#Fringilla is a boss actually

[my-merry-idle-mind]

Some thoughts on Witcher S2

It’s pretty, of course it’s pretty

Good riddance to the terrible nilfgaardian armor from S1

I like Tris’ new look (to be clear, I love both S1 & S2 looks). She goes from floaty light dresses and beautiful voluminous gravity-defying hair, to stricter looking kirtles and long gravity-complying hair. They also made her hair more red. In S1 Tris has this amazing kindness and positivity, like nothing could hold her down for long. Her wardrobe and hair reflect that too. But in S2 she is dealing with trauma and depression or some sort of ptsd. Her hair and dresses now work together to hide her scars. Her look in S2 is a visual representation of the weight of her emotions and experience, and shows that she is change by Sodden. I like it.

A makeover I don’t like is Ciri. In S1 the makeup artists intentionally make the actress look younger than she is. Ciri looks maybe 14-ish. But S2 starts with her wearing makeup in a way that makes Ciri look like she is in her late teens. No time skip as explanation. Ciri looking older this season made her seem like a bratty teen, instead of a terrified child trying to find their way in this world.

They also did this to Pavetta. I think there was a change in makeup artists between the seasons.

Fringilla’s hair!!!!!! Chef’s kiss. During her days at Aretuza, Fringilla had lovely curls that (to me) read as sweet and innocent. When we see Fringilla on the warpath, her hair is short (still lovely) but it reads as more militant (this perception may be because of the US military’s restrictions on female hair, and how sometimes it’s just easier to chop it off and ignore that piece of your femininity). Once we see Fringilla step into a position of political power, she gets the robes and hair to match. She has this wonderfully regal braided hairstyle that she maintains for most of the season. Every time Fringilla and Francesa were talking, I was struck by the similarity in how they styled their hair. No, not twinzies, but similar enough that it could represent their current alignment. Many small braids forming a headband, and two main braids hanging over their shoulders with decorations.

TISSAIA!!! I’m so happy we had more tissaia scenes. I liked that the conversations between yennefer and tissaia weren’t adversarial, they were on equal footing.

Someone please tell me Tissaia is using Vilgefortz, because idk if I can handle it if she actually likes him. 😫

Nenneke shows up in quite a few fics, so I was really happy that I had a visual reference for her and her temple.

WHO DO FIRE FUCKER AND LYDIA REPORT TO??!?!

Are Stregobor’s hands really burned off, or is it another lie??

If stregobor can hide his hands, why can’t Tris hide her scars?? Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the writers touching on the aftermath of the battle and how some wounds are invisible and heal more slowly.

All the costumes were amazing, the Batman armor was hilarious, Jaskier’s hair was terrible (nice shirtless scene tho).

Yennaia moments!

Gerraskier reunion!

Whatever the fuck Yen and Jaskier had going on!

ALL. THE. BRAIDS. I love any hairstyle that uses a lot of braids, and the elves made me so happy this season!!!

[warmrainonawinterday]

So. Season 2 of Netflix's The Witcher, huh. I was disappointed.

What I liked:

- Jaskier's singing 💜

- proper screen time and lines of dialogue for the bruxa as well as Nivellen's confession that he raped the priestess being served as a gut punch at the end rather than being either omitted or admitted off the bat

- the dynamic between Geralt and Ciri is genuinely heartwarming

- I like the thought behind getting a more expansive look at Nilfgaard and what kind of person Fringilla is and what exactly the elves are up to. The execution was... meh, but I appreciate the effort.

- Fringilla paralizing and killing those guys in the dining hall

All the things I disliked:

- What I wanted was a plotline involving Yennefer that would deepen her character. What I got was bullshit. What was the fucking point of her losing her magic and running around like a headless chicken for the entire season leading up to her flimsy "betrayal" of Ciri to basically not matter and just be used as an excuse for another cheap action setpiece for the season finale. Was the Yen & Cahir Roadtrip really worth the screen time only for the audience to not even really learn any new information about Yen or Cahir in the process in the end. I also thought it was useless to spend so much time on Tissaia and Geralt believing Yen to be dead when we know the entire time that of course she isn't

- With Yennefer apparently on the run now, is the show going to adapt the coup without Yen and Geralt attending the ball?

