#their time in Vengerberg was fun

[mercisnm]

Something from march 2022 (?) for @ehay for fandomtrumpshate. The request was... pretty much anything I'd like to draw, as long as it had Tissaia (mind you that narrows down the search for a subject by 0% because all I draw is Tissaia), but then we somehow settled for "Tissaia in her ss2 nightgown, tending to Yennefer".

[mercymaker]

OC smash or pass

i was tagged by the lovely @communistfries @orangekittyenergy @togepies @rivensbane @tadpole-apocalypse @euryalex sorry it took me seven years to get to this 😬

Rules: pretty self explanatory. include physical descriptions or pics, and propaganda. the “other” label can be used for “sexuality misalignment” (ie: oc is femme and you’re gay, vice versa or you aren’t into smashing but a specific thing you wanna do with them like perhaps hug or study them under a microscope idc).

▬ Maleane

(i'm horrifically indecisive, so here you have a selection of pretty portraits and steamy shots to, uh.. stimulate your brain for the decision making!)

Quick Facts:

Height: 160cm (5'3)

Age: Early 100s (around the time of Above the Vaulted Sky, some 100 years after the game events)

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Sexuality: Bi/pan

Pros:

A talented sorcerer who can fly! That's fun!

She's pretty good at reading people and will make you hear whatever you want to hear.

Takes pride in being good at things, so you're in for a good time if she decides you're worthy of her talents.

I'm totally biased, but she's hot.

And smol (might be a pro or a con depending on what she's working with).

Since she's not always down for uh... penetrative action, Mal's mastered the art of using her hands (and words).

She's smart and resourceful and can fare well in most settings, be it out in the wilderness or in the middle of a city (except the Underdark, don't take her there).

Prefers to take a more passive/submissive role in bed, but only with those she trusts, otherwise doesn't mind taking on more of a dominant position. Often enjoys the power struggle and playfulness of it all.

Cons:

Drow (though she does try to pass as a moon elf for her own safety).

Can be cold and distant and uncaring.

An incredibly good liar.

Occasional pillow princess.

Can be pretty hard to please in bed.

Was raised by a former Lolth-sworn spy, so—despite growing up on the surface—has some leftover "classic" drow ideals and prejudices.

Is not averse to murder, just usually doesn't bother with the mess of it and whatever consequences may follow. But provoke her and it will not take her much to justify spilling your guts.

Because she grew up having so little, can be quite possessive of people and things.

tagging the best gamers in town: @vspin @andauril @yennefer-of-vengerbergs @goromimii

@preciouslittlebhaalbae @seance @jerichoes @judasiskariot @ejoym

@zevswarden @bardic-inspo @lazysload @elminsters @katsigian

@florbelles @evenstar-crescentmoon @galedekarios @onewingedangels @aesfocus

@wyllzel @amethystinam @elizzacassan @avenananana @hawke

@bg3storage @baelavelaryon @ayrennaranaaldmeri @theredviper @aevallare

& anyone who wants to make this for their OCs ♥

[saintclarkegriffin]

I've seen the leaks for the hotd finale...

Honestly I don't even have the words to describe how bad this is. I already had some issues with the writing of s2, but overall I was still having fun with the show.

Now, after seeing the leaks, I'm genuinely considering not watching the show anymore. I've seen enough female characters that I love and cherish be character assassinated by incompetent or spiteful writers (Clarke Griffin, Sansa Stark, Daenerys Targaryen, Yennefer of Vengerberg, Elena Gilbert just to give a few examples), and I don't want to sit by and watch it happen to Alicent too. And no, I'm not angry just because the writers "changed her from the book". I actually loved the fact that they made her the same age as Rhaenyra in s1, and made them childhood best friends. It added to the tragedy of the Dance, that not only a family was ripped apart from within, but also that two childhood best friends were ripped apart by scheming and politics. It was delicious drama and I ate it up.

However, the writers decided to never fully make the shift from childhood best friends to bitter enemies with Alicent and Rhaenyra, to the detriment of both characters. I already had issues with the change in Alicent's reasoning for putting Aegon on the throne, going from "this is the only way I can make sure that my children are safe" (which was also perfectly in line with how Alicent had been characterized in episodes 5, 6 and 7 of s1) to "Viserys changed his mind". This change stripped a lotttt of agency from Alicent, and made her once again a victim of Otto's scheming instead of an active schemer herself.

Then I had issues with Rhaenyra dressing up as a Septa and sneaking to King's Landing to talk to Alicent, I even made a post about it. To put it briefly, that scene made both Alicent and Rhaenyra look stupid and inconsistent with their prior characterization in the show.

And now we arrive to the finale... where this time Alicent is the one who goes to Rhaenyra to try and "make peace".... Putting aside once again how stupid it is for Alicent to go into enemy territory with no backup whatsoever and hope that Rhaenyra won't just kill her or take her hostage (and again the fact that this doesn't happen is just as unbelievable as the ending of episode 3 was), the fact that she simply gives up Aemond's plans and location to Rhaenyra, the same woman who has every reason to see Aemond dead, is character assassination at its finest. Not just compared to Book!Alicent but compared to S1! Alicent as well. S1 Alicent was willing to cut out Luke's eye by herself to avange Aemond's injury. S1 Alicent was willing to go against Rhaenyra, willing to hurt her and cut her with a blade, all because of what happened to Aemond. And now the writers want me to believe that she would give Aemond up to the very people who are responsible (either directly or indirectly) for his disability, to the people that WILL kill him if given the chance??? I'm sorry, but this doesn't make any sense.

