out across his trousers, the cobblestone, sink into his skin. The way he’d refused to play the game and yet somehow lost anyway.

The why is Jaskier.

The why is having known, the moment he’d met him, that this would be a pain to end all pain. That this was going to crush him beyond all recognition, and worse still, leave him standing. Whole and wholly emptier than ever before.

The why is something about pain and loss and having no control over either. Something about a life so long you’re afraid to live it, for fear of the holes it tears in your soul to leave love behind. Something about the lies we allow ourselves in order to keep living.

***

“Geralt, darling?” Jaskier asks now, so many years later, “Why do you name all your horses Roach?” His eyes are just as blue as ever, though his lashes now are silver as they catch the midmorning light.

Geralt’s grip on his bard’s frail hand tightens almost imperceptibly. He doesn’t want to talk about this. Not now. He wants to run. He wants to hold tighter. He wants to fall apart right here in this chair and let his love put him back together again. He wants to lie.

But he owes Jaskier this.

And so he takes a deep breath, and he says, “I have spent my whole life losing. I couldn’t bear to lose her too.”

(“I can’t lose you,” he doesn’t say. He thinks maybe Jaskier hears it anyway.)

“Oh, my dearest,” Jaskier sighs, a small smile on his lips. His voice is like rain after a long drought. “You have spent your whole life loving.”

Geralt thinks about that for a long moment. “I suppose you could say I have,” he says at last. “Love, and loss. One and the same when you live a life like mine.”

“Ours,” Jaskier corrects.

“A life like ours,” Geralt concedes, strokes a thumb across the back of Jaskier’s weathered hand.

Ours.

“And what a life it has been,” Jaskier breathes. He sounds tired, nostalgic, alive. “A life by your side. I wouldn’t change it for the world, my love. Would you?”

He’s thought about it. Really, he has. He’s spent countless nights by the light of the fire, watching Jaskier breathe, pondering this inevitable loss; wondering whether he’d be better off having never loved at all. 

(There’s a poem in there somewhere, he thinks, but poetry has always belonged to his bard, and so he leaves that thread alone.)

“I wouldn’t,” he says finally, and he’s almost surprised to find that he means it, even after all of this pain. “Of course I wouldn’t.”

Jaskier beams at him then, like Geralt himself has hung the moon. “See, I always knew you loved me under all those—” he gestures with the fingers of the hand Geralt isn’t holding like a lifeline. The movement is slow and stilted. “—lovely muscles,” he finishes with an exaggerated wink that deepens the crows feet around his eyes.

It’s a joke, Geralt knows, but he has to be sure. “You do know though, don’t you? That I—“

“I do,” Jaskier interrupts. “Oh Geralt, my love, of course I do. My only regret is that I’ll hate to leave you.”

Gently, Geralt raises Jaskier’s hand to his lips and kisses it softly, willing it to convey all the things he could never say out loud. 

(I hate it too. Please don’t go. Take me with you.)

The silence stretches out between them, and Jaskier’s eyes slip closed. His heartbeat is faint now, even to witcher’s ears, and Geralt steadfastly does not go to pieces. He holds Jaskier’s hand a little tighter. 

Not yet, not yet, not yet, he silently pleads. He is still pleading when Jaskier cracks his eyes open and says, so quietly that were he human, Geralt isn’t sure he’d have heard it, “Before I go, will you promise me one thing, my love?”

“Anything.”

Jaskier grips Geralt’s hand as tight as he dares and looks, for all the world, as if, of every word he’s ever written or uttered, this may well be the most important. “Will you promise to find me? In my next life.”

“That, and every life after,” Geralt says, because he knows this is his last chance to say it. “High and low, my lark, I will search for you. I will love you, always and forever.”

The rapture that washes over Jaskier then is so palpable that Geralt himself feels awash with it, despite everything. “I love you,” Jaskier says, and it’s almost an echo. “In this life, and the next.” 

And then, with a sigh of relief, and Geralt’s hand firm in his, Jaskier is still.

***

Geralt names all his horses Roach.

It is strange, he knows. But when he once again meets a travelling bard with bright blue eyes and a flower for a name, all those years after he made a quiet promise, he finally knows how to answer his question.

The why is knowing that goodbye is not always the end. That no matter how many times they say it, the love is never lost. That the love of the last does not cheapen the love of the extant, no matter the name.

The why is Jaskier. Always and forever. In this life, and the next.

#geraskier #gracie writes #geraskier fanfiction #geralt x jaskier #the witcher #witcher fanfiction #geraskier fanfic #witcher fanfic #twn #geralt of rivia #jaskier #julian alfred pankratz #ive been meaning to write a fic about geralt naming all his horses roach for MONTHS now #and ive also been thinking in circles about this prompt so. i figured why not combine!

