#rawrkinanswers

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Plea tell me more about Eskel's pheasant-feathered bonnet! I want to know all about it.

Right, Non.

At the bottom of Eskel's Wiki article, there used to be a small, completely random bullet-point about Eskel owning a "feathered beret" for "special occasions". Because, why not? And it brought me endless joy to think of him perhaps dusting it off at Corvo Bianco when he's invited to his first ball at Geralt's side. It's about fifty years out of fashion (maybe more, because he inherited it from an older witcher when he was a kid), and I'm kind of caught between him wearing it proudly, or swiping it off as soon as he realises how dated it makes him look.

Witchers being slightly out of time is a favourite headcanon. You can't live all those decades on the very edges of society, without falling behind a little in societal norms. Vesemir especially, I would imagine has some very antiquated turns of phrase, and I recently started playing around with the idea that the Wolf School are the most traditional school in everything (being the last bastion of the "original' order).

But.

Can I find the part of the Wiki article now to screenshot it for you, Non? No, I cannot. However, it was prompted by someone else's lore post, and then further confirmed by a shitpost, so I am not losing my last marble.

They can try and delete history, Non, but we're too quick. We know too much. They can't delete the lore archive in my mind.

#rawrkinanswers #Anonymous #Eskel #Witcher Eskel #feathered beret

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In all this chaos have my dumb hc about that Griffin skeleton: you know how housecats sometimes drag in birds to show off their hunting skills or whatever? Now imagine Guxart dragging a sedated Griffin up to the keep and basically dumping it at Vesemir's feet, all puffed up and proud. He thinks it's a gesture of courting.

This is a fantastic idea. And you know what? The fact that the griffin was still alive is peak cat. Vesemir hollering, "you could have fucking killed it, you feral bastard!" as he runs for his sword, because the damn thing is flapping about the courtyard, taking several chunks of painstakingly repaired masonry with it. They left the bones in the courtyard because it was just too funny.

#rawrkinanswers #wolf-and-bard #Guxart #Vesemir

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I saw your (masterful, honestly) response to that bookverse nonsense and a couple of your other posts about it and wanted to ask what you were referring to about the cruel practices towards the actors?? Do you mean the general "Hollywood practices" (like not drinking water to look more muscled, etc), or was there something else too?

Hey Non. I know it's Hollywood standard. But it's still cruel, and saddening to hear.

Batey was also strapped in the chair for twelve hours shooting his torture scene, according to an interview. To the point crew needed to get him a banana for sudden sugar level drop. That's before we get onto his "I just didn't eat" comment when talking to Felicia Day about how he "got ripped" (thanks Cavill...), the fact that they shaved him, etc. But these are practices tacitly encouraged by fans sharing around the pictures, so it will continue unchecked. Shirtless bard scene > meaningful character/relationship development/health and mental well-being of cast.

When Cavill talked about "plenty of manflesh", I had no idea that they would make Jaskier do a gratuitous topless scene. I thought all of Jaskier's sex appeal was in the billowing shirts, tight pants, cheeky smiles and low neckline teasing a manly chest? Clearly I'm too ace/gay for my own good.

Bleh. I would say "style over substance" should be TWN's tagline, but I actually thought Batey did brilliantly within the confines of shoddy writing. His role towards the end? Saddening.

#rawrkinanswers #Anonymous

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Me strolling in with my cup of tea and some snacks: please tell me about the cat school training techniques. I want to hear what you have to say on that, that is if you want to talk about it

Well, Non. Since you've put the kettle on...

I've been mulling over how different schools train. This is partly because I'm trying to convince myself to finish my griffins WIP (and that it isn't completely worthless because it's not fluffy, self-affirming smut, or... I dunno. My brain is unkind, anyway).

CATS!

Cats were founded by a witcher who had to pull himself from a pile of his brothers' (and sisters', probably) corpses. He had to fight for his freedom. Survived at all costs. Before that, I can't imagine Gezras' life at Stygga was rainbows and sunshine either. The Stygga cats tried to mutate babies according to some canon.

I'm going off on a tangent, sorry. Right, training. So, based on this ethos of survive at all costs, I think Cats would place just as much emphasis on training in things like theivery and subterfuge as they would more classic witcher training. They would perfect the sleight of hand, how to move behind someone - a human - without being heard.