I get that Alicent is concerned for Helaena's safety (even though I also have problems with the writers suddenly turning Aemond into someone that is willing to throw his entire family, even Helaena, under the bus for the throne), but the fact that her first course of action is to go to the enemy and give up Aemond in the hopes of maybe saving the rest of her family is just... terrible. Absolutely terrible. And also the fact that she believes that she can "reason with Aegon" and convince him to "bend the knee" to Rhaenyra?????? After B&C???? Either she's completely delusional or she knows that that will never happen and is fine with the idea of Rhaenyra killing Aegon. BOTH these options are character assassination and I'm DONE.

[bardic-inspo]

Rules: Make a poll with five of your all-time favorite characters and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favorite!

Tagged by the wonderful @kharonion, thank you friend, this is so fun!

Tagging in turn: @kmartmithril, @vspin, @electricshoebox, @persephotea, @tragedybunny, and @nyx-knox if you feel like doing this, too!

[irrlicht-writes]

the greatest gift

“I’ll stay behind; I have to tune my lute.”

Yennefer wasn’t sure if that man truly meant his lute, or his lute. He did have to perform this evening at the inn they were staying at, so maybe he really meant his instrument. Such a shame. She would have liked it if he had accompanied them, he was fun to gossip with at the vendor stalls. Neither Geralt nor Ciri truly had that required fashion sense.

“Geralt, is this my colour?”

The Witcher just hummed without really looking. Yennefer sighed.

“I think you’d look lovely in it, Yenna.”

Yennefer smiled at Ciri; bless her for trying.

“Thank you, duckling,” she responded and put the cloth back.

She itched for Jaskier’s company, but she could never let him know, his head would explode.

“It’s sad that Jaskier didn’t come with us,” Ciri said and Yennefer agreed. “You think it’s because of what that woman said? She was so rude, I wanted to smash her stupid crystal ball.”

Yennefer nodded again.

They had come to this village originally because they had heard rumours that there was a wise woman here that could tell them more about the Wild Hunt. They had indeed found this wise woman, but when they had entered her hut, she had pointed at Jaskier immediately and screeched: “He does not belong; destiny has no place for him!”

It spoke of years of self-restraint that none of them burned her hut down right that second.

Later, Jaskier had played it off, his usual laugh, but Yennefer knew it had stung. In their party, Jaskier was constantly wondering why he was here, and if he had a place among them, when in truth; without him, none of them would be here.

He brought her and Geralt together, and he brought Geralt and Ciri together. Without Jaskier, would Geralt even be able to properly care about Ciri? Would she?

She picked up a little wooden toy, a small duck, and turned it in her fingers. Jaskier would gush about it and insist she buy it for Ciri.

“You call her duckling all the time, Yennefer!”

“Perhaps I should buy it for you, the ugly duck of our group?”

“How dare you! I am the most magnificent swan this world has ever seen! But how would a water hag know beauty when it flew past her, true?”

She grumbled and put the toy away. The bardling could never know that she was able to envision entire conversations in her head.

Jaskier was nobody special, no magic, no fighter, no nothing. All he had was that lute of his and that notebook he took everywhere.

He was the stupidest man she’s ever met.

She’s rarely known a braver man.

“Magic could never be done with the likes of you, Yennefer of Vengerberg.”

He had not been aware of it then, and was not aware of it now, but in that time, he was the only one to believe in her. Because he had that unshaken faith, she could borrow it from him. She could believe in herself that she was still worth something, because he did.

Ever since then, Jaskier had become... important, to her.

He would never know, not with words, not like that, but it was Jaskier. He knew. He knew, but maybe he didn’t truly believe it.

“FIRE!”

All three of them lifted their heads.

“No,” whispered Geralt and started running.

“Jaskier!” shouted Ciri and ran after him.

“Julian,” Yennefer whispered and she took running.

The smoke was coming from the inn.

Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer came to a screeching halt in front of the inn. Jaskier wasn’t here. He couldn’t be inside still, could he? No, he couldn’t. Not in the fire, Jaskier was scared. He wouldn’t have stayed.

Yennefer’s heart was beating too fast, she couldn’t think. A portal. Yes, a portal. No. No she couldn’t do a portal. It was too dangerous in the fire.

“Where is he? Where is the bard?”

A shaking woman was answering, her voice waiving: “H-he’s still inside! He – he told us to get out, I didn’t look, oh gods.”

“I’m going inside.”

One look at Geralt and she knew he wouldn’t take no as an answer. So she just nodded. “Hurry,” she said and he took off.

“We should go too,” Ciri said and Yennefer shook her head.

“No. The smoke is too dangerous, Geralt will be faster than the two of us.”

“But –“ Ciri started to protest, and Yennefer pulled her into a hug. If the girl noticed her faint trembling, she didn’t say. Jaskier would never let her live it down. Instead, Ciri hugged her tighter.

“He’ll be okay,” she whispered and by gods, Yennefer wanted the girl’s words to be true. If not – If Jaskier was beyond saving – she –

No.

No, she wouldn’t think about that.

Jaskier was going to be fine.

He’d make a joke about having to live up to his damsel in distress status.

When Geralt stormed out of the fire, Yennefer would later tell Jaskier that there was a big explosion of fire behind them. In truth, there was just more smoke and Yennefer had no eyes for it. In his arms, Geralt was carrying an unconscious Jaskier, with his head lolling. Geralt didn’t stop running, he jogged over to a place without smoke.

Yennefer’s stomach dropped and she hurried after them, leaning over Jaskier as Geralt put him onto the ground.

“Julek,” she whispered into his face, begging him to wake. “Julek.”

“He’s not breathing, Yen, he’s not –“

He was right. Jaskier wasn’t breathing. Yennefer could barely breathe herself.