[realmyths]

* ˙ ⭒ ⊱ 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐍.

◈　what made you pick up the current muse(s) you have?　 ⋯ 　For my fandomless OCs, it's just because I love their characters or have grown to over the years and to get to know them more so that when I write about them in my WIPs, they are fully fleshed out characters. Of course, there may be some differences between for example Tori & Alex in the RPC and Tori and Alex in my WIP about them. But I do feel RP helps me to get to know my muses a bit better. (I'm not going to do all of my fandomless OCs but I will say that I do love all of them. And have books planned for many of them, after I finish the books of Tori & Alex's story.)

For Antoinette, I was inspired after seeing Beauty and the Beast (2017), idk why. Something about that movie just caught my muse and I was like what if one of the feather dusters was gay and black and ...yeah, Antoinette was born! I absolutely adore her. <3

For the [Redacted] Doctor, they were born out of a desire to see T'Nia Miller portray the Doctor (even though she was already in Doctor Who. I know, I know. But so was Peter Capaldi.) And then I kind of developed a personality for the Doctor and a story and yeah. The rest is history. <3 I adore them so much too. <3

For The Thirteenth Doctor, what can I say? She's my Doctor and I love her. And I can relate to her so much, but I also admire her character as well. So she's an interesting muse to play. I love RPing her. <3

For my Witcher muses: Yennefer, Ciri, Renfri, and Jaskier: Yennefer I love but do find difficult at times. However, I welcome the challenge. And I look forward to getting better at slipping into her voice as time goes on. Ciri is my favorite character and so it was an easy choice picking her as a muse. Similar to 13, I can relate to aspects of Ciri while admiring others. And that makes her an interesting muse to play. Renfri, I loved her story in the book and in the show, and wanted to make her really come to life. Jaskier is probably in my top 5 favorite Witcher characters, at least in the show. He brings some lightness but also is not too light that it takes away from the realism. He's a well-rounded character, I think. I often suck at portraying male characters, at least IMO, but Jaskier was an easy one for me to write because he's not super macho or anything lol. And he's a character I can also relate to in some ways, so yeah.

For my Bridgerton muses: Daphne, Eloise, Benedict, Simon, Kate, and Penelope. I adore Bridgerton. It's like Jane Austen meets Gossip Girl with more diversity and so once I finished watching s2, I was like....I need to add muses. Daphne is a character I really enjoy and s1 is told through her perspective, so you really get to know her. Eloise is ahead of her time and so bold and I love her for it. Benedict is artistic and sensitive, especially for the time he lives in. Simon is also a character I really enjoy watching and getting to know in s1. Kate is probably my favorite character of all (Eloise is a close second. And Daphne is a close third.). And Penelope? Who wouldn't want to explore her complex character?

Now on to my Arcane muses. Vi, Caitlyn, Jayce, Viktor, and Mel. Vi is a bit of a challenge, but like with Yennefer, I enjoy it. Caitlyn is probably the character I relate to the most out of these muses of mine, so of course I had to RP her. Jayce, I thoroughly enjoy him. Viktor same. Mel same.

Motherland: Fort Salem muses: Raelle, Tally, Abigail, and Scylla. I relate the most to Raelle and Tally but I adore Abigail and Scylla as well. I love the show in general and it being taken off Hulu is my villain origin story lol. <3 So portraying these wonderful muses just made sense to me.

Ann Walker is the character/person I relate to the most in Gentleman Jack, I'm much more of an Ann than an Anne, though I'd say I have aspects of both. LOL. But yeah, I felt like she was underappreciated so I picked her up as a muse.

Laura & Carmilla from the Carmilla Webseries & Movie: I'm pretty much the bisexual nonbinary version of Laura. LOL. So I had to RP her. And while I can't fully relate to Carmilla I do adore her as a character, so RPing her seemed to make sense.

Now on to my ASOIAF/Game of Thrones muses: Daenerys and Arya. These two are my favorite characters in that world. And I can relate to and admire both of them. So like with 13 and Ciri, that makes them interesting muses to play.

◈　is there anything you don’t like to write?　 ⋯ 　Besides the obvious topics that I'm uncomfortable with that are in my rules, I'd say I don't want to write angst for the sake of angst. Like I love angst, don't get me wrong. I adore angst. But it has to make sense for my muse and their story. I feel the same way about fluff, btw. hahah. As long as the mood makes sense for my muse and their story, though, I'm good.