I was reading Henry Mayhew's "London Labour and the London Poor" (1862) recently and he talks about “a coat … suspended on the wall with a bell attached to it … the boy [then] attempts to take the handkerchief from the pocket without the bell ringing. Until he is able to do this with proficiency he is not considered well trained.” There's also lots of sources about a mythical pickpocketing 'school' called the 'school of the seven bells'. I can imagine lots of young cats trying to rob Guxart's hanky, or some other Fagan-esque figure singing "gotta pick a pocket or two, boys" when teaching their young cats to survive. Survive, boys, if only to stick your middle finger up at the world that would see you fester and die.

This is even more important because the Cat School takes in strays and rejects. Partially mutated witchers that would probably never survive a "genuine" year on the Path. They would need a way to live, too, and no one's giving honest work to a yellow-eyed vagrant.

The cats teach balance and speed, but I don't think their fighting style will be as twisty-turny as the wolf school. I saw recently a friend talk about how Eskel's fighting style was designed to dazzle/confuse monsters - I think it was @hungarianbee, I'm crediting them anyway - which is why Caranthir kicks his ass. Eskel fights Caranthir like he would a monster, not a man. Whereas the cats? It would be tight, utilitarian. You'd never see them coming.

The final trial for the cats? You walk the rope suspended above Novigrad with the filth of humanity swarming beneath you. Your balance, your determination, your will to survive will carry you across, young cat.

I have other relevant headcanons too:

The cats operate a barter system; if you want to stay with them, you contribute. It doesn't matter how small.

The main currency of the caravan for favours is gossip. The older cats are like old washerwomen and exchange saucy tales more often than they do news about contracts.

If you're an outcast, rejected, downtrodden, the Cats will take you if you're willing to work. They don't allow freeloaders.

#rawrkinanswers #Anonymous #school of the cat #Gaetan #Aiden

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honestly the writing is so bad in general/at relationships in particular that I'm not surprised about how Burn Butcher Burn is being received?? It's hard to take Jaskier's influence on people seriously when he's regularly still treated like shit/a joke, and given that the fandom had two years to settle into The Mountain Is Geralt's Fault and He Needs To Grovel... if the SHOW had given any weight to it at all it would be a different show have been harder to ignore the possible repercussions (have the other witchers give it as a REASON to be angry at him!! for Geralt's rep and for theirs!! Yen remarking on it!! not Geralt reacting bc they cannot write this guy for shit) (we'd still have the jokes bc that's just a given but still. It'd be Less Jokes)

I think this is a product of a bigger issue across the board, Non: a lot of the wit and cleverness is missing from the characters.

TLDR: Netflix has a decent cast but really, really poor writers. Beau DeMayo being the worst.

Exhibit A: Geralt in Season 1. "You're just a dick... With balls!" Harrharr. The best/most in character his humour gets is the "but these views" line. He is the simple, beefy hero archetype. And I don't know whether that improves in Season 2? I got a short way into Episode 2 and gave up.

Exhibit B: shallow lines, like "the most useful thing a flower can do..." They clearly thought this was way more profound than it came across. They seem more focused on creating sound bites that look good on posters than any decent dialogue.

Exhibit C: fucking Lambert. Look, I was willing to give Bullion a chance? Because he's a nice guy? But fucking hell. He's just... so shit? So, so boring. The height of his wit/intelligence is a "witchers are worse than shit" joke. He comes across as a two-dimensional idiot in everything I've seen. Where's this Lambert?

Where? Does he appear? Does he, Non? Seriously. Because, fucking wow. He lacks all the warmth and depth of book Lambert, and the deep, mournful ache of Game Lambert (granted, who is grieving and therefore likely to behave more prickly than ever before). I got the impression that Lambert wouldn't catch Ciri as he promised in the books, but would get genuine delight out of her pain. What a fuck up.

Everything in the Witcher has been dumbed down, smoothed out. All the complex storylines have been simplified for a mass market. And the result? The characters often come across as disingenuous and just... a bit shit. Perfect for the casual viewer who can switch off and forget about it. I heard that Jaskier had a bit of character development? But then reverted to his comic relief role later on. I'm sorry about that.

#lambert #witcher lambert #rawrkinanswers #anonymous #twn critical #the witcher netflix critical

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TWN season two has killed my desire to write more fanfic at least for the moment. Like - I have lost all the comfort and excitement it brings

No! Non! Don't give up.

You're sad now. That's okay. But I hope you find the passion again.

We need to keep our passion and love alive, because otherwise the only interpretations of those characters that exist will be the awful ones. The ones that don't honour the heart and soul of the Witcher.

