I think episode 3 is the best one so far but it's also the one where I'm left scratching my head the most
"Ah yeah we're gonna have a weird bit of (very well-done) visual parallel putting a hellish monster curse on the same level as having a twisted spine, and the only way to break this curse of not being attractive enough will be to give you a fuckin' full-blown hysterectomy to produce somatic components to free your from your ugliness"
Christ in Heaven they went really far to draw a visual parallel between the breaking of the curse on the striga and the beautification of Yennefer
Really well-directed scene but holy shit, what
I have a lot of "ah why is this part different"
like Triss being around like maybe twenty years before she's supposed to show up in Temeria
but those are small things compared to that sequence
The sterilization happening only to Yennifer, but unless I've missed something else, everyone who got the beautification had to give up their fertility
Which.. I didn't notice the guys beauty up, I guess? And I sure didn't see male sorcerers dance with heads of state - are they only doing m/f pairings here?
Odd odd odd odd
Book spoilers included, Episode 3
Having infertility be a very, very explicit hysterectomy rather than a natural consequence of using magic is... strange? Graphic, and I feel kinda unnecessary. If they wanted to draw attention to the conflicted situation where Yennefer conflictedly chooses to have it happen to her--well, it's already like that in the books, by the consequence of her choosing to continue to learn magic. By tying infertility to beauty the message is uh... not great.
Yennefer's actress is really quite skilled though. I can understand comments about how they wanted to choose someone who could depict her younger and awkward to older and charming
... Also, it's silly and a minor point as Wyborn says, but the book fan in me dislikes the show making Geralt meet Triss before Yen in this
Which.. I didn't notice the guys beauty up, I guess? And I sure didn't see male sorcerers dance with heads of state - are they only doing m/f pairings here?
Odd odd odd odd
In episode 4 there's a scene where Yennefer and a queen complain about the patriarchy for 5 minutes, so I think it's not odd at all. Monarchies are not woke, it's a bad society!
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Blake TDo you have enemies then?Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered Userregular
I finished this today.
I liked most of it, but I feel all the storylines going in different timelines really did not work well. Geralt I got straight away, Yennefir I ended up liking and got into by the end, but ciri’s story was so separated from everyone elses I just didn’t get why I should care about her at all.
Ciro's story is also the worst because there is absolutely no agency in it for her. Just run. Stop. Bad thing happens. Run. Stop. Repeat.
Yennifer actually has an arc in her storyline.
Geralt doesn't really have an arc, but it's some mostly fun vignettes of a witcher's life and establishes his character.
I think episode 3 is the best one so far but it's also the one where I'm left scratching my head the most
"Ah yeah we're gonna have a weird bit of (very well-done) visual parallel putting a hellish monster curse on the same level as having a twisted spine, and the only way to break this curse of not being attractive enough will be to give you a fuckin' full-blown hysterectomy to produce somatic components to free your from your ugliness"
Christ in Heaven they went really far to draw a visual parallel between the breaking of the curse on the striga and the beautification of Yennefer
Really well-directed scene but holy shit, what
And for the fun part - the difference between the series and the books:
"Most of us wizards lose the ability to procreate due to somatic changes and dysfunction of the pituitary gland. Some wizards — usually women — attune to magic while still maintaining efficiency of the gonads. (...) I demand all apprentices be sterilised. Without exception."
-Tissaia de Vries, The Poisoned Source
So if they're also staying true to the books on this topic... that hysterectomy had nothing to do with the beautification.
I think episode 3 is the best one so far but it's also the one where I'm left scratching my head the most
"Ah yeah we're gonna have a weird bit of (very well-done) visual parallel putting a hellish monster curse on the same level as having a twisted spine, and the only way to break this curse of not being attractive enough will be to give you a fuckin' full-blown hysterectomy to produce somatic components to free your from your ugliness"
Christ in Heaven they went really far to draw a visual parallel between the breaking of the curse on the striga and the beautification of Yennefer
Really well-directed scene but holy shit, what
And for the fun part - the difference between the series and the books:
"Most of us wizards lose the ability to procreate due to somatic changes and dysfunction of the pituitary gland. Some wizards — usually women — attune to magic while still maintaining efficiency of the gonads. (...) I demand all apprentices be sterilised. Without exception."