◈　is there anything you really enjoy writing?　 ⋯ 　Angst. Hurt/comfort. Fluff. Romance. Smut (sometimes). I enjoy writing anything and everything.

◈　how do you come up with headcanons?　 ⋯ 　It varies depending on muse. Sometimes if they're a canon muse, I'll react to themes or ideas or scenes in their canon. Or even fandom interpretations of them. For my OCs, I tend to think of headcanons based on what I feel needs expanding on. But tbh, I am always open to suggestions for headcanons for any of my muses.

◈　do you write in silence or do you play music?　 ⋯ 　It depends on my mood. I've done both. Hahah.

◈　do you plan your replies or wing them?　 ⋯ 　I'm much better at winging it, but I don't mind plotting and working things out if it's what my RP partner prefers. I'm flexible like that :)

◈　do you enjoy shipping?　 ⋯ 　Yes! I am shipping trash and proud of it. That being said, chemistry is always needed.

◈　what’s your alias/name?　 ⋯ 　Star

◈　age?　 ⋯ 　29, but going to be 30 soon

◈　birthday?　 ⋯ 　August 21st

◈　favorite color?　 ⋯ 　Blue,

◈　favorite song?　 ⋯ 　Long Live by Taylor Swift (Idk what she put in that song but I love it.), There It Goes by Maisie Peters, The Lighthouse by Halsey, Born for This by paramore, Daffodil by Florence and the Machine (that's the song that inspired my username etc.), Believer by Imagine Dragons, Thunder by Imagine Dragons

◈　last movie you watched?　 ⋯ 　Not sure

◈　last show you watched?　 ⋯ 　Sex Education

◈　last song you listened to?　 ⋯ 　What's Up by 4 Non-Blondes. Always reminds me of my favorite show ever (which I somehow have no muses from lol) Sense8.

◈　favorite food?　 ⋯ 　Anything Italian. Especially pasta & chicken parmesan. And meatballs.

◈　favorite season?　 ⋯ 　Summer! I was born in the summer, and I don't mind the heat. I actually hate being even a little cold. So spring and summer are the seasons that make me the happiest.

◈　do you have a Tumblr best friend?　 ⋯ I have trouble gauging things like this sometimes due to being neurodivergent, but I'm going to tag some friends/RP partners I love: @bewitchingbaker, @uncxntrxllable, @the27percent, @lovepurposed, @hegrowth, @jynxd, @shimmerbeasts, @ferinehuntress, @luposcainus, @vdinus, @shchvnts/ @mostmagicals, @indigodreames and tbh I consider all my mutuals friends. If you follow me, ILY <3

Pretending I was tagged by/ Stolen from @ferinehuntress

I tag: YOU if you want to do this. <3

#sometimes i see so much beauty i dont think that i can cope (out of character.) #ooc #(ooc.) #(out of character.) #q built up a world of magic

[vesemirsexual]

I don’t like Syanna but I do like your takes on her. Why do you think people find her so unlikable?

tw for mentions of r*pe, sexual abuse and violence

I think people fall into the same trap with all the Black Sun girls that we’re shown (Renfri, Deidre and Syanna): they’re not meant to be likeable.

The idea of the Curse of the Black Sun is that these girls are believed to be born manipulative monsters, and they’re tarred with that brush from the start. It’s been stated many times by other people that really it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. People treat these women terribly believing they’re monsters and that treatment turns them into verifiable monsters in the eyes of people.

Syanna is cold, mean and bitchy. She does taunt people and act with a certain air of arrogance. Which is…honestly not that surprising if you think about the fact that she’s put out on her ass from a life of luxury, immediately beaten and abused, and then finds refugee amongst a rough group of people. Her survival has depended upon her being able to cultivate those traits so she isn’t victimised again.

Manipulating is another common term used for Syanna, which again, is very true. This is yet another trait she utilises, which gives her back control and power in relationships and situations - which has previously been stripped from her. Syannas personality and her behaviour is heavily linked back to her treatment at the hands of others.

One thing I also see brought up with Syanna (and truthfully, other Black Sun girls) is that she’s a slut/thot/whore/etc. A lot of this seems targeted at coming onto Geralt. Again, this isn’t actually particularly surprising if you think about the general back story of Black Sun girls. All of them again, are violent abuse victims. Using sexuality to get an outcome, endear a person to them or again, regain control of a situation is not a shock. You also have to take into account the world that they are living in which is rife with misogyny, sexual abuse and rape. Using sexuality as a weapon or bargaining tool is a learned behaviour and again, likely results from the trauma these girls have undergone.

