So… I got a notification from the State Department at like 8 PM Pacific that my passport was approved, and I was quietly thankful and stunned bc my legal gender in Oregon is listed as X, or undeclared, and that's what's on my passport. I'm pretty sure someone(s) worked late to get the X passports done today.
I was already really grateful to whoever in the Seattle Passport Office worked late to get these things processed on the last Friday before That Man gets back into office... and then I got a notification that my passport shipped at fucking midnight Pacific and whoever got that shit out the door so it couldn't be picked up on Monday and like, denied and shredded?
So... I heard from a friend of 20+ years who works for the State Department who confirmed to me in so many words that they can assure me, without specifics, that "all of the suppositions you have made here are true."
So... yep. Passport folx at the State Department really did work incredibly long hours this week just... shoveling every passport out the door (and prioritizing the ones that might be A Problem come Monday) and yes, they did On Purpose make sure that all of them weren't just DONE but MAILED and out the door and in the hands of the USPS so that they can't be told to pull those passports back and deny/destroy them.
This also means they got the OK for the mountains of overtime from the Biden administration to get that done.
This is what I mean when I say that the Good Work is often not glamorous and that we have to prioritize things which actively and immediately better the lives of our siblings. The State Department worker who was still in the office last night at midnight Pacific time stuffing my passport into an Express Mail envelope and making sure that it was in the hands of USPS has done more liberatory work for the trans movement than 100 people endlessly auditing the language others use to describe their lives ever will.
These next years are gonna be real hard. Find something tangible to do for yourself and others, however small, and do it as hard as you can.
So, while my publisher and many, many reviewers out there are doing a fantastic job of spreading word about The Pursued and the Pursuing in the week since its release on 9/28/21, I’d love it if word circulated more widely on Tumblr. The original post about this book from June is up to about 700 notes, but I know there’s a much wider audience out there for queer Gatsby-related content.
In the spirit of my generous friends at @multifandompostcardexchange, who are giving away several copies of this book in a prize draw, I would like to do the same. I will give away one signed copy of this book for every 500 notes this post gets, up to the first 5,000 notes (10 copies, in other words).
If you like and/or reblog this post and wish to be included in the draw, please send me an ask, which will count as your entry. I will do the draw whenever this post hits 5,000 notes from among the entrants received. If this post does not hit 5,000 notes after a month, I will then draw for as many copies as there are multiples of 500 notes. Liking/reblogging doesn’t oblige you to enter, although I’m grateful for those boosts, as will be the folks who do enter.
Sincerest thanks to those of you who have bought copies so far, either from me or the major outlets (Amazon, B&N, Bookshop.org, et al.) where it’s currently available. You, my readers here in fandom, are entirely the reason this book exists! 💙
Spreading the word! If you ever wanted TGG to end with Nick and Gatsby running off with each other, the first few pages will grant your wish. Then you get to find out what happens next. I’ve read it and enjoyed it greatly.
Thank you so much for the lovely recommendation! And also for adding to the note-count; the folks who have signed up for the draw so far will be glad of that.
—gaining your own freedom by helping someone else gain theirs
—it won a Hugo award
—it’s ~7k words
—tags if it were fanfic: strangers to lovers, curses & curse breaking, past domestic violence, soft, they love each other your honor, angst with a happy ending, gen, no archive warnings apply
—😍😭❤️
For Lara West Tabitha walks, and thinks of shoes. She has been thinking about shoes for a very long time: the length of three and a half pai
this is a post dedicated to every anon that has chosen to use their anonymity to be good and send encouraging and nice messages instead of being mean to someone, you guys rock
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 4/4
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Relationships: Eskel/Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Additional Tags: [a lot about sexual assault and the messy process of trauma recovery]
Summary:
(Spoilers for The Witcher 3 and scattered spoilers for / references to the books)
Eskel loses the duel against Caranthir during the Battle of Kaer Morhen, and Caranthir takes them both through a portal before Ciri can intervene. Yennefer and Ciri are able to rescue Eskel from Tir na Lia soon after, but not before something terrible’s done to him. Now, while joining Yen, Geralt, and Ciri in their fight against the Wild Hunt, Eskel faces another battle different from any he’s fought before.
