#i miss ciri... and yen... and geralt...

[crows-of-buckets]

With the witcher 4 coming up I should try my hand at the books again...

[bbugsy]

my witcher hyperfixation is back so this may turn from a horror blog to a witcher blog LMAOOO expect witcher art n fics very soon sorry not sorry 😔🤙

[stillness138]

despite it's numbering, it does little to continue, let alone conclude, the story set by the previous two games. the end of tw2 presents a juicy political situation where most of the northern monarchs are dead, temeria's - the key kingdom's - heir is a little girl, nilfgaard has just invaded again, mages (who won the north a war once already) are forced to flee radovid's wrath, all the while scoia'tael get entangled with a power shift in aedirn and a literal dragon leads a rebellion. so what does tw3 do with this?

wipes the slate clean. it doesn't matter that meve and possibly henselt are alive, that anais la valette exists, that there's a dragon who united dwarves and elves from around the pontar under her rule and took over a chunk of aedirn, apparently eeeveryone got invaded and radko is the only guy that matters. there's a continent-spanning war but tw3 is not interested in talking about...the rest of the continent at war.

and because sapko left one other of ciri's demons alive, including her in this game is a good enough reason for bringing the wild hunt in. as the main baddies the game will be named after. doesn't matter that they have nothing to do with the rest of the set up storyline, you're told how evil and mysterious and dangerous they are through a few cutscenes of terrorizing villagers, but never are you really told why they're around in the first place and why do the characters care on a personal level. for a game that tries so hard to be about this one family and broadly focuses on character-driven drama, it never bothers to take time to talk about the fact that ciri, and for that matter also geralt, were personally enslaved by the aen elle.

and like i'm not against the hunt's inclusion necessarily, it creates further turmoil and stakes for the setting, it has been sort of teased in tw1 and it's cathartic to off eredin, but ciri should have been the one to do it (or at the very goddamn least let her and geralt tag team him) after a writer sat down and actually explored the trauma she's supposed to have. she spends the entire game dealing with different abusers including her own and never meaningfully comments on that fact (don't get me started on avallac'h's [last minute] re-characterization).

but here's the hot take; emhyr should have been killable too. i will never stop lamenting the utter binning of the political situation because it simply makes tw3 an unsatisfying conclusion to 1 and 2. reason of state's writing by itself is just the cherry on top, of course no one wants roche dead, but oh shit we kinda didn't develop the war at all, quick let's write a nonsensical, insulting this or that scenario where both outcomes have a country swallowed by another, who needs nuance, or like, characters from the previous game. anais la who?

they bit more than they could chew. created a hard to conclude plotline then chucked a whole another problem to deal with into the mix and even after scrapping a lot of content [and it was content that wouldn't have helped a whole lot anyway] had to rush what remained of the storyline into completion. but fixing the last act alone - people nowadays are at least willing to admit that part is underwritten - still doesn't fix all of the game's problems because those are present all across its structure. yes eredin/the hunt are underdeveloped. because everything is. everything in the background of these human personal stories - the praise for which being what turned this game into a cultural phenomenon - is cracked, undercooked, and so so very frustrating.

i hate the witcher 3

[shy-urban-hobbit]

Jaskier retreated from the main hall. Leaving the remaining Wolves to see to their injured and dead and readying himself for another night tucked away in his wreck of a room, determined to stay out of the way after already having been largely ignored since his arrival and then shoved away by Lambert twice. He found himself wondering if he should count the first time, considering that he probably saved Jaskier’s life in the process? Probably not. The second time though was just plain spiteful. But then, he and Geralt had been travelling together for years and the white haired Witcher tolerated his casual affection at best – why else would it always be down to Jaskier to initiate when he'd seen the Witcher freely hug and give causal touches to Ciri and Yen multiple times?

He swallowed down his self pity as he realised he’d taken a wrong turn somewhere – he definitely didn’t recognise that particular crack in the wall.

“Fuck.” He sighed as he slumped against the wall. Part of him wondered if he should maybe be feeling a little more panicked about this turn of events, considering he’d been warned that some parts of the Keep were unsafe (whilst neglecting to tell him which parts. So that was incredibly fucking useful). Then again, it wasn’t exactly like he’d be missed, even if the Wolves weren’t currently preoccupied with the aftermath of a possessed princess unleashing almost literal Hell. He closed his eyes and rest his head against the freezing stone. Sod it, this was just as out of the way as anywhere else. He’d try and get his bearings in an hour or two.

“Jaskier. Jaskier!”

Jaskier jerked awake at the shout of his name, squinting at the sun through the window, surprised by how little time had actually passed.

Geralt barrelled around the corner just as he was trying to shake some of the stiffness out of his shoulders, the Witcher looking panic-stricken as he practically ran to the Bard, “Jaskier.”

“Geralt, what’s wrong? Has something else happened with Ciri? Has Yen’s chaos - oh!” He was cut off as Geralt pulled him to his chest, wrapping his arms around him tightly and effectively trapping the Bard’s own between their torsos as he hid his face in Jaskier’s shoulder, “Fuck. Geralt, talk to me. What’s happened?”

“I couldn’t find you.”

Jaskier gave an eloquent “Huh?” at that, “Geralt, did you hit your head and not say anything again? You did find me. You broke me out of prison, remember?”

He felt Geralt shake his head, “No. Just now. You weren’t in the hall, or where Yen showed me you’d been sleeping or anywhere else I checked. I thought something had happened to you and none of us had noticed. I hadn’t noticed.” He pulled his face away, allowing Jaskier to fully look at him, “You scared me.”