There’s two main arguments I can think of off the top of my head that people tend to give about Syanna being a result of everything she’s faced and what she does next:

• That she has the choice to get over it/forgive the men who’ve hurt her/basically simmer down and;

• That she had a relationship that she could’ve leaned on and gotten love/support from which she’d been previously denied

I’m not particularly fond of these ones. I think they tend to lean towards victim-blaming. Realistically, Syanna doesn’t have the resources to face her trauma - she’s grown up once again in a rough world that’s hurt her, and she’s stayed in it and moved up the ranks to keep herself safe. Life has taught her that being ruthless is what keeps people safe.

I also don’t think that “get over it” is ever going to be appropriate in terms of victims of abuse, but I have another nitpick with this. I think there’s the argument that the men who’ve hurt Syanna have grown and matured from what they did. My counterpoint to that is that they’ve never acknowledged or confessed to what they did. They’ve stayed in positions of power. I really don’t know if being apologetic from committing horrible violence against someone vulnerable is just moving in with your life and thinking sorry.

I also don’t think criticising Syanna for wanting them dead is particularly fair either. People tend to downplay how horrible what happened to her actually was. Syanna lost her societal status, home and family. She was then removed from the only place she had ever known with no way of knowing what was going to happen to her. She was then violently abused by people who were meant to be respectable and honourable. She is then severely injured, and left alone in the wilderness (and cmon, in this world we know that’s already practically a death sentence) and to the mercy of whoever she finds/or finds her. I’m not surprised she wants the people responsible AND that she associates with the entire thing dead even years later.

The relationship as something that would’ve “fixed her” also rubs me the wrong way. I also see a lot of people criticise her/mock her for feeling like a monster who doesn’t deserve love. Again I think a lot of this argument isn’t particularly great and is rooted in victim blaming. I also think it’s important to note that I don’t think this relationship could’ve worked out. As pointed out repeatedly, a lot of the personality and behaviour that Syanna has cultivated is about regaining power and control, which in turn makes her feel safe. Realistically, Syanna was never going to have power and control over Detlaff. I think she tried to tilt that dynamic in her favour via emotional manipulation but on the grand scale, he was always going to have strength, speed, age, experience and abilities on her side. Syanna eventually leaves because she doesn’t feel like she can break up with him or go back to being friends - ultimately she clicks that she is never going to have the upper hand if push comes to shove.

I will say that Syanna does have a redeeming trait that people tend to overlook though - she is going to meet Detlaff as per his demands. A lot of people say that she never takes responsibility for her actions or shows remorse. Syanna isn’t a dumb woman. She knows well that meeting him is dangerous, that he is pissed and she’s putting herself in danger of injury or death. She could turn and attempt to outrun him, or attempt to throw other people between them. The fact that she chooses to meet him is something.

I don’t think all of her actions can be excused by her past. At the end of the day, she is now an autonomous adult. I do however think that a lot of the interpretations of her come from a place of poor misinformation or understanding about the behaviour of victims of abuse. Syanna falls into the category of a “bad survivor”, and therefore people are more likely to withhold sympathy for her or be willing to consider why she takes certain actions. She is a very angry and hurt person who lashes out, but I think it’s important to not mischaracterise why that is.

#sorry it’s quite late so I hope this makes sense! I did want to try and answer you today #there’s a few sections here I’m not particularly happy with #and I’m not sure if I got my point across #but anyway yeah started writing lost my train of thought bon appetit #katie txt #ask 2 tag #long post

[northernolddragon]

Your favourite BaW ending?

Good night or day. It is probably difficult to name a favorite ending, because one way or another in one of them there is a tragedy for a certain number of characters. For Regis and Geralt, for Anna Henrietta and Syanna. And, of course, for Dettlaff.

I always choose the Dettlaff surviving ending, because I don't think the character deserves to die, much less from his own friend. Especially, when his actions were only to save his beloved, who felt that the dedication and feelings of a vampire can be used in their cruel deeds. The rule here is that everything has its price. The price for using the strongest creature is just as high. Could Syanna have gone the other way? Could. But she chose the same as Renfri. And Dettlaff choose the same outcome as Geralt. And although the stories are strikingly different in their depth, they are in common in that the 'Black Sun' makes you believe in your own enormity, and not try to cope with it, but follow it, not trying to resist (maybe, this position of confrontation is impossible, or maybe, it depends on the damned one himself, on his choice).

When you go through the ending with the reunion of the sisters, you want to experience pleasant touching feelings. But you remember how Regis falls on his knees in front of a murdered friend and it seems absurd and unfair that you see the interaction of the sisters and their happy ending. It's about forgiveness. Geralt is being given a reward that didn't give up on him, I'm sure. Give him a monetary reward. There are no happy endings for everyone. And Toussaint is the same fairy tale as in the illusion of the magician, in an attempt to create an impression of visibility, only losing relevance, you barely see the dead body of Dettlaff, who died for deceiving the woman he loved. Sincerely loved. And his death in two endings brings bitterness. for this injustice.

