#Eskel Meta

[solcorvidae]

I've been thinking about how Lambert, Eskel, and Geralt all deal with the trials and how it shapes them into the people they would grow to become.

Lambert remembers his past. He is angry, upset, bitter, and vindictive. He's got this fire in him that is only stoked by the pain and suffering forced upon him. He remembers the boys who did not make it: the hell they all had to go through, and he has a complicated relationship with Vesemir that surrounds it. Lambert does questionable things that Geralt is bothered by in his grief and anger. Geralt calls him out for killing in cold blood, needlessly and mercilessly.

Lambert avoids Vesemir at Kaer Morhen and mocks him when he is not around. He may come off as childish and like an asshole, but Lambert knows what he feels. Lambert doesn't lash out because he can't control his emotions or because he doesn't understand the path of least resistance. He knows. He chooses to avoid conflict with Vesemir at Kaer Morhen by keeping out of his way. He knows he can't control his emotions effectively if he is face-to-face with him for too long. He knows, and he isn't stupid.

Lambert talks to Geralt about the trials and the injustice of it all. He probably looks up to Geralt, hoping his brother feels just as angry about it as he does. He went through the Trial of the Grasses twice for Christ's sake! Why is he not more angry? Why is he so apathetic?

And Geralt brushes him off time and time again. Such is life, is his attitude. We all went through it, he says. Geralt can't be upset because there is nothing he can feasibly do about it. He didn't choose to be a Witcher. He wouldn't have chosen this life. He would have some other job somewhere else, just like he told Regis. He can't change the past. He can't go back and fix something he never had control over in the first place. Besides, they can’t inflict the trials upon a new generation of kids, not anymore. It’s in the past now, so why dwell on it? What’s done is done and thank god no other kids have to suffer the way they did. It’s over. It’s time to move on.

Geralt doesn't enjoy fame. He tells Eskel this in To Bait a Forktail. Geralt is the famous twice-grassed White Wolf. He is The Witcher. The famed Geralt of Rivia. He has expectations piled upon him the size of mountains. He's got to be the perfect Witcher, he's got to be a loyal brother, a lover, and a best friend… Geralt had expectations put upon him that set him aside from the rest since he was a kid. He hates it. Underneath the banter and the wit, Geralt accepts that this is his life, but that doesn't mean he likes it. He tolerates it because it is his reality and nothing more. If he thinks about it for too long… maybe it will consume him.

"You remember her?" he asks Eskel about his mother.

Unlike Lambert, Geralt hardly knows what it means to live another life. He doesn't have that following him like it does with his brother. What little he remembers is not enough to erase the apathy drilled into him at such a young age. Maybe he has a more strict moral code than say, Lambert, (or if you want to bring in the other Witcher schools, most of the Cats and the caravan) but that doesn't make him the most ethical person on the Continent. How could you be? After all that he has endured, the things he was taught? Where do you draw the line? He kills monsters, but like in Velen, it's hard to see where the line's drawn in the sand.

Humans are monstrous too.

Eskel, however? Maybe he's jealous. He did everything right, why shouldn’t he be? He is superiorly skilled in magic, one hell of a good Witcher. He has a reputation for it. Maybe he's not as kind as your average person, but he gets the job done. He's got a more relaxed demeanour than his brothers which reveals itself in his reputation. He's reliable. He is damn good at what he does. So why does Geralt get all the attention? The fame? He clearly doesn't want it.

While Lambert got turned into a vindictive prick and Geralt became a quick-witted nihilist, Eskel? He's exactly who he should be. Why shouldn't he be praised for it like his brother? Why should he be forced to bend over backwards to accommodate people and keep up with his reputation? For what? His skills? Ha! He lives in the shadows of Geralt who's notably a good Witcher, but he's not quite as good as Eskel.

Eskel was beaten shaped into the man he is today because of the trials, his training, and everything else. Should he not get credited for that too? Why does someone who doesn't even want his fame get all the recognition? Genetic predisposition? Shouldn't his hard work be given more consideration and praise? Thank god Geralt survived the hell of being subjected to two rounds of mutagens rather than one, but why should that overshadow the efforts, the time, and the sacrifices that everyone else around him has made? Eskel is exactly the man that they intended him to be by the end of it all. He is an efficient hunter, he is outstanding with signs, and he works diligently for his reputation. He did everything right. He does everything right. Why is that not enough?

TL;DR: Lambert, Geralt and Eskel handle their traumas in different ways. Lambert gets vengeful, Geralt gets apathetic, and Eskel gets borderline jealous. (And it breaks my heart)

[lassieposting]

Alrighty things I'm emotional about today: Eskel and the fucking leshen

This leshen is parasitic. It infects Eskel, makes him increasingly unlike himself over an incubation period, and then mutates him completely. I'm gonna suggest that this leshen is based on some variant of cordyceps, an endoparasitic fungus that preys on insects, zombifying them. This sounds a lot like what happened to Eskel, right?

Let's have a look at Eskel's timeline in this episode.

When Geralt finds him fully-transformed, he grits out that he knew something was wrong after his fight with the leshen, but he decided to return to Kaer Morhen anyway, because he believed Geralt/Vesemir could help him.