- Vilgefortz and Tissaia... why? What does this add?

- it is baffling to me that the show had Jaskier and Cahir meet now, kind of? Is Jaskier just going to do a double take and side-eye him extra hard when he shows up in Baptism of Fire and joins the gang on the Road Trip To Find Ciri? Are they not going to recognize each other? "Hey Geralt, don't worry about the man who haunts Ciri's worst nightmares, I saw him travelling with Yen not too long ago, he's not that bad"?

- the (non-book-canon) 'conflict' of "Do Yen and Geralt only fake love each other because of djinn magic?" remains unresolved/is swept under the rug, not to mention the extremely lazy Geralt and Jaskier friendship reunion (resulting from yet another non-book-canon conflict)

- the sheer amount of (at times really cheap-looking) huge monsters that Geralt fights made them feel like video game quest boss battles and this got stale and tiring and boring real fucking fast. And not once was there a great battle sequence with Ciri and Geralt properly fighting together

- Not enough Philippa Eilhart content considering just how many times her owl form was shown

- With all this focus on the elves, where the FUCK are the Scoia'tael and why have they never even been referred to by name yet?

- What a waste of potential to have Ciri only stay at Melitele's temple for a few hours instead of getting the book plot of her actually getting an education there and slowly forming a bond with Yennefer on her own without Geralt being present. As cute as the instant-family bond of the show was starting from Ciri walking in on Yen and Geralt, it didn't quite feel earned.

- Falka's introduction to the show's lore was badly done. Also, no one wanted or needed extended Stregebor screen time, I am sure of it

- The half-hearted adaptations of the book monologues that Triss directs at Geralt (and the other witchers) fell sadly flat

- Why WAS Ciri constantly training by mindlessly beating the shit out of a. thin air, and b. an unmoving straw dummy. That's not fight training, that's dance choreography. I wanted to like the "parkour training course" more, I imagined it to be more complex and longer than it was

- Justice for Eskel. I also don't know how Netflix could possibly expect me to care about the deaths of some of the witchers when they barely got referred to by name and had no real space to develop personalities or a bond with Ciri.

I am not that much of a book snob that I am just crying about any and all book changes. In fact, I have a personal laundry list of Book Canon that I would love to have never happened or be changed beyond the point of recognition. It's just that with a character dynamic like that of Yennefer and Ciri it is baffling to me how anyone could look at the season two finale and think it was an improvement in comparison to the source material. Seemingly done just because the show needed flashy action scenes for the finale which, yeah, admittedly, isn't really found in Blood of Elves.

[drownerbrains]

what if. w what if cahir was fringilla's dog 🐕

just. she somehow gets stuck with this sad-eyed golden retreiver, and she doesn't want it. but there's nobody else who can take it, and either she adopts it or it gets euthanized, so. she reluctantly takes it home w her.

and they're mutually wary and snappish w each other at first, but then one day after she's had a really horrible day--genuinely awful, she's just coming off a breakup and then today her boss writes her up and threatens to fire her--and when she gets home cahir leans his whole body against her legs and rests his head on her knee and looks at her with those big puppydog eyes full of...love?

she's so pleasantly surprised she gets a spoon for him too,, and shares some of the pint of ice cream (ben & jerry's cherry garcia) she got to have herself with him (though she does keep her bottle of wine for herself).

she decides that night that maybe, actually, other people might be a little bit right about dogs. or her dog, at least

[gayregis]

Do you have any thoughts on TWN using non polish actors to portray characters from polish fantasy book with dense polish culture and roots? And on how most of the cast apperereance are drastically different than in the books? Like Foltest, Renfri, Fringilla or Calanthe? (Sorry this is the correct one, i forgot to add Fringilla on my previous question.)

