forestdeath1

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my fav part about living in berlin is that the worse your clothes look, the better

i haven’t drunk (well, almost, just a little like 1-2 mexicaner, but no binge drinking) for a month already. that’s wild, but it’s so good!!! tbh i feel like i’ve fully recovered from my depression

parties without alcohol are so much better!!!

german vinted is soooo good!!!!!!!!!

my average daily step count is 12k!!! in spain it’s like 4k haha

i’m going to the fusion festival!!!! it’s almost 30 years old!! built on the grounds of a former soviet military airport and it’s kinda legendary and super leftist DIY fest, born out of post-communist east germany. i’ve heard it’s non-profit for the organisers, you can bring literally everything with you and food and drink are super cheap or even free inside. and it’s vegetarian!!!! they have 80+ music stages, performances, cinema, circus etc etc, i don’t even know what they have but i’m soooo excited

and i feel like this month is the first time i’ve been truly happy since 2022 despite everything

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James - the trusting one Sirius - the loyal one Remus - the kind one Peter - the one who sought protection

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James - the loud one Sirius - the dangerous one Remus - the quiet one Peter - the observing one

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James - the decision maker (“This’ll liven you up, Padfoot,”) Sirius - the instigator (“I'm bored”) Remus - the one who avoids conflicts Peter - the cheerleader

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James - the one who had everything Sirius - the one who lost everything Remus - the one who had little to lose Peter - the one who wanted more

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James - the one who died first Sirius - the one who died twice Remus - the one who survived but could not live Peter - the one who everyone thought was dead

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James - the hunted Sirius - the haunted Remus - the suspect Peter - the spy

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James - the one who trusted everyone Sirius - the one who trusted one too many Remus - the one who didn’t trust himself Peter - the one nobody should have trusted

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Ciri, from The Witcher 4 (Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo, June 2025).

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Sirius clearly does respect Snape even if he hates him, we know how he thinks about people he doesn’t respect(Peter) and it’s different, even if the emotions behind it is the same

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When I was little my mom’s meatloaf was my favorite food. But ONLY her meatloaf. I didn’t like anyone else’s, and she told me that she would teach me how to make it when I was older. And when I was like 19? She finally taught me, but she told me never to tell anyone else and I was like weird but okay

Anyway, she was super fucking homophobic and abusive to me when I told her I was gay, so here’s the recipe

4-6 lbs of Hamburger/turkey burger

1 pk onion soup mix OR ranch mix

1 TBs ketchup

1 Tbs spicy brown mustard,

1 Tbs bbq sauce

1 Tbs steak sauce

1 egg

mix, shape into a loaf in a big pan, and bake at 350 for 2 hrs (maybe 2 and a half if you’re feeling dangerous)

You can get almost all of these ingredients at the dollar store, and have leftovers if it’s just you. The leftovers make great tacos if (taco seasoning is also like a dollar). Enjoy your revenge loaf

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Thoughts on TW4's angle on Ciri

In the trailer of The Witcher 4, Mione is an analogue to Ciri.

Mione's father has raised her for a fate of becoming a noble sacrifice on the altar of a God. Men make Gods of all kinds of ideas, often out of fear; the beast in the cave is no different. Ithlinne's Prophecy is no different; once it reached the masses and sprouted numerous interpretations.

The father's monologue applies as much to Mione as to Ciri.

Fulfilling one's Destiny is a double-edged blade, and not at all straightforward. This is a Sapkowskian classic and a crux around which Ciri's character turns. When the father apologizes to Mione, saying this was "his only choice," it somewhat echoes back to the ending of The Witcher 3, where Ciri did what she did, because she chose to be the bringer of salvation; Geralt got no chance to influence her decision (only, we hope, the outcome).

To be chosen by the Gods/Purpose is, in Ciri's words, always a choice, too - one the believers make. Including herself.

