I consume a lot of work in the Witcher fandom (#LongtimeLurker 😬) and occasionally contribute to it (actual image of me writing: 🐌). I recently discovered how to record podfics, which I really enjoy because each feels like a valentine to someone who lovingly sprinkled a bit of themselves onto my day and made it better.
Anyhoo… it’s not a long list, but here’s what I’ve been up to:
Fanfics:
May I? (Scenes from a few days in the lives of Eskel and Jaskier, from first meeting to first kiss. Featuring gorgeous art by @firefly-party!)
A Little Bit of Magic (WIP continuation of May I? Eskel and Jaskier enjoy a morning together and discover a little bit of magic.)
Podfics:
Break Into My Heart by YorkandDelta ~145min (Eskel moves into a new house and his neighbour's cat decides it likes to break in. Lucky for Eskel that gives him the perfect opportunity to talk to his cute neighbour, Jaskier. Link to original!)
Your Way is So Far by Lunacosas ~70min (Geralt and Jaskier have parted ways for the winter, even though it's not what either of them really wanted to do. Eskel, traveling north, bumps into Jaskier and invites him to come to Kaer Morhen. Link to original! And link to @lunacosass here on tumblr!)
Warmth Without Fire by Shinybug ~40min (In the frozen, lonely halls of Kaer Morhen, Jaskier finds warmth in the most unexpected and unlikely of places: with Geralt. Link to original!)
Try Me by Descarada ~40min (Eskel owns a children's bookshop. It has been a year since the accident, and he is still working on his new normal. Jaskier visits the shop once a week to lead singalongs for the children. This is the story of how Eskel takes a chance on a flirtatious, nerdy, children's musician on Christmas Eve. Link to original! And link to @fangirleaconmigo here on tumblr!)
The Verse is Sweet by kuripaaan ~10min (Jaskier demands that Geralt list his top five kisses. The answer is not what Jaskier expected. Link to original! And link to @kuripon here on tumblr!)
"I'm telling you Geralt, my songs are definitely working."
"A few contracts not skimping on payment isn't proof Jaskier. It's coincidence." Geralt replied as he stuffed his newly purchased supplies into Roach's saddlebag. After two years, he didn't need to look to know the bard was probably doing his uncanny impression of a landed trout. His default expression when he thought himself gravely offended.
"Oh hoho. So it's proof you want? Fine, I'll get you proof you old cynic - wait, I'm here calling you old, how old are you? I know Witchers age differently but it's all so contradictory. I remember one text claiming you aged backwards. Backwards!"
Geralt was blessedly distracted from Jaskier's tangent by a small tug on his cloak causing him to look behind him and then down.
A small, tear stained face with huge, liquid brown eyes looked up at him. The hand that wasn't clutching Geralt's cloak fisted in the skirt of a green dress as she shuffled her small, booted feet. Witcher and child stared at one another and even Jaskier had fallen silent.
"Are you the White Wolf?" She asked in a small voice.
Geralt could only nod in response, keeping an eye and both ears out for angry adults about to accuse him of kidnapping.
"I can't find my Papa." She sniffled, voice trembling and eyes welling up.
He felt himself slip into Witcher mode, trying to think what could be snatching people from a crowded town in the middle of the day, "What do you mean you can't find him, has he gone missing or-"
"Sweetheart, do you mean you got separated from your Papa in the market?" Jaskier gently interjected before Geralt could start fully interrogating her. The girl gave a small nod, turning her attention to the bard now kneeling in the dirt next to her.
Geralt felt his face heat up. Right. Just a lost child. That was also a possible (and the most logical) explanation.
"It's ok, we'll help you find him. Won't we Geralt?" Jaskier's tone of voice leaving no room for argument.
It turned out that Jaskier's idea of helping was having the girl perch on Geralt's shoulders and scan the top of the crowd for her father while he stood playing silly little dittys to keep her from crying again. Geralt holding onto her shins lightly and trying to ignore the mess being made on his cloak by muddy feet.