Jaskier lowered his eyes, ‘Congratulations Julian. Yet another fuck up.’

“I’m sorry. I thought it’d be better for everyone if I stayed out the way.”

“No, Jaskier.” Large fingers tilted his chin up until sky blue met molten yellow, “I’m sorry. For pushing you away on the mountain, for keeping you at arms length here, for how the others have treated you.”

“I don’t think you have much control over the last one to be fair.”

“Yes, I do. Ciri made me realise I should have set them right as soon as I arrived back. She gave Lambert an earful for shoving you like he did after his injuries had been checked over.”

Jaskier gave a brief smile at that before the mood turned serious again, “Can I ask why though?”

“Hmm?”

“I thought we were ok after you trusted me to escort Ciri and then you just acted as if I were invisible. what did I do wrong?” He couldn’t stop the tears blurring his vision, “I know I can be too much. I was too much when we were together, I see that now and I want to try and fix things. Stop being so, well, me. But I can’t when I don’t even know what I did between the prison and here to make you angry at me again.”

Geralt looked at him like Jaskier had just been the one to sucker punch him, “You did nothing Jaskier, you never did. I acted as I did because, well, you terrified me. Still do.”

Jaskier gave a wet laugh, “I seem to be making a habit of that today.”

“I mean it.” Geralt continued, “You shoehorned yourself alongside me and you were – are – so full of life and joy and light. I wanted to keep you for myself. Something I’ve never felt so strongly before, not for Yen, not for Renfri. I wanted to know you completely and be known in return and that realisation scared me more than any monster I’ve faced. I didn’t know how to let you in like that, so I pushed you away.”

In a moment of bravery (or perhaps madness), he brushed his lips against Jaskier’s forehead, hearing the Bard’s breath catch, “You’re not the one who needs to change, Jaskier. You never were. I just don’t know how to start, but I’ll try. For you and Ciri and Yen.”

“My darling Witcher, you already have changed.” Jaskier, squirmed until he was able to loop his arms around Geralt’s waist, finally returning the embrace, “You and Yen are able to be in the same room and act like actual adults, you finally took responsibility for Ciri, and as for me-“ Jaskier gave Geralt’s waist a squeeze, “You do realise this is the first time you’ve hugged me first?”

Geralt brushed his lips against Jaskier’s brow again, firmer this time, “First of many. If you’ll allow it.”

“Always.”

[bumblesimagines]

“ i'm extremely okay with this. “

- Ciri

“ i'm extremely okay with this. “

pronouns for y/n: he/him/his, male reader

Smoothing out the wrinkles on her dress, Ciri swept her gaze over those present. The Belleteyn festival. A chance for Ciri to feel normal again, to forget her worries for a night. All she felt was giddiness as she took in the lively attendees and listening to the music playing. She kept her mask close to her face and hoped nobody would recognize her.

Geralt and Yennefer's eyes bore into her back as she strode through the festivities, gaze bouncing around in order to soak everything in before they'd eventually be forced to go back out on the road in search of a new place to call home. She smiled and laughed at the performances, finally being able to enjoy herself. She turned to glance back at Geralt and Yennefer, shoulder bumping against someone and she saw it, a new vision.

She heard laughter, a mix of her voice and a stranger's. She saw someone's bare back turned toward her in a cozy bed and watched herself reach out to touch them. The wail of a baby pierced through next and she found herself holding a bundle that had her ashen-gray hair.

When she blinked, she saw the festival again and a voice rumbled near her ear. "Apologies." It sent a shiver down her spine and she whirled around, the mask nearly slipping from her fingers. The man tilted his head at her, (E/C) eyes peeking through the maroon mask on his face.

"You-" She caught herself and cleared her throat, finding that her hands had begun trembling. Had she just witnessed her future? Was she to become... a mother? A wife?

"Are you alright?" He asked, lips curling into a teasing smile. "Did I knock into you that hard?"

"No, I... Sorry, I..." At a loss for words for the first time in a while, Ciri certainly didn't miss the feeling. A hand gently touched her back and she glanced over her shoulder, finding Geralt and Yennefer at her side.

"Is something wrong, Ciri?" Geralt questioned, his eyes fixated on the man. Most would typically turn into blabbering messes when Geralt glared at them, but the stranger simply stared back at him until his attention turned to Yennefer and he grinned.

"It's been a while, Yen." He purred and scooped her hand into his, lips brushing against her knuckles. Ciri felt a flash of jealousy and blinked, startled by her own reaction.

"(Y/N)…" Yennefer breathed. "Vilgefortz said you were dead. He said you had been-"

"Killed in battle? And you believed that, Yen? You wound me." (Y/N) released her hand and shook his head, clicking his tongue in feigned disappointment.

"You know each other?" Geralt cocked a brow, a frown settling on his features.

"(Y/N) is a mage who worked alongside Vilgefortz sometimes." Yennefer explained to the bulky witcher, violet eyes never leaving (Y/N), almost as if afraid if she blinked he'd disappear. "The Brotherhood had attempted many times to recruit him for his abilities. Why would he lead us to believe you were dead?"

"He owed me a favor." (Y/N) replied coolly and shrugged his shoulders, the disinterest on his face clear as day. Yennefer and Geralt exchanged a glance.

"You're a mage?"

"Indeed I am, Princess." Ciri's heart skipped a beat and she nearly huffed. He was a stranger. A potential threat... and possibly her future husband.