The way Mione kneels before the Bauk's lair, again, echoes the ending of The Witcher 3 and Ciri in the blizzard. And when Ciri tells Mione to "save yourself," it's a noticeable shift from her mindset in TW3. "What can you know about saving the world, silly? You're but a witcher." What changed, Ciri?

I think the Witcher 4's trailer isn't subtle at all about what Ciri is struggling with. Bauk preys, specifically, on trauma. It says: "you cannot change anything," "fate cannot be changed," "you weren't supposed to come back." Did Ciri manage to change anything in the Tower? Or did she fail? Did she run? And then Kalemba saying: "She's almost obsessed with the way she lives."

It's as if Ciri is burying herself in witchering like an addict, while seeking atonement (for not being what she was meant to be, but still wanting to do good; on her own terms) by saving a girl - her own inner child? - from a fate she has related to since forever. Upon slaying the monster, there is an expression of elation, satisfaction, and release on her face. It's as if by being a witcher, Ciri is trying to slay her own haunts over and over and over again.

It's like she is running from herself. Because Ciri is, in truth, much more than a witcher.

While the witcher's profession is where Ciri's first notions of good and evil come from, I think Ciri might have a romanticized view about that life. Kalemba mentions that Ciri always chooses, but that includes choosing the greater evil often enough. That's classic bread and butter for these games, but I think given Ciri's unique position in the Saga & her traumas, there is a lot more that can be done with it. Perhaps CDPR will engage with what Sapkowski mentioned in regard to creating Ciri:

Ciri personifies evil, that's how i intended her to be – a monster, because (almost) everyone is trying to make a monster out of her.

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the most hilarious part of the witcher fandom is men saying “i loved the witcher saga but i can’t play as a woman”

dude, i respect your desire to stare at geralt’s lush butt for ≈150 hours, but maybe try enjoying a game without making everything about protagonist’s gender 🤡

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people who are still saying that women can’t be witchers are literally lacking reading comprehension

that was never stated by sapkowski or cdpr. in the last interview, sapkowski said himself “i never said that“. witchers were made from boys only because:

1) the survival rate was insanely low — only 1 out of 10 boys survived the trial of the grasses

2) the wolf school had no reason to try making witchers from girls because: it was already hard enough to get new children => they couldn’t afford to experiment on girls when they already had stats and protocols for boys

IT WAS NEVER STATED THAT GIRLS CAN’T GO THROUGH THE TRIAL OF THE GRASSES

not to mention that ciri is literally the elder blood and a Source

but still incels would cry “ciri can’t go through the trial of the grasses, cdpr ruined canon 😭😭😭, i will never play that awful woke game” 🤡🤡🤡

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Ciri in The Witcher 4 — Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo

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the best thing that could have happened to the witcher saga was CDPR. the worst — netflix

they never should have touched it

NEVER

it was so disrespectful on every level

the soul, the honesty, the tragedy, the slavic weight, the polish romanticism.. they stripped it all away

peak clown production

the witcher wasn’t meant for hollywood

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Seeing as we will be getting a lot more Ciri in the upcoming years, maybe it's time for a Ciri-centric writing-challenge? 👀 Show of hands? ✋

gif credit

[forestdeath1]

[forestdeath1]

it seems like germans and poles have some language trauma because every time i say that i love german or polish, they get sooo surprised, like it’s impossible to love their language (not in terms of learning, but for how it sounds etc).

i’ll heal you with all my love, don’t worry 🤣

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btw if anyone is waiting for my marauders/prongsfoot/etc content —- sorry folks, i don’t think i’ll be back to it for at least another 6 months

feel free to unfollow

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polish is so cool btw

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i think i’m going to learn polish so I can play the witcher 4 completely in polish!!!!

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Hi, I noticed your story has conflict in it, and I was wondering why you didn't just write people who are right doing everything correctly with a note saying "I enthusiastically co-sign everything in this story"? Must be some kind of mistake haha