If we take the events of Beauclair, I do not justify Dettlaff for being categorical in his emotions. And yet .. Why, if Syanna can be forgiven for the monstrous massacre of valiant knights, by proxy, you can imprison her in the Land of a Thousand Tales or in apartments that no other prisoner could dream of, Dettlaff had to restrain himself? Regis didn't approve of this, but he understood. This counterweight. It was necessary to establish a balance of justice. This is where the morale comes in. When you are cruelly lied to, you are betrayed, with your hands they commit atrocities that you yourself would not have committed, for the sake of 'saving' a loved one, what a flurry of emotions falls on a person as a result of understanding, and what on a vampire, who, by their nature, have equivalently stronger emotions? You can, of course, cling to this situation, and say that Dettlaff deserved to die, at least for arranged in the fairy tale capital. But if this 'fairy tale' has a happy ending, then the vampire should live in it, and Regis should be less sad, not burdened by either grief or curse. The Witcher, without reward and monetary respect, once again recognizes the truth, that not all monsters have claws and fangs.

This is strictly my opinion. Thanks for the question!

#ask

[inexplicifics]

I don't really know how to phrase this question without it sounding weirdly accusing, so just know that I don't mean it to be, but: Don't you ever get tired of writing stupid antagonists? Don't get me wrong, the low stakes and relatively easily resolved drama is something I like about your stories. I find them very relaxing, because every problem that comes up can be easily solved. And I am really enjoying your Renfri story so far.

But Gerald has been the Warlord for decades at this point. It's not a secret that Witcher can smell lies and don't appreciate being lied to. I understand that Stregobor had no way to know how very emotional Witchers are about human experimentation, but, really? He knows the Warlord has Mages of his own and yet he agrees walked into this keep in magic-suppression chains and just. Lies. To this dude that he has bad history with. And who has to be well-known for simply killing powerful people that upset him at this point because he has been doing virtually nothing else of not for the last few years. And Stregobor had no discernable back-up plan or ace in the hole? Not even "he had one and it didn't work because he underestimated Witchers" but he straight up didn't have one?

It's been a minor point of contention for me for a while that all antagonistic characters are always just. Stupid and vindictive. Because most people simply aren't like that. They have reasons to believe the things they believe, and reasons to act the way they do, and they value self-preservation (but not above everything). So I tend to find it frustrating that there is not even a single antagonist with any kind of motivation except just being too stupid to live. (I guess Emhyr could count but we have barely seen anything of him.)

I'm really not trying to be mean or anything, I'm just genuinely curious why you seem to favor these very flat kind of villains, when a political story really lends itself to more nuanced conflicts where different parties simply have conflicting needs, without either of them actually meaning the other harm. (This sounded mean again. Flat characters have a place in stories! They aren't inherently a bad thing.)

This message has gotten way too long already, but I keep second-guessing everything I wrote so I just want to reiterate that I love this AU

Bluntly: I am not good at writing more complicated villains, and I don't want to become better at it, because that's not the point of the stories I am writing. I don't give a fuck about how clever evil can be. It isn't. It's stupid. Hurting other people just because you can and you don't give a shit or you think you're better or you don't consider other people to be people is fucking stupid and the people who think like that don't get to take up space in my brain. I want to write about people healing, and making connections, and being kind to each other.

Evil is fucking stupid, and you can quote me on that.

#questions answered

[demigoddessqueens]

Cool! So basically I had a Percy x reader where the reader has a story like Renfri's in The Witcher and Percy and VM help her through her situation where the wizard responsible for her life going to shit shows up in Emon? Does that make sense?

Yes! Renfri got me hooked on the first EP and she was interesting 💕

Also Stregebor can get fucked 😝 me and my homies hate him

When you all first met, the party was drawn to your mysterious, aloof nature. You were charming, witty, how you carried yourself suggested you more than just good with a dagger and knife. It was only natural that you stuck around with each other, and helped each other here and there along with the rapport. Unfortunately, the budding friendship is threatened by the arrival of mage who ropes in Vox Machina with an elaborate tale of your birth and past, and the “danger” you pose to others. Seeking to find what is truth, you both meet again and after hearing your tearful account, they are resolved to help you. Along with a newfound hatred of this mage.