At this point, Eskel is still almost entirely in control. He made the sensible choice his usual self would make. If anyone will know what to do about his injury, it's Vesemir.

So Eskel goes back to Kaer Morhen. We don't know how long this takes him, but we can make a vague guess. He fought the leshen for six hours, so he probably rested and tried to tend to his own wound before heading home. He's had time to get to the castle, stop to extend an invitation to all the prostitutes, and make it up the Killer. A day or two, maybe?

If you look at him in his very first scene, he doesn't look injured. In any fight, a Witcher will get small injuries. Bruises, split lip, scratches, etc. When Geralt gets these injuries, he tends to keep them for the rest of the episode. There's not a mark on Eskel. All these other little injuries have already healed. So the leshen has had time to start exerting control over him; he's now in a deadly fight for his own body.

Eskel shows up at Kaer Morhen, and Geralt immediately notices that something is off with him. As we see from Geralt's flashback, the "loud, aggressive, fighty" energy Eskel has in most of this episode is not normal for him. He's normally, like game!Eskel, a thoroughly nice dude. They hug, and he asks if Eskel is okay. Eskel hesitates...then pulls away and says that he's fine.

Now, the whole reason he returned to Kaer Morhen in the first place was to get help. Even if he didn't want to publicly announce his injury, Geralt asks him this question quietly and in a way that Eskel could very easily keep it between them. He even looks like he wants to tell Geralt the truth - but ultimately he says nothing. This goes against all common sense for Eskel, but not for the leshen, whose best interests demand that it stay hidden until it has the best opportunity to infect the maximum amount of hosts/spread the optimal amount of infectious spores.

The leshen isn't letting Eskel tell Geralt. He's like a rabid creature who's desperate for water, but his body won't let him drink.

Notably, right after this, Eskel does actually make a reference to his injury. It's said in a jokey way, that the other Witchers should be glad they aren't feeling "the sting of one of those fucking roots", and he reaches for his shoulder when he says it.

So he's wrestling for control right here. He reveals his injury - that's Eskel - and then immediately downplays it, laughing it off - that's the leshen. He's got all this aggressive energy* when he bursts through the doors, then he seems himself again when he greets Geralt, and then goes back into Intimidation Mode when he spots Ciri. He's all over the place in this scene, because for half of it he's not in control of his own body.

(*Notably, from what I read - I am not a botanist, just a nerd - cordyceps does not usually make insects aggressive - to manage population balance, only a few ants from any one colony are infected at any given time. And we see from Geralt's flashback that Eskel is usually pretty chilled and easy-going, so his aggressive energy in this episode is highly OOC. Three possible theories on this:

Cordyceps kills its hosts eventually. Witchers make more resilient/more durable hosts. Making Eskel aggressive is intended to maximise the number of infected Witchers

The leshen is in Eskel's head, so it knows Eskel has brought it to Monster Hunter Central in the middle of fucking nowhere, and it's scared. Eskel is acting out because it knows that the one place it's most likely to be discovered is here.

Eskel is scared. He's a nice guy, but he's still a Witcher, capable of immense violence. Years of experience have taught him to get fighty when threatened, and now he's fighting for his life. Fully conscious, fully aware, while something takes over his body. Anyone would be terrified. )

We see later that Vesemir actually followed up on the hint Eskel dropped. He references that Eskel has "drunk too much for that sting", so he knows that one of his boys is hurt.

But he's like, highkey casual about it, so I don't believe he realises how bad it is, and I don't think Eskel has actually let him look at it. After making it all the way back to Kaer Morhen to get help from Vesemir, the leshen makes him deny he needs it. Interference from Vesemir is the most likely thing to get it discovered, and it can't risk that. Imagine being Eskel, hearing the monster using your mouth to tell the old man that you're fine, to leave you alone, stop fussing, while you're trapped in your own head screaming for help.

By the time the party** happens, he's deteriorating fast. He's practically begging for a fight with Geralt, and ultimately swings for him. He's snappish and short-tempered with the prostitute, especially when she brings up leshens, and even though he backs down from Geralt in the end, something still triggers his transformation and he kills the woman.

By this point, the leshen*** is almost completely in control. Eskel is shut away in his own head, unable to move his own body.

Still, he manages to speak to Geralt. He tells him he knew something was wrong, and he thought Geralt could help him. But this is, like, the last vestige of his ability to hold the monster back. By the time Vesemir arrives, the leshen has swallowed him up completely

** Now, I've seen posts criticising the decision to have this happen at all, when Kaer Morhen is supposed to be a closely guarded secret, which, fair. 1000% Eskel - the real Eskel - knows that stopping enroute to invite a bunch of hookers up to the keep is Not Okay. But it also works, in this scenario? Because what most benefits the leshen is infecting as many hosts as possible, and it would know from Eskel's memories that there won't be many people up at the castle. Just Witchers, a handful of them at best. Inviting more people to come and party fills the castle with potential hosts - and what's more, if it had infected the prostitutes, they'd all go back down the mountain and continue work for a few days unnoticed. Prostitutes meet a lot of people. If the Witchers had been more drunk, or less effective, or if Geralt had actually gone to protect Ciri and Vesemir had faced Eskel alone, the infection would have broken out and spread. The Continent dodged a fucking nuclear bomb here.