We risk losing: kind and noble Eskel who is polite and staunchly neutral, prickly but caring Lambert who tells Ciri not to worry because he will catch her (and later, will be prepared to lay down his life to save her), chatty and heartfelt Geralt, a complex and haunted Vesemir who would never want to make more Witchers in a million years.

You need to write those stories, Non. We need to write them. For ourselves. Because Netflix sure as shit can't be trusted with them.

#rawrkinanswers #Anonymous #I am so sorry #but S2 doesn't erase the good things we have #we need to spite fic #spite fic hard #the witcher netflix #the witcher netflix spoilers #netflix critical #twn critical

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I don't know if you know the answer to this, but you seem to be one of the best-versed people in Witcher canon so it's a shot: for the schools that didn't have female Witchers, do you know what they did with girl child surprises? Like if Geralt had gotten Ciri before the pogroms, what would he have been expected to do with her (assuming he had come back for her immediately)?

Thanks!

Hey, Non. There is some canon reference for you to use and I'll throw in my own headcanon if you want to use it.

First of all, from the TTRPG 'The Witcher':

"They [the mages] subjected these children to alchemical potions that created genetic mutations, a specialized diet, and rigorous mental and physical training. The mutation process, beginning with the Trial of the Grasses, lasted for days. There are no records of successful trials on girls or non-humans. Those that survived the non-stop fevers, vomiting, and haemorrhaging emerged as different creatures."

"Along your travels you invoked the Law of Surprises and received a child. They may have been a boy, in which case they were made into a witcher, or a girl, in which case their fate was up to you."

"For girls, they could have stayed at your keep to tend to chores, but it’s more likely that you had to give them to the next family you found. Witchers don’t usually make good parents."

Now, from this, I built my own headcanons for "A Griffin's Squire":

"Keep Mothers: sometimes a child surprise is female. Those that can’t be taken on by the Temple of Melitele are brought back to the Keep where they assist in chores; everything from accounting, to farming labour, to laundry. They’re treated with unfaltering respect; any transgressions against them are met with swift and savage reprisal. All griffin Witchers address them as "ma'am" (marm), but Erland refers to them affectionately as his little sisters. Some say this is his way of honouring Jagoda, the sister he lost to the trials."

Finally, I headcanon that the School of the Cat, whose most famous female student is Dragonfly, got the secret for mutating AFAB bodies from the School of the Manticore. Canonically, the Manticores are based in Zerrikania, which is a matriarchal society.

I hope this is useful!

#rawrkinanswers #headcanons #the witcher ttrpg #school of the griffin #erland of larvik

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blood of Elves

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

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

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

Eskel is a pragmatist, not an idealist. 

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

Blood of Elves

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

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

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

Dialogue, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Geralt: You too. How are things?

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

Geralt: That it?

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

Dialogue, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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

Blood of Elves 

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

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

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

Eskel is quiet, but he’s not “slow”.

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

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

Geralt: That was then. Yen's changed.

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

Dialogue, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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

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

Geralt: Pretty damn handsome stick, though.

Eskel: Debatable... Let's go.

Dialogue, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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

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

Other bits and pieces:

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

He has a feathered bonnet he wears on special occasions. 

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

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

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

He is a lightweight when it comes to alcohol.

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

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

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

He appears once with a goat.

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

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

Chonkskel for life. There is no other way.

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

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

#rawrkinanswers #rawrkinwrites #Anonymous #Eskel #Witcher Eskel #Eskel Meta

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In a modern AU, what professions do you think Lambert, Geralt, Eskel, Coën and Vesemir would have and why? just asking out of curiosity :) have a nice day ^_^

I had to think about this one for a bit, Non. Hmm.

Coën: he would be either a lifestyle/fitness coach or a primary school teacher. His sunny personality would lend itself really well to this, along with his strong moral code and values. Also, slappy hands with Ciri is the cutest fuckin' thing, I swear to god.

Eskel: this is a toughie. I think he would be a researcher of some kind. I can't decide whether it would be humanities or sciences though. Part of me also thinks he'd make an amazing vet? (And no, not because of the goat thing...) But he clearly has a keen interest in biology, knows his bestiary really well. Whatever Eskel puts his mind to, he would be really good at it. I forsee hours in a library or typing madly on a laptop in his future.