She closed her eyes and kissed his forehead, on all the soot from the smoke and the fire. “I’m not losing you, Julek, I’m not.”

She pressed her lips on his, breathing into his mouth. Her hand searched for his chest, feeling his heart beat. Yennefer swatted Geralt’s hands away, as he wanted to start pumping.

“It’s beating,” she said between breaths.

She kept breathing for the bard, and determined that he could never know. Jaskier could never know that she almost lost it today.

Ciri was next to her, talking to Jaskier softly: “You gotta wake up, Dandelion. You promised me you’d show me how to play the lute, remember? And you were writing a song we could sing together! We wanted to surprise Geralt and Yenna with it, remember? So you gotta wake up, please.”

Yennefer’s heart broke for the tone of Ciri. It was so easy to forget that she was still just a child.

As if hearing the girl, Jaskier started coughing heavily, and Yennefer helped him into a sitting position. The bard was coughing out a lot of phlegm ad the sorceress gently rubbed his back.

“Julek,” she whispered so softly nobody heard her.

“Jaskier!”

Still coughing, the bard looked up, completely and utterly confused.

“Ge-Geralt? What?”

His voice was hoarse, and she only now noticed that most of his beard got singed. He was shaking, and looking around himself.

“Wha-what happened? I, I.”

He sounded close to tears, and his breathing got worse.

“Shh, little bard,” Yennefer cooed, “it’s all good now. You’re safe, you’re safe. We’re all safe, you stupid, stupid man, we’re all safe.”

He leaned against her and sagged, and Yennefer gently brushed through his hair. There was ash in his hair, and she knew this wouldn’t be shaken off so easily.

But he was alive.

He was alive.

As Geralt and Ciri took each of Jaskier’s hand, she pressed a kiss on his head.

“Julek,” she whispered and closed her eyes.

Right here, between them all, right where he always ought to be, his shaky puffs of breath on her collarbone were the greatest gift she could ask for.

[tigerlyla-of-metinna]

Yennefer of Vengerberg

Another old PS4 screenshot I took. This time I reduced a lot of the noise, texture and color noise, upped the sharpness, applied field blur and mask, and LUTS that increased brightness and contrast.

Another fun photoshop experiment.

[arianaofimladris]

So Pyrkon is over again. My approach this year was different than a year ago. I had zero preparations before the con, since I worked on the cosplays in the early autumn (then switched to other hobbies).

On minus side, I was reminded again that joining a group of even vaguely familiar people from one of my fandoms, but without someone really familiar, is not something I'm comfortable with. I need someone to stick to or at least somepne to feel awkward with, so I sort of ran away after the event to "unpeople". Annoying, but well, that's how I operate.

Buuuut, on plus side, and this one was MUCH bigger.

- I got to wear three different costumes. Yennefer of Vengerberg in the updated version. My Ciri. And a variation of Idril Celebrindal.

- I attended some awesome panels and had a lot of fun.

- I went to awesome concerts, even if one of them was located in a place not meant for concerts with jumping and dancing. I understand that people want to have fun like this on a concert, but it sucks when they do that on the alleys between rows of chairs with SITTING people. I had to move muach farther away from tje sxene to be avle to see something and to escape stinky crowd standing right over me sitting. Still, once I moved, I really enjoyed the music.

- I went to a Witcher parade. Nice, even if my brain noped at some point and made me leave to unpeople.

- I met some good old friends and some that I have not seen in years.

- And the biggest surprise of this con. I wasn't aware Miranda Otto was going to be a guest this year. I managed to get both a photo with her and also a signed pic with dedication. As much as I'm not really into such stuff, this is a LOTR star we're talking about.

All in all, I'm going back home after having a really great time, with a wonderful souvenir and cool memories.

[dragonologist-phd]

another inspiration board, this time for Lilith! suggested by @dujour13 (thank you for the suggestion!) this was a very fun one, as Lilith is definitely one of my favorite character archetypes!

Yennefer of Vengerberg - The Witcher

"Forget the bottle. Let your chaos explode."

So first of all, I've never played the games (yeah yeah i know). But I love Yennefer in the show, and a lot of her traits she shares with Lilith- her pride, her sharp tongue, her raw power, her refusal to be ignored. The actress's mannerisms especially are a lot like how I imagine Lilith, she's got a kind of stubborn dignity that I really love.

Madeline Usher - The Fall of the House of the Usher

"There's no such thing as a step back. You go forward. And if you hit a brick wall, you don't go back, you go through."

Obviously Madeline wasn't an original inspiration as the show just came out last month, but she and Lilith have *so* much in common. Ambitious and lethal and manipulative and ruthless and absolutely unapologetic about all of it. I gotta stop now or i'll keep rambling about Madeline forever she was so perfect in this show

Athena - Greek Mythology

The goddess of wisdom and warcraft, which are definitely domains that Lilith would respect

Lilith Clawthorne - The Owl House

"Maybe you are stronger than me, but that made me work smarter. I became sharp, crafty!"

Another Lilith! My Lilith is most like Lilith C in her early appearances, when she's still acting as the second in command to the Big Bad. She's found herself on the wrong side of a tyrannical regime, but stays loyal because she has a weird relationship with authority because it serves her own ends. It matches up well with My Lilith's own backstory and complicated loyalties, though My Lilith doesn't get quite the same character development.

Azula - Avatar: The Last Airbender

"Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player."

Speaking of backstory! Those running themes are very present with Azula, and a lot of Lilith's backstory mirrors her- a young prodigy, smart and ruthless even at a young age, with a deep need to prove herself spurred on by the cutthroat environment she was raised in.