"What are you doing here then, mage?" (Y/N) looked back at Geralt, locking eyes with him as Geralt placed a protective hand over Ciri's shoulder.

"I was passing through and heard about the festival so I decided to attend."

"Where are you headed?"

"Anywhere, everywhere, and nowhere. I have no real destination in mind since it seems I'll bump into an old friend in most places. Being found by the Brotherhood is the last thing I desire." (Y/N) tore his eyes away from the witcher to gaze around him. Ciri swallowed.

"You should come with us."

"Ciri-"

"We have the same dilemma. We can help each other. You stay with us somewhere where you won't be found and in return, you can teach me magic." Ciri proposed with a sudden boost of confidence. (Y/N)'s lips formed a grin and he peered back at her, eyes lighting up with interest.

"I'm sure our little mage wouldn't enjoy-"

"Oh, I'm extremely okay with this."

[kuwdora]

ao3 wrapped: 3, 12, 25!

eeeee these are good numbers, thank you for the ask nic!

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Some Kind of Disaster my TWN Season 3 missing scene fic with Yen and Jaskier is the one I’m most proud of this year. (Though to be fair I only managed to finish/post 4 fics this year so it’s a small pool… But still!) This fic hits all of the emotional beats that had been swirling in my head for a few years now, so I was over the moon when I got to the end of the fic and it was done and it was everything I wanted. Such a great feeling to see it into the world.

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

The number of WIPs are always too many. Prioritizing my WIPs is hard at the best of times, heh. I had maybe 6-7 active WIPs in the past year that I didn’t finish. On top of a few more new WIPs and ideas that wanted to be WIPs. Hard to stay focused.

As I said in previous ask, I have a yennskier nonsexual kink fic to work on. Since I’m still very much in witcher mode regardless of time between seasons.

But I still have my 20k+ Ciri fic that I really want and need to revisit. I have 30k+ more Jaskier fic that I yearn to work on. It's really matter of me poking @littlestsnicket and maybe enlisting some other folks to wave pompoms in my periphery to remind me that I want to go chasing that’ finishing-a-longfic/series feeling.’ I forever need to practice sharing more WIPs on main.

I may try to finish and post a little radskier ficlet I wrote in…idk I want to say March? And then there’s a Vilgefortz ficlet that I started last year, too that I think could be within finishing distance.

25. Did you receive any gifts this year?

I have a BOUNTY of gifts from this year! Like, so many. So blessed, everyone is having so much fun and I'm loving it all. Strap in, I got a squeeful recs list for you all.

Chantress did a podfic of my TWN Triss/Yenna ficlet Germinate which was a complete and wonderful surprise and is so, so lovely.

@astaldis did a remix of one of my Yennefer/Jaskier drabbles and it’s so great! It’s called Completion, very sexy feelings and hottness.

@she-who-drank-vodka-with-cats picked up a prompt I shared in the Smubbles server for some Meve/Reynard Thronebreaker awesomeness. It’s called the benefits of a prince consort. My prompt was: meve/reynard foot massage and comfort. ❤️❤️❤️

@sassaffrassa wrote me a smutty Geralt/Jaskier edging drabble called Stamina and it's of course 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Sass also wrote me Scavenger’s Reign Azi/Levi sex pollen drabble called flowering because robot yuri and sex pollen!!!!! If ever an an alien planet would have sex pollen, it would be Vesta. 🔥🔥🔥

@flootzavut gifted me a Jaskier fic called you do not get to hurt me which was a lovely surprise, lots of queer Jaskier messy feelings. I had a great time tossing the idea ball back and forth with flooty on this one when they were a little stuck on it. And the finished fic is so great and achey and I want to roll around in the Jaskier feelings all the time. Love you flootyfloots. I was bamboozled with love and utter surprise when I got an AO3 notification saying I was gifted a Stargate work. From none other than MSSalieri/troyswann who has been archiving their SG fic over the last few years. It’s an Elizabeth Weir and Daniel Jackson fic inspired by a prompt I offered Salieri several lifetimes and platforms ago. Salieri is an author and artist I have loved for an eternity, and I spent a lot of time reading and studying her fic when I was also first starting out writing fic. Trying to figure out how to do this prose thing. Really, just amazing…so much in a short fic. Reactivating the dormant Stargate feelings. The fic is called Unknown Waters. my prompt I had given Sal: If one tries to navigate unknown waters one runs the risk of shipwreck.

And then. There’s @ialwayscomewhenyoucall. Lira. Lira! Who I am constantly egging on with my Doctor Who Ten/Jack prompts in the @smubbles-etc discord server. Lira is just as delighted by my prompts as I am fucking excited to see what she comes up with. I’ve dumped approximately 200 million Doctor Who Ten/Jack prompts into the server this year. She’s been making me feel like a winner, lol. Lira is frolicking with prompts and I’m kicking my feetsies. ALSO Lira, have you made any headway on that Ten/Jack having sex performance for a paying alien audience prompt? Maybe for Smubble’s Wanksmas event? :D

Doctor Who Ten/Jack drabbles by LiraelClayr007:

Roses are Red - prompt: jack in lingerie. doctor admiring.

Black and (TARDIS) Blue - prompt: atyptical bruising patterns that jack is really into and wants more of immediately.

Different Body, Same Hearts - prompt: jack/ten reunion blowjob, the thrill of it all after so long.

Working together - a remix of my Refrain fic - Jack wants more. The Doctor is happy to give it to him.

