#the parallels with ciri’s story makes me so emotional like…

[hanzajesthanza]

“what does geralt get from that friendship…”

another post examining the weight of geralt and dandelion’s friendship… because i don’t think people recognize how painful and debilitating loneliness can become.

the witcher as a deconstruction of the genre takes fantasy tropes to their most logical ends—it asks us to consider what The Lone Swordsman feels, looks into the humanity in a Cold-Blooded Killer. and it turns out he’s not cold-blooded at all.

that despite some superhuman abilities, he laments and worries and curses himself, just like any other worker of any other profession. just as the farmer is scorched by the sun, the washerwoman’s back aches, and the scholar goes half-blind studying, a witcher deals with all of the pains and annoyances and dangers of his job in a mundanely human way.

but the farmer, the washerwoman, and the scholar have something the witcher does not have—they’ll always be seen as human and part of their society. at the end of the day after enduring all of their labor, they have their wife to caress, festivities to attend, and taverns to frequent. but for a witcher? after the killing is over, what does he have? no one and nothing. not even a thank you. he is met with fear and hatred everywhere he goes, baseless bigotry and dislike.

I did my job. I quickly learned how. I’d ride up to village enclosures or town pickets and wait. If they spat, cursed and threw stones, I rode away. If someone came out to give me a commission, I’d carry it out.

so he faces not just loneliness, but being deliberately ostracized and cast out from society. geralt can’t even find a polite word in most settlements, much less a friend.

‘(…) Tell me, where should I go? And for what? At least here some people have gathered with whom I have something to talk about. People who don’t break off their conversations when I approach. People who, though they may not like me, say it to my face, and don’t throw stones from behind a fence. (…)’

this kind of loneliness is not a mere inconvenience. it’s completely altering to your self-perception and ability to see the positive in the world.

each day is not lived, but endured.

day in, and day out—forced to the most difficult and lowest labor in order to survive, and knowing that were you to die, no one would search for your body, few would miss you, hell, they might even spit “good riddance”.

in this situation, to find a friend, is not only friendship, but a rescue.

without dandelion, geralt may have drowned—drowned in solitude, amidst a sea of strangeness.

‘(…) And I’m alone, completely alone, endlessly alone among the strange and hostile elements. Solitude amid a sea of strangeness. Don’t you dream of that?’

No, I don’t, he thought. I have it every day.

because dandelion is not only a bright soul, characteristic rippling laughter and the strum of a lute, but someone who will intently listen to geralt, someone who mutually enjoys his company.

‘(…) you almost jumped out of your pants with joy to have a companion. Until then, you only had your horse for company.’

someone who doesn’t see him as strange and at the fringes of society at all, but as an utterly normal man.

and doesn’t impose demeaning, sappy sympathy onto him, but sobering and realistic “quit your bullshit” which ridicules the very thought that he should internalize societal hatred.

Do you know what your problem is, Geralt? You think you’re different. (…) [You don’t understand that] for people who think clear-headedly you’re the most normal man under the sun, and they all wish that everybody was so normal. What of it that you have quicker reflexes than most and vertical pupils in sunlight? That you can see in the dark like a cat? That you know a few spells? Big deal.

dandelion isn’t “willing” to accept geralt for himself—he already has accepted him. and to him, it’s no difficulty, it’s nothing worth discussing, because he sees no abnormality and no strangeness in him.

while others “prefer the company of lepers to witchers,” dandelion has already offered geralt to share his room and board. not out of sympathetic pity, not out of fetishizing curiosity. because… they’re friends.

and what else does this friendship save him from?

not only from others, but from himself.

worse than enduring others’ apathy and hatred is one’s own thoughts—the darkness and negativity which builds from witnessing and experiencing such behavior.

dandelion’s ability to counter and dispel geralt’s pessimism and self-flagellating tendencies—again, not out of pity, but out of friendship—is undeniably invaluable. someone to rescue you from your darkest thoughts, when you begin to spiral.

and in this darkness, all you can do is cry. you cry, beg for someone to help you, please—

Help! Why doesn't anyone help me? Alone, weak, helpless – I can't move, can't force a sound from my constricted throat. Why does no one come to help me? I'm terrified!

to be alone, the saga reminds us, is worse than a death sentence. to be alone is to “perish; stabbed, beaten or kicked to death, defiled, like a toy passed from hand to hand.” to be alone is to suffer, and to be with someone is to save them from that suffering.

'(…) I wouldn't like anything bad to happen to you. I like you too much, owe you too much-'

'You've said that already. What do you owe me, Yennefer?'

The sorceress turned her head away, did not say anything for a while.

'You travelled with him,' she said finally. 'Thanks to you he was not alone. You were a friend to him. You were with him.'

it is true that geralt has saved dandelion countless times, helped him, gotten him out of some scrape… but to ask what did geralt get in return? are you kidding me?

did you ever consider that it is dandelion who saved geralt?

by being with him. by being by his side. by being his friend.

indeed, dandelion has rescued geralt, countless times, from the yawning jaws of endless loneliness. he’s helped him, chased away the danger of geralt’s own rumination. and he’s gotten him out of scrapes, his own insecurities and bitter helplessness.

so what does dandelion give geralt? what does geralt get from their friendship?

an amusing question. what one gets from friendship is the friendship itself. and that is more than enough.

[revoevokukil]

A thought on symbolism I had the other day:

In both Arthurian and Greek myths, “ferrymen” take the dead to the Otherworld/Underworld (Avalon/Hades). Tir na Lia itself is an Otherworld archetype, and Eredin says something interesting to Ciri in Time of Contempt: “You belong to us. We are corpses, but you are death.”

First, Ciri perceives herself as death incarnate (everyone whose destiny brings them together with her dies sooner or later). At the end of Lady of the Lake, with Geralt & Yennefer, Ciri too acts as the ferryman Charon, or as one of the Otherworld’s Queens (e.g. Morgana) who take Arthur to Avalon.

Secondly, Ciri’s role as a woman and the Grail is heavily laden with the life-death cyclicality symbolism, which a number of people underscore as her Destiny – to be the beginning and the end.

Thirdly, Ciri “the ferryman” finds her way out of Tir na Lia (the Otherworld) via a river as well. Before this happens though, the Alder King gets his last look in the eyes of his wife and daughter, because Ciri bears the eyes of both Shiadhal and Lara.

Therefore, in my opinion, Ciri’s coming to Tir na Lia forms an effective “closing of the circle” for Auberon. The Alder King has already played his role in life to its full, having been both a husband and a father, and is now witnessing the eyes of his daughter come “alive” again as the story, in many ways, starts repeating itself – again a child is needed, again new life must emerge to offer new possibilities for life (travelling to new worlds/realities) or the elves are naught but half-alive corpses, impotent and stuck.

Remember a particular philosophy that is repeated several time in the last books of the Witcher Saga: “everything has already been written about, everything has already happened.” It echoes in how many stories parallel each other in the Saga too, but it also echoes for elves in how time repeats itself.

In the end, a child should bury their parent and not the other way around. If Ciri’s role mirrors Lara’s, then it is only befitting she would – after hundreds of years of grief – be there in the last moments of Auberon’s life.

(It pays to consider that despite what Auberon sets out to do in Lady of the Lake, Ciri through her connection to Lara is still closer to a daughter-figure to Auberon, unlike to Avallac’h.

In the latter case the circle of Fate remains unclosed, and it makes me wonder if Ciri was at all intended to have this child with Auberon in the first place. If it was not simply the matter of Avallac’h running away from his Destiny after being unable to emotionally process seeing Lara’s eyes (and Cregennan’s ancestry) in Ciri after she exited the Tower of the Swallow; after which Avallac’h left so abruptly he even forgot to give Ciri his name.

In doing so, Avallac’h would parallel Geralt, who rejects destiny on similarly emotional grounds, thus bringing nothing but harm. It doesn’t hurt either that Avallac’h and Geralt have a direct confrontation on this matter of “whom Ciri’s destiny is tied to in the first place” in the Tower of the Swallow.)