i feel like the witcher should not be handled by a large american company like netflix. it is clear that a lot of decisions were made to “dumb the series down” in a manner that would make it more of a pop culture phenomenon that could be used to profit off of from viewership, subscriptions, social buzz, and merchandise, instead of an opportunity to demonstrate actual artistry, storytelling, character depth, and poignant messages. the company that handles it CAN be american or another nationality besides polish, but it shouldn’t be a huge one focused on making as much money and social sharability as possible, that will ruin things. (i also feel like the witcher should not be a live-action adaptation, but this is kind of besides the point... to better gauge how i think the feel of a visual-audial witcher adaptation should look, my dream adaptation would be that of a more “adult version” (”adult” meaning in themes like war and despair) studio ghibli or laika).

in regards to casting, i feel like it’s fine to not use an all polish cast as long as they fit the character description in a way that is actually relevant to the plot. so many people in response to people of color being cast in the witcher were volalitely racist and demanded a “polish cast” - as if polish MUST = white. even though poland is not as ethically diverse as some other european countries, people of color do exist in poland, as they/we exist everywhere. if you want an “all-polish cast and production,” that’s fine to me, i don’t think it’s inherently necessary, but i think if one is doing so, that doesn’t mean that it would be wrong to cast actors of color in roles. 

i think the issue lies more with storytellng, for two reasons. one is that eastern european people involved on set seem to actually understand the witcher and what it’s about way better than any of the british cast, and by that i mean sakharov and baginski, who have demonstrated more understanding of like, the style of storytelling (not every scene needs to be jammed with action, drama, sex, gore), what the characters actually mean to each other, and the lore in general. this makes sense because i have read some articles and such before about how the witcher was and is important to its fans in poland and eastern europe because very little “slavic fantasy” ever gets exported and represented internationally, and of course sapkowski involved many cultural references in the series, so it’s recognizable to people from those regions (or are diaspora from those regions) who grew up hearing these fairytales, etc. it’s more of a meaningful callback and less of a “foreign curiosity,” if that makes sense. so for those reasons, i think it’s important to have a majority polish and/or slavic writing room/directors/etc, people behind the story and how the story is told - but that doesn’t mean the writer’s room should be all white men, though. diversity in gender, race, etc should be considered.

the other reason is that the casting for the netflix is inaccurate, but not for reasons of race. the issue with anya chalotra as yennefer isn’t that she is indian, it’s that her hair is incredibly straight and flat and not like yennefer’s curly stormy hair at all, and that her face is so soft and childlike, she doesn’t look stern and cold like yennefer at all. there are many casting issues amongst the white members of cast, such as henry cavill, who doesn’t fit the description of geralt at all because geralt looks like he’s starved constantly, and joey batey, who ... well, dandelion is supposed to be blonde and curly long-haired... but of course, these are the appearances which don’t really “matter” in regards to the story. except i think geralt’s build, as well as yennefer and ciri’s proximity in age, which makes me nauseous to think about how they only have a 6 year age difference

one physical description which does actually matter to the plot/lore is that of calanthe, pavetta, and ciri, as they are a matrelineal line, but in netflix, they don’t look related at all. i saw so many people complaining that they should have chosen a white actress for calanthe, but why is she the problem? why not cast people of color for calanthe, pavetta, and ciri altogether? they should look related and have the ashen grey hair/green eyes, but that doesn’t mean they have to be white. it’s a similar issue with yennefer and fringilla. they are supposed to look similar, and i saw many people complaining that they chose mimi who is black to be fringilla, they are just using “they need to look similar” as an excuse to hide their racism and anti-blackness, because anya is more white-passing than mimi is. from my perspective, why not then cast a black actress who looks similar to mimi as yennefer, then? “they need to look similar” again does not mean “they need to all be white or white-passing.”