** It's also worth a thought that like. This leshen is vaguely implied to be a monolith monster, a new type of leshen. But it's probably not? It's a regular leshen who's also infected by the same parasite it passed on to Eskel. It's not in control either. It's wandered through a monolith into the world of the Aen Seidhe, but it's still just a slave to its parasite, and it's coming to the end of its time as a useful host. Infecting someone or something else is its top priority. That's...quite sad, too.

Anyway yeah I don't think the Netflix writers actually thought about all this or cared about doing his character justice/how OOC they wrote him, and I wish we'd gotten more of him, but. This is my theory and I'm sticking to it

[fangirleaconmigo]

First off- I adore your Witcher Meta. It's exactly the kind of stuff I love to read and you lay it out SO well.

So that makes you the perfect person to ask: is there any canon backing up the common headcanon of Geralt (or other Witchers) not being able to cook well?

Ahhh thank you so much. I still get a bit self conscious about how extra I am, how detailed I can get, so I am very grateful I’ve found people just as nerdy as I am 😅

As far as book canon only, the only Kaer Morhen witcher I can remember being referred to as a bad cook, is Lambert! (People can correct me if they remember something else obv)

In general, it seems like they eat pretty well.

For Triss’s first dinner at Kaer Morhen, they served her “beer potage, thick with croutons and cheese,” and they drank cider, all of which sounds amazing.

The Geeky Chef made this potage which yes, looks absolutely delicious.

Then for breakfast the next day they served her porridge.

Kaer Morhen doesn’t have servants (maybe they did in the old days when the mages were there but not anymore) and they cook for themselves and so I feel like they eat quite well, even during long winters. Maybe rustic and simple but comfort food.

My headcanon is that Vesemir is the best cook, due to his experience and patience and role in caring for the keep. But I think Geralt, Eskel, and Cöen are no slouches, and if you let them make the meals they love, they feed each other well and put their little individual flourishes on there. I mean Geralt LOVES food. I can put a “Geralt and Food” post together if anyone is interested.

But as for Lambert, here is what Cöen says in Blood of Elves. He is training Ciri and they’re getting tired and starting to think about dinner.

“I’m not tired, I’m hungry.”

“Bloody hell, so am I. And today’s Lambert’s turn and he can’t cook anything other than noodles…if he could only cook those properly…”

So it seems like they take turns, and that at least Cöen does not look forward to Lambert’s turn.

Me, I’m a Lambert. My sisters get together usually weekly to have dinner and whenever I volunteer to cook, everyone else “kindly” insists I do not go to the trouble. 😂😂😂😂

If I remember correctly, TWN put a little reference to this into season two. However, I haven’t rewatched S2 yet so don’t quote me on that.

Also, I must mention at this point @artanisnaanie has a fic called In the Kitchen of a Keep in the Mountains. She is a nerd about medieval cooking and the fic has a chapter and recipe for each character and it’s really fantastic. I recommend checking it out!

Thanks again ♥️

[essskel]

​why waste time on billions of words of eskel meta trying to break down his tragedy and his conflict and his partial antagonism when I could just say: oh he’s the one who wears red. he’s the red character

[between-thepages]

1, 4, and 14 for the asks to spread love <3

Thank you for the ask <3

A fanon characterisation that you love

I love the idea that Eskel is gay, and that the Succubus he talks about in Witcher 3 was actually an Incubus.

4. Link to a great meta you’ve read

There aren't that many meta posts I've read and remember, but this one about Triss, Phil and the Lodge is great, and resonates a lot with how I view Triss.

14. A ship or character that you started liking because of someone else (give them/their works a shout out!)

I started liking Foltest/Roche because of Major Design Flaw by Anoke, the whole series is fantastic and coincidentally one of the parts was released right as I started playing Witcher 2, which was one of the reasons I gave it a shot. A close second is Peace Tied by Bomberqueen17, which is one of the reasons I ship Iorveth/Roche.

[kuwdora]

Witcher Fanworks Pinned Post

Hello, I'm kuwdora (she/her) and I figure I'd make a pinned post for my Witcher works. You can find me on: AO3, YouTube and my vidding sideblog. Send an Ask if you'd like to connect on discord! This pinned post hasn't been updated in awhile but I'll get around to it. Check out the AO3 page for more up-to-date fanworks. I'll get around to updating this post soon...

Fic

Eskel/Geralt (Leshy Eskel)

Heart Tap (Eskel/Geralt). ~23k. Explicit. After his transformation into a leshen, Eskel struggles with his memory and strange urges and perception of reality. He asks Geralt to help him investigate what he's actually made of. Season 2 Leshen Eskel. AKA the one where Eskel asks Geralt to tap him like a maple tree. Crack treated seriously, Monster Biology, Fantasy Alchemy, Touch-starved Eskel, Tentacles.

Driftwood (Eskel/Geralt) ~2800. Teen. Geralt meets Eskel for an afternoon on the lake. Crack treated seriously, Slice of Life. Season 2 Leshen Eskel.