---

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[gayregis]

you might've already answered this but i adore all your takes on the show SO what did you think abt twn having the timeline all out of order? i didn't mind (even tho i read the books after) but i know it bothered a lot of people. thanks !

honestly, this is something that bothers me the most. it is on-par with the sincerely bad mischaracterizations of all of the characters and removal of the significant messages and themes of the short stories.

i feel that it’s insanely confusing for the majority of people when watching to have timeskips that are many many years apart without as much as a text card to say (20 years later). it’s good that you didn’t mind, but yeah i have heard from basically everyone, even people who loved the show, who say that the timeskips were the one thing that super confused them.

now, i watched the show having had read the books and legitimately dissecting any little thing as i watched. i went at this show with fucking tweezers and a scapel. i don’t get to say that i was confused by the timeskips, because during every single shot and scene, i was literally taking notes in a text document as to where the narrative was going and which scene was which from the books, where they were on the continent, what short story they were doing... although i was confused when things diverged so wholly from canon during the brokilon arc, i don’t get to say i was confused by the timeskip between the events of the lesser evil and the massacre of cintra, because i knew these stories already. 

but as a viewer, i was confused as to why they felt that was necessary. there was no reason to add in timeskips. there was no great parallel being made. they didn’t connect the two stories at all besides renfri making a side comment about how she was jealous of calanthe, then-princess. there was no thematic parallel. it felt like a gimmick to keep people from being bored with the first story (which it was, because there was a lack of interesting dialogue and i got very bored with it).

and it gets worse when i try to think of what it would have been like if i had NO prior knowledge of the witcher, or even just knowledge from the witcher 3. i... would have had no idea where cintra geographically is. i wouldn’t know who vesemir is when geralt mentions him. i wouldn’t have the faintest fucking clue as to why the story is switching between this man and this girl, and i’d be trying to establish their connection with no luck. because there’s literally nothing by this point which tells you that ciri is his daughter.

i think it’s a fucking stupid gimmick that lauren hissrich did because she wanted to gain more viewers by being “progressive” and including female characters yennefer and ciri earlier in the story even when it makes everything all the more confusing to have them there. i think it was a really stupid move that isn’t justifiable in any way because it’s sincerely disorienting to the viewer and makes everything make no sense. in the books, the stories are laid out in a certain order with a certain framing story for a reason. ciri appears as a character when she does for a reason. 

geralt finding ciri in brokilon was... such an incredibly significant moment and the fact that they didn’t introduce ciri in this way was really heartbreaking and sore to me. when geralt realizes that ciri is not just some random girl, but his daughter, that she is his child and she is not his destiny but something more... as ciri says to yennefer in blood of elves, you should have seen the look on his face. i wanted to see the look on new fans’ faces, on even my own face because it’s worth it to see a story retold. it was meant to be a surprise... she is the surprise child, as geralt says, she’s the biggest surprise he’s ever met. and the fact that geralt has to part with her, that he HAS to because otherwise he would bring danger to her, is incredibly painful. that was ciri’s introduction for a reason. the saga begins to follow her from that point on, that distinguishable point in brokilon. after this, the next story is something more, which revolves around many significant people in geralt’s life, but is focused on his desire to become ciri’s father for real. this point is very important because it’s a turning point for the series. it stops being about geralt, and begins to be about ciri.

similarly, yennefer is introduced as she is for a reason. in the last wish, she is not meant to be immediately likable. she antagonizes geralt and is actually kind of the antagonist of the story for a good part of it. the netflix series introduces her with her sad backstory, making the first emotion you feel towards her be pity and outrage at her treatment. yennefer in the book series was slowly developed, yennefer in the book series is carmelized onions. at first she is like raw onions, when you chop a raw onion your eyes might water, and raw onion is very strong and overwhelming taste that a majority of people find unpleasant (think of biting into a whole onion). but over time, when you put these chopped onions into the pan with olive oil and salt, they begin to get softer, sweeter. even when they’re not entirely browned yet, they’re palatable and delicious. yennefer in the bounds of reason shows sincere depth as she defies her trope and is sincerely emotionally hurt by geralt for leaving her without a word. she gets even more developed in a shard of ice, and her relationship with geralt is developed even when she is not present in a little sacrifice, and by the end of the sword of destiny, it makes sense as to why they are together as a couple. then in blood of elves as she becomes a mother to ciri and in time of contempt, baptism of fire, tower of the swallow, and lady of the lake, she is such an incredibly selfless and caring mother and you learn her backstory that she develops this incredible depth that you would never have thought she had the potential for in the last wish. 

the timeskips are really detrimental to not only yennefer and ciri’s characters, but also geralt and dandelion’s. geralt is introduced in the specific order of stories for a reason. in the witcher, we learn what a witcher is. we learn what he was created to do, but also how he as an individual is incredibly different from many of the rest of his guild and how he has this inner depth and humanity that he has to keep hidden. i’ll admit that a grain of truth is skippable, but i appreciate how it also shows that geralt will go out of his way to help others even when there is no contract and no reward involved. in the lesser evil, we learn why he has committed himself to neutrality and how society views him as a witcher. this is very significant for how he interacts with others, especially ciri, as he does not want to pass this legacy down to her. in a question of price, we see him choosing the route of pacifism yet again and also are introduced to the concept of destiny linking him with ciri. then in the voice of reason 5 / the edge of the world, we learn more about his humanity as his relationship with dandelion is explored and we get to see geralt in a closer, more intimiate friendship light, not on the job or embroiled in a conflict. we also see him acting pacifist again and learn of his opinions on otherness, the otherness that he himself is classified as. in the last wish, we learn how human he really is, we see his real devotion to dandelion and then his choice to assist yennefer and his vulnerability with yennefer. of course it’s not meant to end there because it has yet to take down the trope of a happy ending that it ended with, but you can see geralt’s linear character progression in just this first collection of short stories. you understand him as a character and what his motivations and relationships to others are.

tl;dr: the timeskips in twn do more damage than everyone thinks; they’re not just annoying and super confusing for new fans, but they are a major enabler of poor character development and bastardization of the books they were meant to be an “adaptation” of 

[hamliet]

Tragic Snow White: Renfri as a Mirror to Ciri

So in my initial review of The Witcher (the show version) I talked about how I thought it was fitting that Renfri’s story was the one the show adapted first, because it perfectly articulated what the story’s main questions and themes would be. At the time I’d only read the first two books and hadn’t even started the main saga, and now that I’ve finished the main saga, I think Renfri’s story is even more important than I initially thought.

The story is a tragic foil to the entire Witcher saga, with Renfri as a foil of Yennefer to an extent, but especially a foil--even more of a parallel--to Ciri. It pretty much tells you exactly how the entire saga will end, even.

Spoilers for the books and potentially disturbing subject matter below.

Vilgefortz is to Ciri what Stregobor is to Renfri. 

Stregobor and Vilgefortz both want to control little girls because of the circumstances of their birth. 

Stregobor hunts Renfri because she was born during an eclipse known as the Black Sun (which is an alchemy reference, fyi). He believes all the girls born then are evil and hunts them to vivisect them. He claims Renfri was strangling puppies even as a child, but he is hardly a reliable source of information, so it’s impossible to say. All we know is that he persuaded Renfri’s stepmother, the Queen, to hire a huntsman to murder Renfri. But she lives, just like Snow White... or not. Here’s how she summarizes it to Geralt:

Like Renfri, Ciri is a princess whose life is thrown into chaos and violence. For Ciri, though, it’s because her kingdom fell, and she has to run. Vilgefortz and Emhyr (and like, the mages, also the elves, also half the world) hunt Ciri because of almost the exact opposite reason: after years of genetic experiments, Ciri is prophesied to give birth to a son who will save the world from a coming calamity. However, no one thinks that Ciri might have opinions on what is done to her own body.  

Vilgefortz, in particular, is notably similar to Stregobor in that what he wants to do to Ciri is absolutely grotesque: artificially inseminate her and then rip out her placenta to study it, so that he might obtain power. Both men look to treat these girls’ bodies to suit their own selfish needs for prestige while under the guise of the “greater good.” It’s disgusting, and as Geralt says to Emhyr:

“The ends justify the means,” the Emperor said flatly. “I do it for the future of the world. For its salvation.”