Percy - he’s the one you bonded with the most. Seeing as how mages and wizards have both been upheavals in your lives, he knows what that pain feels like. In making a plan though, you’re impulsiveness can be clashing with him being stubborn (“they created me just as much as they created you! We’re not so different!”). But, he’s more than sure in helping you take down this arrogant mage, and helps you and Vax ultimately deliver the fatal blow. Also cue the love scene with Geralt and Renfri

Pike - she’s familiar with others can be, and given her history with Grog, she’s infuriated at the treatment you received in life and is more than willing to help you in your cause. Aside from angering you, this mage’s worse mistake was undermining the war cleric

Grog - your story reminds him of his childhood, and he’s grateful that he had Pike, but given how alone you had been he feels pity for you and wants you to tag along with the group. Plus his arms make for comforting hugs when you need them 🥹

Scanlan - even he’s horrified by what you’ve had to go through; good at intel and helps set up the meeting to where you and Vox can both trick and corner this person. Afterwards, he’s a presence that reminds you to find the joy in life again.

Vex’ahlia and Vax’ildan - your story is one all too relatable to their own; they’re beyond horrified at how your life has turned for the worse, and they’re a comforting/understanding presence. You also closely bond with Vax and he’s determined in helping you and Percy take down this mage

Keyleth - she’s always been wary of institutions and those who blindly follow, and after hearing your story, she’s not backing away from this one. Helping in any way she can, the Druid-elf is such a refreshing friend you’re glad to have met

#critical role #inbox answers #tlovm #vox machina #inbox requests #tlovm x y/n #tlovm x you #tlovm x reader #inbox asks #vox machina x y/n #vox machina x you #vox machina x reader #inbox open #headcanons #critical role x you #critical role x reader #critical role x y/n #vax’ildan and vex’ahlia vessar #percy de rolo x reader #scanlan shorthalt #keyleth of the air ashari #pike trickfoot #grog strongjaw #Witcher #renfri #percival fredrickstein von musel de rolo iii #percival de rolo iii

[10moonymhrivertam]

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

💕 What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

😎 What fics do you prefer on a scale of canon compliant to wildly original?

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

Y'know what, I think I do actually have a standing answer to this! Although now I don't know whether to be concerned or not cuz it's an old line XD But I posted an unfinished (as in, bracketed author's notes still in the text kind of unfinished) fic specifically so as not to lose the line, so I shall slap it in here.

Ah. Turns out it works best as a set of lines, but it was still the first thing that popped into my head, so here goes:

CW: Non-Graphic Animal Death

Carlos was counting the lab mice, suspicious that the bonsai they lived next to may have picked up some carnivorous tendencies. [...] Carlos lost count of his mice. His hands hovered over the cage, frozen. What had Cecil just said? Miss Frizzle? Aunt Valerie ? It refused to process. Carlos turned away from the cage to grab his phone, missing as the bonsai unfurled a branch and snagged a mouse by its tail and dragged it, shrieking, into its thick leaves.

END CW

💕 What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

Oh, gosh, there are a few contenders. I could say the first one I remembered making, because I got to hand it to Mary Pope Osbourne before I knew giving authors fic was Bad. And I really don't remember much about the contents of it, just that it was handwritten and I did a little cover for it.

Of my modern fic, I think I'll pick two, due to them being the fics I've shown the most commitment to.

Face to Unfamiliar Face, recursive fic of @tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors's Love and Other Fairy Tales. I think about it a lot because I'd like to do more work on it. Alas, every time I go into it thinking that this time I will post it to AO3, I start sketching out major structural edits and get scared of the workload and let the poor thing keep languishing. I should just carry it over directly and then redux it later, just for the purpose of archiving it. Maybe I'll do that today. (Thank you in advance if so, Willow 💜)

And The Princess's Son (Ba, Ba), a Witcher fic where Jaskier is Renfri's kid. It haunts me constantly. I think as-posted, it's finished and satisfying from a reader's perspective, but from my Author's Vision it's unfinished, so the haunting continues. Alas, the redux keeps stalling out in the first few chapters. And then I don't want to just skip forward to get it started with because I feel like I can better build up the Lilit stuff so it's not such a Deus Ex Machina, even if I don't think I've changed all that much about the mechanics of her whole Thing. 😭

😎 What fics do you prefer on a scale of canon compliant to wildly original?

I think solidly in the middle as a reader? I know I lightly avoid 'modern AU' tags in AtLA and Witcher and stuff, but not strenuously. I like plenty of Sanders Sides fic where they're proper people and not just figments in the mindscape. But I think I also prefer to read when it's not super rooted in canon, either? Fleshed out side characters and Everybody Lives, Nobody Dies for the win, baby!!!

Now as a writer...