You Can Wait - remix of my Syllable ficlet - Jack isn't allowed to come until the Doctor does.

From his knees - remix of my Reverence ficlet - Jack worships the Doctor.

Tether - The Doctor is spiraling after saying goodbye to Rose and his other self. Jack sees, and knows how to help. (not my prompt but lira's gotten so spun up from all my other prompts that I am still getting the goodies, ehehe)

The Doctor’s Song - Jack loves the sounds the Doctor makes. (not my prompt but still my joy !!!)

It’s a New Day - During sex, Jack asks the Doctor a question. He's surprised by the answer (not my prompt but still my gift, yes yayay)

❤️❤️❤️ I didn't manage to write/finish/post as much fic as I would have liked but I still had a great time with all the ideas and words from my brilliant friends. Here's to another year of awesome fic.

[limerental]

I think they both have their moments of "bro wtf". Avallac'h talks very differently to Geralt than he does to Ciri, so I think we as readers see inside his arrogance and feelings of superiority and blatant manipulation. The games address that a little. Where you have to decide if you actually trust this dude or not after learning about his eugenics nonsense.

But Eredin is the one Ciri fights and is ultimately pursued by when she flees. So he's a more concrete straight forward video game antagonist.

I really need to re-read lady of the lake, and this is probably my personal bias at least as much as what is in the text, but i remember side-eyeing Avallac’h so much harder than Eredin so I am just ??? whenever I hear things about the game plot or when people talk about them in general.

[eredins-wife]

The Witcher (The sims 4)

hello, I am alive, sorry for the absence, these 3 months I have had a lot of work, February is coming with the same work but more quiet.

I am translating chapter 33 and I leave you some screenshots of the game The sims 4, so I have the chance to play a little with so well known characters, which I also miss.

Keira, Yen and Triss

Ava and Caranthir

Ciri and Eredin

well they don't look so bad in the sims world, I'll be showing you some pics from my gameplays.

Bonus

Triss and Geralt 🙊

[sunshowermess]

So the last 3 episodes of The Witcher aired. It was kind of meh, I guess. I expected more for some reason. I didn't care about anyone other than Geralt, Yen, Jaskier and Ciri so maybe that's why. Their scenes were great btw, I loved their interactions! The fights were also pretty awesome.

The thing though that really got me mad was Geralt's "send off". I didn't like it cause it didn't fucking exist! Like, it was so disappointing!

And also Jaskier's song "The Ride of the Witcher" wasn't in the show?! Like WTF, why would you not include such an epic song! Jaskier always has an epic song each season! It was perfect for the end too!

Like just imagine with me!

Geralt is getting ready to leave the Dryads and find Ciri. The night before however as a sort of moral boost Jaskier decides to sing his new song, the one he's been seen writing the whole episode,"The Ride of the Witcher".

Everyone is absolutely mesmerised and at one point even the Dryads start singing the song, I think we all know at which part, and we have this moment of Geralt's hope being reignited as he listens to his best friend basically tell him "I know you will save her, no matter what" and as Jaskier is singing he sees Geralt smiling at him and they have this silent moment of appreciation for each other.

And they basically do an actual send off for Henry in the episodes itself. Like that would have been so much better than Geralt beating up a few guards and saving a handful of people as an ending.

Like WTF! Such a missed opportunity!

[limerental]

i'm in the midst of planning for my fifth (!!) ficlet month this November, where i challenge myself to write one small fic per day for a whole month, so i figured i might rec some of my favorites from past months.

the majority of ficlets were written for The Witcher but it's very funny to see my canon interests broaden and change from year to year.

Ficlet Month Masterlists

November 2020 - tumblr & ao3 collection November 2021 - tumblr & ao3 collection October 2022 - tumblr & ao3 collection November 2023 - tumblr & ao3 collection

Ficlet self-recs below the cut!

written out of the stories - '20 - yennefer & original female character

a meta heavy future fic where yen speaks with a museum curator about her forgotten place in The Witcher legend inspired by book canon asides and featuring a heavy dose of spite

monster - '21 - yennefer/geralt

a tragic frankenstein au where yennefer creates a monster to love her but cannot ever be sure that he truly does featuring body horror and angst and yucky tenderness

a study in perseverance - '21 - geralt/jaskier

a crack taken seriously centaur!geralt au where jaskier is wholly determined to prepare himself physically and mentally (mostly physically) to have penetrative sex with geralt's horse bits featuring over the top melodrama, bad sex and gooey romance

the little griefs - '21 - geralt & roach(s)

a study of a series of horses called roach through a witcher's life on the path featuring loss, loneliness, and carrying on

from such great heights - '22 - yennefer/geralt

in an alternate universe where magic users are born with wings, yennefer gave hers up and geralt's were stolen from him. featuring two broken people loving each other as best they can and wing preening

a unicorn for tea - '22 - yennefer/geralt &ciri

a post book canon fic where ciri and ihuarraquax come to visit yennefer and geralt in their idyllic ambiguous afterlife featuring yen's poor baking skills, humor, and a lingering bittersweetness

degradation for degradation - '22 - dijkstra/geralt

a porn with very little plot game canon divergent fic where dijkstra seeks to even the score with geralt featuring humiliation, geralt being a little shit, and a healthy heaping of size difference

when we were girls - '23 - calanthe/meve

a pre-canon twn/book/game-blended exploration of the childhood relationship between two young women who later became powerful queens with very different fates

we worship nothing in the foxholes - '23 - isengrim/iorveth

a post battle of brenna missing scene between two virhedd commanders who are just beginning to grapple with nilfgaard's defeat, the scoia'tael's lost dreams of freedom, and the likelihood that they won't get out of the war alive

how much it was worth - '23 - geralt & ciri & kelpie

a missing scene before the end of lady of the lake where geralt admires ciri's black mare and feels the rift of time and trauma that's grown between himself and his daughter

[clairedelune-13]

Ok but seriously:

In LotL, Geralt and Regis are ALWAYS off having private convos.