"I see him! Papa! Papa!"
Geralt tightened his grip slightly as her weight shifted with her frantic waving. Waiting until he was clearly making his way over to them before setting her gently back on the ground.
"Mika! Oh thank the God's." He turned his attention to the two men, his eyes widened as he took Geralt in fully.
"You're-"
"Hmmm."
Geralt tried to hide his surprise as the man grasped his hand in a firm if slightly clammy grip. "My thanks Wolf. I swear, if I went home without her my wife would make sure I shared the same fate as that Hag from the song of yours." He said, smiling awkwardly at his own attempt at humour, "Come on Mika, say goodbye. Oh, here."
He reached into his satchel and pulled something out. Geralt could smell warm sugar as he handed it over. "It's not much, but I don't know a single person who doesn't like cake. I could do with cutting down myself." He said, patting his own slight paunch before taking his daughters hand with a final "Thank you." Mika turning back to give a wave which they both returned before the two of them disappeared into the crowd.
"What?" Geralt asked as they left the town. The bard hadn't stopped grinning at him like the cat who'd got the canary.
"Nothing. It just, the timing and everything. Seems Destiny agreed with me for once. The songs are making a difference."
"Hmm." Geralt fought the urge to roll his eyes.
"Oh don't give me that." Jaskier said, swatting Geralt in the side as he unwrapped the package Mika's father had given them, "You saw as well as I did there were plenty of town guards around but she went to you. She wanted you. Oooh, maybe this would be good for a new song. The Gentle Wolf! Yes I- hey! "
"No cake for you until you stop." Geralt stated, popping a piece into his own mouth to hide his smile.
But there is a shrine in every witcher keep, tucked away in the back of a herb garden or half-hidden in a niche .... A small humanoid figure .... Grieving, perhaps, or fearful, or wounded, or just so weary that it cannot go on.
Inspired directly by "The Only God Of Witchers" by @inexplicifics
(One of the most powerfully touching short pieces I've ever read)
Can't remember if I've made this post before, but eh, why not repeat.
The Accidental Warlord AU needs a daycare/nursery at Kaer Morhen, SPECIFICALLY so that Geralt can go play with all the babies, toddlers, small children, etc and hide from his responsibilities.
Just IMAGINE how adorable he'd be, buried in little tykes, play-wrestling with them, or reading to them, or cuddling them to sleep.
Their parents come to pick them up, and are immediately like "....uh, I need to have FIVE DOZEN MORE CHILDREN NOW, just so I can hang them off the horribly terrifying Warlord of the North, who can be completely disarmed with exactly ONE (1) small child."
After about the fifth time that various members of the council have to pry Geralt away from the nursery, the children start hiding him.
Well. Attempting to hide him.
Please imagine:
Eskel has been sent to fetch both Geralt and Jaskier, who had previously been sent to fetch the runaway lord. He walks in to find
- 1 suspiciously Warlord sized lump, covered in a truly hideous afghan (it was an early project of Ciri's, Geralt adores it but made the mistake of taking it to the nursery ONCE and has never been able to able to reclaim it since)
- 3 gleefully giggling children sitting atop said suspiciously-sized blanket-covered lump
- one missing Consort instructing said children - and several stuffed animals - on proper tea party etiquette (he may or may not be playing his lute - I bet one of his spares has made its way down there after how many times Geralt has hidden among the children)
- one Consort's bodyguard (Aubry) with two toddlers in his lap and three more cuddled close, all listening to a story about birds (illustrated by Aleksander, obviously)
And if you think that Eskel escapes the tea party ding dong you're wrong
“And if you think that Eskel escapes the tea party ding dong you're wrong”
Hell, I think Eskel volunteered as tribute because (1) It gives him an excuse to slack off on his paperwork, and (2) he adores watching Adorable!Dad!Geralt be adorable.
