Blue Stripe

I'm a soldier because I do it well This is an independent, private and selective SIDEBLOG for Ves from the Witcher Series. Main blog is Zoltan Chivay. Read the Rules if you wish to start a thread. Asks and starters are very welcome! Tracking the Tag 'bluestriipe'

[bluestriipe-blog]

- HEADCANON: ABOUT ROCHE AKA VES’ HUMAN

Ves’ connection to Vernon is deep, complex and wholly good. His role as the saviour was not half as important as his role of trusted person in her life after captivity. If it had been anyone else, Ves might have been grateful, but distant and she certainly wouldn’t have followed him so far. But Roche is muted, practical and blunt. The first moment they met, Ves knew what Vernon was about and that remained the same for the rest of their relationship.

Vernon didn’t coddle her, he wasn’t here to tell her shit about her experience or what she should be doing or feeling. But he was there and he understood without prying and his clear nature made him easy to talk too. He was honest about his respect for her and he was honest about how much he wanted her to join his team a little later. He was just exactly the kind of lowkey yet dependable person Ves needed at exactly the right time.

Ves became a Blue Stripe because she knew a life as a Soldier would suit her, but she would be lying if she didn’t also feel like following Roche to the ends of the earth with his snug little family of murderers. Him and his crew give her a home, something to hold onto, exactly what she needs.

Importantly Roche is not her father, not in any way. Ves had a Father, a soft and gentle one who taught her about tilling a field and mending a thatch roof. He raised her well, she’s a grown ass woman and she doesn’t need another dad. 

[bluestriipe-blog]

- HEADCANON: VES’ POSITION IN THE BLUE STRIPES

So, again, we come to CDPR’s general lack of fucks to give for Ves and her Characterisation. She’s called things like lieutenant, second in command, ect, but we rarely actually see Ves giving orders or appearing much higher in rank than her fellow Blue Stripes. And then theres the whole... way she’s used in the plot but we’re going to aggressively ignore that. 

Ves is Roche’s Second in Command. When he isn’t around, she takes his mantle, she gives clear orders and she doesn’t fuck around when lives are on the line. Men who might have been joking with her moments ago are suddenly scurrying about under her harsh gaze and calling her ‘ma’am’ and rushing to obey her. 

She is overly young for this, in reality. But everything else in her life has been thrown at her too soon, it’s how she thrives, always overwhelmed and never completely assured of herself. When she gets comfortable she gets cocky. In fact, she is arguably better behaved when Roche isn’t around compared to when he is.

As for her Military position, that is an easier decision. She’s a sniper. She is best when she’s thrown into a situation alone with a Crossbow and a fight around her so she can pick off key targets with expert precision. She’s no slouch with her two swords, of course. She can brawl with the best of them and hack off heads better than most, but she’s most useful when she has a crew to support her sniping and everyone is grateful for her.

[bluestriipe-blog]

bluestriipe:

META TO WRITE FOR VES:

How she officially joined the Blue Stripes

Her position in the Blue Stripes

#FuckyouCDPRVesisn’tyourpunchingbag

An Entire Post About How Ves Hugged Roche Not Geralt

Ves and Romance and how little she cares

Roche: Ves’ one favourite human

Ves’ astonishingly low expectations of life

HOOOO BOY… VES LIKES GIRLS

CDPR stop using Ves for your dumb man angst, she wouldn’t rush in so stupidly, god she’s you’RE OWN DAMN CHARACTER!

Ves Essentially Stays Alive Because Roche is a Mess

The Difficult Talk about her Captivity

The significance of Moril

Men and why they suck: an article by Ves

Ves, The Women’s Champion

We’re a third of the way there my guys

[bluestriipe-blog]

- HEADCANON: ROMANCE

So, the first thing to know about Ves is she is massively lowkey. Her life is a struggle, she has a lot to think about and after extensive abuse and living in fear for so long, other people’s emotions are exhausting.

So, for starters, Ves doesn’t do intense, possessive, exclusive romantic love. Or, at least, she is not at all drawn to that kind of thing. She needs calm and softness and both freedom and solidarity in a relationship. The knowledge that someone will be around, even if she doesn’t see them for weeks, even if they sleep with someone else, they will still have a connection to come back to. She also finds the concept of someone owning her body incredibly disturbing, so she tends to over reach, sleep with as many people as she wants, whenever she wants. This means she has cheated on people in the past, but learned from that mistake and now only agrees to a relationship if everyone is on the same page.

