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fangirleaconmigo · 2 years

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Hi! I love your witcher content. If you don't mind and have some time, I'd like to ask you a few questions.1) What is your favorite underrated tertiary character? 2) Do you see Ciri ever being in a long-term romantic relationship with someone? If so, do you have someone specific in mind? 3) Your thoughts on Sh'eenaz and her story. Btw she was bi, right? (I don't know if I remember it correctly) 4) Ace Milva, pan Regis - thoughts?

Hi Nonny! Ooo, what a fun ask.

Favorite underrated tertiary character.

Ok, this will depend on what you mean by tertiary.

Milva. I'm a big Milva fan, as people know. (that's my Milva character write up) But she might be seen as secondary, not tertiary.

Nenneke. She isn't just Geralt's mother figure. While that is very important, she also plays an important role in the narrative with the themes of religion, of the feminine, and of the divine. I still haven't gotten to my post about her, but I will.

Angoulême. I also dearly dearly love Angoulême. I get emotional when I think about her. The witcher books love to put the main characters through hell but then give you a parallel character where they show you...but guess what babes...it could be alot worse. Because...what if they didn't have each other? Brehen contrasts with Geralt because he doesn't have Kaer Morhen, and Angoulême contrasts with Ciri because she is just like her (looks, nationality, fell into a gang, etc) but she doesn't have noble blood and she doesn't have anyone running across the continent trying to help her.

If you want more tertiary than that, I'd say I really love Black (I'll see you in hell) Rayla. I love Dainty (All Cops are Bastards) Bibervelt. I love Percival (beloved nerd) Shuttenbach. There are so many more. But there is a handful.

2. Ciri and romance. I mean, she might! I haven't personally thought about it though. I've only read the books and watched the show. So, in my only canon experience with Ciri, she is no more than 16 and deeply traumatized. When I sit down to write fic, I just want her to get to be a kid, and spend time with her parents. I ship her with time to heal. I just feel very very protective of her, almost irrationally so. (she doesn't exist, Des!)

If I played the games and saw her as an adult, OR if I really sat down to write and tried to imagine something, I'm sure I could. But I haven't sat down and imagined yet, as she heals and grows, what she would want and who that would be.

Just my personal thing, I don't begrudge anyone else their ships, and I hope everyone else is having fun shipping Ciri.

3. Sh'eenaz. The thing with the witcher characters is, they never 'identify' themselves as any sexuality. And then fans scratch each other's eyes out inferring different things from it and fighting, which is very frustrating.

But Sh'eenaz DEFINITELY says that she has sex with women (well, mermaids). When Algloval won't trade in his legs for a tail so she can have a real committed relationship with him and reproduce with him, she gets very angry. She's like...he's not taking this seriously. He just wants sex and no sacrifice or commitment. She says she already has girlfriends who will have sex with her, and that, by the way, they are much better at it than him.

"Tell him I have girlfriends who are much better at those frolics that he was suggesting on the rocks!"

She's like, if all you're giving me is sex, I can get better, elsewhere. She wants a real relationship and to spawn.

I think for me, the main question I have for her arc is, what changes her mind at the end? Is it mostly to achieve peace and keep Algloval from invading the ocean? Is it love? Is it both? I wonder how much of it is each? I still have to think about that one. It's a great story though, and I listen to the audiobooks, so Peter Kenny's voice as Geralt singing mer language will never ever leave me lolol.

4. Ace Milva. I talked about it a bit on my Milva post I linked up there. In canon she is annoyed when the others talk about sex, and she has had a very empty sexual experience. She is never shown to really lust over anyone or pursue sex.

but like I said before, she never 'identifies' as anything.

So, you could take those facts and spin them into any number of headcanons. I don't ever want to be the headcanon police, or to contribute to an environment in fandom where people feel they can't experiment with fics.

However, I personally like her very much as ace or demi. It is a nice fit with canon, and I've written one fic concept where to me, she is demi, and I would definitely write her or read her as ace as well. To me, that's a great headcanon.

Pan Regis. I don't remember if there is any evidence of this? But I vibe with it. I don't want to delve too deeply into why I that is, because it's late and I've written so much as it is. I should do a Regis character sheet, but I have so many I want to do in front of him in the queue. But I'm very down with this headcanon.

Thanks for the ask!! And for talking about the books with me and reading my posts. <3 <3 <3

#asks #thinking about the witcher books yet again #thinking about milva yet again #the witcher books #cirilla fiona elen riannon #milva #maria barring #nenneke #angoulême #emiel regis

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astaldis · 2 months

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Scars II - Whumper's Monthly issue no 30

@whumpers-monthly

A little scarry excerpt from And Quietly Lay The Frozen Lake

Fandom: The Witcher Netflix/The Witcher novels

Whumpee: Cahir

Caretaker: Regis

Summary: After having crossed the Malheur Pass, Geralt's company finds a cosy little cave by a beautiful frozen lake. Angoulême wants to have some innocent fun on the ice, but not all is as quiet and peaceful as it seems. And Cahir has to bear the consequences ...

From Chapter 4: Of moaning and musing

Geralt grunted, but, of course, did as he was asked. After all, although Regis's mannerisms and lectures could be quite annoying sometimes, he was right about the predator teeth. And from what he had seen of that specific beast's jaws with its double set of fangs, nothing good could be expected. Together the two of them carefully rolled the moaning and mostly unresponsive Cahir over onto his stomach so that Regis could examine and treat the bite wound from the other side. When he removed the bloody shreds of the shirt that were still sticking to the young man's back, Regis drew in a sharp breath.

"That I did not anticipate, I must admit," he said, exhaling slowly. "Did you know, Geralt?"

"The hell no! Milva?"

Milva, who had just picked up her kill to finally skin and gut it, leaned in closer to see what her friends were talking about. She gasped, shocked at the sight. Not only did the fresh injury, in spite of the puncture wounds seeming to be a bit more superficial, look even worse than on the other side, black and blue from bruising and badly swollen, the shoulder blade probably broken in at least one place, but Cahir's bloodied back was also riddled with a criss-cross of old scars. And burn marks.

"I'll be damned," she murmured, shaking her head.

"Ouch, someone was given a sound whipping," piped in Angoulême whose curiosity had finally won over monster-shock, cold and bad conscience and who was peeking over Milva's shoulder. "Who'd have thunk that's why he's always been such a friggin' prude about getting undressed in company. Remember, Jaskier almost wrote a song about it."

They did remember. The bard had threatened to call it 'Cahir, the niminy-piminy Nilfgardian' and Cahir had blushed crimson but, in spite of the threat, had stubbornly refused to go to the river with them to take a swim and wash pretending, as was his habit, to be busy with the horses. Only later, when it was almost dark, would he sneak off to clean himself. Alone. Angoulême had tried to creep up on Cahir once, but Geralt had noticed and not allowed it. He had, however, found the idea of the song quite amusing. Not anymore.

"Enough goggling, give Regis some space," the Witcher admonished. "He has an injury to treat. And we better get that pig on the spit. Would be a shame to let it go to waste."

So, Milva, Angoulême and Geralt busied themselves with the food and kept the fire going while Regis tended to his patient. As before, he cleaned the injury thoroughly, meticulously removing the greenish-brown residue sticking to the puncture wounds, applied elixirs and poultice to prevent infection and help with the swelling, and dressed it neatly. Cahir moaned and groaned pitifully throughout the procedure but did not stir or open his eyes. He was still shivering with hypothermia, the skin very pale, cold and clammy to the touch and his heartbeat far too fast due to the loss of blood, but it was strong and steady. Nothing a few days of rest, warmth and good food could not fix. However, there was not a lot the barber-surgeon could do about the broken shoulder blade except for bandaging it tightly in such a way that Cahir would not be able to move his shoulder much. He'd probably have to wear a sling for quite a while, too, and abstain from activities such as sword fighting and slaying monsters. Well, all in all, things could have gone much, much worse. And, obviously, judging by his scars, Cahir, as young as he was, had lived through worse, too.

Read the story on Ao3 here.

Published: 2021-08-16; Completed: 2021-09-10; Words: 9,334; Chapters: 8/8

#whumpers-monthly #issue no 30 #scars #the witcher #cahir mawr dyffryn aep ceallach #cahir whump #the hansa #geralt of rivia #emiel regis #milva #angoulême #the witcher fanfiction

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imnotwolverine · 3 years

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The Wolves Return - Part 1

Geralt of Rivia x OFC

| Part 2 >

Summary: After a long life of monster hunting, Geralt has retired to hold keep at Kaer Morhen. Winter is now fast approaching and though he expects visitors, not all of them are quite as welcome.

Word count: 2.297 (8,5 min read)

Disclaimer: 16+ - Thrilling, some sexual references

The world goes eerily quiet when laid in white. Even the finest ears may not hear the migthiest cries.

There hung something in the air today.

A tempest that tinged the skies a hue of purple. There was a restlessness that made Geralt’s medallion tremble. And then there was of course the annoying old ache in his thigh bone, causing him to limp as he returned to his trusty steed.

Hoisting up the poultry he had hunted down that morning, Geralt kept a watchful eye on the trees. Nothing much seemed out of the ordinary. With the day still early, a mist clung to the ferns and fallen over branches. It would look gloomy to anyone unfamiliar with the terrain. But to Geralt it looked perfectly normal. And yet.. Hmm.

Stepping out into the forest clearing, his golden eyes brightened up. Roach had for once not left her spot -- which was quite a feat for the obnoxious, black and white coated mare. He grinned at her, clicking his tongue in hope she would meet him halfway. His leg was really a bother today and after his hunt he couldn’t wait to be back at Kaer Morhen and settle back in a chair.

Roach, unfortunately, wasn’t so easy to convince. Blinking at him, she made absolutely zero effort to move to the Witcher. Instead she took a step or two back, twirling her ears as if challenging him.

‘Oh don’t do that..’ Geralt sighed. He was really getting too old for all this. Reaching out a hand he leapt forward to catch her reins, his other arm swift to throw his bounty over the saddle.

‘What is it with you women? Always eager to give me a challenge.’

Roach snorted.

‘Yea yea. You laugh. Teasing an old man now, huh?’

She shook her head.

‘Alright. Enough adventure for today, let’s get back and see if my brothers have arrived yet.’

Climbing up in the saddle he ran a hand through Roach’s manes, comforting himself with her warmth and accepting little huff. Without another word they set out, returning to their home at Kaer Morhen, where soon enough not only first snow would arrive, but also his Witcher brothers. Ready to outstay the winter. Like old times.

[an age ago]

‘Oh come on old sock!’ Young Ciri jeered. She chuckled as she saw a hint of white hair peeking out over the turned over cart.

‘Or what? Scared to lose?’ Geralt poked his head out over the makeshift barrage, eyeing his daughter as she stalked around a few wooden barrels. First snow had fallen last night and though it was hardly enough for a proper snowball fight, the two couldn’t be kept from having a little fun in the courtyard.

Not far off sat Coën on one of the stair steps, his dark long beard sparkling with the little snowflakes that danced in the air. He had started down the stairs to gather Ciri for her daily training, but had decided a few minutes of fun wouldn’t hurt.

Having settled down with his arms crossed, he watched the two dance around the courtyard, hands clinging to powdery balls of white snow.

‘Oh now you’ve got it!’ Ciri darted forward, earning an exasperated little sigh from Coën.

‘Footwork Ciri, footwork!’

She slowed down, turning around dramatically to give him an eyeroll. That moment, however, was all it took for Geralt to take the victory, his hand lifting the back of her collar so he could land a fresh heap of snow in her shirt.

‘AYEEEEE!’ She yelped, twirling around at lightning speed to tackle Geralt before he could step away. The two fell tumbling and Coën couldn’t help but chuckle as he got up. As he made his way back up towards the main entryway, he found Vesemir standing there, looking down at father and daughter tumbling around in the snow.

‘Quite a pair, aren’t they?’

Coën shrugged, brushing a hand over his long dark beard. ‘She’s a special one.’

Vesemir stepped aside to let him through, but Coën remained. Turning on his heel he looked back at Ciri and Geralt. The contemplative stare of his golden eyes hid something he wouldn’t speak of. A quiet sorrow that one would only find in the kin of Witchers.

‘Ai Geralt! No!’ Ciri screeched, gasping as another launch of snow was squashed into her face.

A moment later Geralt stepped in next to Vesemir and Coën, smirking as he wiped some frosty hairs out of his face.

‘Well there’s someone who likes winter.’ Coën said.

Geralt shrugged, smirking as he turned just in time to catch Ciri before she could return the assault.

Growling in frustration the young girl tried to fight against Geralt’s grip, but there was no use.

Coën sighed, shaking his head as he nodded in the direction of the great hall.

‘Alright. Let’s get you soaked kittens dry before we start training. Can’t have you wet as a rat out here in the cold.’

‘Say that to those who still have to arrive.’ Ciri huffed, blinking up at the sky where thicker and thicker flakes of snow were starting to fall.

‘All come in due time.’ Tutted Coën. ‘Witchers can handle a wee bit of snow.’

The hour had grown late and Geralt had settled back in his chair before the fire. First snow had arrived, as expected, but his fellow brethren had not yet. With a thoughtful expression Geralt watched the flames in the firepit before him dance around a few pine cones he had thrown in. Every few seconds the fire would find a residue of the pine resin, causing the flames to rise higher and cast long shadows over the recently swept floors.

He felt ready for his winterly guests, especially now he had gone some months without much adventure. He couldn’t wait for the joy and laughter to return, because though retired from the Trail, he still felt every bit the Witcher. He still trained whenever his leg allowed, and kept his sword sharp and closeby.

Living in the quiet keep of Kaer Morhen, like his late teacher Vesemir once had, meant that most of the year there was little companionship. Winter, however, meant the return of the others. Of bawdy laughter, drinking..and perhaps some impromptu dress-up parties in Yen’s clothing.

Yen. He hadn’t seen her in more than an age. The raven haired sorceress with her snappy remarks and dizzying scent. He couldn’t quite remember it now. The scent. He even bought it from a merchant some years ago, just to smell it every now and then. But it just wasn’t the same without her own scents mixed in. It didn’t make his heart race the way she could. Was she still alive?