“If you have to save the world like this,” the witcher lifted his head, “this world would be better off disappearing. Believe me… it would be better to perish.”

Like Ciri, Renfri takes on another identity that isn’t really who she is. She becomes known as Shrike for her method of killing, but she asks Geralt not to call her that. Ciri goes by Falka when she runs around with the Rats, the name of an ancestor of hers who was a princess sent away by the king as a baby, who grew and led a rebellion, killing her family in revenge before ultimately being executed herself. 

Shrike and Falka are the worst of Renfri and Ciri, and so it is meaningful that Renfri asks Geralt not to call her Shrike. She tells him to kill Stregobor to save the town, because she cannot renounce her vengeance, going so far as to risk her safety to sneak into his room and ask him. She asks him not to make her Shrike, not to let her kill, but she cannot let Stregobor live after all she has suffered. 

Geralt believes Renfri can change, urges her to leave her past, cares deeply for her, yet ends up having to kill her because he wasn’t able to fully understand the depths of Renfri’s pain (I’m not saying he should have killed Stregobor, merely pointing out that he does fail here). He cannot make a decision and reacts instead of acting, and by then no good options are left. Yet, at the very least, he refuses to allow Stregobor to touch her body. The Witcher is a decently straightforward fictionalization of the argument that women have the right to control their bodies.

We see Geralt responding to Ciri’s predicament as if she is a second chance for Geralt after Renfri. Instead of being reactive, he is proactive, trying to protect her before the fall of Cintra and then trying to destroy her enemies. However, he still struggles to understand just what it was that Renfri was asking him for. It wasn’t just to act. It was to empathize with her pain. Ciri, too, winds up feeling abandoned by Geralt, and after a series of terrible events, winds up following a similarly murderous path just like Renfri. In trying to prevent a repeat, Geralt almost caused a repeat. 

However, thankfully, this does not happen, because Geralt and Yennefer’s genuine love for Ciri, even if imperfect, helps Ciri pull out of her spiral, whereas Renfri was never given the chance. Yennefer is absolutely instrumental to this, because, like Renfri, she’s a bitter, emotional, and violent person, determined to get what she wants. And that is why when Yennefer is so determined to self-destruct just to control the djinn, Geralt chooses to empathize and use his last wish to, presumably somehow, tie her fate to his to save her. Ciri has seen this empathetic part of Geralt even as he tries to cloak it in other coping mechanisms, and so she has hope, while Renfri did not know Geralt beyond their time in Blaviken. 

Notably, the narrative does not condemn Renfri for this even though she dies. It’s seen as a tragedy, with Renfri as someone worth mourning. Additionally, her death and her questions haunt Geralt. Her questions are the ones he essentially finally answers with the above quote to Emhyr: what is the lesser evil? And his answer is that you can’t make a right world on the foundation of hurting someone--anyone. 

As Renfri states, Geralt is terrible at making decisions, and this is why he has to repeatedly struggle to make decisions and learn to pursue people and to give people second chances--Yennefer, Jaskier, Regis, Cahir, Angoulême, Ciri. Through helping others redeem themselves, he redeems himself; through finding others, in learning to empathize with them and to trust them, he finds himself. 

[cock-holliday]

What TWN Fucked Up

I think if I wasn’t in love with the book series, the show would be fine on its own. It’s an interesting world, the fight scenes are great, the music is wonderful, and the cast is doing well with what they are given, ESPECIALLY Joey Batey. That said, I’m going to be frank: they fucked ALL of the characters.

Let Them Be Funny You Cowards

I’ll actually start with Jaskier/Dandelion.

In the show, Jaskier makes some appearances where he didn’t in the books (Pavetta’s engagement ceremony) for one simple reason: he’s the comic relief. This does a disservice both to Jaskier AND the other characters. The games also tended to do this, but I think it’s even more apparent in the show. 

It’s bullshit for 2 reasons: 

1. the rest of the characters are SO FUNNY. Geralt is really funny! Yennefer is fucking hilarious. Ciri is a little shit! Triss is funny! Calanthe is funny! Regis is funny! Yarpen Zigrin is funny! Zoltan is funny! Philippa is funny! Everyone’s humor might be dry, or witty, or smartass, but the characters are funny, let them be funny.

2. Jaskier is not JUST funny.

Jaskier is a fun and creative character but the biggest thing that makes him unique is the contrast of how he says how he feels while everyone else hides. Jaskier is very open and tends to lay things out on his sleeves. He’s very aware of his own feelings and urges and emotions and by extension, is very aware of what others are not saying. Everyone else hides.

Yennefer, Geralt, Ciri, Triss, Calanthe, Cahir...all of them hide their thoughts and feelings.

Feeling vs Expressing

This nuance is almost entirely absent from SO many of the characters. The most glaring example is--of course--Geralt. A lot of the adaptations fuck it up, the difference between FEELING and EXPRESSING.

Geralt is one of THE MOST emotional characters in the Witcher. He’s very introspective, he feels very deeply, he struggles with internal conflict CONSTANTLY, but he isn’t GOOD at expressing it. That does not, for fuck sake, mean it isn’t there.

I recognize that a book gives us the luxury of knowing Geralt’s thoughts, but not showing signs of his internal combat and the feelings radiating off of this man is a complete disconnect from his character. This brings us back to Jaskier. Jaskier knows Geralt better than anyone and is constantly a wall for Geralt to play his emotions off of. When Geralt is closed off, Jaskier picks up on it. When Geralt does better at expressing himself, he does so and Jaskier listens. When Geralt tries to lie, which he is canonincally bad at, Jaskier calls him out. Jaskier can read him like a book, so there NEEDS to be signs shown to the audience about his emotions.

Geralt Is A Liar Sometimes

Adaptations need to learn or at least show that they know that Geralt is a massive liar about himself all the time. Geralt says he has no emotions but is one of the most if not the most emotional character in the series. Geralt says he can’t feel love but he falls in love with Yennefer after she kicks his ass, loves Ciri when he meets her in the woods, quickly loves Jaskier, loves the hansa, and has a love of people in general.

Geralt SAYS he doesn’t need anyone, because he has faced so much rejection. Geralt wants love and acceptance but is turned away consistently. He was rejected as a child, gets rejected by the people he saves, by townsfolk, by kings, and allies, and strangers. He SAYS he has closed himself off, but his constant drive to help people shows that he. is. a. liar.

Sides of the Same Coin

Which brings me to: Geralt vs Yennefer. They parallel and contrast one another beautifully and oh ho ho does Netflix fuck that up. Yennefer is also a massive liar, but very importantly: she is much better at it than Geralt. Like Geralt, Yennefer faced constant rejection and was taught that she is unlovable. She similarly has trust issues, buries herself in her work, and suggests she doesn’t need anyone when in fact she too is desperate for love and acceptance.

BUT! while Geralt is woeful and keeps desperately trying to help and care for others, Yennefer has decided that she would become more powerful than those who would seek to hurt her and make them regret trying to take advantage. Geralt sets himself up for abuse hoping that someone will surprise him, Yennefer has lost patience and will not let people hurt her anymore. She uses her looks and connections to her advantage, but punishes those who underestimate her. She’s ruthless. She very easily could have been made a villain, but doesn’t become one, for the same reason that Geralt keeps trying to help: she’s a loving person.

She is loyal and protective of those she cares about. She has gained immense power and is cutthroat with it when protecting herself, so god help anyone who threatens the people she cares for. 

Father, Daughter?

Something crucial to the Witcher series is that the novels are CIRI’S story, not Geralt’s. However, their relationship is the most important one in the series. Geralt’s first mini intro with Ciri is when she is 6. He is supposed to come collect her, but cannot bring himself to. They meet again when she is 10, after she has run away. She’s a snotty spoiled princess, but still a child. Geralt warms up to and protects her. When he learns who she is, though, he is afraid of her falling victim to the death and destruction that follows him, and he leaves her behind in the care of Moussack, who will take her back home. 

The next time they meets is after the fall of Cintra. Geralt learns of and mourns the death of Calanthe, and beyond the wreckage of this destroyed city is Ciri. She survived and escaped and has crashed back into his life again. This time he CAN’T ignore Destiny. The significance of their repeated meetings over her formative years builds a crucial foundation to their relationship. They are tied by Destiny, but BECOME FAMILY by FORMING a relationship.