However, inside that dynamic of a relationship, she’s an incredibly loving and tactile person. She’s sweet and kind and softer than one might imagine and she likes to do kind things for her lovers that make their day a little better. She’s flirtatious and coy and she she likes to tease, but she is very blunt where it counts. She isn’t going to mess around when she likes someone and suspects they like her in return.

Ves is also promiscuous. If she trusts and respects someone enough to sleep with them, she’s going to want to do that and often. She loves to have sex and connect with people she cares about, her behaviour is influenced heavily by the fact that she barely expects to survive the next day, everyday. So she lives like there is no tomorrow, having fun with her friends, sleeping with people she wants too and ensuring that everyone in her life knows how much she cares about them.

[bluestriipe-blog]

- HEADCANON: VES IS MINE NOW, CDPR CAN’T HAVE HER

So... we all know that if there is anything our wonderful game devs can be criticised for, it’s their pretty horrendous treatment of women in their games. (Also lgbt, brown people, ect but I’m not talking about them for now)

Ves is a literary punching bag whom was almost designed as a mouth piece for misery in Roche’s path. Her backstory is rape, her threats are rape, she’s raped ingame and you have to save her so many goddamn times it crosses a line. She’s touted as an excellent Soldier with great experience and a practical mindset (even if a little reckless) yet every other moment she’s getting herself tied up or thrown into problems or rushing into battle without any forethought. 

So... essentially she’s a character no one at CDPR cared about enough to give a solid motive and personality so I’m just going to go ahead and do it for them. Firstly, she’s not used for honeypots all the goddamn time. Roche doesn’t throw her willy nilly into sexually aggressive situations. She does not have to be saved from Loredo. At the very least she doesn’t get herself shackled down. Also, unless I can think of a good reason for it (doubtful) I’m retconning her whole interaction with King Henselt. Rape is in her past, not her present or her future and Roche has more than enough reasons to hate him. 

And another thing. As far as Roche’s companion quest in TW3 goes, a large part of it I’m going to take out. They’ve been fighting guerilla warfare for, what, years? Ves has been taking orders for five years now? And I’m supposed to believe she’d just rush head first into battle without any planning or caution? Nah. I’m not here for Roche treating her like a child either. 

For now I’m going to say that Roche finds out Ves has not only gone to save the village, but has actually rallied the townsfolk and is holding off a battalion of Nilfgaardians. He asks Geralt to come with reinforcements and they attack from outside as Ves and others attack from inside. She is still technically saved, but it is more ambiguous whether or not she would have actually failed or not.

So... this is less of a headcanon, more of a PSA. In order to write Ves with fidelity, I’m going to have to take away from some of her canon so that her actions match her personality and manner.

[bluestriipe-blog]

- HEADCANON: HOW VES JOINED THE BLUE STRIPES

So we all know how Ves met the Blue Stripes and Roche, being saved as a young woman from her Captivity at the hands of the Skoiatael. But the assumption that she just fell into the ranks of that elite group of soldiers seems off to me, not least because of a line she has in TW2. She claims she tried being a lot of different things before settling on a life as a Soldier.

So, in Ves’ canon on this blog, she stuck with her rescuers for a few months after her rescue, recuperating and reconstructing her sense of self. She and Roche started building a tight friendship and she even started to feel closer to the men of the Blue Stripes as they all casually taught her methods of battle and self defence. However, when she felt strong and stable enough, she struck out on her own. 

She needed to reclaim some self-determination and generally remind herself what living was like. Roche was accepting of her choice, even if he encouraged her to return when she felt ready. So she jumped from job to job, going from seamstress to labourer to bartender and she eventually enjoyed the freedom. Still, about a year later she realised she was ready to make a choice. She wanted to be a Soldier. It was the only thing she was good at and a life of mundane work just didn’t sit right with her anymore.

And so off she went to track them down, a task that should have been difficult for anyone but Ves. She knew Roche well by then, knew his instincts and foibles, knew which paths he’d take and what Inn he’d choose. It didn’t take too long to find them. But when Ves arrived, she realised she’d stumbled into a real problem. She found out their next meet would be ambushed and with no way of contacting them beforehand Ves found a crossbow and set herself up in a ruined tower to wait. She saved quite a few lives that night, sniping enemies in the dark as the Blue Stripes hacked them down and by the time everyone was dead and she was jumping down from her perch, Roche was ready to sweep her into his arms and squeeze the life out of her.