-Tissaia de Vries, The Poisoned Source
So if they're also staying true to the books on this topic... that hysterectomy had nothing to do with the beautification.
I think the big issue with Ciri is that, while she does show up in a few of the short stories, most of her development happens in the novels. Hopefully show Ciri will get more interesting in the next season when her plot isn't just her running away.
In episode 4 there's a scene where Yennefer and a queen complain about the patriarchy for 5 minutes, so I think it's not odd at all. Monarchies are not woke, it's a bad society!
While it wasn't perfectly 1:1, the books had like 3-4 female heads of state. It wasn't marvelously egalitarian but Sapkowski had a lot of women in prominent leadership roles (captains and the like). There were also, of course, male sorcerer advisers, and they
a) were infertile through natural use of magic as well and b) did beauty themselves up
For some reason I doubt the show pondered the possibility of guys... getting their balls snipped? Yargh
So I meant more "odd that the show decided to change that"
I think the big issue with Ciri is that, while she does show up in a few of the short stories, most of her development happens in the novels. Hopefully show Ciri will get more interesting in the next season when her plot isn't just her running away.
In the books, Ciri comes into her own as a character when:
Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
Something occurred to me today, and now I have another question for the book readers, re Geralt and Yen, which I guess I'll spoiler even though it's probably not a spoiler
So I get that apparently they love each other. But if Geralt made that wish which tied their destinies together doesn't that imply that their feelings for each other might not be natural? It kind of feels manipulative, like a love spell, to me. But admittedly I found the wish in the show kind of vague, I'm not sure what exactly he wished for.
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DemonStaceyTTODewback's DaughterIn love with the TaySwayRegistered Userregular
Something occurred to me today, and now I have another question for the book readers, re Geralt and Yen, which I guess I'll spoiler even though it's probably not a spoiler
So I get that apparently they love each other. But if Geralt made that wish which tied their destinies together doesn't that imply that their feelings for each other might not be natural? It kind of feels manipulative, like a love spell, to me. But admittedly I found the wish in the show kind of vague, I'm not sure what exactly he wished for.
That is basically a big part of their relationship and story. They have these feelings and they cannot be sure if they are real or part of the spell. And maybe some of it is real and some of it isn't.
Them dealing with that is kinda their thing as far as I know.
Something occurred to me today, and now I have another question for the book readers, re Geralt and Yen, which I guess I'll spoiler even though it's probably not a spoiler
So I get that apparently they love each other. But if Geralt made that wish which tied their destinies together doesn't that imply that their feelings for each other might not be natural? It kind of feels manipulative, like a love spell, to me. But admittedly I found the wish in the show kind of vague, I'm not sure what exactly he wished for.
That is basically a big part of their relationship and story. They have these feelings and they cannot be sure if they are real or part of the spell. And maybe some of it is real and some of it isn't.
Them dealing with that is kinda their thing as far as I know.
You also really want to make sure to follow-up on Yennefer's request to see her about something when you are done in the garden in Skellige. It's all about these questions and how you choice to answer them.
Something occurred to me today, and now I have another question for the book readers, re Geralt and Yen, which I guess I'll spoiler even though it's probably not a spoiler
So I get that apparently they love each other. But if Geralt made that wish which tied their destinies together doesn't that imply that their feelings for each other might not be natural? It kind of feels manipulative, like a love spell, to me. But admittedly I found the wish in the show kind of vague, I'm not sure what exactly he wished for.
Book spoilers (game spoilers as well but I will nest those)
if I recall, the exact wording of the wish has never been revealed, but it's been said it had the effect of tying their fates together forever
In the moment it's to protect her from the djinn, as killing her would then mean killing Geralt, and a djinn can't kill its master
It's not explicitly a love spell (and I don't think Geralt would ever take someone's agency away by wishing for them to love him) but it does seem to be the reason they keep coming back into each other's lives. Whether the love is a result of the wish or is natural between the two of them is up to interpretation.