Geralt/Jaskier

stories we tell, memories we share, and the words we hold dear (Geralt/Jaskier). ~28k. Mature. Three decades after the war, Jaskier’s thoughts are faster than his aching hands can keep up, but Geralt has learned enough by his side to take up the quill for him. Alternate Title: Old Soft Men in Love. Post-canon, Domesticity, Chronic Pain, Acts of Service, Tenderness, lots of cheeky meta, and Geralt getting railed by puns.

A Drowner's Dozen (Jaskier, pre-Geralt/Jaskier) ~6k. Gen. After Geralt finishes a mundane contract, Jaskier reflects on mortality and rewrites a song in the process. Jaskier character study, art as a coping mechanism.

Rumor, Symmetry, Big Dick Energy (Geralt/Jaskier). ~4k. Mature. Written for the tumblr kissing prompt meme. Geralt and Jaskier share a chaste kiss in front of some dwarves in Vergen.

Yennefer/Jaskier

Learning Curve 10k. When Yennefer's insecurities about her new teaching responsibilities keep her up at night, she finds comfort at Jaskier's side. Character study, cuddling and snuggling, angst with a happy ending.

Pivot ~4k. Teen. Yennefer steps on Jaskier and he likes it. Minor d/s vibes, some humiliation/praise kink, technically a song fic.

Geralt/Yen/Jaskier

Surface Tension, ~5500w. Explicit. Yen and Jaskier delay Geralt's orgasm all night. Edging, subspace, emotional porn, tenderness.

A Beard for a Bard ~3900w. Mature. Geralt comes home, expecting a night on the town, but Jaskier isn’t in much of a mood for carousing. Luckily for Jaskier, Yen can make any night memorable with her special elixirs and Geralt is happy to have a lazy night at home. post-canon, drug use, cuddling and snuggling. the lion, the witch, and the audacity of this bitch ~6k. Explicit. Sexual roleplay, d/s, body worship. Narnia not-AU with Jaskier as a faun, Yen as the Ice Queen and Geralt as the loyal knight.

Misc

The Shade of Your Eyes (Philippa Eilhart, Radovid) ~3k. Mature. Philippa tortures the disembodied soul of Radovid. Written for Witcher Flashfic challenge #031.

My Witcher Fanvids

Fanart

black dog (Vernon Roche)

Farewell, Chaos (Yennefer of Vengerberg)

Witcher Girl (Ciri)

AO3 Collection

[keirametzbrassknuckles]

A lot of very good Lambert and Eskel sibling meta recently.

anyway girlies(gn) imagine me bringing you all little cakes and things in gratitude for absolutely wrecking my heart and brain.

[bushrodmusic]

NOW PLAYING. Shoutout to all of the independent music contributors making today’s stream cast possible. Listen to music by CHARLES GREENE, now playing on your favorite smooth jazz/jazz radio show. #charlesgreene #bushrodmusic #webradio #playtheradio #linkinbio👆 . (Independent)Smooth Jazz/Jazz playlist contributors https://Live365.com/station/BushrodMusic-a64515 JC SOL DeepSpawn Logic John Armato Sharon Rae Norrh d’Z the Music Amy Sorinio da Trio Steve Markoff and Patricia Lazzara Levantay Chicken Grass Eskell Soulshakers Giovanni Cultrera Sonya Jevette Ido Spak Paula Letang Lisa Mitts Frank Birtswistle Dimitri K Robert Copeland Chelsey Green Vince Broomfield Desiree Million Mona Visa Widespread Haze Simon Deely’s Blue Haze Sariyah Idan Macky Mikunda Kathy Kosins Jennifer Marler Band Juan Sanchez Bushrod Bobby Porter Elvic Kongolo Juan Kroeber Juan Ongbrian Novine Osaka Ad Varna Gl The Broken Islands Jon K T Charles Greene Ngwato ft. Brian Temba The Puss Puss Band Tomas Javnicky Barb Jungr OKLUNO Estelle California Thomas Piper Soulshakers Ghostly Beard Zemill Such Stereo Nomads Onejiru Thomas Doyal Zandra Arnold Tahirah Memory Ang Low Kk the drummer Wo wo Mndau Johanna Saint-Pierre Lyia Meta Hugo Rey Mannon L Dallas Cosmas Johnny James JeRonelle Loris Tils Monique Sherrell Brown Piyali Ganguly Raw Soul Express Ivar Segurbergsson Estelle California Gloria Loring Jaelee Small True Religion De-Ola Eluozo https://www.instagram.com/p/CoSetVWpuJm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dadralt]

tags list

GENERAL

my text posts

fanart

fanmixes

fic recs

answered asks

incorrect quotes

fandom bullshit

meta

mine

my gifs

my edits

my writing

my attempts at art

my attempts at poetry

FANDOM TAGS

characters

geralt

yennefer

ciri

eskel

triss

roach

jaskier

vilgefortz

lambert

sabrina

philippa

renfri

relationships

geralt/yennefer

geralt & ciri

yennefer & ciri

geralt, yennefer & ciri

geralt/eskel

yennefer/triss

geralt/lambert

geralt/yennefer/jaskier

triss/philippa

geralt, eskel & lambert

yennefer/sabrina

cast

general tag for all of them

henry cavill

anya chalotra

anna shaffer

mahesh jadu

joey batey

freya allan

paul bullion

therica wilson read

[witcherreborn]

Things I want to write

Vampire Jaskier Werewolf Jaskier Time Lord Jaskier  (((Already wrote a starter))) Mutant Jaskier (X-Men) Enhanced Jaskier (Something Marvel) Meta Human Jaskier (Something DC) Warlock Jaskier (Based off Shadowhunters) Dragon Jaskier (Because that’s hot) Demi-God Jaskier (Son of Apollo) Shadowhunter Jaskier (Also based off Shadowhunters)

Vampire Eskel  Werewolf Eskel Avenger Eskel

Please send me an ask or message if you want to do one of these with me!