we should have cast actors that both fit the descriptions of the characters in the books AND are diverse, without it being “random diversity to appeal to a diverse audience.” lauren thought she was so clever by throwing the actors of color in the roles of background characters, stereotypes, forgettable and disposable aides to the white leads, or super evil villains... i see what you did... why not center actors of color in an actually proud and leading light, with lead roles, where the casting makes sense and isn’t there for tokenization that does nothing to empower people of color? actually incorporate people of color into your artistic projects in a way that respects them and makes sense and not just so you can get more views to make more money

other divergences from canon like foltest were just piss-poor and demonstrated the lack of understanding about the messages of the story. foltest was supposed to be handsome, elegant, and as a refined a king as any, to show how those in power are actually corrupt and as prone to disgusting acts as any other human being, that foltest is not a better man than geralt because he is beautiful and sits on a throne. by making him disgusting on the outside, they totally missed the point that he is supposed to mask his disgustingness on the inside with beauty on the outside. also i feel like (maybe related) twn really made a whole joke out of foltest and his relationship to his sister because in one of the flashbacks (in the sorcerer? gala? party?) foltest is shown as a kid with his sister and his mom grabs his arm or whatever and is like “foltest stop bothering your sister” as like some kind of fucking joke... literally they made a “funny ahaha incest joke” like seriously wtf. the story of the striga in particular should be taken seriously imo because of how rawly the tragedy is depicted... this is probably why it’s one of my least favorite short stories... its so sad and also incest disgusts me horribly

for renfri i feel like she was just sooooo ... more “likable” as a character, a lot like how yennefer’s character was changed. you feel feelings of pity and curiosity towards her rather than actually being intimidated by her. renfri in the books actually made me so mad because i think she represents something like what ciri goes through across the saga, just how when you have the choice on how to respond to your abuse, you can easily become consumed with revenge, and i think renfri made me think of myself in that way so i really disliked it when they changed this terrifying raw aspect of her anguish and hunger for retrubution that made her lose her humanity into like, more of a palatable manner of killing... it really was just “girl with sword” and it was so boring. the lesser evil literally makes my stomach turn and that’s why i only read the story like once as well...

also to return to fringilla, i liked mimi and i thought she should have been cast for yennefer instead maybe.... i just was really upset at how much they changed fringilla’s character in the writing to be a “generic evil villain” when in the series she actually is kind of unique in my opinion. she is like, not allied at all with the main characters, but ends up saving both yennefer and geralt’s lives. she’s not good or bad, she’s not super loyal to the empire but she is still nilfgaardian/beauclairoise, and she just exists as a character and that’s why i actually like her in the books (asides from all of the unnecessary library nonsense). i thought mimi could have handled that complex role really well but they totally took that away from her and just made her a flat boring forgettable “evil” character that does “forbidden black magic” and is super loyal to an empire that brought her purpose because yennefer was mean to her once or smth ig... yeah ok. also i fucking hate how they had cahir of all fucking people order her around. idk how old cahir is supposed to be in netflix because he’s obviously not like 16-20 as he would be in canon during this time period, but to have him be the boss of fringilla... that is dumb as hell. i just try and think about that ever occuring with books verse cahir and fringilla and i think she would smack him off of his horse and into the mud. she’d tell assire and assire would get mawr to drag him off by his ear as he tries not to cry.  also of course i hate cahir’s casting and the fact that they showed his face. why. it ruins like every message that his character had...

oh also because i HAVE to talk about it. i hate how they tried to make jaskier more masculine/boyish with not giving joey a wig or flamboyant setting-appropriate garb, i think they are allergic to men with long hair that’s not a grime, dirt-covered mess... literally just give half of the production wigs or better wigs i swear to god ... also like this is totally for another post but i don’t think making jaskier a flirt is inherently misogynistic like he acts in the books at times. like just write the misogynistic bits out and it’s fine... flirtatiousness is not evil when it’s consensual and appreciated ... i think they just really wanted geralt to be the one that gets large amounts of p*ssy because he’s muscular or w/e and jaskier became this sort of helpless annoying barnacle on his side instead of a real character and friend to him. and to bring this point back to the main point , i think character appearance really affects their characterization: jaskier in twn has short, boyish hair with no facial hair, which makes him look kind of juvenile, jaskier in the books has curly long hair with some light facial hair, which kind of brings up ehhh what would you call it... 70s casanova energies maybe, a man that puts oils in his hair and such, male thottery...