Lambert: depending on his level of education and whether or not someone took him out of his home, he would either have gone to college to train as a mechanic or university to train as a mechanical engineer. Absolutely no shade thrown to the mechanic, btw. He would be the best in both. Hands on, problem solving. (And part of me wants him bellowing across a garage: "it's a 2003 Peugeot and you ride the clutch all the way to yoga, what the fuck did you expect Karen?!" before angrily scrawling his signature on a failed MOT certificate)

Geralt: marine biologist, geologist. Something that requires him to stand in a river in welly boots, admiring nature around him. Maybe with Eskel. I can see him spending hours in the peace and quiet. Perhaps he's a botanist? Nature, nature, with Geralt. (Bringing home pressed flowers for Yen and/or Ciri every time he finds a new one).

Vesemir: professional dadd-- no. Sorry, uh. Carpenter. Yes. They still exist. My biological father is a carpenter. Despite his many, many faults, he can make some seriously amazing things with his hands, time and a nice piece of wood. I can see Vesemir making everything from ornate tables to chairs; cribs to small carvings. Everyone gets a handmade gift for Christmas, although he doesn't always get it right and his sense of humour is appalling. (He sent Lambert's new boyfriend a hand-carved dildo with a note saying "for your asshole when you have to kick the other asshole to the couch"). Aiden thought it was hilarious. Lambert didn't talk to Vesemir until Easter.

#rawrkinanswers #headcanons #sorry this got a little silly and rambly #I hope it's ok #Lambert #Eskel #Geralt #Coen

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I'm having a terrible day and was wondering if you might have any cute pet pics for this grieving heart. If not it's okay. Hope you're doing alright. 🤍

Ahh, WH Non. I'm sorry. I called the cat over. He apologises for being a little tatty; he needs a brush.

#rawrkinanswers #floof #cat pics

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I see your point about Eskel’s lips, eyes, and nose, but I have to say, I think his sexiest attribute is probably his boy-band curtains XD

The Curtains! Well, if it was good enough for the Boybands of the 90s...

Get Eskel A New Haircut 2k21.

#rawrkinanswers #anonymous

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(You dont have to answer, I know this is the kind of rant that can bring harassment and leaving it on anon is suspect, so im sorry for that. I just wanted you to know there's at least one other person that agrees with your views and is glad the fandom isnt a monolith. Im just extremelly shy)

Finally watched season 2 and I've decided I'll keep shipping the good Gerlion-influenced Geraskier that lives in my head and disregarding Burn Butcher Burn and most of the canon dynamic and characters entirely.

Im glad I follow you! it's good to see other people agreeing that the song is... evil of Jaskier and tone-deaf of the writers (they do not seem to grasp that witchers are marginalized and what this means for them). It's also motivated me to read more of the books, since Ive only managed to get my hands on the first one but what you've posted about them has me intrigued!

Im also like. Realizing this is the Teen Wolf Experience again: There's very little analysis that can be done in-universe, bc low quality writing and weak characterization are at the heart of most of the issues the characters face and not like, Jaskier being evil on purpose/by accident as a character. It feels unfair to put the song and its consequences on him when there's not going to be consequences bc the writers have not realized it's anything but "and he's mad at Geralt so he wrote a song about it"?? If they'd been going for that it would have taken one line from Lambert to show that's why he's hostile to Jaskier! It'd be dumb that the guy has been doing this for 20+ years and still has to learn to be responsible with his songs so it'd feel ooc anyway if that was his Lesson to Learn This Arc, but whatever, they could have gone that direction. But it's not that, they just dont know what to do with him.

They dont seem to want to commit, either he's the stupid, harmless comic relief everyone shits on or a famous guy affecting witcher PR on the whole continent without asking them what they want. If he'd been mad enough to purposely incite hate towards Geralt he would not have folded after that apology, and if he wasn't that mad and the apology was enough he would maybe have written it in a fit but not?? Made it popular???

And it's not just Jaskier, they do this across the board. They dont know what to do with Geralt, or his relationship with Ciri, or Ciri and Yennefer, and how they're handling Witchers as a group is a mess. It's a shame bc they have a great cast and they have a story and lore and themes (and fan base) with strong bones ready-made, but Netflix has a bad track record doing adaptations do it's not surprising either

I think this can stand on its own, Non.

It's important to have different voices and opinions in fandom. There is always a place for it here if you need a chat about it.

I agree on the cast. They really are trying to present us a banquet when all they were given was ten quid and an out-of-date Greg's voucher.