Plus, I had to include at least one character with a fire motif!

Miranda Lawson - Mass Effect

"I settle for nothing but the best."

Miranda has a lot in common with other characters here- a drive for perfection, ambition, ruthlessness, a complicated dynamic with the stories villains- but her main reason for being on here is actually her relationship with her sister. She wants to protect her sister, and she obviously loves her...but she tries to do it from a distance, because she doesn't believe she'd actually be a good influence in her life.

Somehow, Lilith ends up with similar people in her life- Sirin in Tyranny, and Ember in Pathfinder. She has no idea how to care about people in a genuine way, but she does want to protect them, and maybe even give them a better life than she had.

(their main difference is that in Miranda's place, Lilith would have killed TIM and take over as head of Cerberus. sorry, universe!)

[kuwdoravids]

Year in Vidding Review: 2023

Year-end round-up/meme: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

April What (Yennefer of Vengerberg) The Witcher Netflix Making of "What" commentary: do it for the process (and for Yennefer!) The Witcher Netflix Mr. Brightside (Jaskier/Geralt/Yennefer) The Witcher Netflix

June Skipping Stones (Fringilla Vigo) The Witcher Netflix

August In Our Wake (Vilgefortz/Geralt) The Witcher Netflix

December [Festivid Assignment] - redacted until reveals! [Festivid Treat] - redacted until reveals!

Review questions under the cut.

Random process notes:

Well, I have been kidding for *counts* 16 years now?? I guess I kind of know what I’m doing when I have a good idea of what a vid is like inside my head. Which is why most of these vids took less than a week to make and none of them were on my actual to-make list that I had written down at the beginning of the year. Flighty ADHD/anxiety brain just latching onto the feelings of the moment and zooming across the timeline until I can call it done. I think I started two non-witcher vids during the year before Festivids but the witcher hyperfixation remains too strong. Everything else falling to the WIP piles. I tried to finish my Moonhaven vid but couldn’t focus. Tried to finish my Green Knight and Blade vids but no, my brain was more interested in writing +70k of fic this year, aha.

Overall thoughts:

HEY I made Festivid stuff! I can vid-non Witcher things! I was really worried there that my brain was just forever stuck on Witcher but! I did it.

Anyway. I really love vidding The Witcher Netflix and keep building up my clip gallery for easy reference for when I can settle in for the next witcher vid. I keep fuck up my exports though because I’m doing everything too quickly and not paying enough attention. So there’s some export-related things and a few minor clips I would have changed if I weren’t caught up in a in a rush. But overall I’m very, very happy with my crop of vids this year.

Favorite Vid:

Most of the time I have upwards of 8-16 vids a year and it’s easier to pick a favorite. When I do so few… they’re all my favorite. For different reasons.

For my Yennefer vid it’s my favorite editing.

For Mr. Brightside it’s my favorite song choice and tone (this is a cover in the style of The B-52s) for Jaskier.

My Fringilla vid — it’s my favorite thing that came together from all of the season footage of her character from seasons 1 and 2 and the song just makes me so happy that it tied everything together for her.

For the Vilgefortz/Geralt vid, oh it’s my favorite because it’s my pure id, heh, and my favorite build/pacing of all my vids.

My festivids are my favorite because I have been wanting to make things them for awhile now but hadn’t had the focus. And then I did!

Hardest to make:

The only thing that was hard was me exporting shitty stuff and not realizing it until days or weeks after I uploaded and crossposted. Anyway. I took my time with my festivid exports so those should look pretty good. Most successful:

They are all successful in my heart. I love them.

My best vid:

Probably my Fringilla or Vilgefortz/Geralt vid. I’m so happy how they turned out.

Most fun vid:

Mr. Brightside. I love playing with Jaskier’s humor with the song choice and the transitions.

Things I learned in 2023:

Mmm, I am still worked up about my fic WIPs and life anxieties that I wasn’t able to do more vidding things that I wanted. As for the projects themselves, I learned that it’s very handy to have a standing clip gallery all labelled and ready for when I want to make my next Witcher Netflix vid.

In 2024:

I always want to be ambitious in the new year but always end up wandering in completely unexpected directions. In any case I would love to finish my Moonhaven vid and get my brain in order to find the last of the Black Sails source I need for a vid idea that has been eating my brain for 4 months now. I also have my Philippa Eilhart Witcher vid I want to make as well as a season 3 Witcher Netflix vid too that’s taking up space in my brain.

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers! Spread the self-love 💞

Hello dear, that's so sweet of you to send this to me!

I admit, I did one of these just a week or so ago, so I was tempted to just let you know that. However, I realized upon reflection that I had only focused on my 9-1-1 fics, and I have written in other fandoms.

And so here we are! The five non-9-1-1 fics that I would say are my favorites, across five different fandoms.

Richie Tozier: Small Town Trash

Richie Tozier debuts his new routine after vanishing from the comedy scene.

To be honest, I think I could do this fic better five years later, but this was the time I sat down and, in spite of the fact that I was convinced I wasn't funny, wrote a stand up comedy routine (with some Easter eggs from actual comedy routines because I couldn't resist).

People actually thought this fic was funny, and enjoyed it, and this was the moment I realized that I might actually be able to pull off humor. So while I think I'm a lot better at it now, we all have to start somewhere, and I started here.

Defiance & Destiny

When Geralt of Rivia returns to England after a prolonged absence, he and Jaskier, an aspiring bard, are forced to confront the pride and prejudice that flung them apart. Meanwhile, Lady Yennefer of Vengerberg is beginning to wonder if there is more to life than being handsome, clever, and rich.