[rhinedottir-yennefer]

Oh, that ask thingy I was so happy I got tagged in and never got to fill in!

You thought. Well guess what! Today imma gonna fill in the ask questions I got from @advena87 (thank you again for challenging me!) But since I’m a book reader - and I also think my follows and followers should be more encouraged to post book stuff - I’m gonna try and fill in as book content-y as I can. Here we go!  Skellige Isles or the continent?

I love the continent, especially Lyria, Rivia & Dol Blathana, but this is definitely gonna be Skellige for me. I love how raw and unbiased people are over there. They also provide equal rights to women. Which I think is far more developed than one would think when it comes to the Skellige Isles.  

Velen or Toussaint?

This is going to be Toussaint for me. Not because of the visionairy (which is, btw, flawless in TW3-B&W) but because in the books we spend a good chunk of the story there, and we really get to know how society and the monarch works. 

Novigrad or Beauclair?

I would definitely say “the centre of the world” Novigrad. The “free city” Novigrad. It’s so lively there, everyone finds the business they need. But I also like the dark side of it. The beggars, the sewers, the crying Eternal Fire zealots. 

Sleeping at Corvo Bianco or meditating under a tree?

This is gonna be meditating & sleeping under a tree, simply because there’s no “Corvo Bianco” in the books. I really loved that ending, for me though Geralt stayed on the path. 

Inns or Brothels?

Inns have such nicer ahmosphere. I love the candlelit chandeliers, the cheap beer, the people giving you various looks. Music! Geralt always has a nice meal whenever he goes to an inn.  I wish that for him. 

Caves or Ruins?

There’s not much caves in the books, ruins however, plenty. Ruins. 

High or low difficulty?

I guess noone prepared me for the emotional trauma that was the battle at Stygga, so high?

Going back to old save: yay or nay?

I have a bookmark.

Mods: yay or nay?

Sadly I can’t apply any filters to books, but the good thing is I don’t have to! I have imagination to help me. 

Mini-map or no mini-map?

I did actually use a map of the continent while I was reading. I marked the route each of the main characters took. 

Roach or Fast travel?

Roach, because she’s the best friend to Geralt when there’s no Jaskier/Dandelion(/Kökörcsin) around.

Roads or Boats?

There was always something bad going on when Geralt got on a boat, so... Roads. 

Specters or Relicts?

Ooh, I love an old type leshen. And godlings. And dopplers. And czorts. Definitely a relict girl here! o/

Beasts or Hybrids?

I would say hybrids. Especially sirens and succubi. 

Necrophages or Vampires?

Vampires all the way! You didn’t think I would forget about our best boy Regis, ya? (B&W vampires are awesome too, Orianna is an all-time favourite of mine)

Orgroids or Elementa?

Since there’s not much ogroid in the books, I would definitely go with the elementa, because of djinns & genies.  

Draconids or Cursed Ones?

Draconids! At least we get quite a few in the books! The cursed ones Geralt meet in the saga he doesn’t kill, rather turn them back to normal. 

The Caretaker or the Crones?

I loved the Crones! Chilling & ruthless, but very well written characters. And their boss theme is absolute bop. 

Botchlings or spotted Wights?

Spotted wights, I guess. 

Godlings or Trolls?

Godlings are kind of adorable. 

Sirens or Harpies?

Sirens, please and thank you. 

Killing or sparing?

Depends on the situation. With Vilgefortz? Kill any day. Renfri? Protect at all costs. 

Dijkstra or Roche?

As much as I love Vernon Roche, I must aknowledge the fact he’s not a book character so Dijkstra all the way. 

Vesemir or Crach an Craite?

I really loved Crach even in the books, from a young chap (at Pavetta’s 15th birthday) to someone who even woo’d Yen xD I think the Witcher 3 gave him a worthy-mighty route to embrace. Shame he had to go so early. 

Eskel or Lambert?