He takes Regis to investigate the ruins he first encountered Avallach and called him “comrade”; which made Regis smile with his fucking FANGS.

They went off to chat in Toussaint so no one would bug them…just cuz.

He told Regis the whole truth behind what he found out about Ciri while on a contract (the Khorred encounter)

He told Yen, with his whole chest Regis was his friend and that he’ll miss him.

Yes.

I FUCKING SHIP IT.

[grandwitchbird]

I touched on some thoughts on adaptation especially re: Nilfgaard and the political plot in the Witcher games previously. Mostly that was so I could tackle the convergent narrative that emerges across the games as a mirror or homage to the novels. To do that I have to talk about romance choices in Witcher 3. And to do that I have to talk about Triss. Buckle up.

TW: discussion of SA, nongraphic but frank

The first game specifically created some significant problems for 2-3. And no matter how I turn the issues around in my head, it really comes down to Triss. The amnesia plot is a silly contrivance, but so was Yennefer’s prison stint in the novels. If the contrivance does the job and gets a character where they need to be or out of the way for good enough reasons, we roll with it. The first game over-all has some interesting ~stuff~ happening as an rpg, but I’ve realized I mentally have it categorized as a Witcher-flavored rpg that mostly the next two games have to account for, for better or worse. It gets at some of the short stories’ charms but misses the weight of the novels. Intentionally I think. I guess we’ll see if that changes with the remake. Still, we can think of this as the kind of awkward prelude, a dip into the world in the same way the stories provide snippets of Geralt’s life before Ciri’s story really kicks off in the novels.

The second game is a bridge between this kind of standalone homage to the stories and the 3rd game’s homage and epilogue to the novels. It suffers for it. And Triss is right in the middle of that.

The Triss Problem

Triss Merigold, Yennefer’s best friend, sometime-mentor to Ciri, friend to Witchers, Geralt’s rapist. That’s the woman the first game decided could be sacrificed on the altar of characterization so Geralt could have a random red-headed love interest.

In the novels, Triss is a young sorceress with a complex about her friend Yennefer. She’s a coward. She’s sweet. She’s manipulative. She’s deeply insecure. Shes very into Witchers. She’s also a powerful mage and a pretty solid teacher and support to her Witcher friends and Ciri. Her arc in the books sees her facing herself and eventually growing a spine.

Along the way, however, she essentially magic-roofies Geralt when he’s in an off-again phase with Yennefer. He represses so hard he’s kind of just weird around Triss forever. Nobody else knows. We know why these two don’t address it. Triss is a coward and Geralt is king of repressing. It’s horrible. It’s also notably nongraphic and well-written, centered entirely on the abuse of power and trust and what that does to Geralt.

The Triss we leave behind in the novels would never repeat that choice, I think. Or any choice like it. She went and she changed on her own for her own reasons. The Triss we encounter in the second game is very much doing a retread of her novel arc. But now it’s worse because she’s literally used Geralt’s amnesia to act out her fantasy of supplanting Yen, everything is reasonably graphic, and everything after does kind of stem from the abuse of power.

In a way, I think this is the game owning the mistake while trying not to punish non-reader players for it. No matter what the player does, these two split. Geralt will go after Yennefer. Things will be weird in the 3rd game. Geralt gets back in character and being in character for him means repressing and being weird around Triss. He can’t blame her. She’s his friend. It’s painful to watch. Time is a circle I guess.

Yennefer of Vengerberg

Part elven, invisibly disabled, over a century old, absolute menace of a woman. Yennefer is mean. She’s petty. She scares the hell out of Geralt’s friends. She’s the best friend anyone could ever ask for and also intimidating as hell. She causes problems wherever she goes. This is not an rpg love interest. She is the only woman for Geralt though. And it’s obvious. The 3rd game can’t and doesn’t avoid the obvious ‘canon’ nature of this relationship. It does try to counterweight canon a bit for RP by resetting the sense of conflict and how other characters react to the relationships.

In 2, Dandelion’s narration characterizes the relationship with Yennefer as “toxic.” This goes along with the overall reset and retread the games are doing for characterization beats. In the books, we were well past this version of Dandelion. We see the same thing play out in 3 where everyone and their uncle has to weigh in on how hard Yen is to deal with and how nice Triss is. This is probably handled as well as possible. Eskel’s exasperation with the dynamic, where Geralt can actually clarify and push back, is reasonable. Vesemir is likewise just kind of put off by Yen, which is fair enough. And you essentially have to ignore Yen’s quest entirely or actively treat it as purely a gameplay mechanic to break the romance off at all. The question isn’t whether Geralt and Yen are together, it’s whether or not they can move forward. This is contrasted to all of the pressures towards Triss coming from her own desperate manipulations and people who don’t understand anything about the history the two share.