Cahir, the Manchild

If I had a dollar for every time a piece of media in the last ten years thought you could have a character do the most monstrous things and be forgiven so long as he was sad about it, I’d have enough money to get counseling for watching what they did to Cahir.

Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach, when first introduced, is hidden behind a mask. As 10-11 year old Ciri watched everyone around her get slaughtered, this man (a teenage boy) pursues and catches her. She manages to escape him, but knows he is after her and haunts her dreams.

A small child’s memory of a man in armor chasing her builds this idea of Cahir as a terrible and imposing figure, but he is essentially Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender. He is a young boy, skilled in battle, not yet a man, but with the weight of his family and country on his shoulders. He is not evil, just driven by his country’s imperialism and is terrified of failing (and being killed by) those that preside over him.

He kills in battle and is furiously hunting down Ciri. He is on the wrong side, is a tool of those that ARE evil, but this boy thinks what he is doing is right. After having not committed aggressively heinous activities, this boy comes face to face with Geralt. Cahir knows he will be killed if he doesn’t succeed in catching Ciri for his country, and his family would be shamed and/or killed for his failure. While fighting, his helmet is finally removed and Geralt, in a position to finish him off, realizes this is just a boy, barely a man. Cahir was wrong, but he deserves to be pitied for being taken advantage of.

From then on, Cahir’s story is about redemption. He earned the right to even START this arc by being a naive and manipulated child. The show making him significantly older and eager to participate in cruelty absolute FUCKS AWAY any chance to sell this story of misguidedness and the redemption and forgiveness that follows.

So yeah, uh, fuck all this.

[kalinara]

"I don’t know that I agree with the idea that Geralt intentionally holds Jaskier at arms’ length. I think that there is definitely a level of guarded wariness to their interaction" Could you please expand more upon why you think that? If you feel like it, that is. :)

I don’t mind!

I should clarify that I don’t think the guarded wariness is something specific to Jaskier.  I think it’s a reflection of the character arc that the show designed for Geralt.

So let me tangent here for a bit:

Lauren Hissrich has done something really interesting with the way that she’s chosen to structure the first season of the show.  We have the three separate storylines, each serving a particular function.

Ciri’s is like the framing story in a short story anthology.  It’s basically the very beginning of Blood of the Elves, keeping us grounded in the stakes and the destination while we follow the other two on their journey.

Yennefer’s storyline can be divided into three parts:  her backstory, which I understand is extrapolated by what is gradually revealed in the novels, two of the short stories that she shares with Geralt (Last Wish and Bounds of Reason), and then splits off into what she was doing during the fall of Cintra.

And then there’s Geralt’s storyline, which is simplest in a way.  Each episode represents one of the short stories from either Last Wish or Sword of Destiny.  It’s very straightforward.  But the catch to Geralt’s storyline is that, because it’s crafted from separate stories, there’s no real character progression.

But it’s not a very satisfying television show if your lead character doesn’t have a character arc, right?  So Hissrich cleverly arranged the short stories to give him one.

So she starts with “Lesser Evil”.  This story is not the first story in the Last Wish anthology.  It’s actually somewhere in the middle (the striga story is first), but here it provides us with a really great starting point.  We can see Geralt as he is at the start of the story: a bit taciturn, but actually quite communicative when approached friendly.  He has substantial conversations with Marilka, Renfri, Roach and even Stregobor.  He is reluctant to get involved of course, but gets invested in Renfri’s well-being anyway.  The parallels between them: treated as monsters for something outside of their control, are established very strongly.  Geralt wants so much to save her.  And then everything goes very badly.  And it breaks him.

Renfri casts a long shadow over the rest of the season.  She’s always somewhere on his mind: in the brooch he fastened to his sword, he dreams of her when injured and delirious.  A princess in danger becomes a loaded issue for him.  

After Renfri’s death, Geralt closes off.  He goes from taciturn to nonverbal.  Wary to downright hostile.  He’s a bristling bundle of stress and nerves and that’s when Jaskier enters the picture.

I’ve seen book fans complain about the contrast.  Geralt and Dandelion are close in the stories and novels.  They’re relaxed and comfortable.  And that might be where they end up in the show too.  But they’re not there yet, because when Jaskier meets Geralt, he’s meeting the walking wounded.  And Jaskier can’t really fix that.

Geralt’s story in season one involves making connections.  It’s easy to joke about how Geralt insists he’s alone and hated, but actually seems to have made cautious allies with elves, picked up a bard, fell in love with a prickly sorceress, earned the goodwill of multiple rulers, recruited by a dragon, and saved by an old merchant.   But his emotional wounds aren’t going to be healed until he meets a princess that he can save, hopefully BEFORE years of torment turn her into a monster.

So tangent completed:

I do think that Geralt and Jaskier’s friendship is genuine, but that Geralt really isn’t at a point in his life where he can be open and honest and expressive.  He can’t relax his guard yet.  But he does value him.  And I’m still of the opinion that his tirade in episode 6 was specifically designed to make sure that Jaskier wouldn’t follow him into a warzone.  (If you look closely, right before Jaskier approaches, Geralt almost looks like he’s counting or bracing for a cue).

I am looking forward to seeing their interaction with season 2, because I do think that we’re going to see Geralt in a bit of a different place.  Of course whether that place is good or bad probably remains to be seen.

[musesofolive]

💡💕💢 for whichever muse/s you want to answer for! ^_^

Bold of you to assume I won’t try to answer for all! Lol

💡- What inspires you to write the muse(s)?

This is actually an answer for all of them but just because I love them so much. I put all this time and effort into them, I want to let them go out and explore the world, see new things and people. And especially for those of my muses who require character development, I want to see them grow. For those who don’t need it, I want to challenge them and their ideals to see if they still stick. And it’s my favorite part to continue on with a rp and get inside their head, it lets me learn so much more about them.

💕- Favorite ship for the muse(s)?

This is a bit hard to answer for all of them, because not a lot of them have had romantic encounters with other rpers just yet. I think my favorite for Isla so far is the one with her and Aaravos (beautifully dubbed Islaavos.) Their chemistry is just simply *chef’s kiss*! I love the way they bonded in the mirror prison and it was amazing watching them grow in their relationship and care for one another! And it was so nice to give Isla a romantic relationship that didn’t end in pain for once lmao. Ugh. Those two make my heart sing with joy whenever I go back and read the rp where it all started.

Riley, though he hasn’t quite had a chance to shine anywhere, there are two people I have in mind that I like for him. On the canon side: Viren, surprisingly enough. I think they have enough similarities between them but just enough difference because Viren does care for his family in his own weird way, and it might encourage Riley to do the same. Plus, I love the teasing flirt x grumpy one who hates it, especially when they both have trust/emotional avoidance issues lol, makes things ✨ spicy ✨. On the other hand, there is another character I’ve been developing for his story, who still doesn’t have a name other than Mr. Bounty hunter. What can I say? I love a good rivals to lovers, it’s got beautiful work for angst and again, that push to make Riley a bit better than he is. Make him understand he does have a heart in his body, he just needs to let it out of the fortified prison he’s put it in.

And then there’s Ciri, who yes is aroace, but I love the idea of her and Isla being in a QPR together. I think it would be adorable, I love their interactions so much, and they’ve already had years to build up mutual trust and love. Everything’s there, just one more step in a slightly new direction for both of them. Plus they both have pretty giant families, and two giant families combining to make an even bigger family would be so neat to write!

💢- Something about the muse(s) that annoys you?

We’re gonna start right off the bat with Riley ‘cause he’s the easiest. He’s an asshole. Plain and simple. He’s a player, a dirty, lying conman and will sacrifice you without a second thought because he’s convinced himself he has no heart nor a soul. And it’s very frustrating because you would be wrong sir! You do have a heart and soul! And they could be good if you’d just stop mentally and emotionally destroying yourself! The most annoying thing about him is that he could work himself out to be better if he would just take that leap. But he never does, because he’s ridiculously stubborn.