A howling draft whipped through the hall, making the medallions of his fallen brothers jingle. They hung from an old tree that had been dried and placed like a huge ornamental shrine on the far end of the spacious room. Geralt inhaled deeply and willed himself to relax. For a moment he could have sworn that his medallion had trembled, but perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks. There was nothing there. Nothing to beseech his immediate attention.

A voice called.

Sitting up Geralt turned his nose into the draft, scenting what it might be. Just the winds again? Or a visitor?

It was quiet once more and with a grunt he returned his annoyance to the fire before him. Perhaps he should get a hobby, like the old bard had once suggested. There. There was another person he didn’t want to admit to missing. Jaskier. The one most obnoxious, but beloved friend he ever had. Not even Regis’ uncalled for remarks or Milva’s unnerving singing could light a candle to the amount of suffering Geralt had undergone in the name of his friendship to Jaskier. Had it not been for having to save him from trolls, it might have been from angry mobs of highborn duchesses -- you’d be surprised how many there were of those.

It had been years since Jaskier had found his rest, and still Geralt could very much remember the stories they had lived through together. The great tales that had been created with perhaps a touch of fantasy to make Geralt into one of the greatest Witchers ever lived.

Or so Jaskier had proclaimed.

Another howl. No wind this time though, Geralt was sure. With a swift twirl he started his way towards the battlements. On and on and up, straight into the icy winds that were biting their way around the ancient walls of the fortress. In the dark it was hard to make out anything other than the whipping trees and whirling snowflakes. But if his sharp eyes were not mistaken, there was something afoot near the fort entrance.

He hadn’t raised the bridge. And apparently the narrow pathway to the main gate now made a stage for some unusual display. A hooded figure stood there cursing, hand knocking nervously against the heavy outer door.

It was obvious that this wasn’t any of his Witcher brothers. They knew the secret ways to enter and wouldn’t have even bothered with entering this way in this kind of weather.

No, this was someone else. Someone that smelled of fresh pine sap, blood and perhaps a wee bit of pee. This someone was afraid. Terribly afraid in fact. Another howl raved through the winds and the knocking became more furious.

‘PLEASEE!’ It was a female voice that cried out over the wind.

Geralt grumbled. Really now? A woman? Here? Eyeing the wildly moving trees he scouted for any trouble. But other than the wind and snow, there didn’t seem much amiss.

‘Sir?! SIR?!’

Oh fuck, she saw me.

Cursing himself inwardly, Geralt looked down the large wall that separated them. The woman was squinting into the flurry of snow, holding one hand up to keep her hood on her head. She wasn’t too old. But definitely not pretty enough to be a sorceress. She was not Yen. Nor any woman he knew. She was not in immediate danger, but then again..sending her back would be dangerous indeed. The people didn’t know this path. She, however, apparently did.

Contemplating what to do, Geralt stood there looming over the battlements. The icy winds were starting to nip at his exposed skin and he could feel the ache returning to his leg. He had hoped for visitors, but not like this. Not… He scowled as the woman struggled to keep her cape close around her body. She looked terribly clumsy and she surely wouldn’t survive this night.

Geralt sighed.

[one day back in summer]

‘You know, Geralt. There’s two good things in this world.’ Jaskier smacked loudly as he chewed on some freshly roasted sausage from the campfire.

‘Hmm.’

‘First of all there’s of course the delicious enticement that is all that you can fit in your bed.’

‘Please don’t start about the unicorn.’

Jaskier laughed -- nearly launching a piece of sausage from his mouth. ‘Oh, do NOT give me ideas. Oh that’s quite splendid. How large was it anyway? Life-sized? Play-sized? FUN-sized?’

‘Jaskier!’

‘Hey! You started this. Anyway, where was I? DE-li-cious sausages by the way. That butcher’s girl knows how to handle her meat. And I’m not just talking about…’ He dangled another sausage between his juicy fingers, wiggling his eyebrows.

Geralt didn’t so much as look, keeping his attention on the golden light that shone down from the sinking sun. The valley before them was luscious with buzzing summer life. Cicadas were singing, beasts were roaming. And then there was Jaskier, smacking loudly as he ate the freshly roasted sausages from the campfire.

Jaskier continued, swallowing his bite. ‘Oh don’t mind the unicorn though. We all had our interesting experiences.’

Geralt finally looked back at Jaskier, whose lips curled in a smile.

‘I don’t think I want to know.’

‘Perhaps another time, yes.’ Jaskier agreed, grinning.

‘So the second good thing, what was that?’

‘Well family of course!’

Geralt raised an eyebrow at the bard, who now dreamily stared down at the valley.

‘Family.’

‘Mhm.’ Jaskier sighed with a smile.

‘Things that fit in your bed, and family.’

‘Well if you play your cards right they both might end up in your bed. And I’m quite platonic in my speech here. But yes. Family.’

‘Hmm.’

‘Glad you asked Witcher! Now family is of course more than just the line of blood you’re born from. It’s more than the people you are taught to call your family. Ciri, is your daughter, no doubt. And Yen, witchy mistress of evil with those delectable butt cheeks. Probably family.’

Geralt huffed.

‘Oh don’t complain. But now there’s more! There’s..’

Geralt sat up. His golden eyes had practically set alight in the glowing burst of sunrays. ‘You knocked someone up didn’t ya?’

Jaskier swallowed -- no sausage this time. For the few words that ever came from the Witchers mouth, he hadn’t quite expected the Witcher to have been so straightforward. Wordlessly he looked at Geralt. ‘Well..’

Struggling with the rusty old joints of the peeping hole, Geralt opened the tiny latch at eye height. The woman that had been there moments earlier had disappeared. Which was peculiar, because it had been quite clear that she had wanted to enter.

It was only a second later that he heard a heart wrenching cry. The winds twirled and twisted the sound, suffocating it before any human ear could have probably heard. He didn’t take long to make one and one two. The winds by the treeline were moving the wrong direction. And tracks in the snow, though hard to see, were just fresh enough to follow despite the roaring storm. They led back to that exact treeline.

Fuck.

Feeling his medallion hum despite the way it was sent back and forth in the wild wind, confirmed his suspicion. Evil was here. And perhaps it had come knocking, too.

Go to Part 2 >

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#henry cavill fanfiction #Witcher fanfiction #the witcher #geralt of rivia #jaskier #dandelion #kaer morhen #the wolves return #Multichapter

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gayregis · 3 years

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What do you think Regis and Ciri's relationship would be like? I was always a little upset that Geralt said he wanted Ciri to meet Zoltan and Reinart but he didn't say that about Regis or anyone from the Hansa. Do you think he wanted Ciri to meet Regis? What do you think their relationship would be like? I didn't understand why Regis was so impressed by Citi in Stigga, if she was obviously scared and they had like 5 min to talk. I don't like that all the characters are thrilled with Ciri at first sight. I also afraid that Ciri won't overcome her dislike of vampires as a witcher, and she and Regis won't have become friends :( What your thoughts on it?

this is such a good series of questions!!

i think that geralt did want ciri to meet the hansa, and i suppose she did - she mentions that they buried the bodies of geralt’s comrades outside of stygga when they left - though in the case of regis, of course, there was nothing left to bury. but i imagine that, in these moments, geralt told ciri about each member, their memories “living on” through story, which, in the witcher, is a form of immortality after death. but i think he specifically mentions wanting ciri to meet reynart and zoltan specifically because he thought (incorrectly, in reynart’s case :( ) that they were still alive, as opposed to the hansa, who he all saw either die in front of him or their corpses later when they buried them.

specifically for regis, i think geralt would have wanted ciri to meet him as they did become close and also regis helped a lot in terms of being geralt’s confidant during the quest to save ciri. but i also think that geralt would be still concious of how bizarre his and regis’ friendship is, and would think about it before any introductions - then again, the witcher seems to have less of these “planned introductions” and rather more of “by the seat of your pants introductions,” like when dandelion first meets ciri, it was both somewhat expected as (iirc?) they knew they were going to meet up with the other party (geralt and dandelion, yennefer and ciri), but how they actually meet up is a different story, because nothing in the witcher can ever be a calm summer afternoon, of course. so i believe that “the best” circumstances would be something like a formal introduction of ciri to all of the hansa members, geralt would simply introduce them all at the same time, because they’re each equally important in relation to him and ciri. i don’t thnk it would make sense for geralt to introduce regis separately from the rest of the hansa, because it would just take his character out of context (unless, of course, they were in some situation where the rest of the hansa wasn’t around). (and besides the point, but i think the most awkward formal introduction would be between cahir and ciri, because, it wouldn’t be an introduction at all, rather a third meeting. and canonically, cahir had dreams of ciri, so it would be even weirder since he’s already seen her a bunch and she hasn’t seen him at all.)

i think, honestly, a formal introduction between regis and ciri would go well, i don’t think too much would occur, even if only because of having questions but feeling that it’s not the right place or time to ask them -- like in a class, when a teacher asks, “any questions?...” and the entire class holds their breath because everyone is confused but no one knows exactly what to say -- i think it would be like that, because regis and ciri are BOTH very very naturally curious! regis would want to ask, so this is the child of destiny, this is your daughter, etc, etc, and ciri would want to ask pretty much everything about him to understand who he is. but i think both would understand, through experience, that a first introduction isn’t the time to ask every single question you have about a person. so it would be kind, but maybe overly formal becase of that awkwardness.

i of course have all these headcanons and such about regis becoming a parental and mentor figure to angouleme, so i’m inclined to compare their relationship to that with ciri, but i think that would be a mistake. because angouleme and ciri are similar in build and appearance, and some traits and experiences of course, but they’re still different in my opinion, and their difference is exponential when you consider the differences of how angouleme and regis met VS how ciri and regis met, and that angouleme had no one else in her life VS ciri already has parents she loves. so instead of being more parental and advice-giving, i think regis would be kind to ciri of course, but i don’t think they would ever spend a lot of time together because ciri already has parents to spend time with, so regis would be still a sort of avuncular figure, good for advice and to listen, but not the main source of support. which is fine, i think. i think that the thing that ciri would most rely upon regis for would be dealing with her actions from when she was a rat, i think both regis and ciri have come out of a period where they have been the source of a lot of violence, and ciri may struggle with this and need advice from someone who’s been through it already.

i feel like regis also wasn’t overly impressed with ciri when he met her, his reaction seems more like dandelion’s to me, where she just appears as some young girl, the young girl that she is. i think only the observant or the close to ciri will understand that she is powerful (geralt, yennefer, milva (observant), cahir (half and half, i think he only understands it later)). regis and dandelion are observant in that they are intelligent and academics, but they often miss the background, the “fabric of reality” as i’ve referred to it -- things like the horseprints in the snow, regis was very willing to explain away as being somthing mundane, not considering it could have been something else. i think this logicalness of his character and unintentional insensitivity to the “powers that be” would make him more stumped than astute with ciri, unable to really figure her out despire having experiences in common with her. another trait that ciri and regis both share is being mysterious and a little closed-off if one doesn’t pry, and since they have no real reason to pry, i don’t think they’d be as close as characters that are more opposite to one another in this respect.

although regis did frighten ciri when they first met in stygga, i feel like they would totally get over that after a while. although dandelion aphoristically says in a little sacrifice that there’s never a second chance to make a good first impression, i think to how geralt and ciri got off on the wrong foot, as did yennefer and ciri -- and even though it was a more severe misunderstanding with yennefer, she ultimately became closer to yennefer than anyone else. so i don’t think that regis’s first impression to ciri would affect their friendship down the line that much, since ciri seems to have a knack for getting into poor first impressions with adults. but i do think it would influence how she sees him, because of course it would. everyone else met regis as he is normally, the pinnacle of kindness and thoughtfulness -- ciri saw him basically turn an entire room into hellish chaos and rip a guy’s throat out! it’s comical to us as the readers because we know regis and his very mild-mannered side, but to ciri, this would have been terrifying, of course demonstrated by her clenching her jaw so her teeth wouldn’t chatter. i don’t think that there’s any reason that they couldn’t eventually get over this, but i think it would definitely influence how ciri sees regis overall -- i think that even geralt sometimes forgets about what regis is capable of, like in lady of the lake when he vehemently defends regis’s right to be present in a coversation, when regis can actually just overhear the entire conversation although he walked away. to sort of summarize the situation, if your friend, who is a normal guy to you, had epic powers that you saw a couple of times, but he never really used them around you that much, you might not think of him as some kind of force VS, when you met your friend for the first time he was demonstrating his epic powers in full force... you would be way more aware of his power. but, these friendships may not have been super different at heart, because there’s still the same people involved in them. this is what i think, that ciri would just be the one who’s most aware that regis is a vampire, because she’ll never forget the first meeting -- but that does not necessarily mean she would end up trusting or liking him less at all!

i feel with the context of ciri being a witcher, it’s interesting because by the time regis appears in the series, the term of “witcher” is beginning to be unraveled with its threads examined for the readers. regis is part of this, and cahir is as well -- though regis is a monster, geralt has no desire to kill him, and yet cahir is a man, and geralt has a desire to kill him. the term of “monster” is questioned to hell and back throughout the entire series, but especially in regards to i think to these characters: geralt, regis, cahir, ciri, vilgefortz, and bonhart. each is a “monster” in some respect, either being labelled as one or doing monstrous things, or both. in ciri’s case, it becomes way more about “good” and “evil” than it does for geralt, who is more concerned with the original exploration of “human” and “monster.” for ciri, she actually became evil, she was a monster. but through many things, she learned her lesson and becomes something much more vague than just “good” or “evil” in the end. this is a lot like regis, who transversed the dichotomy of “evil monster” and “good human” to become something that’s neither of each (well, regis strives to be a good human, but just because he strives for it does not mean he 100% is that). so i think that because they have that similiarity, they would be more understanding of one another. especially with time as ciri begins to understand herself and the concept of evil more (as she had difficulty with vysogota -- the paradox is that she herself became evil, but then of course has her famous “repay evil” speech -- by that logic, she would want to exterminate herself, her ethical logic being clouded by self-preservation... but i think by the end she comes to realize that her evil was wrong as well, that she is not innocent, and even though this is true, she can still work against evil).

tldr ciri and regis are very similar characters, they would be friends due to this mutual understanding, but he would not be the most important figure in her life. they would likely bond over their shared struggles with good & evil, and also likely bond over making fun of geralt (as everyone does in this series)

#ask #dogdeputy #regis #ciri #the witcher #lady of the lake #tower of the swallow #long post /

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riviae · 4 years

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there are times when the grief of it all—what he has lost, the hand he played in marching his friends into the very maw of death—overwhelms geralt.

he has never found sleep easy, but there are some nights where the memories eat away at him. the guilt has a hunger that threatens to strip him bare, leave nothing but the bones and aches of a life lived on the edge of a bloodied sword. geralt had never been afraid of death until he had people he cared about. perhaps he had been afraid of the pain, the suddenness, or worse, the possible torture of a slow death, but death itself? it was a mercy all witchers sought at one time or another; when you are shown only hate and fear, when your only option is to be shunned or despised, any end to that would be seen as a gift.

geralt cursed to himself. he had been wandering aimlessly through the night, and yet, he found himself in front of a certain graveyard.

when he had first visited the mère-lachaiselongue cemetery, before he knew that regis was alive, he had found that unlike most places he passed in his travels, mère-lachaiselongue tugged stubbornly at his heart, so much so that a sprig of homesickness seemingly took root overnight. there was something achingly familiar about the ivy-covered mausoleum nestled within the forest of gravestones and oaks, something familiar in the scattered dark feathers of the ravens roosting on the roof that stared back with ancient, coal black eyes.