This is I think my least-popular Witcher fic, because it's very long and also has no smut, but I'm really genuinely proud of it. I have a great love for Jane Austen and worked hard to try and capture the tone and feel of her work while juggling a mashup of three different novel plots. It also puts Yennifer/Tissaia in the spotlight, a ship I love but sadly have written like, nothing for. Shame on me.

Confidence Trick

When police officer Wyatt Logan is tapped to go undercover and get information on the notorious Lucy Preston and Garcia Flynn, he expects it’ll be his toughest assignment yet. What he doesn’t expect is to fall for his marks—and the fallout that comes with it.

One of those rare fics where the inspiration and writing just flowed and the stars aligned. It's I think my best fic in this fandom, although there are a couple others that I think come close such as could twist the sinews of thy heart? and Are You Strong Enough to Stand. It's just really lovely when you feel that the fic you wrote on the page is as good as the one you pictured in your head.

Also I'm still really damn proud of the plot twist at the end. Heheheheheheh.

Untranslatable Shadows

There's only one thing worse than having to make your way through a booby-trapped dungeon, and that's making your way through a booby-trapped dungeon with Xenk Yendar. Unfortunately, that's exactly what Ed has to do to save the soul of his best friend. And extra unfortunately... Xenk might not even be the worst part of this whole thing. Nobody tell him.

I really like all of my Xedgin fics. I'm quite fond of this little ship and yes I swear I will finish the last one! I pinky promise! It was hard to choose just one of them since I actually feel they're all pretty equal in quality which is rare for me, but I ended up going with this one because I'm quite proud of how I adapted the infamous "Tomb of Horrors" dungeon for the fic. It was a lot of work going through the dungeon and deciding what to keep or remove and how to use it to support the character arcs and story, but it was also very fun and rewarding.

My Blood Will Feed Your Flowers (Your Flowers Will Soothe My Blood)

At the start of the new school year a horrifying development rattles both Enid and Wednesday and threatens big changes in their relationship. Oh and there's a serial killer running around too. Huh. Someone should probably do something about that.

Another T rated fic and another one starring some femslash! It's a miracle! This fic was a gift to a friend and was a very fun challenge for me. Writing teenagers is hard, guys. I also had to balance the horror and the humor of the TV series to nail the tone, and I tried hard to write this as if it was the second season of the show and so worked within those limitations. I like to think I succeeded, and I'm very fond of the result.

So there you have it! Five fics that might be a bit off the beaten path so to speak for most of my readers, but of which I am very fond. Thank you again for tagging me!

[vesemirsexual]

Yennefer also forced/coerced Geralt to have sex with her in places and at times when he didn't want to, was often emotionally abusive (to both Geralt AND Ciri), for example with the whole Istredd thing where she manipulated them both essentially for fun. I know she can be compelling as a character and has an attempt at s growth arc in the books, but I personally think that some of her actions are overlooked way to often and way too easily. Being a survivor of abuse does not give one the right to abuse others. (I promise this is a good faith ask! You asked for examples so these are some that came to my mind first)

Some of these I completely get where you’re coming from, others I’m not sure (BUT I have only reread Lady of the Lake fairly recently, so it’s possible I’m forgetting the bits in text!)

• Yennefer also forced/coerced Geralt to have sex with her in places and at times when he didn't want to

Correct me if I’m wrong, but is this referring to the Yennefer/Geralt having sex in weird places (+ Geralt being like why can we just not have sex on a bed)? I wasn’t giving the impression that was dubcon/coercion at all vs both of them mutually having sex, and Geralt grumbling about location (but still actively wanting to have sex with Yennefer). Possible I’m not recalling something key here though?

• was often emotionally abusive (to both Geralt AND Ciri)

The example I can recall here for Ciri is often “ugly one” - I don’t think I can comment much on that one, as I’ve seen a lot of discourse surrounding specifically how it’s translated/read, so I’ll defer to the Polish speakers on that one. Outside of that, is there another example with Ciri?

Geralt? Yeah, absolutely at points. When we’re first introduced to Yennefer, she’s the antagonist of the text, and their interactions during that timeframe are antagonist-protagonist, and probably understandably the parts people draw most issue with. There’s also points where that continues (e.g their living together, mentions to Nenneke of Yennefer being controlling - although we’re not given an example of what that means).

• example with the whole Istredd thing where she manipulated them both essentially for fun

I have another ask about this I can’t link because I’m currently on mobile, but I will try and add it to this post when I get a chance. I think the Istredd situation (while messed up) is also very misread by a lot of people. I’m not given the impression any of that happened for “fun” per say, but rather a chain of events something like:

Geralt ditches Yennefer in Vengerberg with notes and flowers -> 4 years pass (implied from memory that Istredd supports her during this time + she’s upset about it) -> shakily back together -> Yennefer visits Istredd because she misses the time and lifestyle (also if I remember right, implied to be breakup sex) -> Istredd throws a wrench in the works by proposing (offering Yen commitment + stability) -> Istredd and Geralt preparing to fight to the death -> Yennefer makes up a kestrel to break up with Istredd, and is set on that course. She only makes one up for Geralt because she asks him to admit he loves her, he refuses and instead spirals into self-pity, goes on a “mutants don’t have feelings” spiel and Yennefer makes a kestrel for him after realising he’s not going to take that step

The Istredd situation is definitely messy, but a lot of people seem to shake it down into “Yen being mean for fun/Yen just cheating/Yen being a bitch” when there’s a lot of context to it + it’s really designed to highlight that they’re not at a place in the story where they can be together because they can’t even be honest with each other.