Then there’s Nova, and I’m annoyed with her for largely the exact same reason. Was she severely traumatized? Yes, and I do still feel sorry for that. And she’s technically trying to make herself better and heal herself, but she’s going about it in the wrong way. She thinks fixing the outside will fix the inside, when it’s really the other way around. But she’s got such tunnel vision that she won’t listen to that. And she doesn’t even realize that she’s destroying herself even further by looking for this white stag that just doesn’t exist. (Yes technically they do in Xadia I think but I’m speaking metaphorically here) But she refuses to accept that it doesn’t, because she thinks accepting that she can’t fix her appearance means she’s accepting that she’s broken beyond repair, that Dorian won, and she would rather die than admit that. Which actually makes her more frustrating than Riley because she’s so close to recognizing what she needs, but she’s running parallel to that line and I very desperately just want to give her a shove to get her there.

[riviae]

so this is long & rambly but i’ve been working on this for awhile now.... anyway, starts out very introspective!regis-y but becomes geralt/regis fluff real quick lol. hope y’all enjoy: 

Before crossing paths with a witcher who proved himself to be a man worth following into the very jaws of death, the seasons hadn’t meant much to Regis. 

He knew the cycle of things--life and death, warmth and cold, planting and harvesting--but he was an outsider to these things just as everything else on the Continent. Time passed. Wars were fought. Blood was shed. Empires rose and fell. All the while, Regis remained, burdened by an immortal life lived alone. To take part in humanity, to love it to some extent, but disappear into the shadows when a curious eye took interest in him. When a hand reached out--something that rarely occurred, unless holding a sword, pitchfork, or torch--he knew it was time to pack up and leave, lest he get too attached. 

Self-preservation, for higher vampires, was confined to the affairs of the heart and the mind--their bodies were not in danger of ruin, but memories and emotions were often ruinous for his kind. 

Yet, whatever contentment he could find as a bystander to the world’s happenings and goings was dashed the moment he met Geralt. All those years ago, Regis had fled from Dillingen to his home in Fen Carn, a cottage in the midst of an elven cemetery, in an attempt at avoiding the ever-encroaching war. 

And in perhaps the same cosmically infinitesimal chances of the Conjunction of Spheres occurring, Regis’ entire life changed at the sight of milk-white hair and amber cat-like eyes. He stepped out of his hiding spot, brushed away the stray leaves that clung to his clothes, and faced his destiny with a reserved, tight-lipped smile. 

He’s a witcher, Regis thought, the wolf medallion at the man’s sternum sparking a tiny flame of uneasiness in the vampire’s gut. Then, a more logical thought followed: I’ve always wanted to meet a witcher under amicable circumstances and now, here one is, practically at my doorstep. What luck! 

As his journey with Geralt and the hansa continued, as they traveled and fought, bled and healed, wintered in a land akin to a fairytale, Regis had a startling realization. Something had thawed inside him and he was fairly certain it was the stirrings of love. Like a change in season, like the subtle shift from winter to spring, where one wakes in the morning and sees that all the snow has seemingly melted in the night, unaware of the slowly melting ice with each sunny day until it was completely gone, so Regis was caught unaware by what he felt for the hansa--by what he felt for Geralt in particular.

Just how far would he go for these humans? How much would he sacrifice for these flickering beacons of light, here one moment, gone in the next? It was the ghost of himself--the monster he once was--that would have asked these questions. But the Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzeiff-Godefroy of the present loved his friends even more for their fragility, their tenacity in the face of a world that seemed at the ready to send them into an early grave. Love, he decided, staring at the smiling faces of the hansa at their breakfast table in Beauclair Palace, was a good enough reason to die for--and a good enough reason to live for, when he was on the cusp of nothingness. When any other sentient being would have longed for death in the throes of agony, Regis held on. For them. 

Memories spilled from his head at the first touch of magic-touched flames, nails clawing helplessly at the air. Fear burned him alive, ate away at his flesh until nothing but a pillar of ash remained. It was a pain worse than anything he had felt before--worse than anything he could have ever fathomed. He was neither alive nor dead, but something grotesquely stuck in the middle, unable to pass on to the comforting abyss of oblivion. 

Between the coldness of fear and not-death, between the pain of a body futilely attempting to regenerate from nothing, Regis did find some respite. He dreamed. And dreamed. And dreamed. He was transported to memories of the past, and while some were happier than others, even the painful recollections felt better than the aching emptiness that threatened to swallow his consciousness whole. 

Angouleme’s encouraging laughter whenever he used one of her... unique phrases. A warning pinch from Milva when he veered too far off topic, followed by an apologetic, but brief pat of his hand. A comfortable silence between himself and Cahir as they stayed up to guard the group during the night, sharing a small tincture of mandrake hooch to pass the time. Dandelion’s rapt attention to Regis’ stories, one time so transfixed that he caught his sleeve on fire as they all sat around the campfire and didn’t even notice. Geralt telling him about Ciri, voice warm, eyes crinkled in a rare unguarded expression of fondness. 

He thought back on his journal entries, the once severe, cerebral scrawl now sprinkled with mentions of the hansa. 

Angouleme somehow stole a dozen baguettes from the last tavern we stopped at and took only a quarter of one for herself before distributing the rest to the unfortunate people living in the slums of the city--and I never would have noticed (her prowess as a bandit is not something to be dismissive of, regardless of her youth) if she hadn’t also tried to search through my satchel while I “slept” in the hopes of finding olive oil to spread over her bread. For a child raised by cruelty, her morals are far better than mine when I was her age--or, rather, when I was developmentally at her age. Well, better in certain respects. She’s been quite a menace to the echelon of Toussaint... 

Milva means to show me how to hunt like humans do, meaning that I must learn how to be an archer. I don’t have much skill with human weapons--for nothing is as deadly as a pair of claws or teeth built to pierce and bleed flesh--but I will try my best all the same. Perhaps after this we can continue our reading lessons. For as much as she bemoans academics and learning for the sake of learning (as in things not readily helpful in her everyday survival), she is a naturally charming and brilliant pupil. Her “common sense,” as Angouleme often calls it, has kept us from harm plenty of times--which is why her ability as a student doesn’t surprise me. Now, if only she would stop climbing up a tree whenever our lessons start to bore her... 

Cahir, to my surprise, has taken on the role of doing the laundry for the group. Granted, we all have very few vestments to spare, but what clothes we do have that can reasonably benefit from a soak, Cahir takes and washes in the lake. Which, while I appreciate the sentiment immensely, I still found myself mildly panicked when I went to dress in the morning and my trousers were nowhere to be found. The man is quite young, probably no more than twenty-two years, but he has an old soul, as the saying goes. I would not be surprised if he finally grows sick of war, having grown up in an Empire where bloodshed is the status quo, and decides to make his living as a fisherman or farmer after we reunite Geralt with his ward. I sincerely hope that he gets the chance. 

Dandelion, ever the poet, has shown me his latest ballad. And imagine my surprise when I realized it was about me despite my immense caution on writing anything regarding higher vampires at all. It’s incredibly vapid--a shame, since he is quite the wordsmith when not preoccupied by romantic affairs--but I admit, if it were published, it would become popular within a week. He took the story of my youth and twisted it into something nearly unrecognizable, save for the titular character being named Rex. A two-crown romance with the nominative case of my name attached... perhaps this is a caution to everyone: never make friends with a writer if you value your privacy. 

Geralt dozed off beside me with his head on my shoulder. Now, him sleeping close to me is not all that uncommon--we spent many nights as a company huddled around a dwindling campfire together. What was uncommon was that he sought me out--practically barged into my room--to take his late afternoon nap... all the while I remained as still as a statue, attempting to process the sudden show of affection. Toussaint had softened Geralt in a way, so much in fact, that he apparently saw no harm in falling asleep next to a higher vampire, his swords still leaning in the corner of his room. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of his unusual straightforwardness. Where others might embellish their words, dress them up (or down) to suit their agenda, Geralt forgoes words entirely, instead letting his actions speak with a refreshing honesty. I heard the “I trust you, Regis,” as clear as day.