[0dde11eth]

I wonder what Lamberts intrusive thoughts are?

Or jaskiers? Or heck even Aiden?

Seriously they are so damn chaotic already.

But everyone has that little voice that makes even the person go "whoa! Too far, what the heck is wrong with me???"

What does that voice whisper to them, in the most innocent moments? That split second before they come back to themselves? Or In the dark of night when the darkness is around you, and within?

***

(Eskels intrusive thoughts sounds suspiciously like Lambert talking regularly to him)

[kenobihater]

lambert as a narrative foil

lambert acts as a highly effective character foil, primarily for geralt (as the most notable character foils are usually those who foil the protagonist), but also for the rest of the wolf witchers! putting it under a cut so i don't spam your dashes with my lambertposting <3

let me start with eskel, whom i have the least to say about because, of all the witchers, we spend the least amount of time with him. first of all, there's their personality differences: lambert can be an angry, cantankerous man, while eskel is much more affable and averse to conflict than lambert is (he admits to essentially walking on eggshells around lambert and not broaching certain topics at all with lambert in the mission no place like home).

then, there's their attitudes and how they talk about their pasts. lambert is bitter - i'd venture as far to say that it's one of his chief character traits. he's incapable of talking about his past without getting upset (and fair enough, considering the hell he went through as a kid!). eskel, on the other hand, is able to bring up his past (specifically when on the forktail hunt with geralt) and discusses it without rancor. yes, he's wistful that his memories of his mother are so fleeting, but he's able to look back on them without seeming to get bitter. his childhood likely differed little from lambert's after he made it to kaer morhen, meaning they share much of their trauma, but he's healed differently than his younger brother has and so perhaps the hurt isn't so near, or maybe he's just better at hiding it.

the easiest part to talk about when discussing lambert as a character foil to vesemir is their differing personalities and how they escalate or de-escalate conflict. lambert can have a pretty volatile manner of conflict resolution, at least when emotionally compromised, like how he is during following the thread. vesemir, on the other hand, almost always seems to have his temper under control, even when conflict erupts, like it did in white orchard. the only time i can think of where he gives into emotion is if lambert dies during the battle of kaer morhen, which is understandable but heartbreaking. lambert also is quite sarcastic, which stands in stark contrast to vesemir's genuineness.

another part of how lambert serves as a character foil to vesemir is through his age. his youth is the most noticeable when compared with vesemir, not only for the obvious reason of their age gap being the largest, but for their ages so greatly affecting how they view things. lambert is the youngest of the wolf witchers to still endure the trials of the grasses, and he has the mindset so often found in the young: a rebellious one, a mindset where he wants to overturn all of the established traditions and social mores of the wolves. vesemir, on the other hand, is more of a traditionalist. now, i'm not trying to say that he's wholly representative of the capital-m Man, nor is he at fault for all of the many tragedies that the wolf witchers have endured, both in childhood and on the path. i am trying to say that lambert likely views him this way at least in part, due to vesemir being complacent in the cycle of abuse that witcher trainees were subjected to. he was a cog in the machine, and while he would have simply been replaced had he stepped aside or spoken up, he is still responsible for making the wheels of the machine turn ever forwards, devouring more and more children. lambert knows this, lambert sees this, and he has a very difficult time picking apart his love for the old man from his anger at the part vesemir played, no matter how small, in traumatizing lambert and all of the other witcher trainees.

then there's how lambert acts as a foil to geralt. geralt is written to be a nice dude. not a perfect one, and you can certainly choose to make him kind of a dirtbag, but it's pretty obvious that cdpr wrote him to be nice. lambert, though i love him, is far from the first character to come to mind when i think of the word "nice". he has a grating personality to say the least, and shows affection through insults, which is quite a roundabout way of doing so. geralt, in contrast, is usually pretty blunt with his affections. he doesn't mince his words, but he's far from emotionally incompetent. neither is lambert (after all, he was able to befriend a cat witcher) but he's certainly more circumspect than geralt is about showing affection and kindness towards others.

the biggest way he acts as a foil to his brother geralt and helps to stress the overall theme of morality is through their differing codes of ethics. lambert, in my humble opinion, does have a code! in tw3 geralt's is obvious (always try to do good, neutrality is a luxury geralt can't afford, not all monsters are evil and not all humans are good) so long as you don't play him as a complete bastard, but lambert's is less so. he rarely comes out and gives justifications for his actions, but they do have an internal logic, one that is consistent throughout the story. those who do evil should be killed (like when he axiied the bandits to kill each other, or "visited" his abusive father), the good should be protected (like how he protects ciri) and, failing that, avenged (aiden, or voltehre). witchers kill monsters, and he doesn't agonize over this like geralt does when geralt meets a monster he deems good. he just kills them because they're monsters, and doesn't feel bad about it, because killing monsters? it's why he was made to suffer, and if he doesn't kill monsters and fulfill his duty, then what was the point? so, lambert does have a code, one more complex than geralt's, but a code nonetheless.

those complexities, and really all of the foiling work between lambert and the other wolves, does a fantastic job of showing the similarities and differences between four people raised the same way, under the same abusive system, and how that treatment affected them all differently and helped shape them into who they are in the narrative.