(it had only been a moment, but as he ushered roach back onto the dirt path, geralt had thought he caught the familiar scent of herbs--of basil, cinnamon, and thyme--in the wind. but then it was gone, just another ghost of a memory he could not put to rest.)

now, as he approached the crypt, he saw that there was a lantern by the door, its flame glowing a soft gold in the dark. it was a new moon, and despite his mutations his sight was limited, the pitch-black of night swallowing what existed in his periphery, leaving him with what amounted to tunnel vision unless he took another potion of cat. instead, he picked up the lantern with a soft smile and found himself opening the door and descending the stairs before he could convince himself that he shouldn’t.

the vampire’s living quarters did not smell of death or decay--there was but a light musk of the old tomes that lined the wooden shelves and geralt felt some measure of tension leave his body at the calming scent of herbs. once upon a time, the scent had been strong and pungent, but like any scent someone is subjected to long enough, it eventually loses its strength. now, it reminded him of a forest, of six figures huddled around a campfire, of a home that only existed in his memories.

“geralt,” regis says, tone pleasant and light as he continues to stir the contents within the large black cauldron, his back turned to the witcher. “what a lovely surprise. can i help you with something, my friend?”

whatever reply rests on the tip of his tongue suddenly does not feel enough. he wants to say regis, i’m sorry. and why don’t you hate me? you died because of me, and everywhere i go in toussaint brings back another memory i’ve tried to bury and it feels like i’m losing my mind. instead, the witcher says,“did you know that the kitchen table in beauclair palace hasn’t been replaced yet?”

the vampire turns around, leaving the large ladle in the cauldron without a forethought. geralt blinks once and then regis is in front of him, less than an arm’s length away.

in the dim light of the crypt, regis’ eyes glow a haunting silver as he reaches towards geralt. the warmth and weight of the vampire’s hand against his own is not unpleasant and he doesn’t even realize that regis has gently extracted the lantern from his knuckle-white grasp until it is resting alone on a nearby slab of stone. the witcher’s hands are trembling as if he’s stayed out too long in a frigid downpour, but he can’t understand why they are shaking now. he’s not afraid of regis--never has been, really. not even when he had first flashed his too-sharp teeth in a mocking sneer all those years ago.

there’s a sudden, strange sense of dissociation, as if he’s not really in his body--as if it’s not his body at all. he doesn’t recognize it, the sudden trembling, the quickened heart-beat thudding in his ears, but it reminds him faintly of what he feels at the cusp of terror. the times where he had stared death in the face with nothing but a sword at his side.

there is nothing to fear here, yet his legs crumble underneath him all the same, the dull ache in his bad knee rising to a painful crescendo. it is only thanks to regis that he doesn’t shatter his kneecap again, the vampire’s strong hold allowing for his knees to only lightly skim the floor. the witcher is barely supporting his own weight now, his heart still galloping at a rate much faster than it should as regis tugs him closer, tucking him gently against him.

“it’s alright... you’re alright, geralt,” regis says softly, listening to the minute changes within the witcher’s circulatory system. “i’m here, with you. i’m not going anywhere. you’re safe here.”

the words pierce through the fog within geralt’s mind, bringing him briefly back into the present. even in the worst of times, regis had been an anchor, something to cling to when he felt like his world was crumbling around him.

(& then, suddenly, he had withered away--became ash, a crumbling pillar, another casualty that geralt somehow survived. a thing he shouldn’t have survived, but did. he outlived so many of his friends, so many of his companions... how much loss could one person take before it drove them mad? geralt wasn’t sure, but he felt himself teetering on the edge of some great precipice, unsure of what rested on the other side.)

he hasn’t had regis back for long and he was still getting used to having the vampire in his life. in having someone he got to keep, to cherish. someone who knew what he had gone through, who had seen it with his own dark eyes and emerged from the rubble all the same. it was difficult, learning to rely on others, but geralt felt his hands unconsciously dig into the soft fabric of regis’ shirt, felt himself press closer to the vampire, still trembling, still on the edge of breaking, but soothed somewhat by the gentle beat of regis’ heart.

“i still hear it,” he confesses, sorrow stuck in his throat. “everyone’s screams. your screams.”

“geralt...” regis breathes, this time running a comforting hand through the witcher’s hair. “you aren’t to blame for any of that. we knew what we signed up for. everyone knew the risks, the likelihood of survival. it was our choice, geralt. don’t ever think that you had some nefarious role in this; you did not force anyone to go to stygga. you did not kill them. their deaths are not your burden to bear.”

“that may be true... but if we hadn’t all met, if i had just gone on this journey alone... they’d all still be alive. you wouldn’t have suffered the way that you did, regis. that i know for sure.”

“that may be true, but they also wouldn’t have lived. don’t you see, geralt? we loved being in your company. in becoming friends. our lives all collided for a reason--and i think we all became better people because of it. i don’t think anyone--not milva, dandelion, cahir, or dear angouleme--would have chose a different path even if they knew how it was all to end. destiny was not kind, in the end, but i daresay knowing you, geralt, changed us all.” regis paused, voice soft with adoration. “you have no idea how you affect people. how your natural kindness, your desire to do the right thing, no matter how difficult, inspires goodness in others. i know you would sacrifice everything for us... it’s only fair that you let them do the same, without guilt. let them rest, geralt. there is no need to torture yourself over things you had no control over.”

at his words, geralt felt the rare sting of tears. his mutations had almost made the ability to produce tears impossible--but perhaps it was the years of loneliness, years of wishing things had gone differently, only to hear the kind words of one of his closest friends absolving him of such guilt, that made the tears spring forth. he cried silently, wetting the edge of regis’ collar.

the vampire said nothing, but held him tighter all the same.

he cried until he could cry no longer, until he was so tired that his eyes began to close against his will. it was a start, he thought, just as he slipped into unconsciousness. it was a start in accepting all that had happened in his long life. but he had regis, he had ciri, he had yen, he had dandelion, and he had the other wolf school witchers--his own family of choice. the family he had made for himself.

he didn’t need to face his grief alone. never again.

#geralt of rivia #emiel regis #tw panic attack #tw grief #haha..... guess who wrote more angst??#this is sad but it does end in hurt/comfort #also ambiguous geralt/regis relationship so take it however u want it #i've had this in my drafts for months so it's not perfect by any means... i just wanted something vent-y y'know

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hamliet · 5 years

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Who Holds Destiny’s Pen?

Or, choices and destiny: the main theme of The Witcher books.

What is destiny? Is it the Ouroborus? Are you just a tool in it? Do your choices matter?

Existentialism vs. determinism, that age-old debate. The Witcher doesn’t give a clear “yes everything is determined” or “no, nothing is” but does explore the question with nuance and ultimately, for me at least, a fulfilling answer to that question.

Destiny is hope.

It’s amusing that The Witcher is in many ways seen as playing tropes straight (as opposed to, say, Martin, whose ASOIAF deconstructs elements of the fantasy genre). But I actually didn’t think this was true; or, rather, it’s a stark oversimplification. Ciri (one of the best female main characters I’ve ever read about) is very much a deconstruction of the Virgin Mary archetype within a misogynistic world. The Witcher never revels in its misogyny, using them to titillate while also critiquing them: it straight up critiques them with nuance and empathy.

The Virgin Mary, of course, is the woman who gave birth to Jesus in the Christian faith, who saved the world. (She too was probably only 14 or 15 when her story began, much like Ciri.) Ciri’s whole deal, in addition to being a powerful medium in her own right, is that she’s prophesized to give birth to the “Avenger” who will save their world from total calamity. Thus a five-book saga of everyone trying to control Ciri’s womb is spawned. It could be creepy if it wasn’t handled so well (it is framed really well as just as creepy and dehumanizing as it sounds, yet not in a titillating way).

One of the main motifs, if not the main motif, of The Witcher’s choice vs. destiny question is what say women have over their bodies. It could be read politically; this isn’t exactly a political reading thereof but an examination of The Witcher’s exploration of to what extent a person can control their destiny.

Renfri is not allowed to have any say in what happens to her from birth, because Stregobor believes she is a monster and wants to find her to dissect or vivisect her. Even when Geralt is forced to kill her, he refuses to allow Stregobor to touch Renfri’s body, because her body is hers. The books bang this drum even louder than the show does, because within the books, Renfri’s history of sexual abuse is strongly highlighted.

Renfri’s story asks the initial question: what is the lesser evil? And it’s a question The Witcher keeps asking us. If Ciri being used to have a child who will save the world from a calamity that will definitely come can definitely save this world, then why not sacrifice one girl’s wellbeing for the good of the world?

Geralt argues that evil is evil, large or small in scale. He uses this argument against the emperor determined to marry and impregnate Ciri:

“The ends justify the means,” the Emperor said flatly. “I do it for the future of the world. For its salvation.”

“If you have to save the world like this,” the witcher lifted his head, “this world would be better off disappearing. Believe me... it would be better to perish.”

The story then focuses specifically on childbearing and pregnancy for its three most important female characters: Yennefer, Milva, and Ciri.

The show doubles down on this, as it depicts Yennefer telling Geralt that the root of her desire to overcome her infertility is because the choice was taken from her, and she wants her choices back. It’s a powerful statement that has its spirit carried over into the books; however, Yennefer’s infertility in the books is definitely not her choice whereas in the show it does show her making a choice; it’s essentially a side effect of her magic. Yennefer can control how she appears, can control chaos, but she cannot control her own womb, and Sapkowski writes Yennefer’s anguish over this as raw and real.

However, Yennefer does later receive a choice: to train and thereby end up adopting Ciri, or not. And she chooses to, and it’s a lifegiving decision for all. She is able to write her destiny in Ciri.

Women’s rights to control their own bodies is most blatantly brought up with Milva. She finds herself pregnant on the road and has to decide whether to keep it or have an abortion, and the emphasis is clearly on the fact that it is her choice regardless of what she decides.

‘In Nilfgaard,’ Cahir said, blushing and lowering his head, ‘such matters are determined solely by the woman. Nobody has the right to influence her decision. Regis said that Milva is determined to take the… medicine. Therefore I think of this fact as accomplished. And the consequences of this fact. But I am a foreigner and not familiar with… I should not have spoken at all. Forgive me.’

‘For what?’ the troubadour said with surprise. ‘Do you think of us as savages, Nilfgaardian? As primitive tribes, adhering to shamanic taboo? It is obvious that only a woman could make such a decision, it is their inherent right!…’

Geralt then faces a choice to help Milva make her own decision for herself, not for what she thinks she should do or because everyone else wants one thing or the other. And he steps up as a dad figure to her, becoming vulnerable with her when he discusses things he has lost in life. It’s through his empathy that Milva feels free to come to her decision: she decides to keep the baby after all..

...only to lose the baby in a later battle. So, did her choice matter or did destiny rip her choice away? Is destiny itself the monster?

It matter because it was the fact that Milva made that decision. She mourns for the loss of her baby (which gets to The Witcher’s themes about how, if you love someone, you will inevitably end up hurt, but if you don’t, you will be less and less human). This is further compounded by how Milva’s decision mirrors Geralt’s and Yennefer’s, because after the loss of her child she acts as a mother-like figure for several in the company (for example, when she forces Geralt and Cahir to stop fighting). She is able to save and protect them, to die defending life as opposed to the life she’d lived taking it.

As for Ciri, she deconstructs the Virgin Mary archetype and the lamp character trope (a trope in which you could replace the character--usually female--by a lamp and nothing would change). Everyone’s trying to find her. Everyone wants to use her. But she’s not a lamp. Emhyr, elves, mages, Vilgefortz--they all want to arrange for Ciri’s son to be someone who will represent their interests.

Even when characters aren’t trying to get Ciri pregnant, you have Bonhart (a villain who’s basically what would happen if you combined Delores Umbridge and Ramsay Bolton in a Petri dish) who treats her like an animal and forces her to be a gladiator. Not to mention Mistle straight-up assaults Ciri (I know the author didn’t intend for it to read that way, but honestly, I’m confused as to where the ambiguity even would come from; it seemed very blatant to me). Everyone’s trying to use her, refusing to give her her own choices, and refusing to care about how she feels, which brings us back to what Geralt says to Emhyr which I cited earlier:

If this is what it takes to save the world, if the world is required to be evil and torment a girl and subject her to all kinds of abuses, is the world itself--evil in what it will do to spare itself--worth saving?

Hence, is the concept of destiny a curse? How can it be, when destiny says Ciri is bound to Geralt and this turns out to be positive? Yet also says Ciri will have a child who will avenge the world against some calamity, but the ramifications of this almost destroy Ciri’s life.