He thought back to all the times were his cowardice had kept him from voicing his feelings and it paralleled to his past, as if he were the same blood-abusing fiend of his youth. Centuries had passed and glimpses of the same shy, timid vampire who drank blood to be accepted, to make friends, only to lose himself in addiction, still rose to the surface. Blood was no longer a problem, but the fear of otherness, of being ostracized by those he cared about, still tempered his actions. And he was absolutely tired of it.

It was then that Regis made a vow to himself: If I live, If I become whole again, I will tell him the truth. He got his chance almost a decade later, when he was as whole as anyone could be after regenerating from nothing but dust and a drop of blood.

After Dettlaff was placated, no longer a danger to himself or others, Regis visited Geralt at Corvo Bianco. It was summer then, a season that saw him at the witcher’s door just as the last of the rows of sunflowers turned towards the sunlight in the midday heat. 

He knocked on the front door, politeness dictating his actions. A disheveled witcher opened the door, familiar cat-eyes widening marginally at the sight of Regis, as close to a slack-jaw moment of surprise as anyone were bound to get from Geralt. 

“Expecting someone else?” Regis teased, clutching the strap of his satchel as he crossed the threshold into Geralt’s home. He gave a cursory glance about the homestead--it had been decorated fairly well since the last time he visited to drop off the mutagenerator. In fact, the interior was downright cozy, a far cry from what he imagined a witcher keep to look like. 

No matter what Geralt says, his years spent on the Path have influenced him. Only someone who expects to wake in the morning would bother to decorate their home--or to have a home at all. 

The witcher shook his head, long, tangled locks spilling over his shoulders as he scratched tiredly at his beard. “Wasn’t expecting anyone. Thought if it was you though that you’d let yourself in.” 

Regis held his tongue, wanting nothing more than to sit Geralt down and trim his beard. He knew from their time with the hansa that the witcher preferred to be clean-shaven, but hated trimming it himself. The vampire pushed the thought aside. “While I could have simply misted through your window, I didn’t wish to give you a fright.”

“How considerate,” Geralt said, voice rough but teasing. “You chose to wake me instead of letting yourself in.” 

“I assumed you’d be awake. I didn’t realize that respectable vineyard owners slept in until noon.” 

Geralt rolled his eyes at the well-natured jab before walking to his room, leaving the door open behind him. Regis remained in the foyer, focusing his attention on the rather impressive collection of witcher armor that Geralt had acquired. Yet, his supernatural hearing made it impossible not to eavesdrop to some extent; he heard the rustling of fabric and the soft thud of an article of clothing hitting the wooden floor. 

“Hey, Regis,” Geralt drawled. 

“Yes?” he replied a beat too quickly, turning towards the open door. 

“...Gonna get in here? Or do I need to invite you into every room?” 

Scrambling somewhat, the vampire entered just as Geralt tugged a clean white linen shirt over himself. At meeting the witcher’s gaze, the man gave a wide grin. “You came at a good time. I’ve actually got something for you. But close your eyes first.” 

“Geralt, what are you--” 

“Shh. Close your eyes and hold out your hands.” 

A brief flash of fond irritation flickered in Regis’ expression as he gave a long sigh, but obeyed, shutting his eyes. He listened to the tempo of Geralt’s heart-rate, the usual slow and steady rhythm having quickened by a few beats. Ah, so he’s excited, Regis mused. Even witcher mutations couldn’t rob him of the biochemistry of his sympathetic nervous system. Then, a sour thought: I hope this isn’t the last time I get to witness such a jovial mood. 

The sound of his heartbeat grew stronger as the man approached, some sort of fabric draped in his arms, if the rustling earlier was any indication. Gently, Geralt placed the mystery item in Regis’ arms and backed away, the old floorboards creaking under his weight. 

“Happy birthday, Regis.” 

The vampire opened his eyes to see Geralt smiling warmly at him. Peering down, he couldn’t stop the look of absolute surprise upon his features, mouth agape.

“This is...” Regis trailed, fingers running delicately over the soft fabric, briefly pausing to rub his thumb against the black fur which lined the inside. 

“It’s not the exact cloak, given what happened at Stygga Castle,” Geralt paused, briefly wincing at the horrid memory, “But I thought you’d appreciate a new one.” 

Regis opened his mouth and then immediately closed it, unable to find the words to express how much the gift meant to him. You remembered... years passed and you still remembered. 

“I know you can’t feel heat or cold like humans do, but...” he shrugged, a hint of sheepishness in his posture, a hand rising up to rub at the back of his neck. “It’s been weird not seeing you with one. You never took that damn thing off so I thought it must have meant something to you.” 

“Geralt,” Regis finally replied once he found his voice again. It was the only warning he gave before the vampire laid the cloak on the bed and moved to seize the witcher in a tight embrace. 

Geralt looped his arms around Regis’ back in return, chuckling. He made no attempt at ending the embrace even as the time spent pressed together stretched on. “So... guessing you liked the gift, huh?” he finally asked, leaning into the gentle swaying of their bodies. 

When Regis spoke, it was barely past a whisper, but Geralt heard him all the same. “Thank you. Thank you for listening to me--for knowing me. Thank you, above all else, for being my friend.” 

“I think I should be thanking you. All I got you was a cloak--but you helped bring Ciri home. Almost gave up your life. Can’t imagine that... risking your immortality for someone like me.”  

“Geralt,” Regis started, pulling away to stare the witcher in the eyes, expression serious, “You are exactly the kind of person that inspires sacrifice. You have a noble heart and, despite your best attempts at proving otherwise, it is a heart full of compassion for others. I know you would have done the same if our roles had been reversed.” 

The witcher was silent then. When he finally managed a response, he did so while clasping Regis’ shoulder. It was something the vampire had noticed ever since meeting Geralt again--the man was more tactile than he’d been before his regeneration. As if he was making sure that Regis was real. Alive. Of flesh and bone. Not something that would crumble at his touch or slip through his fingers like a ghostly apparition. 

“I don’t know if I deserve your kind words, Regis. i haven’t always been... noble. There are things I haven’t told you about. Things that pertain to you.” At this, Geralt’s grip on his shoulder faltered and he pulled away suddenly, as if he were expecting to be hurt. “Truth is, I’ve been keeping a secret.” 

Regis blinked in surprise, a retort resting on the tip of his tongue, but he paused. He noticed, for the first time, that Geralt did look genuinely nervous. Geralt had never looked nervous in his presence--at least not because of Regis. The thought left a sour taste in his mouth all the same.

The vampire took a step forward. If Geralt was also planning to tell him a long-kept secret, then he wanted to tell his own confession first. While he still had the courage to do so. “I too have kept something from you, Geralt. I hope we can still remain as close as we were after this... revelation, if you will. But I understand if you’d prefer some time away from me afterwards.” 

“I doubt there’s anything you could say that would make me want you to keep your distance, Regis. Not after Stygga.” 

Regis gave an attempt at a half-hearted chuckle. “Hearing you say that really warms my heart--especially the certainty in your voice--but I’m afraid that what I need to say will change the course of our relationship, for better or worse. You see, Geralt, I’m... quite fond of you.” 

“I’m fond of you as well...” Geralt replied, confusion twisting his features. “Is that really your big secret?”

“Oh, for the love of--” Regis cut himself off, reaching instead with one hand to encircle Geralt’s wrist while the other cupped Geralt’s cheek. “I love you, you stubborn witcher. I’ve loved you for awhile now, really. Even before Stygga. You’re incredibly easy to fall in love with, though I see now that you’re completely oblivious to this trait.” 

Regis’ hold was gentle, light--something Geralt could easily pull away from if he wished to. But he didn’t. Staring into his own reflection within the coal black of the vampire’s eyes, Geralt closed the gap between them, answering Regis’ confession with his own: a kiss. 

Between kisses, Geralt paused, huffing out a short breath. “...You know, I’m feeling like a fool for not telling you that I loved you sooner, Regis.” 

“Likewise. Which is not something I feel all that often.” 

At this, they both laughed before resting their foreheads against each other. It had been a long road to this--to love--but it was well-earned. Later, Regis’ cloak found a home within a closet in Corvo Bianco. Though the weather in Toussaint was rarely cold enough to warrant a fur-lined cloak, Regis wore it as often as he could, but Geralt left an empty hanger in the closet all the same--just in case. 