Time is a Circle:

Recreating the Convergent Narrative

At the end of 2, we find out that Yen is essentially a prisoner again (hello Vilgefortz lol) and we set out to find her. This is where W3 opens more or less. We’re tracking a Yen who has since written to Geralt and is on the run. We don’t yet know from what. She, of course, finds us instead. And we find out that Ciri is back and on the run herself. Now we’re really doing a speed run of the novels. How many times can this family separate and miss and lose each other before they find each other again. Yennefer is off to Skellige (again) and Geralt is doing a (one man this time) road trip and playing detective. Ciri is being the protagonist of a much crazier mythic story, with space elves once again causing her all kinds of problems and a tyrant trying to claim her power for himself. Time is truly a circle.

Somehow, the games have pulled all of this together in 3 via rp options for Geralt. You can play as book!Geralt and stay on theme. This will ultimately lead to the Witcher ending where Ciri takes over as not just protagonist of her own story but as the Witcher herself. This closes out the convergent narrative the game has been recreating and sets them up to carve out their own stories in future. Or you can deny your role. You can rp a random-rpg!Witcher hero and lose Ciri forever, one way or another.

All that said. The Triss Problem(tm) is a problem. It’s the biggest, most glaring flaw in the series to this day, and we’d probably all be better off if that had really been some random redhead in the first game. 3 gets some serious credit here for Geralt just being generally weird around her again, but the rp demands to counterweight the pull of canon with Yen have done nothing but confuse non-readers and frustrate readers. Narrative conveniences are fine. The Hunt becoming a plot device works to pull the mythic layer of storytelling back in, and it gives everything a solid motivation. Regis being back just stretches the lore a bit and serves a great story. The political plots can be a bit of a sticking point but flesh out the game world. We can even forgive amnesia. But The Triss Problem(tm) is forever.

Honestly, as a reader, I kind of respect the skill involved in reworking the arcs and the commitment to not just cutting Triss out after the first game. I also appreciate the effort made to bring these characters back to essentially their book-selves and to give game-Geralt a final hurrah without just wiping the slate. It shows a certain amount of integrity in the writers room that I think we’ve since seen confirmed with the additions to Cyberpunk 2077, where they committed fully to the night city experience and doubled down on it in phantom liberty.

[tielmamon]

Part 2

"Oh- wh- hold on now, thought we were playing for fun?" Jaskier watches Ciri deplete his monitary resources with the sweetest smile, and truly he finds that he doesn't mind.

"I assure you, it truly is a delight taking your coin." He puts on an annoyed face and snatches her cards back just to squeeze another laugh out of her. Gods know this girl needs a bit of levity in her life right now. He wasn't good at a lot of things, realistcally. He's not skilled with a sword, not a pinch of chaos in him, but making people laugh? That he can do.

"Yeah, I'm sure you do." He glances at her, honestly more proud than anything else. Princess Cirilla of Cintra, a fiesty spark of a girl turned warrior. He wasn't there for her initial adjustment with Geralt for...obvious reasons but in the years when he was there, he's seen how brave and noble and irrefutably powerful she is. All that hurt and pain turned into pure determination. She's a flame, just like her mother. And most of all, Jaskier sees so much of his best friend in her. Not just the stubbornness to do good or fierce protectiveness over those she loves, but also the little things that make his heart ache. How she holds her sword, how she likes her meat, hell even how she walks. Undoutably a reflection of her parent's love and guidance.

Her parents...

The sharpness in his chest returns. Its strange. Years and years of loving Geralt had eventually reformed his once raging, constantly ready-to-burst love into a calm, surrendered sort of feeling. It's not that his love for the man lessened. On the contrary, every year he feels them grow and evolve into something more. Knowing that heartbreak was inevitable had given him a bittersweet sort of peace. So the pain in his chest that flares whenever he sees Geralt so openly love Yen faded with time, leaving a dull ache in its place.

Until now.

"I'm sorry you're here with me, instead of at the party." Ciri brings him out of his thoughts. He simply shakes his head.

"Oh, I'm not." In all honestly, he was a bit annoyed that everyone and their mother seemed to be invited to this conclave except him but then he remembers Geralt and Yennefer going together. He could only imagine what fancy, no doubt monochromatic outfit Yen would force Geral to wear. Then again, if Yennefer was the one asking he doubts Geralt would protest. Not as much as he would with him, anyway-

He cuts that train of thought before it sends him spiraling. He had worked so hard to keep himself incheck, keep his feelings to a minimum. To not feel, or at the very least look like the lovesick fool he was before.

"Valdo's off key warblng would make my ears bleed." He settles on a believable and admittedly true excuse. Valdo's overdramatic (even for him) vocals are definitely a factor, but he'd rather listen to that noise for days than watch Geralt dance Yennefer across the ballroom with that soft, painfully besotted look on his face. He might actually die of heartbreak if he does.

"Besides, I'm better off here." He smiles at her, reassuredly. He sees the princess sit up straighter, patting the spot beside her. He raises an eyebrow but sits down nontheless.

"Jask?"

"Yes, coin thief?"

"Does he know?" He feels his heartbeat pick up. He's sure than his body is noticibly tenses, judging by how Ciri looks at him like a kicked fucking puppy.

"Does who know what?" He knows what she's asking, because what else could she mean? But like a coward, he deflects. He turns to humor because really, thats his weapon of choice. She looks at him with such a sad look and he knows he's caught.

"Does Geralt know you love him?" Deflect. Run. Don't answer-

"Of course he knows I love him. He's my best friend." He prays that his answer is enough. It seems like it isn't .

"Jaskier." He is still and silent, almost like how the man in question often is. In the end, he finds that he's tired of lying about what he feels. So, he talks.