Epilogue up! Almost a year later, this fic is finished.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 4/4
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Relationships: Eskel/Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Additional Tags: [a lot about sexual assault and the messy process of trauma recovery]
Summary:
(Spoilers for The Witcher 3 and scattered spoilers for / references to the books)
Eskel loses the duel against Caranthir during the Battle of Kaer Morhen, and Caranthir takes them both through a portal before Ciri can intervene. Yennefer and Ciri are able to rescue Eskel from Tir na Lia soon after, but not before something terrible’s done to him. Now, while joining Yen, Geralt, and Ciri in their fight against the Wild Hunt, Eskel faces another battle different from any he’s fought before.
Epilogue up! Almost a year later, this fic is finished.
And here is the fic! Thanks for being a patient & fantastic partner for this event, @purrritooooo!
If It Had to Perish Twice (5188 words) by EskelChopChop
Fandom: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Gaunter O'Dimm
Characters: Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Gaunter O'Dimm
Additional Tags: White Frost (The Witcher), Flashbacks, Flash Forward, Temptation, unbetaed we die like the spoon guy<
Summary: (Spoilers for the end of TW3) The portal in Tor Gvalch'ca opens to the realm of the White Frost. Ciri steps through to destroy it once and for all-- but someone else is here in this plane beyond time and space, and he has a proposal.
Here are all the fics and art made this year for the Eskel Big Bang. Congratulations on the hard work, everyone!
AO3 collection || #ebb works tag || #ebb art tag || #ebb fic tag
Below the cut is a full list of all EBB works:
Uprooted (T, No Pairing, 12k) by @rachofspades, art by @drachedraws
When a nondescript notice begging for a witcher's aid catches Eskel's attention on his way back to Kaer Morhen for the winter, he finds himself drawn in by his own curiosity despite his initial reservations. Once he arrives, it quickly becomes apparent that there's something more sinister going on than typical monster attacks, and he's determined to figure out what it is.
Fic || Art (1) (2)
These Clay Hands (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 4.7k) by @aalizazareth, art by @hobbart-art
Eskel is a shy pottery instructor who meets Jaskier during one of his lessons. The two hit it off.
Fic || Art
The Empty Safe Job (M, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 18k) by @iboughtaplant, art by @gods-no-longer-tread-here
A team of thieves with complicated pasts take down the rich and powerful to help those that get left out from justice. Their latest job should be simple, but an unexpected adversary has Eskel confronting his past. Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys.
Fic || Art
the broken vines are an open door (M, Eskel & Geralt & Yennefer, 5.2k) by @trissmarrygoals, art by @flyingyarn
Traveling through Aedirn with his newly acquired child surprise, Eskel stumbles upon a dead body - and with it, a mystery.
Fic || Art
With you I'll never be alone (T, Eskel/Geralt, 5.8k) by @dat-carovieh, art by @mondfuchs
From their first meeting, through their whole long life Geralt and Eskel have always been there to comfort each other when one of them got hurt.
---
Or five times Geralt and Eskel comfort each other through some kind of hurt and one time they're just comfortable.
Fic || Art
Eskel Has A Good Day (G, Eskel & Wolf Witchers, 9.3k) by @gods-no-longer-tread-here, art by @phoenixandjacob
The Wolves (and bard) of Kaer Morhen go on a vacation to the coast, and have a good day.
Fic || Art (1) (2)
Tu Me Manques. (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 8k) by @etcorsolus, art by @cvbeebop
In which, Eskel meets a bard who calms him. Body, mind, and soul.
Story title is how the French say 'I miss you.' The more literal translation is 'You are missing from me.'
Fic || Art
Little Red (M, Eskel/Lambert, 6.1k) by @miahclone, art by @llwynbleidd
Eskel helps Lambert while he's recovering from a serious injury. To distract him from the pain, Eskel tells stories of past hunts.