I know she can be compelling as a character and has an attempt at s growth arc in the books, but I personally think that some of her actions are overlooked way to often and way too easily. Being a survivor of abuse does not give one the right to abuse others. (I promise this is a good faith ask! You asked for examples so these are some that came to my mind first)

No, these are good examples and I 100% did ask because sometimes it’s easier to discuss with specific examples in front of you.

I definitely think there’s criticism to be had for Yennefer, and I think a lot of it is focussed in the first half of her character arc. A lot of my issues with it rise because Yennefer gets a lot of hate out of all the Witcher characters - search any platform and you’ll find people saying pretty vile things, and ranting about what a toxic bitch she is.

In contrast, a lot of other characters don’t get this kind of analysis or shakedown at all. I would argue that most characters throughout the series have some pretty ugly moments when they behave in ways that are not okay, but not all of them are called out of it equally. I think good examples of this are Geralt (who also behaves pretty in a shitty manner at different points in his arc) and Dandelion (misogyny, creepy dragon hunt moment with Yennefer, personally I’d argued that he participated in guilt-tripping Geralt into sleeping with someone he didn’t want to) but as fan fave male characters, they don’t get picked apart in the same way + if anyone tries, they’re going to have to fight furious fans.

[heytheredeann]

Fic Rec Friday Fun

I was tagged by @cha-melodius, who ALSO did not do this on Friday, so that makes me feel better, thank you LOOOOL.

So wanted to get some hiatus rec lists going and encourage some self promo in my friends so how about sharing your top fics no matter how big or small - give us the links to your wonderful words with the Most hits/Most kudos/Most comments/Most bookmarks /Most words/Least words

I have a bunch of fics written in bigger fandoms than the ones I currently write for, so I feel like I can guess what the results will be loool, but let's see!

Most hits: Stretch (Buck/Eddie+Christopher, 911) Not surprising, probably the most popular ship I've ever written for LOOOL. It's a canon divergence fic set in the tsunami episode, basically Buck doesn't lose Christopher in the water and manages to get him back to Eddie himself instead.

Most kudos: Same as above, unsurprisingly LOL.

Most comments: Calls me home (Neal/Emma, Once Upon A Time) A collection of Swanfire short stories, of which I wrote 33 out of a planned 35 *insert shame here* Maybe someday I'll finish it!

Most bookmarks: Stretch again LOOOL

Most words: Porcelain (Neal/Emma, Once Upon A Time) Okay technically it was the collection of short stories again, but I'm not counting that since it's not ONE story. This one is a Beauty and The Beast One featuring Dark One Emma and Neal as a pretty reluctant Beauty LOL.

Least words: Proof of Life (Geralt/Yennefer, The Witcher) Just a little ficlet (271 words) with Yennefer being a little out of it and getting snuggles and comfort. That's it LOL.

.

Tagging: @ikeepwatchinghelicopters @set-phasers-to-whump @rare-species @huggiebird @deducitetemporacarmen @cherryjuicegf @witch-and-her-witcher @fireflyxrebel-writes @geralt-of-vengerberg (no pressure of course!)

[limerental]

I'm at 19.6k and doing my favorite thing right now where I chuck characters together who never got to meet in canon because I think its very fun

"You know, I promised myself I'd break both of Geralt's ankles if I ever saw him again. Kind of ironic given he only did it to protect you, and now you've burst in to save my life."

“To protect me from you?” she asked. A little of her brazen confidence waned, a careful wariness sneaking in. It was the tone of a person who had been fucked over more times than she could count and didn't feel much like repeating old mistakes. “What were you going to do to me?”

“Nothing awful. Offer you protection in Redania,” Dijkstra said. “You’d have been married off to the young prince Radovid, most likely. I’m sure Philippa had plans of her own.”

All of that felt like another lifetime. Things that happened to a very different man. His petty concerns at the Thanned Banquet… His lingering affections for Phil… His swaggering confidence that he had enough of the details to foresee the future of the Continent and his role in it…

“Oh yes, Philippa had her plans," Ciri said. "Everyone had their plans for me, so I won’t hold it against you. Unless you’d still like me to marry that twat of a prince?”

“Fuck no. I’m retired.”

“Good, good. I didn’t really want to break your other ankle.”

“What happened to Geralt anyway?” asked Dijkstra. “Triss Merigold said that… well. Rumors are my business, but I know not to trust every story you hear.”

"Geralt and Mama are dead," Ciri said simply. "For now, at least."

"You say some truly bizarre nonsense, Cirilla of Vengerberg. And I've heard a lot of bizarre nonsense,” drawled Iorveth.

"I try! Now hurry up. Hop to it! They're getting testy up there, I bet." She took another long sip from her drink. Her nose wrinkled. "Agh, I do think they used oat milk again, though I asked for whole. Cereal grains don't even have tits, you know?"

"She's insane," said Toruviel.

"Oh well, she's rescued us," said Yaevinn. "Faolitiarna’s in danger. She's welcome to go on about oat tits if she likes."

"Come along then. There are bound to be plot relevant things happening while you lot dilly-dally."

[purplecrownanon]

PINNED

Tis I, the fabulous and sane 💜👑 anon! Figured I'd jump in on the fun of making a blog to interact with my adoptive fam and sibs!

THINGS TO KNOW

~ I am very much an adult! Every day I wake with my body reminding me that I near the dread 30

~ I am asexual and also engaged!

~ I go by she/they pronouns!

~ I have varied interests (and am currently in two group rps) so my activity here will be sporadic, but is focused on Hazbin Hotel!

~ OC face or whatever tf (I really don't care what you call it) is represented by Yennefer of Vengerberg in the video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt cause fuck you, I do what I want.