#rawrkinanswers #Anonymous #twn critical #the witcher netflix critical

[on-a-lucky-tide]

Please tell us which season is each Witcher?

Geralt is spring. Hope, new beginnings; baby horses loping unsteadily across the fields and lambs peeking through the grass; flower crowns and bonfires; the light rains that wash across your face and make you smile; a little naive, a soft centre. Gentleness and tentative life reaching for the sky. He's shaking off the winter chill and making plans for the future; he's relentless hope, and dreams of the future being better. Geralt is spring.

Coën and Lambert are the two halves of summer. Coën is warm nights on the patio with berry-flavoured cider, shorts and ice cream at the beach, talking with friends long into the wee hours with the campfire between you. He is summer love, full of noble promise that fades with the season. While Lambert is the summer storm; righteous and loud. He is the scent of petrichor rising from parched earth; the muffled quiet of a downpour, the sigh of relief as the heat lifts. He's the angry youth, the lightning that forks across the sky, he could be the raging forest fire, vengeful and unforgiving, or the purifying force of the rain that extinguishes them, whose anger leaves freshness and clarity in its wake. Lambert and Coën are summer.

Eskel is autumn. He's barns full of food and wine; he's spiced coffee and honey in your porridge in the mornings. He's bring grateful for the food you have, and the year behind you. He is crisp leaves paving the damp ground with gold and crimson; he's scavenging for conkers on a Sunday afternoon, and a nice cuddle after walking the dog in wellies and a flat cap. He's the preparation for winter; the dutiful worker toiling away in the fields, in the office. He's putting away the summer furniture and sticking the summer photographs into the scrapbook, a fond smile on your face. Preparing for when nature takes her long sleep and the nights seem to stretch out, budgeting and planning, content to build the nest. Eskel is autumn.

Vesemir is the winter. He has two sides. He can be time spent with your family; seeing grandchildren for the first time in months, mulled wine and spiced cider sipped next to festive holiday decorations. He's handmade gifts and craft fairs. He's sitting before a roaring fire with a good book, a fat spaniel at your feet and an even fatter cat in your lap. But Vesemir is also the loneliness. He's the cold. The endless ice and snow. Knowing that everything ends, everything dies. He is remembering the loved ones who aren't there anymore, and those who can't be there. He's the broken families, the father who ruined his chance and doesn't know how to get it back, the son who doesn't know how to talk to his family because he is on the outside. Vesemir is winter.

#rawrkinanswers #seasonal witchers

[on-a-lucky-tide]

Hi! I don't know how to do it without trauma dumping, but one of your fics exposed to me a really bad coping mechanism I didn't know I had. I don't want to say which fic or what, but thank you. Thank you for writing how past trauma gets in the way of building healthy relationships. And that we deserve to heal it and live a good life. That breaking coping mechanisms, that we used to protect us, but are harming us is hard, but necessary. Now that I spotted it, I can rework it into something better

Phew boy, Non. I had to sit with this one a bit 'cause I got a bit emotional and had to have a beer to calm down. So, beer in hand, I've sat down to finally answer:

Thank you. For reaching out and letting me know. It really does mean a lot. I'm not being disingenuous. Honestly. I mean it.

Some of the stories I write take a lot, because I dig down and have a rummage through my own experiences and flaws (and some of my okay bits too, I'm learning that I have one or two of them). Sometimes, putting them in the characters feels like catharsis, and other times, to unabashedly use a line from Geralt in one particular story, it feels like ripping the scars open to see what they have to say. Those stories aren't fluffy, they're not easy, feel good reads. Some of them are a hard slog.

But I still wanted to tell them, so, I'm glad it helped. I'm glad you're on a path you want to be on, towards a happiness you 100% deserve, and I wish you all the best.

#rawrkinanswers #Anonymous #cw #mental health #trauma

[on-a-lucky-tide]

It's quite disturbing how people are making jokes about the "Burn butcher burn" song - like, i get it, it fits into the trope of a breakup song, but 'butcher' is a moniker geralt himself constantly tries to distance himself from, and given how influential jaskier is, him singing a song encouraging bad behaviour towards geralt just doesn't sit right with me - it's not just a petty breakup song, it's literally leveraging his fame to hurt geralt's reputation and maybe even cause physical harm

I did think it's a bit like Beyonce singing a slanderous song about the local pest control guy.