I was always more fond of Eskel’s quiet and composed manner. He’s like a true brother to Geralt. 

Keira or Philippa?

Philippa all the way. I just really love characters involved in intrigues by choice, and when it comes to the Lady Owl, she’s like the absolute queen. 

Cerys or Hjalmar?

Ok so, this is difficult, because Cerys was not in the books, unlike Hjalmar. But I really liked what they did with them in TW3 and how they did it, and I don’t even feel like they’ve overwritten the canon or anything. I always felt like Cerys’ calm composed manner and playing on the safe side attitude would ensure Skellige would survive. Even if they’re not going down in history as great invaders or warriors.  

Syanna or Anarietta?

Since Syanna was not in the books, but even if she was, I wouldn’t like her, I have to go with Annarietta who’s been the brattiest, sassiest and most spoiled young princess in the books. But that didn’t stop me from liking her.  Yen or Triss?

Yennefer is the queen of this story. I get where the game Triss likers are coming from, but since I’m here to spread book awesomeness, where she’s been the absolute worst (and not even a proper love interest to Geralt [even Fringilla was a longer relationship to him!]) this wasn’t a hard choice at all. Yennefer is the best for Geralt.  

Ciri or Geralt?

I’ve always been genuinely more immersed in Geralt’s side of the story, talking strictly about books, than Ciri’s.  

Regis or Dettlaff?

Regis. Never gonna com a time when I don’t pick Regis. 

Olgierd von Everec or Gaunter O’Dimm?

Olgierd, I guess. I can definitely see someone like him in the books. 

Olgierd von Everec or Iris von Everec?

Iris deserved better.

Shani or Dandelion?

Ok so, there’s no witcher without Dandelion/Jaskier/Kökörcsin, and I absolutely love this bloody Casanova, but, strictly speaking in book context, Shani doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. She’s really complex and been through a lot. Our bard has too, true, but he’s more like the comic relief of the saga. 

Johnny or Sarah?

Sarah!

Sorceresses or Witchers?

Sorceresses. I guess. Life is much more easier if you’re a sorceress. 

Druids or the local holy man?

Druids all the way! Especially those of Skellige! My king Mousesack . I love him. 

Food or Swallow?

Swallow. Not gonna use it though, but this one’s closer to the book canon. 

Decoctions or Potions?

Potions is on the canon side. 

Hunting for diagrams or finding them per chance?

Finding them by chance, I guess. Book Geralt has no time to hunt diagrams amidst all this canon shitstorm xD

Saving coin or spending coin?

Saving.

Looting or buying?

I guess looting is more on the canon side here. 

Upsetting the guards or following the rules?

Never upset the guards. 

Igni or Axii?

Axii!

Yrden or Aard?

Yrden!

Signs or blade oils?

Signs!

Crossbow or fists?

Crossbow is more book canon I guess.  

Settling down or staying on the path?

Book Geralt doesn’t like staying put, so staying on the path.

Gwent Cards or Swords?

Gwent cards. 

Beard or no beard?

No beard. It’s canon.  “Puss Peepers” or “Mutant”?

I have never in my book reading journey read Puss Peepers. Mutant, however... Hey! Thank you very much again for the callout, @advena87 and I hope everyone who actually read through that abominatin enjoyed my answers. And that they weren’t too book-posh. If yes, I’d say I’m sorry, but really I’m not. K BYE

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

Time for episode 7 of The Witcher! It’s called “Before A Fall” and it makes sense to be about the events that lead closer and closer to the fall of Cintra (if I remember correctly, Calanthe expected Geralt to be in Cintra when the attack took place, so I suppose the last episode must show what Geralt was doing there around that time and then connect to present-time and his eventual meeting with Cirilla).

In the last installment, Geralt managed to break up with both of his partners in like 3 minutes (the real bisexual agenda).