TAGS

~ 💜👑 thoughts

~ 💜👑 responds

THE FAM + EXTENDED

~ Samsung Neo MS1 110 inch Ultra HD 4K Smart Micro LED TV Dad: @flatfuckfridays ~ Tio Tino: @moth-pimp-val ~ #bitch Fashionista: @red-velvette-swirl ~ Mr. Radio Demon: @cannibals-and-radio ~ Guy I wanna fuck His Majesty: @thebigbossofhellhimself

The Sibs

~ 🫧💫 @bubble-anon-responds ~ 🐍: @snekanondoesdumbshit ~ 🦕: @dinonuggiesanon ~ 💥🎾: @anonwitharacket ~ 🐈‍⬛: @full-time-cat-an0n ~ Cry: @crymeafrozenriver ~ 🥩🐇: @the-horrors-u-make-out-with ~ Metio: @metioanon ~ Noodle: @an-asexual-dragonair ~ 🪱: @ittybittyworm

MORE UNDER THE READ MORE

DNI IF: proship, NSFW (minus the occasional sex joke and the like), zoophile, pedophile, all that insensitive shit. I wield the block button like a baseball bat: violently swinging in both directions.

[hanzajesthanza]

do you have any headcanons of what hands members did for downtime? personally I like to think cahir took up some sort of yoga, maybe admiring geralt’s agile swordplay

definitely! in fact, a couple of months ago, i was writing a geralt x regis fic where geralt and cahir were sparring for fun and due to unforeseen social pressures, regis got dragged into it, and it got competitive and perhaps dangerous...? i never finished it due to higher priority stuff, but it was a nice little slice of life. but yes, i had a headcanon that geralt and cahir practiced swordplay together and that's one of the reasons that cahir was able to hold his own against leo bonhart for such a (relatively) long time.

i'll include two lists here; one for in their universe, and one in a modern AU.

geralt: gymnastics and stretches (this is more of a morning routine, rather than a hobby. picked up in kaer morhen and never was able to drop it, excepting when he stayed with yennefer in vengerberg. they're also pretty impressive gymnastics to the normal person, especially considering that he tends to do them when it's still pitch black out). horse care (like brushing down the horses). journaling (he does observational drawing and quick notes, though these notes would often create some dramatic irony later on if reread). fishing (if he has the equipment).

dandelion: during the time of the short stories, just about every carnal pleasure you can think of: he really frequents the brothels and bars, he's a regular almost everywhere. the more PG-rated activities are frequenting food stalls, investigating inns and taverns for delicacies, singing on street corners, and spending time in royal courts chatting up the royals and their wives. he's also fond of window shopping (with geralt, although they don't share the same tastes). he also spent time pursuing other small diversions with geralt, like going to the menagerie or public performances. within beauclair during lady of the lake, dandelion does a lot more wifeguy activities. doting on anna henrietta, commissioning matching jewelry and other nonsensical things. a lot of wine tasting. a lot of poetry writing. though, who's to say he gave up whoring completely? the only brothel in beauclair indeed sucks, but dandelion's not too picky.

milva: hunting (alone), hunting (with a partner) - these are like multiple hobbies in one, including archery, horseback riding, animal tracking and identification, and spending time alone in the wooded areas. she likes to run errands to the market stalls to replenish supplies and barter. there's a fletcheress who likes her and they talk, but she's too obtuse to realize it. she really does not have many "inside" hobbies, which is why staying cooped up in the palace is miserable for her and leads to crying in the stables.

regis: exploring beauclair palace for the spots no one knows of (comfy spaces in the rafters of the wine cellar to nap, for instance). sitting and talking in the palace gardens with geralt. caring for milva as her ribs are still healing, she has post-miscarriage depression, and refuses to see another physician. gardening (his own plants and the palaces' even if they did not ask him), housekeeping (he doesn't like to have the servants clean his room for him, he does his own laundry). figuring out new distillations and formulas for salves, oils, etc. sometimes he bribes angoulême to solve a problem for him ('find a way to get rid of that mirror and i'll give you my serving of duck at breakfast tomorrow') and sometimes she finds him to ask him to solve a problem for her. he also enjoys flying at night but only can do so on the full moon (there were three full moons during the time they were there, but he only was able to spend the first as predicted).

cahir: horseshoe throwing and other garden games with the baronesses. sports like javelin, discus, horseback riding. seeking out the toussaint knights and going on overnight or two-day trips with them around the valley. sparring with geralt to 'keep form' but they really just go grab some alcohol and food before and after, so it's not particularly to stay in shape. cahir sometimes reads in the library, mostly history, because here he can find more unbiased accounts of vicovaro's history, particularly before it was ""incorporated"" into nilfgaard pretty early in its history...

angoulême: running around beauclair palace looking for gossip, thinking up get-rich-quick schemes and business plans that lead to trouble. trying on new outfits and wasting chamberlain sebastian le goff's time. looking for reynart, regis, or milva to bother them accompany them. walking around the city and admiring the fancy houses and dress. exploring the markets and vendors, she keeps track of the merchants that have entered and left the city. she used to have a bad gambling habit, but she's mostly kicked it (mostly).

modern version:

geralt: writing, other than that he's a little hobbyless, since he used to play sports (i imagined competitive frisbee, but you can imagine what you like) but after his knee injury, he had to quit it, so now he's in a sour mood a lot of the time.

dandelion: frequenting food trucks. composing music (counts as a hobby, like artists who draw also draw for their own fun). matching on dating apps and holding like seventeen chats simultaneously. dandelion is definitely the one in the friend group with a tiktok addiction.