Seasons hadn’t meant much to Regis... but now, watching the morning sunlight from the bedroom window pool against the witcher’s back, he felt a tug of warmth at the first touch of Fall, at the chance of donning his cloak and the memory of the day it was gifted to him. He didn’t want to replace the painful memories, the memories of those he loved but lost, but he also knew that somewhere, surely, Milva, Cahir, and Angouleme were smiling down at them. And that was a sense of peace with his past that he wouldn’t trade for the world. 

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

Time for The Witcher episode 4!!

So the last episode was Intense(TM) and also I finally realized that the show isn’t happening all at the same time but it’s following multiple timelines, which, better late than never. Now things make more sense...

Alright, bando alle ciance and let’s do this.

“Ciri! Ciri” Cirilla: yes? “Not you, I was talking to Siri. What’s the weather going to be tomorrow”

That’s such a stupid joke. Unfollow me right now, it’s okay.

Glowy Forest Intensifies... oh, there’s people now. Forest Dora Milaje aren’t happy to see her, which is understandable, I guess. But the boss arrives.

Meanwhile, except not meanwhile, a man has had a very bad day. Apparently the nickname White Wolf has stuck. Remember when we thought the MCU was going to make Bucky into a Black Panther character as the White Wolf, official media outlet even used the White Wolf as a title for Bucky, and then it ended up in nothing? Sorry for the digression but I really hoped we’d get Bucky written by Ryan Coogler and I was really disappointed when that didn’t happen but *waves around* all of that happened instead. I mean, technically it’s not too late to make it happen but Bucky is a Disney+ creature now, so, bye.

Hello Jaskier! My boy! I missed you.

Ah, the new media image campaign is working. 

“You never get involved, except you actually do, all of the time” I love this XD “I don’t do emotions or attachments” character who does emotions intensely all the time and gets attached to everyone they meet paired with “sure Jan” character who calls them out is a very good dynamic.

Ah, yes, this is perfect. I’m sorry but dark brooding protagonist and bubbly comic relief sidekick is my secret weakness.

No offense, Geralt, but those clothes did need a good washing after your latest job, so don’t make that face.

Blah blah royal affairs I should probably pay attention to.

“I am not going to protect you” [*Spongebob font* five minutes later...]

But yeah, the princess is Cirilla’s mother, I suppose, and I’m sure the marriage that produces Scream Princess is super important. She is very pretty and has lovely hair. Sometimes I wish I had long hair I could braid artistically.

The princess doesn’t want to get married to some strange dude, but the queen is A Very Strong Woman(TM) and has no time for silly things like her daughter’s feelings over the most life-changing decision in her life. She’s an interesting character for sure, and the narrative doesn’t try to frame her as either definitely good or bad, which is interesting.

Oh! Rat Boy isn’t dead! That’s great. That makes sense narratively, native forest women who suffered genocide from colonizers wouldn’t kill an elf boy who went through the same thing.

Promised husband is a shitty dude. Queen Calanthe likes Geralt, which, relatable. But she and her entourage are racist assholes, and the next scene with Cirilla and Dara tell us that their anti-elf talk isn’t just talk.

By the way, now we know for sure how much time there is between Geralt’s timeline and Cirilla’s.

The queen doesn’t like feminine dresses. Lady is trying to overcompensate a lot. But her banter with Geralt is entertaining.

The first suitor is from Nilfgaard, and in hindsight it would have been a wise choice to unify the two kingdoms... C’mon, poor guy is just awkward, he doesn’t deserve the humiliation. Or is he the guy who’ll make war later? The pilot threw too much new information at me the other day.

Yennefer is bored... and apparently 30 years has passed since the last we saw of her. (I refuse to try to understand when in relation to the other plots that puts this scene. Things will click together at some point or I’ll just accept whatever happens and nod along.) And coincidentally she is paired with a woman who laments being only considered important as a baby-producing womb. Oops. Awkward.

Not relevant to the show but my parents never get inside my room as often as while I am watching something on Netflix.

Yennefer thinks life as a court mage sucks, queen Kalis thinks life as a baby-maker sucks. They envy each other for what the other has, but they’re probably both right.

Well, boredom is no longer a problem.

Oh, poor queen, her husband paid to have her killed because she’s only given him daughters. Two episodes in a row about female heirs to kings, plus queen Calanthe being female and having a daughter who’ll have a daughter. Theeemes!

You can’t be rude to the only person who is your only hope not to die horribly, girl.

Queen Calanthe is frustrated she isn’t a man, which we could guess. She also likes the simplicity of killing, which we could also guess.

Oh! It’s almost pre-decided husband’s time to claim the girl’s hand in marriage, but New Guy appears! He’s been cursed and Mr I Don’t Pick Sides Ever No Matter What, guess what, picks a side. The audience is shocked. No one could foresee this unexpected turn of events.

Noooo the baby!!! Yennefer loses a rare chance to acquire a baby. This is sad. Damn this show doesn’t shy away from killing children, such a different feel from most stories we’re used to.

These people are weird with destiny. Calanthe says fuck destiny, Geralt says lol mood but just because you’re a queen doesn’t mean you’re above sacred rules.

OOOOH Calanthe says fuck sacred rules and it does not go well. Is this happening because she tried to mess up with the order of the world and chaos said hi? Was the princess always magical or did this happen because destiny will have its way no matter what?

Ah, her grandmother had it, she never manifested it before until now, when circumstances awoke it.

Queen Calanthe acknowledges destiny, and of course they’re all dressed in green like the mages of Feminist Hogwarts aka Chaos School. I should have paid more attention to colors but green seems to be the color of magic slash chaos slash destiny.

Then bam, red. Men. Violence.

Everyone in the forest is also dressed in green... Colors aren’t really my thing, you might have noticed that I rarely analyze colors in Supernatural and I’m not particularly into what which color means and I only notice things when they’re very obvious like the purple of transformation-slash-death, so, yeah, I am not the kind of person who notices colors until they slap me in the face. I guess this is my slap in the face by this show’s color palette XD

Also consider that I watch everything with f-lux on, so I don’t even see colors the way they actually look, I guess that’s why it’s harder for me to notice colors when everything looks orange.

Alriiiiight *disables f.lux for current app*

Oh. Oh. So this is how this show looks like.

Awkward. This is so embarrassing.

I should rewatch the whole thing with real colors now... well, another time.

Anyway, Dara has drunk antidepressant juice, but it doesn’t work on Ciri, because she is Relevant(TM) to destiny so she can’t forget her past otherwise the plot destiny can’t happen.

Sleep well baby.

Aaah husband’s curse is broken! Yay.

Geralt accidentally acquires a bond with a baby. One baby dead and Yennefer’s potential bond with her lost, one baby on her way and Geralt’s future bond with her created. So this is all about parallels based on babies and births. Cool.

In the future, destiny has arrived and indeed wrought calamity on the court and the city. Someone makes something gross with Calanthe’s dead body--a spell to learn the location of Cirilla. Trouble is coming.

Oh! It’s him, he’s not dead? And taking something from Calanthe (that will be relevant later)?

Ciri drinks stronger juice and goes to the ancestral plane, er, I mean has a vision of a Very Important Tree, sorry I had Black Panther stuck in my head from before.

Well this is very interesting and things are starting to click together and yeah it’s a weird ride but I’m enjoying it! I suppose only at the end of the season you get the full picture of why and when everything has happened so I’m just sitting here metaphorically eating popcorn waiting for things to make sense on their own rhythm. There’s a theme of motherhood and babies and it seems that Geralt’s destiny is to become a metaphorical mother for Cirilla? Or am I mixing him up with a similar kind of character with a tendency to become everyone’s mom? Anyway, I’m looking forward to see what happens.

[riotbrrrd]

Hey you know what? 89 years after the fact, here are my impression of The Witcher the show:

1) I mean there are many female characters and it’s great, but there are many characters that just... don’t really serve a purpose, or have enough time to be properly developped, so uh. Like half the mages are here to just say their lines then die. Also when the FUCK are we seeing the amazons again.

2) I do love Calanthe and Ciri tho. And I liked the head of the magic tower-whatever it’s called. And I liked Renfri for her one episode.