He asked her to join them, even though he knew her answer, and she gladly accepted, getting the Stripes tattooed over her right arm soon afterwards. And that was that.

[eterunameo]

“MY GIRL VES COMING IN WITH CROSSBOWS(?) BLAZING. Roche… Just further sold on the fact that she would do so well in his outfit. Her being his right-hand/Lieutenant was a no-brainer for him. This young woman – a woman, mind you, in this time period and in this setting no less – rising up in the ranks in the blink of an eye because her aim and her abilities are just THAT frighteningly good. Roche struck gold with Ves. That is all.”

    - @crownviper, who deserves to have this wonderful commentary immortalised

[bluestriipe-blog]

- HEADCANON: ... OF COURSE SHE HUGGED ROCHE WTF

So... do we all remember when you come back to find all the Blue Stripes dead, Ves is curled up in a corner, she’s a mess, she’s just seen all of her brothers in arms slaughtered, she feels all alone, she has no idea who survived, where Roche is or... really anything?? And she’s SCARED?

And then, you’re going to look me in the eye, CDPR, you’re going to look me in my eyes and tell me she rushes to hug GERALT FIRST??

GERALT! A man she’s known all of a few months, maybe slept with for a lark, has no outward expression of emotion, THAT Geralt? Not the Commander who’s been beside her for the past five years, the guy who saved her from a life of horrible captivity, her FRIEND?

I have never seen a more heinous level of main character pandering in my whole goddamn life. Shut up with your face, Ves hugs Roche.

[vaporeox]

What was that hug for? For Temeria of course!

[bluestriipe-blog]

- HEADCANON: HOW VES JOINED THE BLUE STRIPES

So we all know how Ves met the Blue Stripes and Roche, being saved as a young woman from her Captivity at the hands of the Skoiatael. But the assumption that she just fell into the ranks of that elite group of soldiers seems off to me, not least because of a line she has in TW2. She claims she tried being a lot of different things before settling on a life as a Soldier.

So, in Ves’ canon on this blog, she stuck with her rescuers for a few months after her rescue, recuperating and reconstructing her sense of self. She and Roche started building a tight friendship and she even started to feel closer to the men of the Blue Stripes as they all casually taught her methods of battle and self defence. However, when she felt strong and stable enough, she struck out on her own. 

She needed to reclaim some self-determination and generally remind herself what living was like. Roche was accepting of her choice, even if he encouraged her to return when she felt ready. So she jumped from job to job, going from seamstress to labourer to bartender and she eventually enjoyed the freedom. Still, about a year later she realised she was ready to make a choice. She wanted to be a Soldier. It was the only thing she was good at and a life of mundane work just didn’t sit right with her anymore.

And so off she went to track them down, a task that should have been difficult for anyone but Ves. She knew Roche well by then, knew his instincts and foibles, knew which paths he’d take and what Inn he’d choose. It didn’t take too long to find them. But when Ves arrived, she realised she’d stumbled into a real problem. She found out their next meet would be ambushed and with no way of contacting them beforehand Ves found a crossbow and set herself up in a ruined tower to wait. She saved quite a few lives that night, sniping enemies in the dark as the Blue Stripes hacked them down and by the time everyone was dead and she was jumping down from her perch, Roche was ready to sweep her into his arms and squeeze the life out of her.

He asked her to join them, even though he knew her answer, and she gladly accepted, getting the Stripes tattooed over her right arm soon afterwards. And that was that.

[bluestriipe-blog]

crownviper:

It was always nice to spot a fire still crackling, alive and fierce both in unabashed measure. Ves, of course, was no exception.

“I didn’t,” Roche replied, forward as though she hadn’t already known the truth. “My men and I are making our way up north. We won’t be here long, but I don’t see why this trip should be a complete waste of my time.” 

What strange way of paying compliments… His blunt manner of speaking always seemed to crush any chance at flattery, but those offhanded comments did remarkably well in softening the blow. No, visits didn’t interest this commander, but he’d be lying if said he didn’t prefer seeing her in such a better state.