[fangirleaconmigo]

I have set aside about an hour to write today. But what to work on?

I have about ten meta/analysis posts in drafts, (fanon or canon, Lambert char breakdown, Milva char breakdown) two WIPs on AO3 (Posada Remix and Eskel’s Angel) and like five WIPs in my Google drafts. One major (gladiator au) and four or so minor/pwps.

On what will I bestow my frustratingly inadequate amount of time on today?

[on-a-lucky-tide]

Would you mind sharing some tips on writing eskel as well? I've heard people complain about how eskel is basically written as geralt with a scar, but I'm not sure how to NOT do that? How do you write him as himself and not a copy of Geralt?

Ahh, Anon. Eskel. Well, believe it or not, this was harder to pull together than the one for Lambert. Eskel’s a character quite close to my heart and I’ve used him across a wide range of stories to explore issues close to home. I’ve broken down some core principles, so I hope this is both informative, but flexible enough for you to twist and warp as you see fit. A lot of his traits are interwoven, but I’ve tried to sort them into some sensible order.

My usual disclaimer: personal interpretations; mileage may differ. Remember that everyone engages with media differently, etc.

TLDR: In the books, it’s said that he and Geralt look so similar that they could be mistaken for brothers, but for the scar on Eskel’s face and Geralt’s white hair. They’re close. Eskel’s life is governed by quiet pragmatism, whereas Geralt is governed by idealism. Eskel doesn’t involve himself like Geralt does; he’s capable of operating inside societal norms and is well aware of his emotions/needs (enough to have sound mastery of them). He prefers the life of an anonymous witcher, not because he isn’t special in his own way, but because that is the life he chooses.

Special shoutout to those in the Cake Shop who helped me answer the question ��how do I talk about Eskel without showing my whole ass?” @lohrendrell, @tumbleweedtech, @frenchkey, @octinary, particularly.

Eskel knows how society works. He’s able to live within its boundaries.

“It was Eskel’s behaviour which was most unlikely; he got up, approached the enchantress, bent down low, took her hand and kissed it respectfully.”

“Vesemir hawked again. But Eskel, dear Eskel, kept his head and once more behaved as was fitting.”

Blood of Elves

Eskel is often written as the “diplomatic” one. Part of this stems from the “eldest child” syndrome he has—polite, responsible and Vesemir can “count on him”—but also because he understands society’s rules and his place within it. He doesn’t chafe against the yoke like Lambert or stumble awkwardly through like Geralt. It’s not that he’s passive, but he has accepted the world for it is and rather than rail against it (Lambert) or believe that he can change it with enough personal suffering (Geralt), he has decided to operate within its framework as best he can.

Even if he wholeheartedly disagrees with something, he will feign interest. His one big tell is the inability to maintain eye contact when something truly bores him, probably because he’s well aware that his eyes might give him away.

Eskel would have pinched the bridge of his nose in despair had been present when Geralt skewered that rodent in the dark. Triss notes that Eskel “behaves as he should” and Eskel is able to conduct himself in a manner that encourages Triss to assist with Ciri, because he knows that is what’s needed at the time. He doesn’t see himself “above” a little bit of deference if it achieves the end goal, which leads me onto the next point…

Eskel is a pragmatist, not an idealist. 

Eskel and Coën bestowed a look which was entirely devoid of respect on the old man. 

Blood of Elves

Eskel: Saved this lost knight once... You know, woods, dark, wolves. The standard. Told him "Give me what you find at home" and all that... No kid this time, but his mare had just foaled.

Geralt: Eskel and Scorpion... Bound by fate. An enchanting tale.

Eskel: Mock me all you want. You're just jealous.

Dialogue, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Eskel gets a bad reputation for not picking up Deidre and leaving her to “suffer”. In reality, Eskel was pragmatic in making his decision to leave her where she was. A princess would live a far better life in a palace, surrounded by luxury, than he could ever give her. I’ve debated whether he puts much stock in “destiny” either, since he claimed law of surprise a second time—sometimes I write this as him asking the world for a second chance to get it right, because his decision bit him in the ass. There may have been a small concern at taking on the responsibility, particularly given the timing of his “acquisition”.

After the whole Deidre debacle, Eskel carried a collective work about the phenomenon of the “Black Sun”. He concluded that the Council of Wizards meddled too much in state affairs, botched it and, had they not sent Sabrina Glevissig, Ademeyn might not have been ostracised. In other words, Deidre was a victim of the machinations of the Council. Is Eskel dogged by regret and thoughts of “what could have been”? I think so. Why else would he take such great pains to find an explanation beyond something as erroneous as “fate”?