Netflix's tone-deaf marketing has really fed into it though, with all the 'Bard and the Butcher' crap, forgetting one of the big underlying lessons about - you know, fuck it. Netflix doesn't care, people lap up the tropey fantasy, so why not? It was never about creating a faithful adaptation with some much-needed modernisation. It was about netting those GoT fans and cramming in as many quotable one-liners as possible. Even the dialogue ripped directly from the book feels disingenuous and flat, because the nuanced characterisation isn't there to support it.

Try not to compare the two. There are no commonalities beyond using the character names and general gist of Sapkowski's ideas.

But, what I will say: Jaskier has always been presented differently to Dandelion. When Geralt finds Dandelion hiding from that group of brothers, he's already a famous poet in his own right. Netflix Jaskier is presented to us as a down-and-out eighteen year old with the emotional maturity to match. It's the equivalent of a young busker finding a hot meal ticket in the local pub. His fame builds on and with Geralt, whereas Dandelion uses his existing connections to launch Geralt with a hot new EP. So, I guess, what I'm trying to say is: Jaskier singing it is different to Dandelion singing it? I suppose? Maybe.

But yeah, Non. I hate it. And the people feeding off of it are just displaying their profound lack of empathy and their warped sense of romance and friendship. In my most humble opinion.

#rawrkinanswers #Anonymous #twn critical #the witcher netflix critical #let's not fucking talk about giving Jaskier a line from a famous holocaust poem #let's just not #because I am frothing with rage #that they would even fucking dare #after nightmare of the wolf #the witcher spoilers #spoilers

[on-a-lucky-tide]

Ohh, can I have of cloudless climes and starry skies please? That sounds amazing!

It's about Eskel finally settling down to retirement. He gets wounded; he and Geralt work through the worries and hang-ups that keep Eskel on the Path, and they finish by making love under the starry Toussaint skies.

The final art piece is already done [very nsfw], but I had a bit of a motivation blip.

He came back every winter—new scars, new aches—and shared his stories. Geralt joked and drank, sharing his own, and tried to ignore the dull pain in his chest. Eskel’s absence had never felt as raw when they were both on the Path. Death and loneliness were part of a witcher’s lot, and the impact of such things lessened when one had never known anything different. When there was no other choice, yet now that there was a possibility they could grow old and grey together; now that a warm and safe home wasn’t a dream but a reality, the looming spectre of the Path felt like a cruel joke.

Every winter, Geralt clung desperately to his lover’s shoulders as they made love in his bed. A bed that, by all rights, should have been Eskel’s too. Even with the taste of Eskel’s skin on his lips, the heat and strength of him moving inside Geralt’s body, the epitome of power and grace, it wasn’t enough. Because their time together was temporary, fleeting. No matter how strong, and real, and unwavering Eskel was while he was in Geralt’s arms, he could die in the middle of nowhere only a few days later, alone and broken, while Geralt sipped wine with courtiers. He wouldn’t even know. There would be nobody to bury, no ceremony, no closure. If Eskel didn’t come home one winter, there would always be a question mark over his fate. The thought made Geralt’s chest burn.

When the day of Eskel’s departure drew near, the first buds of spring breaking the monotonous, earthy tones of the estate's sprawling fields, Geralt always broached the subject of staying this time. Eskel would afford him that warm, private smile and slap him on the shoulder. “Not yet, Wolf. Maybe next year.”

Geralt tried not to yearn. He did. The Path was where Eskel wanted to be, and Geralt would be damned before he placed his happiness above someone else’s.

Years ago, Eskel paid lip service to dreams of a small house and a warm bed when they used to drink in the empty halls of Kaer Morhen, echoing Geralt’s wistful desires, but the reality was that Eskel was a different man. A witcher to his very core. Whereas Geralt had always seen the Path as a job, Eskel saw it as a duty and a way of life. He might not have revered Vesemir as a father as Geralt had, but he’d respected every lesson the old man had taught them. Everything Eskel had become was woven into the Path.

Perhaps, Geralt mused over a goblet of his wine one night, Eskel’s heart was even wilder than Lambert’s. Geralt had left Kaer Morhen wanting to be a knight and had been sorely disappointed by everything that followed; Eskel had left wanting to be a good witcher and had never looked back.

Witchering was his life’s blood.

How could Geralt force him to lay down roots in Toussaint when his heart was still running like a wolf through the wilderness?

#rawrkinanswers #Fabi #wip game #Eskel #Witcher Eskel #Geralt #Geralt of Rivia #Gerskel #Eskel/Geralt