Destiny seems, therefore, to be what people make of it. It can turn you into a monster or a legend or perhaps both, but your choices are what make destiny, destiny. You hold your own pen.

Which isn’t to say that the story relies on “good victim, bad victim” in how people who make bad choices suffer, because it does not. The point is that we understand what makes someone make the choices they make, regardless of if they’re feared emperors like Emhyr or murderers like Renfri or lost children like Mistle. Empathy, really. It’s hard to outright condemn any character (less so their actions) for making the choices they make. Empathy is what enables our characters to transcend their broken world, to hope and choose better. Except Bonhart. We can all hate him.

You hold destiny’s pen, but empathy and compassion give you the ink, and when you don’t get it, the pen is good for nothing but use as a weapon.

Destiny is hope, as Philippa concludes in the end, and empathy is what brings legends about--relating to the struggles of those who came before (yes, The Witcher gets very meta in Lady of the Lake). And hence, while the ending leaves a lot of questions out in the open, I think the open-endedness really affirms the story’s core themes. The point is that Ciri has choices about whether or not she wants to conceive a son and whom with, if anyone. She’s free in a new world, able to return to her old one if she wishes, or not to. She gets to decide what’s on her next page.

To an extent, the reason I felt the more tragic endings kind of worked in The Witcher is because even when the characters’ arcs end in tragedy, they tend to get what they want. Ciri got her parents in each other’s arms, Cahir got to see Ciri again as the adult he dreamed (literally) of, Angoulême got to matter, Regis’s legacy is one of salvation rather than death, Milva found belonging, Yennefer got to become a mother, and Geralt found out how very, very human he was. Hell, Emhyr even made a choice to honor his word. The story doesn’t glorify tragedy or death (the opposite: this attitude is directly called out multiple times in Cahir and Geralt’s arcs), but neither does it imply that death is the loss of hope.

In the end, regardless of how their arcs ended, each of our beloved characters’ hopes were fulfilled.

I have several more metas I want to write, most notably on Ciri and Cahir’s foiling, as well as Ciri’s and Renfri’s, and the Rats vs. Geralt’s company.

#the witcher #the witcher meta #yennefer of vengerberg #geralt of rivia #ciri #cirilla fiona elen riannon #renfri #milva #maria barring

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sarcasticgamerandwriter · 7 years

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When the witcheress and sorceress talked about love

Hello everyone! The oncoming story features the adventures of my OC Eryn and her friend Wirei (who belongs to @ciri-yen-iris). The story is set somewhere at the beginning of their friendship.

!SPOILER ALERT! - there are references to the books (mostly The Lady of the Lake by A.Sapkowski).

Sorry for any mistakes and enjoy!

Fandom: The Witcher

Warnings: characters’ deaths mentioned, angsty

“When the witcheress and sorceress talked about love”

“We can go to Ellander,” I suggested while we were riding our horses. “And visit the Temple of Melitele. I’m quite sure that Nenneke still rules the place with her iron principles.” “Who is Nenneke?” Wirei furrowed her brows. “A priestess of Melitele and the head of the Temple,” I explained. “And a remarkable alchemist, her potions are widely renowned.” “I think that I’ve heard of her,” the sorceress contemplated. “How have you met her?” “Through Geralt,” I said. “She’s known him since he was a child. And now whenever he’s injured and hereabout he likes to pay her a visit.” “I’m sure she likes that as well,” my friend chuckled lightly. “At least she knows that he’s alive,” I shrugged. “Nevertheless, we can have there a short stop, and then go to Hagge, and up Pontar to Loc Muinne and Est Haemlet.” I noticed that Wirei stiffened a bit when I mentioned Hagge. “Can we go other way?” she asked in a neutral tone. “Not really,” I pondered. “We could, but we would have to get back to the main road and then head the way to Rinde. It is not wise to go there. They’re not fond of sorcerers.” “It doesn’t matter, let’s go there,” she shook her head dismissively. I looked her over. She was avoiding eye contact and didn’t want to discuss this further. “It’s too dangerous,” I explained calmly. “We can stay for the night in Ellander and then go past Hagge without stop if that sounds better.” Wirei pursed her lips. I could tell that she wasn’t happy with my stubbornness. “What’s the matter?” I asked directly. “Nothing,” she sighed. “And yet, I can see that something troubles you,” I retorted. “I’m not asking you for confessions but if I can change something...” “I know that someone from my past is there,” she interrupted. I suspected that the sorceress had her secrets. I didn’t force her to tell me much but it seemed that she wanted to say something. “Is that someone important?” I asked gently. “Yes,” she nodded. “Or used to be important.” She paused. I didn’t feel like I should inquire her further but Wirei spoke after a moment. “Have you ever been in love?” she looked at me curiously. “How can I tell?” I smiled crookedly. “I’m a monster after all, and I do not know what ‘love’ means.” “I’m sorry,” her eyes widened. “I did not mean to be intrusive.” “Don’t worry,” I snorted friskily. “I wouldn’t say that I was in love. Infatuated, maybe... but not in love, I suppose.” “You were infatuated?” Wirei looked very surprised. “Interested, infatuated,” I was thinking about a proper word to use. “I really can’t say.” “You can’t say?” this time the sorceress seemed amused. “Why?” “My whole life I’ve been taught how to kill,” I explained. “Even when I was on Skellige, no one bothered to explain things to me. I cannot tell whether I’ve ever been in love. As far as I know when you are in love, you just feel it.” “Yes, well, usually,” Wirei nodded but still was a bit stunned. “Who was the person that you were interested in?” “There were two of them,” I sighed heavily. “First was Coen.” “I think that you’ve mentioned this name,” the sorceress said. “Coen was a witcher,” I continued. “From Poviss. I met him when I was 18. He stayed for winter in Kaer Morhen. He was...different.” The memory of black haired witcher came up to my mind vividly. “Coen was kind and caring for a witcher,” I explained, immersed in my thoughts. “And he was funny. I liked to be around him.” “Was?” Wirei asked carefully. “He died,” I sighed heavily. “Or so I’ve heard.” “I’m sorry,” Wirei lowered her head. “Have you told him how you felt?” “Of course not,” I protested eagerly. “That would be ridiculous!” “Why?” the sorceress looked at as if I were mad. “He was older and was training Ciri in fencing,” I clarified. “I suspect that I was maturing at that time and became to perceive men differently.” “I see,” Wirei pondered. “You think that your interest in Coen was caused by that? And yet you are talking how you fancied his personality, not his physical attributes.” “That’s...true,” I admitted hesitantly. “How did he treat you?” my friend inquired. “Like other witchers,” I shrugged. “I do not think that he saw me the same way as I did him.” “We’ll never know,” Wirei whispered sadly. “Who was the other person?” I quietened for a moment. I adored Coen and always thought fondly of him thus when I’ve learnt about his death it shattered my world. However events that happened to the other person that had my deep affection destroyed me. “His name was Cahir,” I spoke out, looking into space in front of me. “He was an intelligence officer of the Nilfgaardian Empire. Well, he wasn’t anymore when I met him. He didn’t execute his orders and was wanted by Nilfgaard. He joined the party when we were looking for Ciri.” My throat tightened. I thought that I was over it but apparently I was mistaken. Also, I appreciated that Wirei didn’t try to push my story. “In a way he reminded me of Coen,” I admitted. “He was kind and caring, and loyal. But Cahir was...more serious and honourable. We grew close as friends of course. Though I admired him very much.” “You didn’t confess your feelings to him too?” the sorceress asked gently. “He loved Ciri,” I smiled sadly. “How could I?” We were riding in silence. Images of past memories appeared in my mind. First, Milva, pierced with arrows and bleeding heavily. Then splitting up. Cahir stayed with Angouleme, and I went to look for Ciri. I should have stayed with them. Then I wouldn’t have come across his lifeless body and blue eyes looking at me soullessly. That memory was very real. “I think that Regis knew,” I told to myself. “He must have seen how I looked at Cahir but he never said a thing.” “Who is Regis?”Wirei looked a bit confused. “An old friend,” I smiled warmly. “I wish you could have met him. He would have liked you.” “What happened to Cahir?” my friend asked warily. “He died for her,” I said quietly. “They all died.” I didn’t realise that I felt that then. After everything that happened in Stygga castle I felt numb, devastated, and heartbroken. There was this one feeling that never left me. I believed that I should have died with them. That that would be right. It would be million times better than living with the memory of those who had died because I failed them, because I couldn’t save them. “Eryn, I’m so sorry,” Wirei touched my arm. “It must be really hard.” “Hard is a bit of an understatement,” I confessed. “Now I regret asking you that silly question,” she sighed looking guilty. “Don’t worry,” I assured her. “I suppose that I would tell you about it anyway.” My friend calmed down and smiled gently. “Alright, let’s get back to our plan,” I cleared my throat. “So we stay the night in the Temple, then up Pontar and to Loc Muinne, and Est Haemlet.” “Not through Hagge?” she looked at me curiously. “We can keep to the right side of Pontar and go into the wildlands,” I sighed. “It will be dangerous but we can handle it.” “Thank you,” Wirei smiled brightly as we approached the Temple of Melitele.

#the witcher #wiedźmin #fanfiction #My writing #ocs #Witcher AU #eryn #wirei dampierre #witcheress #sorceress

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ofelia-juz-nie-wroci · 7 years

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The Ballad

Here goes my first Witcher fanfiction! It happens before games but it’s somehow connected with them since Priscilla appears in it.

Well, no matter. Also, the ballads’ lyrics are kinda important, so if you don’t know them, here you go: Wolven Storm | Maids from Vicovaro | Stars Above the Path | Winter | Elusive

Enjoy!

[wersja PL]

A little room was almost completely dark. The only source of light was a candle standing on a desk, which illuminated the room really poorly, so the man poring over papers was in the penumbra. His fair hair was reflecting the flame, becoming somehow goldish itself. A woman who entered the room smiled with amusement, seeing this, and approached the desk gracefully.

“Master Dandelion, right?” she asked. The poet turned his head, scared a bit.

“Indeed. And you…” he started and gazed at her attentively. She had long, canary hair and sky blue eyes and was in an adorned dress. But what gave the game away was her voice, beautiful and melodious, albeit vague. “Must be Priscilla, if I’m not mistaken.”

She giggled and took a step towards the desk.

“Exactly. I wanted to wish you good luck before the contest, because I assure you, you’ll need it.”

Dandelion chuckled.

“Most appreciated, my dear,” he said, furling the papers carelessly.

Priscilla took one of them nonchalantly and looked at it. The poet didn’t mind for as long as he didn’t notice which piece of paper she had taken.

“You shouldn’t look at this one,” he said with artificial amusement. His voice was trembling. “I consider it my worst ballad which shouldn’t actually be here.

Priscilla snorted.

“I hope so, because, I have to admit I expected more after the famous master Dandelion. A worthy challenger at least. But let’s talk after the contest. We both have to practice after all. Although I think one of us has more to improve on,” she added with a significant tone.

Dandelion laughed constrainedly.

“I wish you good luck as well, my dear Callonetta,” he said, making Priscilla giggle.

“Well, at least you’re right as amorous as you’re said to be,” she said merrily and left.

Dandelion didn’t even think for a while how she got to know which room was his and why she decided to show up out of nowhere. As soon as she left, the poet took a piece of paper she had grabbed and looked at it.

I promise thee we’ll see this starry sky once more Sitting by the fire, watching sparks that soar And once more we will quarrel like we used to do In lieu of pouring blood, we’ll be pouring booze

I wish, like the old days, we’d meet there anew Making sure this time we’ll never say adieu Though we sure deserve a rest after all the pain Without a doubt I’d die to venture out again

As time keep passing by I’m less and less carefree Because, my dear friends, I deeply yearn for thee But it is all no use which now I clearly see Since all of thou art there, awaiting but for me

He hated this ballad. He wanted to hate it for being so poor, so obvious. Because it was. But the reasoning behind was much smoother. It brought way too many memories.

It reminded him of the day when Geralt got a contract for some monster, which Dandelion had certainly forgotten ages ago. But whatever it was, the witcher chose to go for it during their journey, because it seemed to be absolutely banal. Just a way to earn some extra money while on the trail when there was a spare moment. Because it was supposed to take no more than that. And once again, Dandelion had no idea what made the contract not all so banal.

Luckily, the poet was wandering around, searching for some inspiration, when he bumped into Geralt, hurt and unconscious. On his first impulse, he went for Regis. When they got back to the witcher, the vampire said he didn’t expect him to be that bad, so he left to get more herbs which he was lacking.

Dandelion, obviously, panicked. He started being afraid about exactly everything, starting with Regis coming too late, ending with almost certainty that what Geralt had fought will be back soon. The best way to get rid of panic, of course, is to play lute. So Dandelion started playing. Partly to add himself some courage, partly to keep the witcher alive. Despite knowing it would not work that way, he wanted to do anything. But there was nothing he could.

“Fuck,” he heard suddenly and turned away with relief.

His friend was awake after all. He stopped playing and said with delight:

“Geralt! Everything alright?”

The witcher groaned with pain and asked:

“Does it look like it?”

Dandelion clucked his tongue with concern but beamed. It couldn’t have been any worse by now.

“I’ll sing you something! Would you rather hear “The Stars Above the Path” or…

“For fuck’s sake, Dandelion,” he interrupted him growlingly. “Call Regis instead of talking.”

“I already did,” said the poet proudly. “He needed some herbs so he went back to the camp. But he’ll be here shortly. But until then… oh, maybe “Ettariel the Beautiful”?

The witcher sighed with tiredness and laid his head on the ground.

“Save it, Dandelion,” he said.

The poet bridled but put his lute back. Geralt looked at him then, noticing grudge on his face.

“The Wolven Storm?” he murmured after a while.

Dandelion suddenly brightened up and took his instrument, playing the first notes of the ballad.

It reminded him of the evening when Angoûleme brought a bottle of cherry spirit cordial. A really excellent one. Even though it was quite hard to be checked because the girl didn’t want to share with anyone. She was drinking delightfully, tasting every sip for as long as it was possible.