Fic || Art
Constellations (M, Eskel/Geralt, 7.2k) by @dredshirtroberts, art by @dat-carovieh
Eskel loves Geralt but their soulmarks don't match - he'd know. They're witchers, and scars are their business. As he joins Geralt in retirement, Eskel figures whatever he can get with the other witcher will be enough. He might get a little bit more than he thought he was bargaining for, but Eskel's never passed up a good deal.
Fic || Art (1) (2)
Trial By Fire (Eskel and Aza's Wild Ride) (E, Eskel/OFC, 11k) by @janzoo, art by @liaonyxrayne
When Eskel rescues his succubus acquaintance from witch hunters, their reunion becomes something more as they're drawn into the hunters' plot. What can they do against a twisted idealist and the danger he presents to witchers and non-humans?
Fic || Art
Pardon Me While I Burst Into Flames (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 29k) by @ghostinthelibrarywrites, art by @wolfgeralt
When Eskel is hired to kill an incubus who ruined a noble wedding, he finds that his target is far from a bloodthirsty beast, a too-pretty court bard. Eskel spares Jaskier and they go their separate ways, with Eskel expecting never to see the incubus again. But Jaskier has other ideas.
Fic || Art
I Could Eat the World Raw (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 7k) by @buttercupsanddandelions, art by @gods-no-longer-tread-here
“This is Eskel.” He pushes him slightly forward, “And he just had his conduit moment.”
After becoming a mage, Eskel finds that he's been soul-bound to a little lordling.
Fic || Art
Something we bury (M, Eskel/Geralt, 10k) by @heartoferebor, art by @craftgamerzz
“Where’s Eskel?” Ciri asks Geralt, frowning a little.
“He went out to do more hunting and gather some potion ingredients. Should be back any moment,” Geralt reassures her.
“Ah. Good.” She hesitates a little before deciding to forge right ahead with her next question. She’s asked everyone else in the keep, of course she’ll have to ask Geralt, too. “About his scars…”
*
Ciri wants to know where Eskel's scars came from, so she decides to ask everyone at the keep about them. Except, they all seem to have different stories...
Fic || Art
Lord What Fools These Witchers Be (T, Aiden/Eskel, 21k) by @jayofolympus and @frenchkey, art by aviixrc
When Lambert brings Aiden to winter with him in Kaer Morhen, Eskel is catapulted straight into his own personal hell. It would be easier if he didn’t like the Cat. Instead, he finds himself falling head over heels for his brother’s boyfriend and trying to hide it from a pack of nosy Witchers. If only Aiden would stop flirting with him...
Fic || Art (1) (2)
A Moment of Comfort (M, Eskel/OC) by @merpancake
An attack at a brothel begins with blood and carnage, but Eskel finds an unexpected peace in the arms of Cenna. As their paths continue to cross, Eskel carries that same peace within him on his journey through monsters and men.
Art
Toussaint's Finest (M, Eskel/Geralt, 9.1k) by @kate-river, art by @justhereforeskel
Eskel is still roaming the Continent. But in recent years the Path has become harder and harder.
Eskel has made it a habit to come by Corvo Bianco around vintage and this year's events might change a few things in his life forever.
Fic || Art
Beneath the Shadow and the Soul (E, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 32k) by @vix-spes, art by @buffskierights
Eskel had the strange feeling that everything was going to change when he passed through Dol Blathanna one year on his way back to Kaer Morhen for winter. He had been passing through a town and, instead of running away from him, someone had exclaimed “You’re a Witcher,” and proceeded to sing at him.
He just hadn't realised how much of an impact it would have on him.
Fic || Art
Daughter of Fire (T, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 4.9k) by @kittynannygaming, art by @zmezagain
Witchers are sterile, that's a fact. No female human can bear their child. Well, the keyword here is 'human' and a succubus is very not human. And Eskel now has a sweet 7 years old daughter.
Fic || Art
Break It Recklessly (E, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 22k) by @anonymousblueberry, art by @nol-nol
From teenage tearaways to successful adults, Geralt and Eskel have always been inseparable. To the extent that when Geralt accepts a wedding invite with Eskel as his plus one, there’s the assumption that they have finally sorted their shit out and got together, forcing them to keep up the facade or cause chaos for the happy couple.