Witcher 3 game spoilers, side quest called "The Last Wish", it occurs in Skellige once you're back with Yen
a side quest has Yennefer trying to track down another djinn to undo the previous wish. She's become worried that their love is only a result of the wish. At the end of the quest the wish is undone and Yennefer finds she does still truly love Geralt; the player can choose to answer that Geralt feels the same or that the love disappeared with the wish
I personally just don't like the idea Geralt would've ever made anyone fall in love with him
How spoilery is that game spoiler, cos I'm still in Novigrad and haven't met back up with Yen yet
Borderline spoilery. I tried to be vague about the exact quest details beyond the basic setup, but it does answer whether the game is going to address your earlier question.
Something occurred to me today, and now I have another question for the book readers, re Geralt and Yen, which I guess I'll spoiler even though it's probably not a spoiler
So I get that apparently they love each other. But if Geralt made that wish which tied their destinies together doesn't that imply that their feelings for each other might not be natural? It kind of feels manipulative, like a love spell, to me. But admittedly I found the wish in the show kind of vague, I'm not sure what exactly he wished for.
book spoilers, I'll further spoiler a game spoiler inside
The wording of the wish is left vague in the book too; Yen sums it up as "condemning yourself to me" and also remarks that she's not sure "whether such a wish can ever be fulfilled" -- judging by the latter line, and the necessity of the wish (to protect her from the Djinn), it's a long term effect. Given that the short stories in the book are all based on twists of fairy tales, the interpretation I like is that he wishes something to the effect of "and they lived happily ever after" (or whatever that may be in Polish :P )
Most of these interpretations wouldn't affect feelings, as far as I can tell, and the books never raise the possibility. Geralt by the time he makes the wish is already in love with Yennefer; Yennefer probably is won over by him through his stupid determination to protect her from the djinn as well. He's consistently absurdly in love with her to the point that it makes other people horrendously jealous/envious of their relationship, even as rocky as it occasionally is
But yeah, W3
though it interprets the wish as Geralt wishing that they "were together always", certainly builds up Yen having a concern it is influencing their feelings. Which doesn't seem quite right by the books but leads to a very well written quest. (Even if it doesn't affect them, I do also think Yen is the type of person who would be concerned that that might be the case and might try to defy it)
How spoilery is that game spoiler, cos I'm still in Novigrad and haven't met back up with Yen yet
Pretty spoilery, it's about the ending of one of the most-liked aspects of the games (the romances) so if you don't want to know how it ends with a certain character, I wouldn't click it.
It's worth noting that the game is explicitly non-canon though. The books never reveal what the wish is, but the game runs with it definitely being a certain way. So the show could go in a different direction with it.
I wouldn't click on it. Just know that the game developers were aware of the question you have when they made the game.
Very basic gameplay advice on this without any substantial spoilers:
There will come a point when Yen asks you for a favor. It becomes an optional quest that you can fail if you keep going on with the story without doing it.
You want to do that quest.
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Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
Awesome thanks guys. It's cool to know that this exact question comes up in the game
There is a bit of suggestion in the books that there's more to geralt's wish
when he first meets Yennefer he doesn't think that much of her, just that she has that like artificial beauty that's standard for sorceress, but which is easily recognized when you're known as many wizards as he has. Post-wish he describes her as the most beautiful woman in the world.
Whatever he did is definitely as much a spell on himself as on Yen at any rate, and he's never consciously aware of his changed feelings.
Also geralt is a big softie and maybe he just decides she's beautiful as she grows on him
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
Particularly when it comes to trolls. I love trolls. I don't think I killed a single troll between the Witcher 2 and 3.
There are a bunch of trolls that you can't talk to who will gladly turn you into a rouge paste in w3
Ah well, need to get that troll liver from somewhere!
Particularly when it comes to trolls. I love trolls. I don't think I killed a single troll between the Witcher 2 and 3.