milva: hiking, but with no music - listens to music with wired earbuds and lying on her bed. going to the market / supermarket isn't necessarily a hobby, but she makes it one by keeping track of the prices, seasons, sales. she's friends with the local butchers.

regis: exploring the city by foot in the day (he likes to talk to strangers sometimes, very odd), driving around aimlessly at night. at home, baking, most likely, and pickling and brewing - anything to do with fermentation.

cahir: video games, everyone thinks he plays first-person shooters but he's really fond of stuff like terraria and stardew valley. walking and listening to music, but it's like some rock ballads and somehow doesn't suit the peaceful atmosphere of a walk at dusk.

angoulême: going to the mall, shopping (and shoplifting). getting into new music (regis got her into new wave). trying to get into bars even though she's underage (in my cultural context in the U.S., she would be), and other restricted areas she's not supposed to be in (fire escapes, tops of buildings).

[struggles-and-prose]

📚 Beautiful Books part 7.2: The Witcher Series by Andrzej Sapkowski 📚

This is part 2 of my Witcher books review, so before you go any farther, go read part 1! I'm going to talk about all 8 of them in a 3 part post, since I can't add more than 30 pictures per post. So get yourself some milk and cookies because this might be long lol.

⚠️Note that there will be some spoilers from either the books, series or games so, read at your own risk.⚠️

As you might know from a previous post, I got the 1st 7 books for my birthday from my dad, and the last one today.

4) The Time of Contempt:

On the sleeve, we can see, again, the beautiful Yennefer of Vengerberg in front of what seems like a storm that's coming. I'm not sure who the 2 other women in the back are, but maybe Tissaia on the left and Ciri on the right?

The back, same as the front, but with a quote. "A time of contempt is approaching, Witcher, my friend, a time of great and utter contempt. You have to adapt. What I'm proposing is a simple solution. Someone will die, so someone else can live."

The side of the sleeve has a close up of the cover on Yennefer at the very top (or bottom), with white and black lettering on a beautiful purple background.

On the left of the cover without the sleeve, is a grey spine and a black background with another quote, written in a shiny silver. "Do you know when stories stop being stories? The moment someone begins to believe in them." - Codringher

The spine is grey with the title, written in shiny silver.

And the back is black with the grey of the spine.

The endpaper is a map like the previous book, Blood of Elves. It's in what I thought was purple but apparently it's pink, for the details of the map.

Inside, there's the same full map like in the previous books, but there's unfortunately no other illustrations. (This is the same picture of that map from my previous post. I just didn't feel like taking pictures of the same thing multiple times lol.)

The text is the same size as in the previous books, with the title of the book at the top of every 2nd page written in black, with a total of 389 pages.

My favourite part of this book has to be the spine. I just love how simple it looks.

Fun fact about Andrzej Sapkowski: He graduated from the University of Łódź, which is a public research university founded in 1945 in Poland. 🖤

5) Baptism of Fire:

On the sleeve, we see Geralt on Roach, walking through a forest alongside Jaskier (Dandelion in the books and games). In the depths of the forest, an elf is preparing their bow, looking at our favourite duo.

The back, same as the front with a quote. "Fire purges. And hardens. It must be passed through. Aenyell'hael, ell'ea, sor'ca? In your tongue: a baptism of fire."

The side of the sleeve has a close up of the cover on Geralt at the very top (or bottom), with white and black lettering on a bright green background.

On the left of the cover without the sleeve, is a bright green spine and a black background with another quote, written in a shiny green. "We enter the world as a minute part of the life we are given, and from then on we are ever paying off debts. To ourselves. For ourselves. In order for the final reckoning to tally." - Eithné

The spine is bright green with the title, written in shiny green as well.

And the back is black with the green of the spine.

The end paper is the same map of The Witcher universe, but with tints of mint green for the details.

Inside, there's the same full map like in the previous books, but there's unfortunately no other illustrations. (This is the same picture of that map from my previous post. I just didn't feel like taking pictures of the same thing multiple times lol.)

The text is the same size in all 8 books really lol, with the title at the top of every 2nd page written in black, with a total of 403 pages.

My favourite part of this book is the colors. I don't usually like bright green, but like this, it's just beautiful.

Fun fact about The Witcher: Elder Speech, the language used by elves, was created by Sapkowski for the show. It's based on several real languages, like French, Irish, Latin and Welsh. 💚

6) The Tower of Swallows:

On the sleeve, we see someone on a horse, but I can't quite pinpoint who it is. They're In front of a castle on a yellow background. In the back, there's drawings of skeletons on skeleton horses.

The back, same as the front, but with a quote. "The elf Avallac'h marked our awe and spake: 'This is Tor Zireal, then Tower of the Swallow. This is the Gate of Worlds and the Threshold of Time. Feast your eyes on this sight, man, for not to everyone nor always is it given'."

The side of the sleeve has a close up of the cover on the horse at the very top (or bottom), with white and black lettering on a yellow background.

On the left of the cover without the sleeve, is a bright yellow spine and a black background with another quote, written in a shiny silver. "It is better to go forward without an aim than loiter without an aim, and with surety much better than to retreat without an aim." - Regis

The spine is bright yellow with the title, written in shiny silver.

And the back is black with the yellow of the spine.

The endpaper is a map like the previous books, in yellow for the details.

The text is the same size in all 8 books, with the title at the top of every 2nd page written in black, with a total of 513 pages.

My favourite part of this book is the sleeve cover art. It's just so well detailed.

Fun fact about Andrzej Sapkowski: He started his literary career as a translator, translating the story "The Words of the Guru" by Cyril M. Kornbluth for Fantastyka magazine. 💛