What follows is a crash course in emotions, dating, and working out that love can burn long and slow for a very long time.
Fic || Art
The Question (M, Eskel/Istredd, 40k) by @eskelchopchop, art by @stars-in-my-damn-eyes
Eskel's in Ohio when Yennefer calls. He’s reluctant to pick up; he’s still not over Geralt, and he's got zero desire to chat with Geralt's new lover.
Turns out Yen isn’t his lover anymore, and this isn’t about Geralt. It’s about witcher’s work.
Yennefer owns Portal, one of New York City's most popular gay clubs. A Post-Conjunction Entity (PCE) is hunting her clientele, leaving a string of withered corpses in its wake. The police are doing jackshit. Will Eskel come back to a city full of bad memories and take a job off the books to stop it?
He'll sure as hell try. Along the way, he’ll cross paths with Istredd, a man with sorcerer’s eyes and a painful past of his own. If Eskel doesn't work fast enough, they both might become the PCE's next victims.
Fic || Art
Is It Cold In The Water? (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 12k) by @jennyloggins, art by @jerry-of-rivia
His horse is tied to a branch a few trees out, and that’s where Eskel heads to grab his water skein, taking a deep drink and soothe his dry throat. Patting his horse’s backside affectionately on his way past her, Eskel feigns a stern voice to say, “Zuzanna, keep watch for me.”
Her tail twitches as if to swat him away.
Fic || Art
Everything I Want (I Can Find in You) by @eyesofshinigami, art by @phoenixandjacob
Eskel didn't think he'd ever see Jaskier again, sure the Cat witcher was only looking for a night of fun. But then he keeps showing up, taking Eskel to bed and leaving him little presents. It takes Eskel a bit, but eventually he realizes that maybe, just maybe, Jaskier means it when he says he wants to keep him.
Or
Eskel doesn't think he deserves nice things and Jaskier is determined to show him otherwise.
Fic || Art
One Stop Shop; Tattoo's Piercings, And Love (M, Eskel/Jaskier/Lambert, 7.4k) by @jesheckah, art by @moondrunkart
When Eskel fumbles an invitation at a party to come into his tattoo shop, Jaskier and he move towards an explosive love. How many tattoo sessions does it take for the heart to know what it wants?
Fic || Art
Entanglement (and other words for a mess) (E, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 31k) by @violaceum-vitellina-viridis, art by @merpancake
Eskel has a hundred marks on his body, but a soulmark isn't one of them.
Fic || Art
Beneath Each Other's Bones (E, Eskel/Geralt, 7.6k) by @pressedinthepages, art by @drachedraws
Winter at Kaer Morhen can be brutal. But Eskel and Geralt find warmth in each other in an effort to stave off the cold.
Fic || Art (1) (2)
#9fe2bf on the Shore (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 4.5k) by @buffskierights, art by @phoenixandjacob
The sea roars with a vengeance, something angering the waves even as the stars shine brightly overhead in the clear night sky. If Eskel were a poet he’d say it almost sounded like a wail of mourning, the way the whitewater crashes upon the night black sand and the gathering foam, the sea frothing furiously.
But Eskel’s always hated his poetry lessons so being a poet is firmly off the table.
Fic || Art
lion in the wolf's den (T, Coen/Eskel, 5k) by @patchwork-doublet, art by @justhereforeskel
eskel is nervous being around ciri, afraid things will go south like they did last time.
Fic || Art
Sugar Baby Blues (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 24k) by adevinecomedy, art by @pastelrune
Jaskier’s mind slipped back to a night several months ago when he was all worked up but had nowhere to go and a mountain of school work to get through. How it was just so much easier to log onto a camming website and watch someone perform seemingly just for him.
The gorgeous, confident man on the other side of the screen had been so accommodating, even though Jaskier had been shy and hadn’t typed much into the chat.
Modern au where Eskel is a Cam boy and runs into a bit of a financial bind. Enter Jaskier who just might be the answer to all his woes.
Fic || Art
Winter Comfort (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 10k) by @myidlehand, art by @liaonyxrayne
Jaskier comes to Kaer Morhen to spend some time with Eskel, after briefly meeting him in the fall.