There are a bunch of trolls that you can't talk to who will gladly turn you into a rouge paste in w3
Ah well, need to get that troll liver from somewhere!
Oh dip I forgot about those guys. As soon as I realized I couldn't chat with them I felt an immense guilt for schwaking em.
The direction in episode five is WEIRD. The shot composition is frequently outright bad, the editing pattern is funky, the geography (and how action choreography interacts with it) is wonky, the performances are largely flat. Yen's story feels like it had two or three key beats stripped out of it.
It's so much bad stuff that it feels like a choice? But I'm not sure why you'd be bad on PURPOSE.
It's truly bizarre.
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Shortytouching the meatIntergalactic Cool CourtRegistered Userregular
they managed to make yen even more of an asshole than she was in the story they adapted that episode from
There is a bit of suggestion in the books that there's more to geralt's wish
when he first meets Yennefer he doesn't think that much of her, just that she has that like artificial beauty that's standard for sorceress, but which is easily recognized when you're known as many wizards as he has. Post-wish he describes her as the most beautiful woman in the world.
Whatever he did is definitely as much a spell on himself as on Yen at any rate, and he's never consciously aware of his changed feelings.
Also geralt is a big softie and maybe he just decides she's beautiful as she grows on him
I think it's definitely the latter
Throughout the course of the story Geralt increasingly shoves down thoughts about Yennefer (including when he sympathizes with Chiredan in jail, who is in love with her too). Sapkowski is great at being subtle (or at least not having his characters state things outright) but at least by the point Geralt is rushing towards the djinn and Yen he's in love
"You're going there because you have to, aren't you?"
Geralt hesitated. He thought he smelled the scent of lilac and gooseberries.
"I think so," he said reluctantly. "I do have to. I'm sorry, Chireadan--"
"Don't apologize. I know what you feel."
"I doubt it. Because I don't know myself."
The elf smiled. The smile had little to do with joy. "That's just it, Geralt. Precisely it."
...Though yeah, I firmly think he fell for her because of her difficult personality, because he sided with her with her whole issue with the town, and even how she one-upped him with the spell.
(God, random tangent but I love when he asks for her forgiveness in the dragon story, as they're about to die, and she's like NOPE.)
Particularly when it comes to trolls. I love trolls. I don't think I killed a single troll between the Witcher 2 and 3.
There are a bunch of trolls that you can't talk to who will gladly turn you into a rouge paste in w3
Ah well, need to get that troll liver from somewhere!
I'm pretty sure they patched some of those in later. I remember playing The Witcher 3 at release and having to forego several potions because of a lack of troll liver.
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Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
Yeah I think I'm going to have to re-read The Last Wish. Forgot I had it on my kindle and I remember basically nothing from it.
As much as the games and now the Netflix series have defined the conversation around Geralt & company, I maintain that the books are the best way to experience that world and its characters
Posts
Sometimes I boot up my old saves just to take a stroll around the neighborhood.
I think episode 3 is the best one so far but it's also the one where I'm left scratching my head the most
Christ in Heaven they went really far to draw a visual parallel between the breaking of the curse on the striga and the beautification of Yennefer
Really well-directed scene but holy shit, what
I have a lot of "ah why is this part different"
Which.. I didn't notice the guys beauty up, I guess? And I sure didn't see male sorcerers dance with heads of state - are they only doing m/f pairings here?
Odd odd odd odd
Book spoilers included, Episode 3
Yennefer's actress is really quite skilled though. I can understand comments about how they wanted to choose someone who could depict her younger and awkward to older and charming
... Also, it's silly and a minor point as Wyborn says, but the book fan in me dislikes the show making Geralt meet Triss before Yen in this
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So creepy and gross and good.
I liked most of it, but I feel all the storylines going in different timelines really did not work well. Geralt I got straight away, Yennefir I ended up liking and got into by the end, but ciri’s story was so separated from everyone elses I just didn’t get why I should care about her at all.
I super dug cavil as the Witcher though.
Satans..... hints.....
Yennifer actually has an arc in her storyline.