"I think so, yes. Pretty hard thing to miss after the years of songs and poetry and...well, you get the picture." He sees her face drop, and a certain panic sets in.

"Ciri- listen, I would never ever try and break up your parents, okay? I-I would never do that to your family." He says in a rush, desperate for her to realizes. Because yes, as much as he loves Geralt, he would never jeopardise this. They were quite literally destined to be together, and if Jaskier feels like his chest is being ripped out by a wyvern everytime he sees them then thats his problem, not theirs.

"You're part of this family too, you know." Jaskier has only ever been truly speechless a handful of times in his life. But when he feels her bring him into a hug far nicer than he technically deserves right now, he finds that he can't bring himself to say anything because gods, he wishes it were true. That he was part of this group. This family and not just a stray thread, waiting to be cut off and thrown away once again.

"You're family too." He nods weakly, a few tears spilling from his eyes. Smaller hands, not yet calloused by swords or spells brush a few tears from his cheeks using the blanket. He laughs wetly, complaining how dusty the blanket is, making him cry more which was definitely the real reason and not anything else.

"And I'm not upset at you Jaskier. I'm upset for you. I don't like seeing you hurt like this..." He sees her brows furrow, hands pulling away to clutch the covers. He chuckles, wiping away the rest of his tears.

"Oh, how lucky a man am I. To have such a fierce warrior-witcher-mage princess protecting me." He smiles but her frown doesn't waver. She adjusts herself on the bed to face him properly, laying on her side and slipping a hand to hold his.

"I'm serious Jaskier! You're happiness is important too." He squeezes the hand on top of his, mustering up enough courage to smile.

"My dear, I am happy with what I have now."

"Liar." He gasps, bringing a hand to his heart. She smiles, just a bit and he counts that as a win

"I would never!" He allows himself to breath when he sees her chuckle. He's exhausted, truly. His body feels heavy with the weight of his emotions and physical exhaustion of the day. Still, there is a determined princess cuddled up infront of him with furrowed brows and a sad look on her face that simply cannot wait until morning.

"We do not choose who we love in this lifetime. I didn't choose to fall inlove with my best friend the same way Geralt didn't choose to not reciprocate those feelings. Which is okay, because-...because my love for your father isn't one that seeks a reply. It simple is." Ciri recalls her memories.

Memories from Geralt and her in the woods, running and overwhelmed and terrified. She remembers Geralt telling her stories of his best friend- an obnoxious bard that told the best stories even though they weren't entirely true. The look of guilt and sadness and longing her father suprise had when he told her about him. The few tears she saw him shed behind a crack in the door the night he finally gathered up the courage to apologize to Jaskier for everything. She had never seen him so devastated.

The grin he didn't even bother to hide when Jaskier had offhandedly called him darling when he asked for the salt.

"But what if there is a reply? What if he does love you?" Jaskier shakes his head, looking down to his lap.

We could head to the coast...

Get away for a while...

Composing your next song?

No...No, just trying to work out what pleases me...

Jaskier bears his heart to Geralt on that mountain top. He doesn't breathe, doesn't dare look away. He waits and hopes and gods above, he loves so hard it hurts. Maybe just this once, he'll be enough. Maybe they could run away from this, from everything just for a year. Maybe-

Geralt stands and leaves. Jaskier turns and sees him disappear in Yennefer's tent.

"Darling, that's impossible." He smiles sadly, playing with her fingers. The memory of then mountain and all other instances of him and Geralt replay like an old song. He knew the melody and each lyric by heart by now.

"But Jaskier I've-" Ciri startles when Jaskier’s hand claps with hers loudly and suddenly. Her palm barely stings but she gets the hint to stop talking.

"I have his friendship. I have a-a family apparently, in you and Yen. That is...more than I ever dreamed of having. You all are more than enough for me." Ciri regards him for a moment, staring at him like she's reading his soul. Whatever she sees seems to satisfy- atleast for now, because she sighs and lays a head on his shoulder.

"You too." He leans back, cheek brushing her temple as they stare at the flames of the fireplace.

"Thank you." He pretends to believe her.

Part 1 (x)

[supercupcakecollector-love]

Changes season 3 made from the books that I actually liked

Im not going to mention  radskier because that's a given and it has already been discussed and analyzed alot better than I could plus I already talked about them on my shipping post    

I like the way the relationship between Emhyr and Cahir was done but iv seen way better analysis on it than I could do  

 the time for the leads to spend together, like I really loved the cottage scenes and belleteyn, it was the fluff we needed to wash out the constant unnecessary conflict of the past two season from our mouths   

  Valdo Marx being an actual character in the story  his interactions with Jaskier  and his scenes on the boat and at the ball were gold, this bastard is so annoying I love him 

Yennefer being the initiator of the conclave makes it more heart wrenching, as she attempts to mend bridges with her kind only to see it backfire completely, will be interesting going forward knowing that she will be a main player in the lodge, will be interesting to see  a more intellectual, strategic and calculating side of her against other sorceresses as she uses their leverage to find Ciri and stop their enemy's 

 I liked the silent hill monster made of the missing girls, it was super unsettling and reminded me of playing the games with some of the things you encounter and the difficult choices you have to make

I liked the take on fake Ciri, i think was a good way of taking an aspect of the book and making it more dramatic. she’s still a fake ciri for the purpose of nilfgaard but she’s also a student who has been kidnapped and brainwashed into believing she is ciri, that added another layer of mystery and intensity of finding out for whom Rience works.