Naturally, this provocation wasn’t really successful. On anyone but Dandelion who almost instantly sat next to her, as if unaware, and asked:

“Wouldn’t you share with a friend?”

The girl laughed happily, glad that her plan was effective after all.

“No, I wouldn’t. I stole it, I drink it.”

“Angoûleme, you know you shouldn’t steal only to brag about the alcohol no matter how good it is?” asked Regis, looking sideways at her.

“I shouldn’t do many things,” she said insolently. “It fucking includes swearing. And fighting. And sitting here with you and risking my life for some girl I don’t even know.”

Everyone went quiet. Everything suddenly became way more serious. No one looked at anyone, avoiding eye contact at all. Expect for Dandelion certainly, who asked after a short while:

“So what about this cordial?”

Milva and Cahir snorted with amusement and Angoûleme grinned.

“Right, right. Have it your way. But play us something. The bawdier, the better, because you can fucking cut the tension with a knife here. Maybe “Maids from Vicovaro”, with the thought of the Nilfgaardian.

“I’m not…” Cahir started and everyone, including Geralt, burst into laugh.

It reminded him of the night, when Dandelion sat on the log next to Milva. What the poet recalled vividly was her relishing fresh bread and persistently refusing any booze.

“Milva, you look so beautiful tonight,” said Dandelion amorously, looking at her gingerly.

Like never before he’d noticed her shapely, deft body, charm given by her short hair and depth in her insane eyes. He’d seen her feminine figure and natural grace, learnt under dryads’ care.

“And you stink, Dandelion,” she said with disgust. “You’ve had too much alcohol.”

Having said that, she gazed back at the fire, crossing legs. The poet laughed warmly and glanced at her.

“I’ve drunk no more than half a bottle,” he said and when Milva looked at him with disbelief, he giggled. “Well, maybe a full one. But I assure you that I’m fully sober. And I just realised that your skin reflects the fire’s glamor astonishingly. That you, as simple as it is, look astonishing, my dear.”

The woman snorted and looked up straight into the starry sky.

“You could shut up once in a while, Dandelion.”

“But it is all true. And your eyes, Milva. They always remind me of inextinguishable sparks.”

The woman shook delicately. The poet gazed at her and murmured something inquiringly.

“He also said it, Dandelion,” she started with her voice shaky. “The elf I slept with. He also compared my eyes to sparks. He also said I looked beautiful,” she kept speaking faster and faster, less and less sure. “He also…”

“Milva,” said the poet, and she immediately stopped talking. Her eyes were a little glazed, but neither did she cry nor wept. “I’m sorry. You were right, I shouldn’t have gone overboard with this alcohol. I didn’t know that… well, I just didn’t think a lot.”

The woman sighed, still looking at the sky. The poet took his lute and started playing the melody of “The Stars Above The Path”. He didn’t sing, so Milva didn’t understand. How could she? She simply snorted with amusement and said:

“It is probably unusual for you, apologising to a woman, isn’t it?” Before the poet managed to say a word, she added “Thanks, Dandelion. Most appreciated.”

It reminded him of the morning, when the poet woke up unusually early. The sun was raising shyly, covering all the surroundings with a golden shine. Everyone was still asleep. Dandelion unconsciously lifted up a little and looked over his companions. And with certain apprehension he noticed there was someone missing.

He wiped his eyes and looked more attentively. Regis wasn’t there. Anxious about him, he stood up quickly, getting rid of his fatigue all at once. Despite that, he decided not to wake the others up. He was probably hoping it was nothing important. The barber might have wanted to take a walk. Geralt opened his eyes, though, and looked at Dandelion. Having not noticed anything troubling, he fell asleep again.

In the meanwhile the poet moved ahead, badly suffering from his lack of the witcher’s tracking skills. He looked up, highly doubtful about his plan. After a while of contemplation, he decided to enter the hut they were passing by. After all, the previous day Regis had met there a herbalist selling mandrake. Suddenly Dandelion brightened up, inspired by a new idea. Regis must have wanted to buy some herbs to make his moonshine.

The poet’s pace became much brisker as he was going towards the hut which was actually very close to their camp. He didn’t expect a single bad event until he heard a shrill. He suddenly sped up his pace and burst into the hut. At the first glimpse he didn’t notice anything frightening – only Regis and the herbalist, with the latter being absolutely terrified. Upon hearing such a loud scream, Dandelion was surprised – he expected at least a ghoul or an armed bandit. What actually made his entry even more incomprehensible. He wouldn’t have helped a bit after all. But he was somehow worried about Regis. He didn’t even take into consideration that a barber alone would have performed much better.

“Save yourself, man!” he heard a fearful voice belonging to the herbalist.

And that was when he put it all together. There was no ghoul in the hut. Oh no, there was a monster far more dangerous. A vampire, and not just a usual one. It was a higher vampire from whom the herbalist tried to protect, using some garlic, held in his shaking hand. The barber sighed dauntingly and turned back, even though he didn’t have to. He could sense Dandelion’s smell, no matter how scary it sounded, and the poet knew it well.

“Dandelion,” he said almost warmly, but still so ice cold for his usual self that the poet shuddered.

“Regis,” he answered bluntly with his heart pounding like a hammer.

He wouldn’t have been afraid of him in any other circumstances. All in all, he trusted him so much he could have entrusted him with his life. And yet the herbalist was so afraid that Dandelion couldn’t stop all the worst thoughts flowing in his mind. Because how else could this man get to know Regis’s identity if not by the vampire attacking him?

“Let’s go. Everyone will be awake soon,” said the poet, overpowering his fear.

“Man, he’s a…!” started the herbalist with a shaking voice. Regis turned back his head onto him for a while and the villager stopped talking all at once.

“You’re right, Dandelion. Let’s leave before this mortal starts smelling too tasty.”

The poet glanced at the man they had left behind who was now looking with dread at both of them, apparently not knowing who of them should have been feared more. And maybe Dandelion would have found it funny if it wasn’t for Regis’s words which really did scare him. They left the hut, observed carefully by the villager. As soon as they did, before the poet even managed to ask, vampire said:

“He noticed I lacked a shadow. And considered it highly suspicious. I’d say so highly suspicious that he even took out some garlic to be protected.”

There was something else to his voice right then. It wasn’t as cold as a while ago. There was more pain to it, which Dandelion heard clearly.

“You are no monster, Regis,” he said surely, despite his heart was still beating anxiously.

“I am and it is beyond any doubt,” he said with stoic calm. “I appear as a monster in your tomes and so I’m seen by the herbalist, by me, by Geralt and by you. Believe me, I can feel your fear. And you feared me, Dandelion. Feared as hell.”

“I feared indeed,” he confirmed. “For you as well.”

Regis looked at him with an enigmatic gaze.

“I… did you really?” he asked being uncertain for once during their acquaintance. “I’m glad to hear that. Even though there was no reason to feel so.”

“No, there wasn’t,” said Dandelion, taking his lute out. The barber smiled with amusement. He must have felt that the poet’s heart was back to normal as he started playing the first notes of “Winter”.

It reminded him of the afternoon when Geralt got into a fierce debate with Regis about vampires’ habits while Milva and Angoûleme rode several dozen foots ahead of the rest of their companions, absolutely not letting anyone get closer of the reasons known only for them. Dandelion was riding next to Cahir, making up lyrics of his latest ballad, which had been circling his head for a few days now. In the meantime the knight was looking ahead almost relentlessly. Almost, because he kept glimpsing at the poet, who noticed it right away. He even sighed once, but didn’t say a word eventually.

“Is something troubling you?” asked Dandelion at last, making Cahir smile.

“Well, yes, indeed,” started the knight doubtfully. “You see, there is something I wanted to ask you about… Falling in love it is, to be precise. Because you have fallen in love, even more than once, right, Dandelion?”

“I have,” said the poet, slightly amused. “And now, Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach, would you be so kind and make it to the point?”

The knight sighed.

“You see, I’ve fallen in love, I’m afraid. Or actually, I’m not sure about it. And I wouldn’t like to risk…”

Dandelion burst into laugh and before he managed to say a thing, Cahir bridled.

“You don’t risk while falling in love,” explained the poet. “You have to do everything in your power to do it, because only when you do, you can feel it was worth it. Because it always is.”

“Aren’t you that person many lords wish had been hanged for sleeping with their women?” asked Cahir uncertainly.

“Indeed, I am.” Dandelion was more and more amused with every sentence of the conversation. “And that’s how I know I’ve never risked. At least emotionally and that’s what matters most.”

Cahir murmured something with approval.

“And how do I know if this is the person I’m in love with?”

“You do, Cahir. I can hear it in your every word. You are just damn overthinking it. But if it is Milva,” he started in a conspiratorial whisper, “I’d be somehow careful with…”

“Ciri,” the knight interrupted him. The poet looked at him surprised. “Yes, Ciri. And you’re right, Dandelion. I do know it. Even though I feel I won’t see her ever again.”

“You’re dramatizing,” said the poet gaily. “We’re going directly to get her. And we can’t fail with such a company.” Cahir smiled and Dandelion added “Even though I’m afraid Ciri isn’t fond of Nilfgaardians.”

“I’m no Nilfgaardian,” said the knight, bridled again, still smiling. The poet grinned as he started humming “Elusive”. He noticed a quick glimpse Cahir gave him, full of understanding. They exchanged smiles when the knight accompanied Dandelion singing in a low voice.

Dandelion looked at the piece of paper once again and scrunched it up. He tried to sing the ballad. It was written for ages now, just like its music. Despite that it wasn’t performed even once.

It was bad after all.

His voice cracked after the first verse when the script was sprinkled by countless tears.

#witcher #mine #fanfcition #wither fanfiction #dandelion #regis #geralt #cahir #milva #angoulême

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iorvaia · 7 years

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Witcher Tag-Thing :)

I was tagged by @ferelden-doglord and @fangirled-into-the-sun,thank you so much <33 ! 1. Who would you rather be stuck on a deserted island with?

Geralt: Iorveth: But seriously, not only is he just the best to begin with, he also knows how to survive, he sure knows a lot of storys to tell to pass the time (he’s been around for quite some time, he’s sure seen something) AND on top of it all he can play flute pretty good, so we’d even have music. It’s basically all the best of Geralt and Dandelion combined plus a whole lot more :D Dandelion:

2. Who would you hire as your mentor in magic?

Yennefer. Avallac’h. Old, wise and very powerful, so I think I could learn a lot from him. Also he probably has the biggest amount of knowledge out of the three of them Philippa.

3. Who would you run to rescue, if you could only choose one? Shani. Regis. He’s so kind and I wouldn’t want the world to miss him... Triss. Cahir.

4. Who’s army would you join?

The Scoia'tael, Iorveth. Without doubt I would join the elves. Just never in question. The Aen Elle, Eredin. The Skelligers, Clan an Craite. The Blue Stripes, Roche. The Nilfgaardians, Emhyr.

5. Who’s “sasshole-club” would you join?

Dethmold. Ge’els. Iorveth. A little tougher, but still... always. Milva. Avallac’h.

Some freestyle questions for you to answer, without any ultimatums.

6. Who would you have the most fun with and why? Answer: I think I have to name at least two, because alone with another person I don’t know too well I usually don’t feel too comfortable ^^° So... hm, this is not easy because so many characters carry a weight which makes them a bit grumpy, but I’m gonna go with... say, Geralt, Dandelion and Regis. I don’t even really know why, it’s just what came to me first xD

7. Who would you marry and why? Answer: The fangirl in me is screaming Iorveth, but I think a relationship with him would be kinda difficult for me with him being as angry and all... so I think I’ll choose Regis. He is caring, smart, can be funny and is just overall pretty damn cool.

8. Who would you want as your best friend and why? Answer: Well Regis again, BUT if he’s already my husband, I’ll choose Iorveth here. And Cedric too. Because why not?

9. Who would you disagree the most with and why? Answer: Out of the blue I can’t really think of anyone, but I’d say... oh fuck it, I’ll just aggree with ferelden-doglord on the sorceresses.