3) I loved Yennefer... during the first part of her arc. And I think it’s a fun and really grounding worldbuilding idea to have all the mages take advantage of their status to make themselves look super hot. But I feel like as soon as Yennefer becomes hot she sort of falls into the most cliché storyline possible? Like, the ugly duckling thing is already kinda annoying, but I’m wiling to accept it because worldbuilding fun + Yennefer has a really fun personality. But the whole “femme fatale who just reall wants a baby” thing was... I kinda lost interest very quickly.

4) By the way what kinda parallels was that transformation scene with the whole striga fight and running for the coffin thing? There’s like, a “inner demon” and “rebirth” imagery going on super strong but? since we never see the cursed princess ever again what was the point of holding these two situations side by side like that?

5) Also it’s kinda funny to me that All Mages Know Each Other, idk why

6) All in one it is a fun show. It is interesting to me that it has this sort of episodic feel that tv shows have mostly moved away from, especially for such small seasons. It’s refreshing I think.

7) That said I think really, one of the main reasons for everything I’ve felt is that the whole battlefield + attack on Cintra in the first episode slapped WAY TOO HARD and so the rest of the season had to feel dull in comparison - but like, I probably felt it duller than it really was, just because I bingewatched and actually couldn’t move on from how FUCKING AMAZING this first episode was

8) Also this show does scenery shots super well.

9) I think this story manages quite well to create a world that is untouched with christian undertones, especially around sex - there are so many characters that just don’t react that badly to being seen naked or caught making out, also the crypt scene between yennefer and istredd with the ghosts of their ancestors or whoever they are is EXTREMELY GOOD, that said they really just sort of... forgot about doing that when Yennefer and Geralt bathe together, like suddenly she is shy uh.

10) Yennefer and Geralt really don’t work together.... Yennefer works super well with Istredd and so it really SHOWS that Geralt and her don’t work together.....

11) Tbh Henry Cavill is just too recognizable and luckily he’s the main character so everyone keeps repeating how he’s called, because to me he is and always will be Henry Cavill and there were times where I just. forgot the name of the main character of the show.

12) Not quite a statement about the show, just sort of a general Thought that came to me halfway through the season, but like... with the Fascination that fantasy in general has about the figure of The Witch, the lengths we have to go to find actual female storylines in fantasy........ who is out there creating stories that are actually centered around women and womens’ wombs and womens’ power? (Manon Fargetton, is the answer, but like, who else)

13) We see a woman watch a man die in front of her and she gets a super emotional scene where she screams over her corpse and looks at the murderer with revenge in her eyes? It doesn’t lead to character development for her so it’s not quite “hurt a man to give a woman some motivation to keep going” but I was still... SO happy to have witnessed that.

14) The dragon episode was good. God I loved that dragon.

[kalinara]

One of my favorite episodes of the Witcher is "Betrayer Moon”.  Not only do we get the climax of Yen’s Aretuza arc, but we also get the Striga fight.  And I think it’s pretty fascinating what the show did with it.

Disclaimer: I still haven’t read the books, so I have only the vaguest idea what the story is like there.  I did however start playing the first game, where we see the Striga battle as an introduction, and I find the contrast rather fascinating.

The big thing that stands out to me is that, in the game, the Striga fight itself doesn’t seem like a really big deal.  At no point does Geralt seem out of sorts or desperate.  If anything, it looks like he’s toying with her.  There’s a pretty great bit where he saunters into her crypt and pulls out a tiny hourglass to measure the time.  It’s a lovely moment of asshole.  It goes well, until the bite at the end.

And it makes sense for a game.  This is our glimpse of Geralt before his amnesia, it’s the teaser as to what he could be.  And I’m guessing it’s fairly similar in the books, since, IIRC, it’s the first story.

The show, obviously, is very different.  The fight is brutal.  Geralt’s chains, early on, fail, and after that, he’s fighting rough.  He’s flung about and battered and his crawl into the crypt seems as much an act of desperation as it is anything else.  No smug little hourglass moment here, Geralt is too wounded for that.

I suspect some of the reason for the change is because female fans are far more sadistic than male fans and we like watching our favorite guys suffer.  But there’s also thematic relevance too.

I’ve talked before about how the first season is structured to give Geralt a character arc: by setting Lesser Evil/The End’s Beginning first, Lauren Hissrich has given Geralt a clear emotional progression.  He starts off at a reasonably healthy place.  He’s ostracized, which he finds frustrating, but he’s also reasonably approachable.  He’s verbal, communicating pretty openly with Renfri and Marilka and Stregobor.  The events of the story break him, and the rest of the season shows us Geralt getting back.

One step in that direction is meeting Jaskier, but Jaskier himself isn’t enough to fix Geralt.  And there are also some issues within that relationship that are worth its own meta.  To put it briefly: I think that the claims that Jaskier is the one person to take Geralt’s emotional issues and wellbeing into account are nonsense, because he actually doesn’t.  That said, I think Jaskier’s steamrolling actually represents something Geralt needs at this time: he’s not letting Geralt hide in a corner and lick his wounds.  He’s forcing him out of the shadows and into human interaction again.

There’s an interesting cross-element of reputation in this episode.  Jaskier’s work is bearing fruit: the sex worker (who lives!  And gets paid!) has heard of Geralt, she recognizes his scars (...and really, I can’t imagine Geralt reacting very well to songs that talk about him that intimately, but again, meta for another day), and as we see in the Banquet episode and Bottled Appetities, the “White Wolf” is overtaking “the Butcher of Blaviken” in public opinion.

In Temeria though, Witcher is still a bad name, because of that poor fellow who “ran away with their coin”.  Because Triss and Foltest would rather trash some poor guy’s reputation than be honest with the people about the threat they face.  Their reasons are sympathetic, but it’s not surprising that Geralt is so pissy at the end of the episode.  The man who caused the curse is remembered as a hero, Geralt’s own role is buried, and the other Witcher, who gave his life for the miners, is a scorned deserter.

But back to the Striga.  Thanks to Renfri, the Striga suddenly takes on more emotional weight.  She’s not a monster.  She’s a girl, a princess, made into a monster because of the actions of the adults around her.  She’s fourteen years old: a child.  Like Renfri likely was when she was attacked and raped by Stregobor’s man.  Like Marilka, who befriended then rejected him.  Like Ciri will be.  And this time he can save her.  And he does SUFFER to save her.

Ostrit, like Stregobor, is a man who presents himself as the lesser evil.  His curse of Adda was Foltest’s fault, because HE made Adda love him.  Ostrit had to curse Adda, because he didn’t want to damage her reputation.  Because he’d rather see her dead than see her in disgrace.  Renfri was a puzzle to Stregobor, rather than a person.  Adda was a trophy to Ostrit, in the same way.

Saving the princess is not an emotional fix it for Geralt.  It can’t be.  He’s saved her by bringing her back, but he couldn’t save her from fourteen years as a monster.  Whatever she is now, whether or not she’ll recover, that’s out of his hands.  Renfri lived under the label of monster for years, until she became one in fact.  Was he too late to save this princess?  But it’s something.  He was able to do something that he couldn’t do for Renfri.

(There’s also a lovely parallel between the Striga and the victim in Geralt’s story of his first bit of heroism.  He saves the girl, but she’s terrified of him.  The girl in the story faints.  The ex-Striga attacks.  Because Geralt forgets sometimes that to a young, traumatized girl, he is scary.  I think because ultimately, deep down, he identifies far more with these girls than he does anyone else.)

As mentioned, the ending is interesting.  Ostrit, like Stregobor, gets remembered as the hero, when they’re bigger monsters than the girls they’ve made suffer.  The Witchers take another hit to their reputation.  Triss, often presented as the nicer alternative to Yennefer in the games (which is rather fascinating in its own right), seems very happy with this arrangement, though admittedly, she’s willing to give Geralt some credit while talking with Yennefer later.  Geralt is less happy, but what can he really do?  At least the princess has a chance to recover.

The Striga story is not a fix-it, but it is a step in the right direction, and I think it does play heavily in both Geralt’s initial rejection of the child surprise and then his acceptance of her.  

Also it’s fun watching Henry Cavill suffer. He’s very pretty at it.