And while both of them seem delighted to see each other again, Eskel starts to shy away from Jaskier's comments and flirting. It doesn't take a genius to see Eskel is having body image issue. Jaskier aims to help him through it.
Fic || Art
The Subtle Knife (M, Eskel/Jaskier, 26k) by @major-trouble, art by @cylin-aka-ankamo
There's an assassin haunting the Continent. No one knows their name, everyone - that is, everyone in the know - calls them The Specter. If you want a rival out of the way, a political opponent disposed of, or a strategic target taken out, contacting The Specter gets the job done.
For a price, of course. There's an art to subtlety, after all, and it wouldn't do to risk the attention of law enforcement. So there's no obvious cause, no knife to the back, and the deaths aren't usually remarked upon.
The Kaer Morhen Agency, however, has noticed. One of their agents has been hired to protect potential victims, people scared that they've been targeted. And they have reason to worry. When Eskel's first assignment winds up dead of no discernible cause, it starts him on a search for the elusive Specter, hoping against hope to track down the assassin before they're hired again.
Setting a trap for a ghost is something Witchers are used to. Setting one for a trained killer may prove beyond them.
Fic || Art
No Funny Business (M, Eskel/Jaskier, 11k) by goldendaydreams, art by @nanero11
Eskel had long given up on finding his soulmate, his soulmark nothing but scar tissue from a house fire he’d survived as a child. Knowing that most people wait for their perfect someone, their destiny, didn’t stop him from falling in love with Jaskier, the nurse he met after a hunt gone wrong.
Fic || Art
Stronger Than My Storm (E, Eskel/Geralt) by @rawrkinjd, art by @nol-nol
Eskel and Geralt were friends from the very beginning. They added the benefits later. It was another way to offer comfort and companionship when the rest of the world closed in around them, and Eskel was content with it for years. Until he wakes up one day and realises it’s become something more. He touches Geralt’s silver hair, wreathed in a halo of yellow sunlight, and allows himself to feel the cracks spreading through his heart. Witchers can’t love each other. It would only lead to suffering. Eskel realises he must weather the storm inside or let Geralt go forever.
Fic || Art
Full of Life (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 6.3k) by @sternenstaub28, art by @llwynbleidd
When Eskel gets hired to solve the case of people disappearing in town, she didn’t know she’d find a friend and maybe even something more.
or
Beauty and strength don't necessarily make your life easier, a companion and love however do.
Fic || Art
choices are the hinges of destiny (T, Eskel/Geralt, 7.5k) by @lutes-and-dandelions, art by @cassandrasartworld
After rescuing a fae from the clutches of death, they repay Eskel by helping him make a choice.
-oOo-
A story about what would have happened if Eskel had claimed his child of surprise.
Fic || Art
Eskel Vs The Continent (And His Feelings) (M, No Pairing, 47k) by @chibitabathasloves, art by @zmezagain
Eskel decides he needs to leave Kaer Morhen after the fight with the Hunt. Where will it take him? And will he be able to face his feelings he desperately tries to ignore.
Fic || Art
lookin' to the sky to save me (T, Eskel/Geralt, 10k) by @torynickles, art by @trissmarrygoals
Geralt slides his hand from Eskel’s shoulder to his back. And then. Then he keeps moving it, outwards, away from Eskel’s torso, where there should be nothing but air, but—
“What the fuck?” he chokes, because he can still feel Geralt’s hand, sensation where there should be none. He shakes his head wildly, twisting his arm to reach for his own back. His fingers connect to something, but—it’s not his body, it can’t be his body, even though he can feel himself touching it. Because he’s made up of skin and flesh, bone and muscle, and this thing has all of those, but—
It’s covered in sticky, damp feathers.
Fic || Art
A Fine Night at the Faire (M, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 12k) by Elensule, art by @liaonyxrayne
Eskel has been hurt by the world and hides for refuge in his little goat farm. He's found no reason to look for love, or much of anything else. But encouragement from his brother sends him to an unfamiliar locale; the renfaire! Maybe stepping out of his comfort zone was just what he needed.
Fic || Art