Even though I knew it was a red herring I liked the  Stregobor misdirection, it added an interesting mystery box element with Triss and Istredd  and Yen are Geralt attempting to figure out what was actually going on, having them figure it out right away or telling the audience by cutting to  Vilgefortz doing something evil  would have been boring, this way the people who arnt familiar with the books get a mystery and the people who are get dramatic irony 

I liked this version of Ciri,  she is defiantly still a Witcher following in Geralt`s footsteps like what we saw on the boat but she also weighs the possibility of becoming a leader and following in Calanthe`s as well, I love book Ciri and her wild rage an aversion to  having anything to do with being royalty , but I also like that they are subverting the cliché of “ she is a princess that doesn't want to be a princess” that has become increasingly tiresome in media imo  I find it to be a compelling part of  her character going forward 

Next post, im going to talk about the changes and things that I didn't like about this season 

[geraskierficrecs]

Fic Searches

Hello friends! I'm working my way through asks and requests and could use some help to find the following fics:

bluepatrolkidscissors asked:

Hi Do you by any chance have the most recent copy of "we are known by the stories we share" by jskald (witcher fandom geraskier) .Thanks

linbrocky1221 asked:

Hi there! Do you know of any fics where Ciri is Jaskier and Geralt's biological daughter? And season 3 fics where Jaskier is the mom instead of the fun uncle?

catastrophe908 asked:

Hi! So I'm actually looking for like 4 different fics (all geraskier)

The first is set after the mountain breakup and Jask comes across another Witcher at the bottom - I think it had been Lambert? I do believe they went on a few adventures before Lambert took him to the keep, which Geralt was also there. I think he kind of joined him in trying to make Geralt jealous, but Lambert was on love with Aiden.

The second is a like non-human/creature Jask. He had died, then became an undead. We follow along as he rediscovers the world - almost like a child, relearning how to speak, sing, etc. I remember him trying to sing along with birds. There's another memorable scene in which Jaskier comes across a family, of course they're terrified, but the father seems to feel sympathy and guilt for running away.

The third is a modern au! I know that Roach was a van. I also believe Jaskier (now going by Julian) is a professor, meanwhile Geralt is still a witcher. They basically aged alongside the world, meaning they've been alive for quite some time, and yes, magical creatures exist. I believe what happened was that Jaskier had died and his body went missing from his resting place. Other details: I'm pretty sure that Geralt had like a villa in some town, of which Yen was mayor.

Finally... The fourth, Jaskier was slowly regressing in age. His memories, his physical body, all aging backwards - it ends at him finally reaching 18 again; having lost all memories of Geralt and their life together. (I'm pretty sure it was established relationship). Geralt just kind of had to watch helplessly. Maybe he tried to help him somehow, but I can't quite remember.

Thank you for the help!!

szpiko asked:

Hello i'd love an expert's help for finding fics that match the specific setting im looking for ( if theres any) noble-rich-boy-at-home Jaskier ( all proper but wants to break out, you know the stuff) AND/OR recovering Geralt

Thank you!!!

alpharitt asked:

I was looking for a fic. It's about jaskier getting into a fight with geralt and he leaves meets geralt again but it's not the real geralt it's a doppler and they both fall in love with each other. Can you help me find it please I've been looking for it all day

[thefandomlifechoseme]

hi, I'm here to ask abt your ghost Jaskier headcanons because you seem real excited about them!

OK SO-

Jaskier dies.

Maybe it's heroic. Maybe it's not. Maybe Geralt and Yen were there. Maybe they weren't. Maybe Ciri still beats herself up about not being fast enough. Maybe she doesn't. Maybe Geralt knew when it happened. Maybe he didn't. Maybe it was traumatic. Maybe it wasn't.

Point is, Jaskier is dead. Jaskier has been dead for centuries.

----

Geralt and Yen and Ciri are on the path still, when they stop for the night. There's a fire burning, and they're all exhausted, but Ciri is still cold, and struggling to sleep.

She could swear someone just draped their coat over her. Is holding her close. Is humming a tune long forgotten by the world. There is no-one there, but somebody is stroking her hair regardless. She closes her eyes, pretending they don't sting, that she isn't deluding herself into thinking that he is singing her to sleep, because surely Yen and Geralt would notice if they had been being haunted for the past several hundred years.

----

Years later, Yen is striking out on her own for a bit. It's not that she doesn't love her family, but she does need a break from them at times.

She is taking the long route to what was once called Cintra, because if being functionally immortal has taught her one thing, it's that she has the time to get lost in the woods. If she didn't know better, she would say that she was being followed. But there is nothing there, magical or otherwise. Even so, she is being followed. Or, perhaps, haunted. She doesn't deal with hauntings much- it's more of a Witcher's job than a Mage's, but every Mage knows the basics.

For whatever reason, her ghostly companion can't or won't show their face, but are present enough that she feels followed. She abruptly sits where she stands, and addresses the air.

"I don't have the equipment for a proper seance on me, but I am willing to allow you to perform a minor possession on me." The air is still for a long moment, as is her mind, before she gets-

unease-sorrow

a flicker-bright-snatch-of-song he never wrote

apology-fear

not-leaving-not-leaving-please

And then, clearer than the rest-

will-leave

if-you-ask

will-leave

wont-put-you-through-making-me

love-you-miss-you

He leaves her be then, and she is grateful for it as she beats herself up over this, because they should have seen this coming. How had they not see this coming? Of course Jaskier was haunting them- he'd done so often enough in life that it must have been practically second nature in death!