It’s interesting that he and Yennefer had a fight in consequence of which she stormed off, while Geralt pushed Jaskier away because he blames Jaskier for getting him involved with emotional things, framing Jaskier as the element that forces Geralt out of his walls he’s built around himself so he won’t get hurt--but that don’t allow him to have human connections. Jaskier is what makes Geralt human, and while his character is mostly used as comic relief, the narrative firmly places him in the role of the character that pulls at Geralt’s walls and forces him to be more than the monster-killing persona he’s created for himself (understandably, when other people see you as an abomination that’s only good as a monster-killing machine, there’s some control to be found in embracing that exact identity). Jaskier literally creates a different identity for Geralt, as his PR manager, painting him as a hero rather than a butcher. But it’s more than that, because by treating him as a person, he forces Geralt to be a person instead of a machine, i.e. to be his actual self, because he’s not a machine, that’s just the identity he adopted for self-protection.

(Oh. Oh, no. I did it again. I got involved in a human-machine narrative again. Fuck. This was supposed to be a weird fun ride instead it slammed me with the brand of feels that is most effective on me. Damn it.)

I mean, the same thing, I suppose, happens with Geralt and Yennefer with Geralt being the one who pulls down Yen’s walls and makes her be human, but in their case the journey has barely started yet, and we can only guess where it’s going because it makes sense narratively. Of course Geralt needs to pull down his walls at least a bit first, and then do the same thing to Yen. Geralt seems to have already understood his feelings for her, but she’s in denial and would rather storm off than make herself vulnerable. On the other hand Geralt isn’t very happy with his newfound vulnerability, thus why he pushes Jaskier away.

...I was supposed to start watching the next episode. Oops. Here we go.

Ciri is hungry and disillusioned. Somebody adopt this child please.

Speaking of which, Geralt admires the view. There’s a big army and Geralt isn’t impressed but this turn of events.

He has very pointedly ignored everything about the child, whom he only now learns is a girl, but makes sure to inform her guardian that there’s danger ahead.

Calanthe doesn’t want to lose Ciri to Geralt, but Geralt knows that there’s a chance the girl will be safer with him than in the city.

Oof. Calanthe is playing with destiny and this won’t go well.

Yennefer visits her ex, who is doing academic work in the field. She is tired of being wanted just in virtue of being an object in a position of power... But he’s gotten over her after being hurt and rejected by her. That’s my boy. 

Tissaia basically sends a fellow mage to recruit Yennefer into going to Aretuza again, and unlike the last time when she refused her offer because she was busy being an Independent Bad Mage(TM) she now accepts. 

Twist! Tissaia isn’t behind this. It’s all Mustache Mage.

Yennefer makes a trip down memory lane... and gives drugs to some girls. Well, and also tells them about the secret workings of Chaos School.

Meanwhile mages are having a meeting about politics in this time of war, and finally we see a map. I love how you have Game of Thrones who spoon-feeds you reminders of what is where every episode and this show is like, oh you want to know what’s going on? Fuck you.

Fringilla appears and it becomes a fight between the traditional way of doing things, and Fringilla&co’s new way of doing things.

White Flame Team does Forbidden Magic! Fringilla says there is no light or dark magic, just stories that the bosses of the traditional way tell to keep the status quo. Cool story, still slaughter, though...?

Tissaia breaks a lance in favor of Cintra, saying they might have put up walls and been proud but they must have been scared, and they dismissed them as a lost cause and didn’t try harder, also out of pride. She is in a tiny minority.

Tissaia admits Aretuza is all she has, and that she’s going to fight to protect it, and asks Yen to help her, to do it for her. For Yen, her plea is too little, too late.

We reach the point where we started in the pilot, but this time we actually know what the hell is going on. I’ve enjoyed the time fuckery, it’s been weird but fun.

In the present time, Ciri is attacked by her former friends... and she awakens powers :3

Aaah it’s so bad we have so little left before having to wait 84 years for the next season. Honestly this was supposed to be a wonky season because of the whole ~bunch of prologue stories sewn together~ thing, but I think it worked, and the choppiness was crafted well into a narrative puzzle we had to solve by following the story. Also, if this is indeed “just” a prologue, that is pretty promising for what’s to come...