Another aspect of this pragmatism is the realistic way he views his relationship to Kaer Morhen and the witcher brotherhood. He doesn’t view Vesemir as a father figure (contrary to what our beloved fanfiction tropes would have you believe) and treats him with detachment (if not open disdain as evidenced above). This suggests he has a better grasp of the reality of his training years than Geralt—a leap, but it matches the rest of his approach to the Path (see next point). They weren’t trained as gallant knights to rescue damsels from distress, but as monster hunters that would live on the periphery of society. 

He is notably disturbed by performing the Trial of the Grasses on Uma and walks away. Like all witchers, there is certainly some residual trauma there, particularly because he almost lost Geralt during the whole process.

I think this foundational understanding of his place in the world meant that he never quite developed the sense of “unworthiness” that Geralt carries with him. This doesn’t mean that Eskel isn’t very aware of his worth and his place; he is conscious of his scars (touches them when he’s anxious or contemplative) and saves his smiles for his friends and family. He is aware of how the world views him—resigned to it, perhaps fatigued by it in some ways—and manages himself accordingly. 

As an amusing aside, he once caught a vampire by getting a woman drunk on drugged alcohol and using her as bait (with her consent, of course), but I can just imagine Geralt clutching his pearls at the very idea and it makes me grin.

Eskel chooses anonymity. He chooses the simple life of a witcher and takes a certain amount of pride in it.

Geralt: You too. How are things?

Eskel: Same ol', same ol'. Another day, another drowner.

Geralt: That it?

Eskel: I'm a simple witcher, Wolf. Don't fight dragons, don't fraternise with kings and don't sleep with sorceresses... Unlike some.

Dialogue, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

“And the lord barons and village elders,” added Eskel, “have their heads full of the war and don’t have the time to defend their subjects. They have to hire us. It’s true. But from what Triss has been telling us all these evenings, it seems the conflict with Nilfgaard is more serious than that, not just some local little war. Is that right, Triss?”

Blood of Elves 

Eskel prefers a quiet life on his own terms. He chooses to walk the Path with his own morals and chooses not to engage the way Geralt or Coën do (both intervene and find heartache and pain), whereas Geralt wants a happy family, Eskel prefers his solitude. He chooses to be an anonymous witcher, chooses simplicity instead of glory, or even a sense of grand accomplishment. He finds accomplishment in carving out the life he wants, because his early life was characterised by a lack of agency. In summary, if Geralt is high drama, then Eskel is maximum chill. 

He never gained Geralt’s renown—deliberately, as I’ve stated—but he has a reputation as a solid witcher; professional, reliable and competent. He has undertaken a number of notable feats, including the rescue of a young girl from the stomach of a basilisk and the slaying of a manticore (neither of which he got paid for due to the lack of contract).

We can extrapolate a little from what he doesn’t say or do. In the Blood of Elves, when Triss commented on their treatment of Ciri, he listened rather than bite back like Lambert and lament like Geralt. After they discussed what to do with Ciri, the conversation turned to the situation in the Northern Kingdoms. Eskel asked a question initially (as above) but went silent when it turned into a debate about neutrality. He’s the closest example we have of a witcher that pays more than lip service to the neutrality of the order (besides, perhaps, Vesemir).

Eskel is quiet, but he’s not “slow”.

Geralt: Something about Yen bothering you? C'mon, grow a pair, give it to me straight.

Eskel: You grow a pair and admit she tricked you. More than a few times.

Geralt: That was then. Yen's changed.

Eskel: Right. Fine, never mind... Let's go.

Dialogue, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Geralt: We shouldn't. Rather not tire out my horse for no reason.

Eskel: Ah... Honestly can't see what all those dames see in you. You're a stick in the mud.

Geralt: Pretty damn handsome stick, though.

Eskel: Debatable... Let's go.

Dialogue, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

There can be a tendency to paint Eskel as a little bit dim, because some of his rebuttals to Geralt amount to “no, you” and he has this lovely, warm accent in the game that drops the ‘g’ and uses the word ‘ain’t’. However, I propose that Eskel has a dry sense of humour, has grown up dealing with Geralt’s sass and knows the best way to shut him down is to disengage with a one-liner and move on. 

You also have one of my favourite examples of Eskel’s intelligence, which is the fact that he spent months hunting a katakan and dragged it to Kaer Morhen for an autopsy to figure out what was so special about it. I’ve gone into this in more depth in a “headcanon” post, which is more focused on what I have built Eskel as (including a love of poetry and literature). 

Other bits and pieces:

He is perturbed by Geralt’s relationship with Yennefer and points out her poor treatment of him (and her poor behaviour when she arrives at KM); he remarks that Yennefer plays Geralt like a “cheap fiddle”. Ouch.

He has a feathered bonnet he wears on special occasions. 

He has a lot of luck with the ladies when wearing a mask—don’t worry, Eskel, we love you without one—which suggests an innate charm that he can deploy effectively.

He’s infamous for sleeping with succubi and doing fisstech. While some might try to base his entire character on this, it only suggests that he knows how to have a good time and, in his own words, loves a woman with horns.

He enjoys drinking and laughing with his loved ones, and there is evidence that he has a close relationship with Lambert as well as Geralt.

He is a lightweight when it comes to alcohol.

There is still plenty of scope to explore issues of self-esteem and Eskel’s expectations of the world (and how it treats him).