One of my provided filter-able tags is canon divergence XD I still like to keep things pretty rooted in canon, though. I like having a scaffolding to build around. Going too far into original territory tends to make everything feel a little too wobbly.

I think the most original I get is smashing together fandoms that don't necessarily make sense based on tiny details. (Or details that aren't there. Ben Wishaw and Colin Morgan are just. Connected in my brain for some reason and so I have Once And Future...Spy?!)

#ask games #welcome to night vale #magic school bus #sanders sides #love and other fairytales #recursive fic #the witcher #james bond #bbc merlin #as of right this second i'm actually working on my hazbin fic #but I will do my very bestest to finally transfer ftuf over #cuz i remember seeing someone ask after it in the discord or violet's ask box once #which was very flattering but left me quite guilty XD #thanks willow! #gonna open a tab to hopefully remind me to send you one when i'm not working on fic

[tracinginwardinvestigation]

Note #42: Musing over an authoritative quote by Geralt the Classical Detective

Lately, I’ve been reading The Witcher novel series in preparation for my dive into its video game series, and so far The Last Wish has been really enjoyable! While reading “The Edge of the World”, I really love this quote by Geralt in response to Dandelion’s naivete about the nature of monsters:

“‘People’—Geralt turned his head—’like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. When they get blind-drunk, cheat, steal, beat their wives, starve an old woman, when they kill a trapped fox with an axe or riddle the last existing unicorn with arrows, they like to think that the Bane entering cottages at daybreak is more monstrous than they are. They feel better then. They find it easier to live.’”

As someone who loves detective fiction, this quote catches my interest in two ways. First, the theme of using fabricated monsters to hide human monstrosity is among the most common themes in detective fiction; my latest encounter with this theme was in Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. Second, Geralt in some ways reminds me of a classical detective a lot, in particular to my feeling that Geralt’s speech has a strong authoritative pull.

There are several factors that may have contributed to this authoritative tone, and in some aspects, these factors also bear resemblance to storytelling techniques found in detective tales. For one, there is an absence of the mundane life across many short stories in The Last Wish. In these stories, Geralt is constantly dealt with the monstrous side of the world, from fighting striga to killing targets whom he has some sympathies for (Renfri), sort of like detectives and their constant crime solving. Notably, when mundane scenes do occur, they often only serve as a catalysis for a later tragic event. Being a berated witcher only further alienates Geralt from the experience of other ordinary humans, but it does give him an opportunity to see human’s ugly side. Additionally, another detail that gives weight to Geralt’s authoritative pull in the quote is that Geralt does not fail to be a good reader of events and people he encounters on the journey, such as his curious attitude toward beastman who was feared by the villagers in “A Grain of Truth”. More importantly, this authoritative pull also gets built up by contrasting Geralt’s gritty attitude with his friend’s opposite attitude in “The Voice of Reason 5”. The chapter introduces Dandelion, who is a more whimsical, less wise companion to Geralt; the Dr. Watson to Geralt’s Holmes if we draw a parallel here. Thus, when Geralt begins to describe the tale of people hiding the ugly truth beneath a false narrative, and when Dandelion responds with naivety, and when the ugly side of the world has shown to the readers thus far also seems to support that sentiment, Geralt’s speech has a strong authoritative pull, one that screams he is telling the objective truth like a proper detective that Geralt alludes to.

But The Witcher is not a detective story, so I wonder if I should take the speech at face value? Specifically, the narrating of The Last Wish (by an unknown narrator) seems to be designed to tell a tale that builds up Geralt’s credibility, including his authoritative tone. In a way, Geralt’s speech refers to human’s mentality in the whole setting, but how much do I, the reader, actually know about the setting beyond his point of view? For one, I know little about the more mundane side of the world. I wonder why can’t the story contain a mundane chapter? Obvious answer is that the author does not plan to, but that absence does mean that I have no example for comparison; all I know, from Geralt’s perspective, is that The Witcher’s setting is one gritty place. But I am not Geralt, so what would be my own perspective of the world? How much trust should I place in Geralt’s viewpoint? Has he ever made a major mistake in regard to his reading of his world before? Why doesn’t the unknown narrator reveal to the reader about Geralt’s reading mistake? Is it because he has never made a major mistake before, or is it because telling the reader about his mistakes would dilute Geralt’s authoritative tone? Additionally, the speech also occurs with Dandelion, who represents himself as a life-loving, optimistic man; he is a contrast to Geralt’s serious demeanor. What would have happened if the speech occurs not with Dandelion, but someone else who poses an intellectual threat to Geralt? Would that make Geralt’s emphasis on his own narrative at the “correct one” less authoritative? Granted this stream of thought does sound strange in assuming hypothetical writing possibilities, which can be endless, instead of talking specifically about what the work offers. But if I am to cut down all of these speculations, my final concern remains this idea—can the weight of one man’s words reflect the entire Continent?