Geralt doesn't really have an arc, but it's some mostly fun vignettes of a witcher's life and establishes his character.
And for the fun part - the difference between the series and the books:
-Tissaia de Vries, The Poisoned Source
So if they're also staying true to the books on this topic... that hysterectomy had nothing to do with the beautification.
I still get what I like about Geralt and Yennefer here but I'm never gonna get that with Ciri
While it wasn't perfectly 1:1, the books had like 3-4 female heads of state. It wasn't marvelously egalitarian but Sapkowski had a lot of women in prominent leadership roles (captains and the like). There were also, of course, male sorcerer advisers, and they
For some reason I doubt the show pondered the possibility of guys... getting their balls snipped? Yargh
So I meant more "odd that the show decided to change that"
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In the books, Ciri comes into her own as a character when:
That 10 year anniversary video was a punch to the gut I didn't need, also
https://soundcloud.com/giona_ostinelli
Them dealing with that is kinda their thing as far as I know.
Book spoilers (game spoilers as well but I will nest those)
In the moment it's to protect her from the djinn, as killing her would then mean killing Geralt, and a djinn can't kill its master
It's not explicitly a love spell (and I don't think Geralt would ever take someone's agency away by wishing for them to love him) but it does seem to be the reason they keep coming back into each other's lives. Whether the love is a result of the wish or is natural between the two of them is up to interpretation.
Witcher 3 game spoilers, side quest called "The Last Wish", it occurs in Skellige once you're back with Yen
I personally just don't like the idea Geralt would've ever made anyone fall in love with him
Borderline spoilery. I tried to be vague about the exact quest details beyond the basic setup, but it does answer whether the game is going to address your earlier question.
book spoilers, I'll further spoiler a game spoiler inside
Most of these interpretations wouldn't affect feelings, as far as I can tell, and the books never raise the possibility. Geralt by the time he makes the wish is already in love with Yennefer; Yennefer probably is won over by him through his stupid determination to protect her from the djinn as well. He's consistently absurdly in love with her to the point that it makes other people horrendously jealous/envious of their relationship, even as rocky as it occasionally is
But yeah, W3
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Pretty spoilery, it's about the ending of one of the most-liked aspects of the games (the romances) so if you don't want to know how it ends with a certain character, I wouldn't click it.
It's worth noting that the game is explicitly non-canon though. The books never reveal what the wish is, but the game runs with it definitely being a certain way. So the show could go in a different direction with it.
Very basic gameplay advice on this without any substantial spoilers:
You want to do that quest.
Whatever he did is definitely as much a spell on himself as on Yen at any rate, and he's never consciously aware of his changed feelings.
Also geralt is a big softie and maybe he just decides she's beautiful as she grows on him
Particularly when it comes to trolls. I love trolls. I don't think I killed a single troll between the Witcher 2 and 3.
There are a bunch of trolls that you can't talk to who will gladly turn you into a rouge paste in w3
Ah well, need to get that troll liver from somewhere!
Oh dip I forgot about those guys. As soon as I realized I couldn't chat with them I felt an immense guilt for schwaking em.
It's so much bad stuff that it feels like a choice? But I'm not sure why you'd be bad on PURPOSE.
It's truly bizarre.
I think it's definitely the latter
"You're going there because you have to, aren't you?"
Geralt hesitated. He thought he smelled the scent of lilac and gooseberries.
"I think so," he said reluctantly. "I do have to. I'm sorry, Chireadan--"
"Don't apologize. I know what you feel."
"I doubt it. Because I don't know myself."
The elf smiled. The smile had little to do with joy. "That's just it, Geralt. Precisely it."
...Though yeah, I firmly think he fell for her because of her difficult personality, because he sided with her with her whole issue with the town, and even how she one-upped him with the spell.
(God, random tangent but I love when he asks for her forgiveness in the dragon story, as they're about to die, and she's like NOPE.)
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Just fuck me up with witchery
I'm pretty sure they patched some of those in later. I remember playing The Witcher 3 at release and having to forego several potions because of a lack of troll liver.