My headcanon that he has an army of grannies that feed him on the Path because he is a “good young man” that helps them out.

Some random headcanons that aren’t wholly based on canon material.

He appears once with a goat.

His hands “emanate with power”, more so than Geralt. He is known for an astounding mastery of Signs.

I’ve avoided discussing anything to do with kink or NSFW; I’ll let you make up the fun bits by yourself (but I’m personally partial to Eskel any way he comes, to be honest; the lad loves to please his lovers).

Chonkskel for life. There is no other way.

In conclusion, Anon. Eskel is not Geralt Lite.  I view them as two halves of one soul, yes—even if you just view them platonically, they’re bound by the life they have lived together—but Eskel is the balance to Geralt’s chaos, the calm to his turbulence. They find effortless acceptance and love in each other (evidenced by the way they fall into each other’s arms in the Blood of Elves).  

On his own, Eskel is a simple man in that his wants in life are simple, but he has his own clear moral code of neutrality, a dry wit and an easy charm. I always advise people to drink some bourbon, listen to Tennesse Whiskey and read about sultry summer evenings before sitting down to write Eskel, because that’s how he feels to me.

[kushielsmercy]

I’m no lore expert, but I do think that Witcher canons that leave out The Choice trial miss a critical piece of how the wolf boys view their lots.

For those unfamiliar, The Choice is said to be the first trial that trainees must pass through. As best I can tell, it only appears in book canon. It happens when the boys are around 9 or 10 and is the first, least deadly (relatively speaking), round of enhancements. The boys eat a special diet of mushrooms and herbs and start the really grueling physical training.

The key thing about The Choice is that it’s presented as just that, a choice. In theory, the boys can say no. They could head back down the mountain and seek their fortune elsewhere.

Now, there’s of course a million complications with that. They’re children. They’re unwanted. The world is cruel and they’re just as likely to end up dead if they’re sent out on their own. The Choice isn’t much of a choice at all.

But I think, as humans, we rely strongly on the illusion of choice. Did someone really choose to work a certain job when they applied to a hundred places, heard back from two, and one paid twice as much? In some ways, no. But in other important ways, you sent the applications and you made a selection. It might have been a choice where the alternative was not feasible, but it was a choice. And as a human having some level of agency, any level, is important.

So let’s apply that idea to our boys.

First there’s Geralt. By all accounts he’s been with the witcher’s the longest, to the point where he has barely any memory of the outside world. Kaer Morhen is his home, being a witcher is his destiny. Sure, that’s no choice, but in the same way we have no choice in the family we are born into. We may at times look at other families who seem to be happier, kinder, richer, and wish that ours were different, but there’s rarely a fundamental feeling that someone fucked us over. As Geralt would say, destiny is a bitch. But there’s no one on this mortal plane to direct that anger at, so most of the time we don’t bother.

And what’s more, Geralt has no comparison. Nothing to be angry that he doesn’t have, because being a witcher is all there is. And, other than the likely horrible death, it probably even sounds pretty cool. I’d bet you good money that the fully grown witcher’s wintering in the keep aren’t sharing horror stories while deep in their cups. Not in a culture that values toughness and traditional masculinity. Nope, they’re bragging about their heroics and the best kills of the season. It’s no wonder Geralt has such romantic notions about his own life.

So sure, Geralt was presented a choice. But he didn’t need it, because just like you’ve always been your mother’s child, he’s always been a witcher. Sometimes that sucks, especially later in life when you start to know other mothers, other options, and can compare. But some things are so fundamental to you as a person that if you made any other “choice” and you wouldn’t be you at all.

Next is Eskel. Steady and sure.

From what we can tell, Eskel came to the witcher’s at a normal age, probably around six or seven. Late enough that he knew his family, he knew his town, he knew a little of life outside the keep. We don’t know much about his background other than he was Hillfolk and presumably dirt poor. But he knew a before and he knew an after; he could compare.

So for Eskel, The Choice was, in an important sense, a choice. If he had said no we don’t know what he would be going back to - probably a short life on the streets begging for scraps. But he knew a little of the outside world, knew in a very tangible sense what it was to be human, and he said yes, okay, I’ll give that up.

And I think that a really important factor in why he’s so content with his lot. It might often be six metric tons of shit, and he might sometimes wonder what might have been, or what the hell he was thinking when he said yes. But he said yes, so who is there to blame really?

And then Lambert. My darling angry rat man Lambert.

He came to Kaer Morhen late. Much later than the other boys. He knew damn well that the outside world was shit, but it was his world. His to hate, but his. He never wanted to be a Witcher and he damn well didn’t choose this life.

And this is me stepping out on a limb, but I think it’s really likely he didn’t choose. Not just in a metaphorical sense, but also as in the trials. If The Choice happened around age 9 or 10, Lambert would have missed it entirely. I think it’s really likely that the instructors skipped it altogether, just started shoving mushrooms down his throat as quick as possible, because the older the boys have lower rates of survival and he needed to be put through The Grasses as soon as possible. So even at the most basic level, stripping away any philosophical discussion about what is choice, really, when all your options are shit? Lambert didn’t choose.

Lambert got dealt a shit hand in a game he never wanted to play. No wonder he’s pissed.