All that is just my musing after reading the first part of the “Edge of the World”. What will the later part of the story be like? Is it going to prove that Geralt’s speech is right, that some “monsters” are just human monstrosity in disguise? Or is the later part going to undermine Geralt’s authoritative speech, rendering his objective viewpoint lesser? Either way, I’m so excited!

On a final note, I wonder if it is possible to use my (understanding of) detective model to identify authoritative voices in other fiction like what I just did here…

#tracingtheculpritstrack #tct_nondetective #tct_detectivefic

[pokidragon]

I love stories where u meet someone once for just a few hours or days but they irreversibly alter you to your core and continues to live on through you - that’s something I loved my first watch through when it first came out. Renfri was in one episode but she lives on through Gerald through the entirety of the first season

#poki’s cinema adventures

[avatarskywalker78]

It’s Fic Back Friday!!!! First up, When Waves Come Crashing Down by ADAlternatively, one of several post-Mountain Witcher fix fics I read back in 2020, and though it’s always diffcult to choose a favourite fic this would definitely be in the top five. A Geraskier fic, from Jaskier’s POV and with plenty of feels and discussion of That Song and an apology from Geralt!! It has a heartwarming ending and I just really love it.

Secondly, another Witcher AU,  New and Missing Stars by @iam93percentstardust  one where Renfri lives, and this changes everything. Renfri has always been one of my favourite characters and her story was so tragic and played such a part in things, but this AU - where she decides not to take revenge on Stregobor - is really well crafted, and her relationship with Geralt and later Jaskier is so good to read, and the way she affects the story is written perfectly. Also Immortal!Jaskier which is never explained and I think that’s just how it should be.

And the third is Can’t Call It Home Yet by Rhiannon87, an Uncharted 3 fic set not long after Sully takes in Nathan, and is from his POV as he realises that he’s bascially adopted the kid and he has to deal with that.

#Fic Back Friday #The Witcher #Uncharted #Other people's awesome fanfiction

[volturialice]

watching the witcher s2 and remembering how much I love all these unhinged women

#not quite as much as I love renfri but almost #her name is renfri bc she lives rent fri in my head #but this season...tissaia 🥺 #would also like to thank vereena for serving me the correct vibes

[olxwxa]

renfri + “people don’t always get what they deserve in this world...”

#my love deserved to live forever :( #my edits #☾ #gifs #lyricedit #renfri #princess renfri #renfri of creyden #the witcher #witcheredit #filmtv #cinematv #dailyshowbiz #witcherdaily #witchersdaily #witcherladies #userniv #userray #useravia #userszabi #hexersource

[inexplicifics]

I also have a goose trick sort of? It doesn't use real live geese but I think it would still be incredibly funny and I feel like Ciri would approve

Okay so what you do is you get 50-100 geese statues in various sizes, from palm sized to full size (maybe enchanted so they can move but not walk off? I am having Thoughts now), as well as pictures/portraits of geese in, again, a number of sizes

Then just...put them everywhere. Go to the hot springs? Goose on every shelf. Go to a meal? Goose on the benches. Go out riding? Goose in the saddle bag. Try to relax with a book? Goose picture where the bookmark should be.

Even once you find all the geese...have you found all the geese though?

Also taking this opportunity to say how much I love your writing, I treated myself for finishing tough shifts at work this week by rereading MBTT and WACA in a few long binge reading sessions (complete with ice cream, of course) and it really cheered me up (also petition to hug Renfri, she would probably stab me but I am willing to take that risk 💖)

I love the goose statues! And this would be good practice for Ciri!

I'm very pleased you like my writing! Thank you so much!

#questions answered #goose trick

[lilac-shades-of-chaos]

if a beautiful and deadly young princess asked me to help her kill the gross old man that ruined her life, i would simply not be a little bitch and just do it,

like rip to geralt but i'm different

#geralt: wanting revenge makes you a bad person actually :) live and forgive :) world peace :) #SHUT THE FCK UP YOU PUNK ASS BITCH #renfri deserved to kill that petty little misogynist and mount his head on a spike #like don't get me wrong i love geralt but that was some true clown ass behaviour #i'm glad she keeps haunting his ass #also i'm sooo looking forward to the moment stregobor dies #because i know he will #*sitting in my prayer circle* shut up i'm manifesting stregobor's death #renfri #princess renfri #geralt #geralt of rivia #the witcher #the witcher netflix #stregobor #this is a stregobor hate blog