10. Who would you mourn the most, if you ever lost them and why? Answer: Well my husband and best Friends of course, and the people I have fun with ;’) xD

Im gonna tag @alifelongpassed @annarieta @aenseidhesquirrel @handsome-lord and @anuksuniverse

you dont have to do it if you dont want to! :)

#tag #the witcher #<333

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hanzajesthanza · 1 year

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regis didn’t die because “he got drunk,” he died because he abandoned his principles.

regis swearing at stygga and vowing to “fuck this castle up” is not only disturbing for what it is, and who he is, but also because of who he is in the company.

it truly is the “i’m a healer, but…” meme, because regis is the voice of reason, moderation, and logic, advising geralt away from hasty decisions. he’s a self-reported coward and afraid of violence, and you know, he’s the doctor.

it’s not just his abandonment of his principle to not drink, but the abandonment of ALL of his principles—patience, rationality, goodwill, optimism—is what kills him.

this discarding of principles happens in the scene where he returns to the rest of the company and sees milva’s dead body, where he says he feels such strength to fuck up this entire castle.

this hasty, violent cursing of his comes before the scene with vilgefortz—it foreshadows his death owing to his hasty, violent attack of vilgefortz. it didn’t just come out of nowhere that he made a terrible decision. (i mean, his first terrible decision was to follow geralt in the first place but, eh.)

it’s not just because “he had been drinking”—the drinking is more of a side effect rather than a cause... (and “one should treat the cause, and not its symptoms…”)

since, to our knowledge, he had one drink before returning to see milva dead, and during that time seemed to be, more or less, regis as he was—he even cracks jokes to ciri before he realizes, ‘wait, maybe i scared her’—it is when he returns and has seen, is processing, milva dead, that he makes this suspiciously unhinged, out of character statement about “i feel such strength inside me,” “i could fuck up this entire castle.”

sure, he could have had a couple more drinks between these two scenes that sapkowski did just not deign to write of, but even if he had been totally plastered, i don’t think that that solely is what causes his downfall, his out of character viciousness and hastiness. remember that alcoholism is an addiction, and addictions re-emerge when one is faced with despair, loss, grief… and hopelessness. (and with blood already on his lips from the laboratory, it became that much easier to give in when having to confront this tragedy—the coping mechanism was already right back in his hands)

the hopelessness of losing milva at the portico of stygga castle broke them all, before they even went inside. and this death broke regis as we knew him, as the company’s optimist.

seeing milva dead was the death of his principles, his virtues, what he worked so hard for such a long time to hold himself to. because these principles became as worthless as his surgeon’s tools—in this citadel of death, there’s nothing you can do to save life, to preserve it, as he had done prior:

after her miscarriage, although they stayed in the lyrian-rivian corps of meve for five or six days, they had deserted—and deserted the barber-surgeons in that corps—in less than a week. consider then that it became once again, regis’ responsibility, as the company’s barber-surgeon and sole healer, to care for milva as she recuperated.

though dandelion notes she did so quickly as she was a hale and strong woman and her troubles were mostly emotional, one must consider the responsibility that not only a friend feels for his friend’s life, but how a doctor feels for his patient’s life.

and how he feels when that life heals slowly, recuperates with difficulty, suffers more (broken ribs) but continues to heal under care, finally becomes strong again and, like her namesake, a bird, released with pride into the air—only to be shot down immediately, glassy-eyed in her own blood.

milva for regis was a symbol of preserving life (indeed, an interesting symbol, as she suffers miscarriage). and between them, it was also, of course, a complete inversion of the mythology surrounding vampires and pregnant women.

but at stygga, she dies so immediately, so violently:

… and from something… something as inconsequential as any old bit of wood…

what kind of cruelty is it for life to be ripped away so quickly, by something so small, with no chance of saving? of healing?

but it’s nothing, because this is stygga castle. where healing becomes unusable. useless.

so regis leaves his healing at the doorstep—literally, upon the portico, where milva’s body was dragged back to by geralt and cahir, bleeding out in a dark pool.

and along with healing… his patience, moderation, mercy, kindness, wisdom… all of his virtues.

their virtues. the company’s virtues. since regis embodied this rationalist and optimist side of the company, when he abandons these principles of his, the entire company loses them;

because now, there is no one to advise them to “proceed slowly and with due prudence.” now, there is no one to placatingly say, “come, come, let there be concord.” now, there is no one to say, “of course we can, it is simply a matter of invention and positive thinking!”

the voice of reason has left us, he flew off on bat’s wings without a murmur or a whistle. now the voice only says — “i will fuck up this entire castle.”

i don’t think at stygga, in this scene and the one with vilgefortz, we’re seeing just a “regis, but drunk”. it’s deeper than that… because it’s not just his sobriety he broke, he broke everything—broken and shattered, like the collection of glass vials and flasks he shattered in his dramatic entrance to vilgefortz’s laboratory, exploding, bursting one after another. and from this erupts a hellish inferno of corpse-blue flames.

it’s not just “regis, but drunk” it’s “regis, but without patience, wisdom, kindness… etc…”

that’s why he’s so unlike the regis we’ve come to know during the series, why he at stygga becomes so unrecognizable to the readers—because he’s thrown away all of his beloved virtues that he strived to embody. and because “everybody has their good points, to even out the vices,” he became unbalanced, with his vices leading him. namely, his hubris, which often came out in a much more modest way during the rest of the saga—in a scholarly and lecturing tone of voice—but at stygga, comes out as an arrogant threat that he and he alone can and will fuck up this entire castle, an overconfident leap at vilgefortz’s throat.

and in my interpretation, it’s also not accurate to look at it like “this was actually the true regis,” “this was regis underneath it all,” because it’s not “how he was back then,” it’s not like he went back in time to be his past self. it’s not a reverting.

it’s more like coming full circle, for it’s milva’s death which triggers him to discard his principles, and he only got to know milva through his upholding of these principles. his actions towards her (namely his midwifery) showcase some of the best of what he became, owing to these principles of his.

and her presence, or rather the loss of her, makes him realize that all of his goodness is in vain and will be of no help here. and that is when a great hopelessness consumes him, and he throws out his goodness with a cold clatter to the ground—what use was any of this, after all? i cannot save her with medicine, i cannot save her with my principles, it all turned out to be useless.

and we’ve seen something like this already in the saga—it’s much like when ciri is in the korath desert and begins to think, everyone has abandoned me, the morality and ethics they taught me are utterly useless. and it takes her being in korath for her to get there, to break her spirit. the seed of this may have been planted in her at cintra, but her contempt didn’t fully erupt until after she had tasted the love, mercy, and kindness of geralt and yennefer’s parentage and saving of her—and then was suddenly deprived of it.

similarly, regis had a terrible youth, and yes, when he’s giving up his principles here, he’s returning to a similar state—but it’s not the same as if he had never experienced the entire arc following his rebirth into human life. it’s not a return to his youth, it’s more like… hm… a mid-life crisis? hah…

a metaphor of day and night is apt!

he’s not “reverting” at stygga—it’s like how dawn and dusk, though they are at similar light levels, are not the same thing, because they have the entire daytime inbetween them!

the sun sets with his discarding of principles, and we return to night… a cold, sinister, menacing, darkness. back to the realm of the vampire, not the human:

because he, the company, is suddenly deprived of their archer, who, just remember, they worked so hard to save on the battle of the bridge, milva, whom regis rushed towards and carried on his back, staying with her during her miscarriage.

and now, she’s utterly dead in such a violent manner, and actually, the arrow pierced her lower abdomen, possibly where her womb would be: “struck [her] low in the belly (…) having shattered her pelvis (…)” for the ultimate symbolism for her character.

and suddenly with her death, regis realizes how useless he is, to them, here, as a surgeon. he cannot save milva now like he did under the bridge. he can’t help, save any of them. he’s powerless.

and if not a surgeon, their surgeon, who is he?

and if not wise, patient, cautious, kind, gentle? if not always knowing what to do, ‘in his infinite wisdom,’ in his ‘omniscience’? if not humanity? what is left of emiel regis? what is left?

blood.

#the witcher books #emiel regis #analysis #c: regis #book: lady of the lake #another post about this: https://www.tumblr.com/hanzajesthanza/696998330754007040/regis-drinking-at-stygga-or-why-i-love

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fangirleaconmigo · 4 years

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Interested in my smutty Geralt x Regis x Dandelion headcanon? It is NSFW once you are past the ‘read more’ line.

*This is 100% books. I haven’t played the games.*

For most of Baptism of Fire, Geralt is in excruciating pain of every kind, sleep deprived, and in acute emotional distress. As a result he is moody, angry, and sometimes hostile.

So let’s start there, where Geralt attacks Cahir (If you’ve only seen the show, just trust me, Cahir is HUGELY different in the books. It’s like a different character. So just tuck that away and continue as though they are allies and eventually even friends.)

In the books, Milva gets off her horse, and whips both of their asses to separate them. These men are getting on every last nerve she possesses.

So in my imagination world, Milva then takes Regis aside. She’s like...if you don’t do something about this, I am going to stab someone. I’m going to stab all of you fuckers.

Regis is like...of course I want to help. But what can I do? I’m a barber surgeon, yes, but I can hardly do a better job of healing his injuries than the dryads did. And if I could make Ciri magically appear in our path safe and sound I would have already done it.

Milva is like...I’m not asking for miracles, vampire. Just help him...let go...of some of his stress.

And Regis is like...ummmmm how?

And she’s fed up at this point so she’s just like...all you guys ever do is think with your dicks anyway, please for once do that in a helpful fucking way.

And she walks away.

A very warm and interested smile spreads on Regis’s face as he watches her go, deep in thought. He decides to conscript Dandelion in this effort.

So they manage to steer the company’s travels somewhere with a nice inn. They take Geralt to bed.

This is how I picture the dynamic.

Let’s start with Geralt. Geralt may be a slut but he isn’t especially adventurous about sex. He’s a bit uptight about even discussing sex openly. He also believes he is ugly. He is repulsed by his own appearance. This is all canon. I’m not pulling quotes at the moment because I have horny headcanons to write on tumblr. But this is all true.

Now there’s Regis, Mr. “I give speeches to my friends about sex positivity at every chance.” He is extremely (to some) off-putting in his casual openness about sex. And he loves to talk. Geralt tries to pretend he doesn’t like it from time to time but for the most part he’s like a wide eyed, easily impressed youth when it comes to Regis. (In his defense, Regis is incredibly experienced and wise and knows practically everything. He’s an ancient well traveled vampire ffs!) Geralt flat out worships him.

Now, Dandelion. What can we say about Dandelion except that he’s a giant slut as well as a poet. In the books he’s far smoother than Jaskier. He has a silver tongue and he’s handsome and he has blonde hair which he hot rolls into ringlets. He’s so gorgeous he’s sometimes mistaken for an elf.

So based on this evidence, here are my thoughts on this.

Obviously, Geralt is the cream filling of this delicious pastry. They would just take him the fuck apart.

Regis and Dandelion would undress him and spread him out on the bed. They expect to have to urge him to relax, given how angry and moody he’s been, and given what they know about his reticence and his self image. But he just sort of blinks and nods. He lets them undress him and he lays down naked and lets his legs fall open.

He looks so hopeful and vulnerable.

Dandelion would kiss him everywhere. Just beginning the body worshipping right away.

Regis would guide him through it. Tell him what to do. “Turn over, darling. Just close your eyes. Open up now Geralt. Relax. Tilt up your ass? Good boy. Now doesn’t that feel amazing? Now Dandelion, don’t you think Geralt wants his tits played with? Yes, like that, listen to our beautiful Geralt moaning so sweetly.”

And every time Dandelion’s mouth is free (not filled with Geralt’s tits or cock) he would be narrating in the most poetic and filthy ways, describing how Geralt looks on his knees, how he feels sucking cock. He would run his fingers over Geralt’s stretched lips and describe his beauty in the most glowing, lovely, horny terms. He would use the adjectives Geralt has heard him use for angels, but with the sentiments he’s heard him express at brothels.

Geralt had a moment when they walked into the room where he thought he would leave. Or where he would insist they just fuck in the dark without all these bells and whistles. He knew they expected that from him. And he also did.

But this journey has broken him down and he needs it. He knows he needs it. He’s a husk of a person. So for once he just lays himself bare. It is difficult at first. When Dandelion tells him that his lips look so lovely or his cock is stunning, a voice in him tells him this is all lies. Or at least it isn’t objective. It’s Dandelion. Dandelion adores him against all sensibility. He’s hardly sane.

But Regis can see him getting in his head. And every time he does, Regis tells him to refocus on what he’s feeling...urges him to concentrate on the sensations. He fills his ass so full as Dandelion sucks him off that he literally can’t think straight enough for that self hating voice to find its train of thought.

Then something happens. He just shuts off his thoughts. He takes comfort in doing exactly as he’s told. Trusts in Regis’s voice. Regis is wise. He knows everything, right? So if he says this is where Geralt belongs, on his knees, receiving everything they have to give, then that must be true. After believing that, it’s a short leap to believing the stream of praise from Dandelion. Geralt begins blooms like a fucking flower at all of the compliments.

He closes his eyes and lets their hands caress him, massage him, tug him, adore him. He does as he’s told. Lets himself react without thinking about it.

He tilts his face up. Pushes out his ass. Glides his hands over his own body as though he is a gift. He lets himself believe them, that he is gorgeous and precious and the sexiest creature in creation. He cums three times over the course of the night, and then after it’s all done he just sobs while Regis cradles him and pets him and chants “just let it go” while Dandelion spoons him from behind and places little kisses on his neck and back, making sure not to miss a single freckle.

Once he catches his breath, and cries out everything, they clean him off with a warm towel. They kiss him everywhere again, but this time in a way that isn’t for the purposes of arousing him. Just to worship his body. Then Dandelion sings him to sleep as they both have legs and arms thrown over him.

In the morning he’s a new man.

Milva pledges her eternal allegiance to them both. She even makes the fish stew.

#the witcher #the witcher books #geralt of rivia #emiel regis #dandelion #Geralt x Regis x Dandelion #my witcher fic concepts #descarada writes #descarada writes poly

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hanzajesthanza · 2 years

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songs to listen to at the end of the world // a playlist for a strange fellowship of idiots...

In your darkest dreams see to believe Our destiny is time And endlessly we'll all be free tonight!

[the album cover above flashes. see this post for an accessible, non-flashing version of the album art]

to celebrate reaching 500 followers, i wanted to share my hanza fanmix which follows their journey from their ambitious beginnings to their fated end. tracklist and song choice explanations under the cut (long post).

there are 23 songs for the 23 days in september before they became a hanza. (and of course, i included sapkowski's own song pick, dire straits' brothers in arms. because how could i not?)

tracklist: 1. It's The End of The World As We Know It - R.E.M. // 2. Highway to Hell - AC/DC // 3. Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel // 4. Out of Touch - Hall & Oates // 5. The Graveyard Near The House - The Airborne Toxic Event // 6. C'mon - Panic! at the Disco and fun. // 7. Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits // 8. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel // 9. Rubicon - Journey // 10. Through the Fire and the Flames (Slow) - Melodicka Bros (cover) // 11. Dream On - Aerosmith // 12. This Must Be The Place - The Mysteries of Life (cover) // 13. This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies // 14. Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young // 15. Last Party - MIKA // 16. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen // 17. Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf // 18. How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty // 19. Through the Fire and the Flames - DragonForce // 20. The Four Horsemen - Metallica // 21. Gallowdance - Lebanon Hanover // 22. Free Bird (Edit) - Lynryd Skynyrd // 23. Battle of Olympus - Syd Matters

as is customary for my fanmixes, i will be explaining my song choices and how they relate to the canon plot below.

1. It's The End of The World As We Know It - R.E.M.

do you like how this song is about the end of the world, and yet it is the first song in the playlist? hmm? i'm clever, aren't i ;)

i chose this song not just for its chorus, "it's the end of the world as we know it, and i feel fine..." but actually because of a youtube skit which uses this song to depict a "2005 action movie"

this skit is peak regis and angoulême friendship tbh, but i have, luckily, assigned the dialogue from this skit to the members of the hanza:

[angoulême] he’s just a kid “can i go now?” “well maybe you shouldn’t have brought napalm to the science fair”

[regis. also milva] and she’s an alien who parasiticaly consumes the bodies of her hosts until they—

[all of them, but espcially geralt] “i didn’t sign up for saving the world!”