Stepping over the fallen tankards and booze, Roche approached in good air. She looked well, bright smiles, red-knuckles and all. “You’ve an odd way of making friends,” he said with a passing glance to speckled blood on the floor. “I doubt few here appreciate it as I do.”

There was a certain amount of inherent comfort that came with Roche’s presence. He walked in a Roche way and smiled in a Roche way and gave her those special Roche compliments that warmed her heart without making her skin crawl. He hadn’t come to see her specifically but he was glad he’d been given the chance anyway. Little things that did nothing but soothe. Yes, Ves never knew how much she missed her favourite human until he came back.

Her posture spoke the welcome that didn’t come from her mouth, relaxing with his approach, settling into her feet and letting her expression soften from it’s usual hard lines. There was a moment of hesitation, but Ves never was a cautious person and she hopped the rest of the distance between them to give the old grump a warm hug. 

Brief, but warm.

She pulled back with a quirk to her eyebrow. “Pretty girl like me who can kill a man with a shot glass? No idea why I’d have problems making friends.” She wasn’t serious in her sarcasm, a lack of friends was the least of her long list of problems. She turned to note the blood flecks scattered across the room and sighed, “And anyway,” she mutters over her shoulder,grabbing a cloth and starting to conceal her infraction, “Don’t think anyone’s going to appreciate me quite like you do Roche.” She threw another smile over her shoulder for good measure.

[bluestriipe-blog]

META TO WRITE FOR VES:

How she officially joined the Blue Stripes

Her position in the Blue Stripes

#FuckyouCDPRVesisn’tyourpunchingbag

An Entire Post About How Ves Hugged Roche Not Geralt

Ves and Romance and how little she cares

Roche: Ves’ one favourite human

Ves’ astonishingly low expectations of life

HOOOO BOY... VES LIKES GIRLS

CDPR stop using Ves for your dumb man angst, she wouldn’t rush in so stupidly, god she’s you’RE OWN DAMN CHARACTER!

Ves Essentially Stays Alive Because Roche is a Mess

The Difficult Talk about her Captivity

The significance of Moril

Men and why they suck: an article by Ves

Ves, The Women’s Champion

[crownviper-blog]

+ @bluestriipe

Remarkable, wasn’t it? Widowers and refugees, the destitute and broken– He’d seen many tragedies in his time as a soldier, and yet, his memories of her still struck him with tremendous clarity. Singular. Distinct. Oh, how ugly their meeting had been, but damned if he could forget how fierce she was. Watching as the troublemaker crumbled to the ground, Roche was content to note that had not changed. “You went easy on him,” he began from behind her, clear despite the ruckus of the bar-fight. Could she place a face to that voice? “It’s not what I would’ve done, but it’ll do.”

[bluestriipe-blog]

She really liked the feeling of stretched skin over bruised knuckles, unconsciously working her fingers as she glared the beaten man out of her damn Tavern. He’d been lucky, she was trying to curb her violent and vengeful tendancies. Women who broke noses weren’t the best barmaids, or so she’d been told. 

Lilly picked up trays the lout had kicked out of her hand and gave Ves a smile that made her heart warm a little, but that was nothing to the reaction his voice had. She hadn’t smiled for a year after her escape, but Roche had caused the break in that trend. Since then, she could never keep a stiff face when he showed up.

“Then it’s lucky you don’t have customers and a Tavern Mistress to worry about,” Ves was on her second warning already, “might die in a poor house otherwise.”

“Now don’t tell me you came all the way out here to see me Roche.”

[fracturesbones]

a kissing roche booth

[fracturesbones]

I wanted to draw our favorite Temerians just being ~casual~ (and Roche in various stages of dress). Ves’ favorite responsibility is managing to get Roche plastered. :) It’s true.

[polapaz321-deactivated20250824]

Some Roche and Ves.

Because this post，the vid is so good.

[soracities]

But to be furious, murderously furious, is to be alive. No longer young, no longer pretty, no longer loved, or sweet, or loveable, unmasked, writhing on the ground for all to see in my utter ingloriousness… there’s no telling what I might do.

Claire Messud, The Woman Upstairs (via soracities)

[joypendants]

Here’s to us, the rotten children: They made us into violence. Your bones, your skin, it’s all been turned into ash. Here’s to us, those born of violence, turned into a war-ground.

We are beauty and fire; ash we may be, but we are stronger than them. (CNS)