[milva. also regis] “i’ll teach you all about MKUltra if you teach me how to… be a— a teenage girl!”

[to the whole hansa, but especially geralt and dandelion] “are you two up to something 🤨”

[regis] “i enjoy eating human food :)”

[cahir] “have you ever read ronald reagan’s biography”

[angoulême, to regis] “wait… you’re an alien?!” (said at a comically late point in the movie when the character in question being an alien is part of the exposition in the first five minutes)

2. Highway to Hell - AC/DC

Goin' down Party time My friends are gonna be there too, yeah I'm on the highway to hell On the highway to hell

the hero's journey in an epic usually involves a descent into hell, the underworld, or some realm of death. i consider geralt's journey with his company to check this box because "hell" in this case is the warzone of the nilfgaardian invasion. to me, it can be seen as a commentary on what the equivalent of "hell" is in real life.

it's a characteristically energetic song, which contrasts with the matter of geralt traversing a warzone to try and rescue ciri, setting off from brokilon with no plan. and of course, "his friends are gonna be there too..."

3. Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel

Well I don't know why I came here tonight I've got the feeling that something ain't right

continuing on from how geralt has no plan, only anguish, anxiety, and paranoia of ciri's current location and state...

Clowns to the left of me Jokers to the right Here I am stuck in the middle with you

the company is one made of clowns and jokers, and geralt is "stuck in the middle" of them. as the exchange between geralt and milva concerning cahir goes, "he's a madman..." "he'd suit this company perfectly..."

4. Out of Touch - Hall & Oates

yes, this is an out of touch thursday reference.

You're out of touch I'm out of time (time) But I'm out of my head when you're not around

geralt's lack of plan to save ciri = he's out of touch

ciri having already joined the rats = he's out of time

geralt's insanity regarding ciri = he's out of his head when she's not around

5. The Graveyard Near The House - The Airborne Toxic Event

You asked me if I thought We would ever die So I pictured us like corpses Lying side by side in pieces in some dark and lonely plot under a bough We looked so silly there, all decomposed, half turned to dust in tattered clothes Though we probably look just as silly now

continuing with the theme of the hanza being jokers, clowns, silly... travelling incognito, to avoid arousing suspicion - and laughter.

I can't pretend that I can tell you what is going to happen next or how to be But you have no idea about me Yeah, you have no idea about me Do you?

each member of the company has some backstory yet to be revealed (regis and milva chapter 7 of baptism of fire, angouleme and cahir ch 6 of tower of the swallow)

And it seems a little less profound Like we're all going the same way down Yeah, we're all going the same way down I'm just trying to write it all down

they are indeed fated to die, but it will be recorded in half a century of poetry...

6. C'mon - Panic! at the Disco and fun.

this is a holdover from the percy jackson / heroes of olympus fandom circa 2013... listen, give me a book with a group of lovable misfit friends and i'll be there, i suppose i'm predictable. this is the animatic by viria which has stuck with me all these years (obviously, spoilers for percy jackson / heroes of olympus if you haven't read that book series).

C'mon, c'mon, with everything falling down around me I'd like to believe in all the possibilities

again, the company comes together in the middle of a warzone, they're in the middle of the world falling down around them.

Celebrate the night, it's the fall before the climb Shall we sing, shall we sing, 'til the morning? If I fall forward, you fall flat And if the sun should lift me up, would you come back?

they should celebrate, because this is the happy part before they all die (apologies for my brusqueness - it's best to be straightforward). i mean, baptism of fire ch 5 VS lady of the lake ch 9. that's all there is to say about the rise before the fall, the fall before the climb.

7. Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits

the original, the canon, the namesake, the song chosen by sapkowski to preface chrzest ognia. the song is about the futility of war in general, so please apply it to those anti-war themes as well as the shared suffering and penance of the hanza.

Through these fields of destruction Baptisms of fire I've witnessed your suffering As the battle raged higher

And though they did hurt me so bad In the fear and alarm You did not desert me My brothers in arms

the bravery of the company triumphs during the battle of the bridge, refusing to desert milva, refusing to desert one another...

Now the sun's gone to hell The moon's riding high Let me bid you farewell Every man has to die

again, the hanza is destined to die

But it's written in the starlight And every line in your palm We're fools to make war On our brothers in arms

geralt and cahir over the bridge...

8. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel

i initially thought about adding this song as a joke (for the battle of the bridge), but i soon realized it fit very well.

When times get rough And friends just can't be found Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down

the whole premise of the company is that they are strange pieces that never planned to be together - they're not professionals, they're not expert trackers - they're strangers, random people geralt happened across in the middle of a warzone who wanted to help his cause. when he could find no one else to help him, they were there... over troubled waters...

9. Rubicon - Journey

i deliberately searched for a song about crossing the rubicon and was lucky enough to find a journey song (because you know it will be a banger if it's from journey).

a bit of roman history: julius caesar crossed the rubicon river, moving south into italy as a "point of no return" to the imminent civil war which awaited him and his forces in rome (this is where we get the saying, "the die has been cast.")

the narration of tower of the swallow remarks upon the crossing of the jaruga in a similar fashion - it had felt like a significant step in their journey towards the next stage. this river crossing is a point of no return for them.

10. Through the Fire and the Flames (Slow) - Melodicka Bros (cover)

i have included this song twice because it's very emblematic of the hanza. treat the version that shows up later in this playlist as a reprise.

The scattered souls will feel the hell Bodies wasted on the shore

On the blackest plains in Hell's domain We watch them as they go Through the fire and pain and once again we know!

this reminds me of how they journey through the fields and witness masses of refugees fleeing their torched homes with empty eyes...

So now we're flying we're free We're free before the thunderstorm On towards the wilderness Our quest carries on

this is their rise before the fall - they're free before the thunderstorm, continuing their quest, carrying on...

So far away we wait for the day For the lives all so wasted and gone We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days Through the fire and the flames we carry on!

they are far away from their destination right now, but press forth... and in the meantime, they in each other and in the war-torn landscape of fire and flame, find their redemption and lose their "pain of a lifetime"... all of their guilt and trauma washes away momentarily in the campfires and late-night discussions...

11. Dream On - Aerosmith

Yeah, I know nobody knows Where it comes and where it goes I know it's everybody's sin You got to lose to know how to win

again, themes of sin and loss appear - but this is also the introduction of a happier side of the coin... the theme of dreams.

Dream on Dream until your dream come true

12. This Must Be The Place - The Mysteries of Life (cover)

first of all, i have to apologize for using a cover and not using the original talking heads recording. however, this was a purposeful decision, as the song in its original recording is too powerful and too unique, it cannot be associated with the hanza or kept within any kind of fanmix.

Home is where I want to be But I guess I'm already there I come home, she lifted up her wings I guess that this must be the place

they say home is a person, not a place... though having a palace in beauclair doesn't hurt. "she lifted up her wings" could refer to anna henrietta providing them stay... and as fulko artevelde states, “anarietta (…) has a weakness for freaks, lunatics, and oddballs (…) who [she] gladly gives asylum to in her little fairy-tale land.”

I can't tell one from another Did I find you or you find me?

this is a time in their journey where the hanza finally gets some peace and are able to pause and reflect on what they have become, and what their destiny is.

13. This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies

The warmth of your love's Like the warmth from the sun And this will be our year Took a long time to come

this is just a generically feel-good song, a bit of triumph as they've made it out of the hellhole that was sodden, brugge, angren, and the north case.

And I won't forget The way you helped me Up when I was down

but they have been united because of their journey, their friendships forged in the fire of war.

14. Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard Life used to be so hard Now everything is easy 'cause of you...

it's a wonderful dream, but is it real?

Play your love songs all night long for me, only for me

aaand a bit of a gerlion bias on my part. i can't help it.

15. Last Party - MIKA

If you could look into the future, would ya? If you could see it, would you even want to? I got a feeling that there's bad news coming But I don't want to find it out

the company can sense their impending deaths...

If it's the end of the world, let's party Like it's the end of the world, let's party And wrap your arms around everybody If we're all gonna die, let's party, let's party, let's party

but their stay in toussaint is their last dream before they awake. their last supper, in a sense... a paradise, a beautiful fantasy...

16. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen

Well now, I'm no hero, that's understood All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood With a chance to make it good somehow Hey what else can we do now? Except roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair Well the night's busting open These two lanes will take us anywhere We got one last chance to make it real To trade in these wings on some wheels Climb in back, heaven's waiting down on the tracks

mentions of not being meant to be a hero, but travelling onwards anyways, a limited amount of redemption, and the need to leave, to have one chance to "make it real" - leave the dream in toussaint and return to reality, where "heaven's waiting down on the tracks"

17. Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf

this is the first song that i imagined a whole hanza animatic to, so essentially every lyric in this song has a specific image associated with it... but to be more generalistic...

But I gotta get out, I gotta break it out now Before the final crack of dawn So we gotta make the most of our one night together When it's over you know we'll both be so alone

Like a bat out of hell, I'll be gone when the morning comes Oh, when the night is over, like a bat out of hell I'll be gone, gone, gone

they MUST leave toussaint, and they must do it NOW - with the urgency they display in chapter 4 of lady of the lake.

I'm gonna hit the highway like a battering ram On a silver black Phantom bike Oh, when the metal is hot and the engine is hungry And we're all about to see the light

they "hit the highway like a battering ram," with this power and urgency - meeting geralt at the gate in one hour - and are "all about to see the light" - meet their destiny...

And I know that I'm damned if I never get out And baby, I'm damned if I do But with every other beat I got left in my heart You know I'd rather be damned with you Well if I gotta be damned, you know I wanna be damned Dancing through the night with you

... and they meet their destiny together. they're all damned either way, but they're damned, together.

18. How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty

this is another holdover from the percy jackson / heroes of olympus fandom circa 2013... here is the animatic by viria...

I'm wakin' up at the start of the end of the world But it's feeling just like every other morning before

notice how "the end of the world" lyric and the "the world is ending, but i'm fine" attitude reprises from the first song in the playlist? i intended that :D

But I believe the world is burning to the ground Oh well, I guess we're gonna find out Let's see how far we've come

we just had to mention burning, didn't we...

Well I believe it all is coming to an end Oh well, I guess we're gonna pretend Let's see how far we've come

"pretend" could refer to their stay in toussaint, in the dream-like fantasy they held while living in the palace...

19. Through the Fire and the Flames - DragonForce

enjoy the epic reprise!

On a cold winter morning In the time before the light In flames of death's eternal reign We ride towards the fight

this first stanza IS their ride to stygga - on a cold winter morning, riding towards the fight...

We're banished from a time in a fallen land To a life beyond the stars

this line relates to exiting life and entering the realm of legend as heroes, remembered in story as geralt's company...

In your darkest dreams see to believe Our destiny is time And endlessly we'll all be free tonight!

toussaint was a dream, stygga is about to be a nightmare, where they'll meet their destiny.

see free bird later towards the end of the playlist for associations with the word "free."

Now here we stand with their blood on our hands We fought so hard, now can we understand

one of the lines geralt delivers in the soup scene in ch 5 of baptism of fire is "united by a common goal [ciri], which none of you understand." none of them understood their goal, ciri, when they struck out - but now, at stygga, they understand. with the blood on their hands, they've reached enlightenment.

20. The Four Horsemen - Metallica

By the last breath of the fourth winds blow Better raise your ears The sound of hooves knock at your door Lock up your wife and children now It's time to wield the blade For now you've got some company

i imagine this is what boreas mun and the others near the gate of castle stygga heard when the hanza approached.

The horsemen are drawing nearer On the leather steeds they ride They've come to take your life On through the dead of night With the four horsemen ride Or choose your fate and die

this reminds me of a line from the odyssey from the slaughter of the suitors, it's something like "they had no idea how tightly the net had been cast around them".

You've been dying since the day you were born You know it's all been planned

the hanza's deaths were planned since their initial appearances, at least there are clues which indicate so.

The quartet of deliverance rides A sinner once a sinner twice No need for confession now 'Cause now you have got the fight of your life

the themes of baptism of fire and tower of the swallow reprise, about guilt, penance, suffering... it's all coming together

i've also compared the hanza at stygga to the four horsemen of the apocalypse in other places, such as that little quiz i made, and here's what i think about them as they enter -

milva like pestilence, like lord apollo coming down from olympus with the arrows rattling in the quiver on his back, shooting down the greek camp in the beginning of the iliad

cahir like war, his nilfgaardian officer's helmet tells it all, if the large sword he was brandishing wasn't enough.

angouleme like famine, as she has starved many times before, and represents the remnants of a landscape destroyed by nilfgard

geralt like death (or time, in this case), his white hair, his finality. and he has the closest relation to ciri, who, after all as we know, is death or was death herself.

i didn't mention regis, because he's not on horseback when they enter the gate at stygga, he's the figure which lets them in. i suppose this gives him antichrist energies, a diagnosis that he'd probably be amused by.

21. Gallowdance - Lebanon Hanover

Dance with me the gallowdance For all the degradation is this land Dance with me the gallowdance As disorientated as you can

originally a song which i categorized for regis, i think the overall message of "dying together" is appropriate for the hanza; however, it does still bare some regis-like features - the genre and atmosphere, "dance" and "disorientated" serve to remind of the drunken state which leads to his death.

22. Free Bird (Edit) - Lynryd Skynyrd

If I leave here tomorrow Would you still remember me For I must be traveling on now 'Cause there's too many places I've got to see But if I stay here with you, girl Things just couldn't be the same

of course this song is a romantic one about the leaving of a lover, but i'm repurposing this song to be about the destined deaths of the hanza: they "must be travelling on now," they must die, if they "stay here" "things just couldn't be the same," if they continue to live, the story will not take place as it is intended to, as was foreshadowed and destined.

'Cause I'm as free as a bird now And this bird you cannot change

birds and death are often associated; at stygga, black rooks crowd the castle walls before the hanza enters the gate and the courtyard. death is "freeing," in many aspects, and these cannot be changed, these are their final ends, their destinies.

23. Battle of Olympus - Syd Matters

Way back in the warmth of '87 '78 We don't fear a black night as we're leaving heaven Close all the windows, put the TV on As the sun goes down

they fear nothing as they leave, they have been living in the "heaven" of toussaint but have left it. i originally misheard this lyric as "leaving heaven" and i'm rolling with that... closing the windows, they're now enveloped in darkness, in eternal sleep, the sun now sets on their journey, their destiny.

I swear I saw a fairy in the back of your garden But it was nothing at all for you to remember

ciri is referred to as a faerie by galahad, geralt and cahir see her in their dreams...

Cannot find the keys of my memory box Tell the time to stop and dry my teardrops Where have you been? I forgot what I've seen, even in my dreams

"dry my teardrops" reminds me of the prophecy regis received from the girl from the refugee camp remarked upon "when at the end (...) the tears dry, then will die the few left who remain." "i've forgot what i've seen, even in my dreams" reminds me of condwiramurs's labor of locating castle stygga as the final battle.

the song is soft, contemplative, and sad... it seems fitting to the tragic end.

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hanzajesthanza · 3 years

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regis and angouleme mentorship-friendship-parenthood masterpost

(notes under cut)

canon interactions

their first interaction is that regis, in an attempt to stop geralt from accusing cahir of treachery, accuses angouleme of lying, who appears and tells him not to accuse her... and her typical nicknaming all adult men “uncle” to annoy them follows. [1]

also from when they first meet, angouleme rides regis’s mule, draakul. it is sort of suggested that she took the ride without permission (as normal equines cannot stand regis’ presence, so why would he give it up?), but on the malheur pass, angouleme rides draakul again. with character development and trust, it may be inferred that upon this second time, she took the ride with permission.

jana komárková (whose work might be counted as canon as the official illustrator of the czech editions) drew regis protecting angouleme when geralt and cahir fight (although her regis design is debatable, heh)

regis does not understand angouleme’s usage of swearing, but takes up using her funny sayings, such as “look at what the cat dragged in,” amongst others. (this can be seen as similar to a father emulating teenage slang he heard from his daughter - to be annoying, or genuinely because he thinks they are nifty)

angouleme approaches geralt and regis as they are speaking together in the palace rose gardens and bothers them with gossip. regis does not rebuke her or show signs of annoyance, and responds to her gossip with seriousness.

angouleme and regis take turns informing geralt about milva’s recent life events concerning her refusal of the baron’s marriage proposal

regis defends angouleme when he did not need to from fringilla when she antagonizes her [2] and probes her for information about geralt. regis interrupts fringilla and begins to argue with her, which presents considerable risk for him as she is a sorceress and demonstrates, even within the conversation, that she knows him to be a vampire. [3]

similarities which bond them

turmultous youth, cruelty, loss and regaining of ‘humanity' [4]

addictions which dull their pain and numb them to the loss of their friends [5]

similar relationships to alcohol [6]

similar mannerisms in conversation; talking about unrelated topics when unprompted [7], and requiring someone to remind them to return to the topic at hand to refocus

for some reason, falling to stakes as a common motif [8]

bridges to cross

regis has achieved peace and acceptance already, angouleme is still surrounded by chaos and violence

regis focuses on helping others; angouleme focuses on annoying others. but they each do both canonically [9]

what can they learn?

angouleme could learn peace, humanity, acceptance. this would be a step in the right direction for her to re-learn how to treat herself and others with kindness (though i think “learning respect” would be a little much, and something she doesn’t need). regis is a healer, so being alongside him would allow her to heal from pain and focus on regeneration, life, instead of the violent and dark past... she also could learn about not defining herself as what others might see her as, instead determining her identity for herself [10]

regis could learn the capstone of humanity, fulfilling his character arc - as humanity is defined by mortality, parent and child dynamics. vampires do not have anything like parental guidance, so this is a uniquely human concept. it seems to me that in a company set out to rescue a daughter, it would be grand if he should come to personally understand what the concept of a daughter is

general thematic contrasts

the sage and the student, the wise and the ignorant (but as it turns out, the teacher becomes the student...)

the past and the future (meet together in the present)

the dark and the light (regis is dark-haired, angouleme is light-haired, they also have night and day motifs)

why regis and angouleme, specifically?

considering regis’s dark past and struggles with addiction and violence, i think he would understand angouleme well. the stupidity of youth... but also the value of it, why it can’t be discarded or shamed...

additionally, regis is a vampire and not beholden to human worrying and fussing over a child, which angouleme would find to be suffocating (for example, geralt or milva would forbid her from participating in dangerous activities, but regis may just shrug and think it would be a good lesson for her. of course, this means that he must learn the human way to parent, which is to keep your child out of danger). this would make regis a good confidant for angouleme, who may not want to tell geralt or milva about dangerous activities for fear they would ground her or worry

angouleme is exceedingly straightforward and regis is extremely philosophical which results in comedic exchanges

“child befriends strange otherworldly being” is always a great dynamic.

[1] one of the prominent themes of interactions in the witcher is when a parent meets a child which they will later adopt, but they meet on the wrong foot and dislike each other in the beginning. you can see this with geralt and ciri as well as yennefer and ciri.

[2] i characterize fringilla’s behavior in this scene towards angouleme as antagonizing her because suggesting that she unwillingly became pregnant isn’t a simple joke when one considers that fringilla is much older than angouleme and also angouleme is a csa survivor. to clarify, i don’t think fringilla is a bad person for this, but she went “too far” in the joke, as this may demonstrate that she is not close enough to angouleme to understand when she is comfortable and when she is not

[3] speaking of his nightly activities, as well as calling him only by his last names, which he tells no one, suggesting that she read his whole name from his mind. regis also mentions earlier that in order to stay safe in toussaint, he must ‘stay away from sorcerers,’ and he is clearly doing the opposite here.

[4] regis was not born with humanity, he had to learn it painstakingly after centuries of his only thoughts being of blood and parties. angouleme had humanity but lost it as she became a bandit and has been living ferally, her only thoughts of survival and a next meal.

[5] regis lost all of his friends slowly when he became so unpleasant to be around and focused on his addiction. angouleme lost all of her friends slowly as they were killed off by the law or unspoken events

[6] regis states in baptism of fire that it did not matter who they drank from, as long as there was hemoglobin. angouleme states in lady of the lake that you can get drunk on cheap wines just as well as you can from expensive ones, and you puke the same as well...

[7] angouleme speaks about how mining operations work in the north case mines, much to geralt’s annoyance. regis speaks about logging operations in angren, much to everyone’s annoyance. regis speaks on about his backstory in baptism of fire (his past). angouleme speaks on about her plans for a brothel in lady of the lake (her future).

[8] regis was punctured by stakes when he was killed. both fulko artevelde and nightingale threatened to have angouleme gutted on a stake

[9] regis annoys geralt in baptism of fire multiple times, especially when he comes back for the fish soup scene. angouleme helps geralt when she makes her character debut and informs him about schirru’s plot.

[10] as it relates to regis saying that many would see him as a monster, a blood-drinking fiend... angouleme expects geralt and cahir to admonish her for her use of fisstech, and is aware that others see her as a no-good criminal. she could learn that all there is to identity is self-determination. also i definitely mean this manner of ‘determining your own identity’ in a transgender way thanks for reading

#f: i'm not your uncle dear child #c: regis #c: angouleme #in case anyone wants to have an explanation for everything going on inside my head at all times!

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hanzajesthanza · 3 years

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do you have any major thoughts on fringilla and geralt? I've seen some theories floating around that she might have used magic on him when they very first met, but I'm not sure about that myself considering he clearly wasn't entirely under her sway like she later told the lodge, and I'm curious on your take on them!

fringilla and geralt getting together is imo one of the times of sapkowski's weaker writing points... but strictly canonically speaking (without meta critique)...

my conception of the entire thing is that geralt is at his lowest point since they set off from brokilon. he finally accepted that he needs a company, and he adopted his role as the leader of the hansa. but despite that character growth, that doesn't change that he has some idea of what has occured to ciri, and this has destroyed him. he says that she is dead, even though he knows she isn't really "dead" - but she might be, metaphorically. so, he is sincerely coping with the loss of his daughter - and if not the loss of his daughter's literal life, the loss of his daughter's life as he knew her - the child ciri. he realizes that he has failed in his quest to save her, not only to save her, but to do his job as a father, i.e., protect her from danger. his worst fears have come true, his fears that he states very clearly in the sword of destiny - the initial reason he deferred destiny in the first place by leaving her, that he was terrified that death would reach her. now, it has reached her, and settled into her life in the form of what she's been dishing out, and what bonhart just committed to her and the rats, and it will continue to be with her through the end of the saga and the rest of her entire life.

on top of this failure in his quest and essentially the meaning of his life, he believes at this point, because he has "certain proof" that yennefer has betrayed him and been evil all this time.

for a recap (because this is a little complex in my opinion), this "certain proof" is due to the circumstances of how the company found out about schirru's setup: angouleme recounted that nightingale's hansa was informed of geralt's company to exact detail, describing the witcher, dandelion, milva, and a "man with no description". four riders in total, even though there were five. this is interesting, because of two not mentioned are regis and cahir. this is why geralt goes ballistic on cahir, because he's the only one out of the two which would have a potential motive to betray them, i.e., geralt accuses cahir of still working for nilfgaard because he wants to redeem himself to his emperor. this would explain why only four riders were described, as cahir would not report himself as one of the riders when he hypothetically went behind their backs and communicated their information and positions to whoever was informing schirru.

however, this is wrong and a false accusation, because cahir at this point (i believe, ever since they threw him in that pine coffin) has lost all hopes and desires to go back to the nilfgaardians. additionally, it is not even the nilfgaardians who are working with schirru and nightingale, it's vilgefortz - then again, nightingale was working with nilfgaardians, so i guess in a roundabout way... but anyways... as regis explains, the only possible way that they could have gotten the information about who was riding with geralt was by the use of powerful magic, from someone who was strongly emotionally attached enough to geralt (i.e., knew him very well) to sound out the area and people around him - this is confirmed because the information reported four riders and not five, and vampires don't show up in long-range detection spells. so yes, it was yennefer which provided the information - but she did not do so willingly, as vilgefortz was torturing her extensively. iirc, vilgefortz also wanted information about ciri first but she protected her even more fiercely? anyways. this is why geralt thinks that yennefer has betrayed him, and this is what leaves him distraught and vulnerable. basically, both of his worst fears have come true - his daughter is "dead", his wife didn't actually love him... both of these things are untrue, but he believes them.

geralt is a pretty sober and stoic man (not character, but man) when he wants to be... don't get me wrong, he's extremely whiney and emotional to his close friends, but even when something is eating him alive he doesn't bemoan it dramatically and outwardly, he would more likely confess it in the darkness to a close friend or two.

so this inner turmoil of geralt's isn't exactly apparent on his face, but the reader can know how he is feeling based upon how he speaks to the company after he and cahir fight (which is when he "pieces together" that yennefer "has betrayed him" and that ciri "is dead"). he's incredibly dark, moody, committed to death and killing and revenge... he doesn't bemoan tragedy, but focuses on action and finality. he's embittered, not crying out "woe is me," but in a very very dark place.

additionally, this is when dandelion leaves the company and so he is depressed and insecure without the company of his best friend, and he also loses his witcher's medallion to the druids' fire (and renounced being a witcher to the creatures underneath gorgon). basically, when geralt reaches toussaint, he is nothing and has no one, AGAIN. just like in brokilon.

fringilla is positioned by the lodge of sorceresses in beauclair to take advantage of geralt, seduce him and listen to his problems, and get the information he knows so that the lodge can kidnap ciri before geralt finds her. this is more than a plausible plan considering the example of carthia van canten and the fact that all of the lodge of sorceresses are... well.. sorceresses. no offense to a witcher, a poet, an archer, a vampire, a nilfgaardian-who-says-he-isnt..., and some scrappy bandit kid they found in a prison dumpster, but the lodge of sorceresses can literally fly (not just on a full moon after midnight, sorry regis!). so, they're way more powerful than the hansa is and can basically just do whatever they want, as soon as they get the information from geralt.

as for your question about if fringilla used magic on geralt... i don't think she did, because of the context above - geralt was at such a low point, fringilla didn't need to use any magic on him to seduce him. she and him are like the worst rebound in this history of rebounds - geralt calls fringilla "yennefer" during sex, he's so depressed and missing his wife even when he thinks she betrayed him. geralt in this situation is just pitiful, absolutely lost. it's a fairytale land but he's become hopeless, he doesn't have a reason to move anymore, he's lost what regis describes as his natural state as a witcher to be constantly moving and searching for evil to destroy. he kills monsters while in toussaint, yes, but that does not make him a witcher.

so, in this state of loss, geralt and fringilla become involved because geralt basically doesn't know what to do with his life now that not only yennefer but also dandelion and ciri are gone from it, he doesn't know who he is to anyone anymore and is trying to redefine himself with basic building blocks of "fucks sorceresses, kills monsters" - he's become tw3 geralt, oh gods, save him! but we've all been there, right? we experience something so worldshattering that we lose who we are. (sidenote: this situation reminds me heavily of odysseus with circe or calypso, and i wonder if sapkowski may have had some of this influencing him. toussaint also bears heavy resemblance to the island of lotus eaters.)

later, geralt learns that yennefer is alive and he finally has a goal again, he finally can ride to defeat evil again, and he drops everything to return to who he is and who he's meant to be. and as you point out, fringilla never really had sway over him because she never really seduced him! it's like commanding a dog to lie down, and he does it. but the dog didn't actually follow your command, he just laid down out of misery and exhaustion... when the dog feels better, he gets up running around and barking. barking orders at his company to get the hell up and out the door as fast as they can to ride to stygga!

#ask #anon #c: fringilla #c: geralt #book: lady of the lake #book: the tower of the swallow #analysis

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