Samhain threads 🎃 Samhain threads 🎃

God I'm so glad to talk about the game lmao. I also finished it! It was fine Ig I think the start of the game was so fantastic so my expectations were a bit much but it was fun! I loved playing as Ciri and just zapping all over the place, wish we could do that more.

But yeah I completely agree with you on basically everything that you said lmaooo, Yen is just unbareable the more I learn about her and the things shes done/the way she treats ppl, I just don't see what I'm meant to like, even if Geralt wasn't the Best person, he deserves so so much better, Idk how I'm gonna read the books if this romance is canon there too, hopefully it won't bother me too much. She so far doesn't really have any redeeming qualities, even her small moments of humour and wit are sort of "yeah okay but it's not fun when you do it cause you just spent the past few moments berating someone for daring to try and help you so like" I actually ended up sort of liking triss the more I talked with her and Yen, she at least apologises for her wrongs (which are still massive holy shit) and doesn't rly treat geralt like shit (same with Kiera, I think thats how her name is spelt, shes cool), they both kinda fuck over geralt but they own up to it which I can at least respect, still not a fan but they're okay, at times. God the women in this game are either really fucking cool or just a bitch, usually in a not fun way The game came with both dlcs! havent really touched them cause the ending was a bitttt of a let down, I thought I wasn't near finishing cause I put it off for so long lol so my bad, probably will get into them tho! And im on ps4 so no mods :( the exp shit would be so good, the last boss fights were really easy though? I think I was level 34 (I wanted to wear my good armour lol) and the quests are level 28 so maybe I was a bit over leveled but some random mobs in world beat my ass just before the main quests so idk lol. Do you get to hang with Ciri at all post game? They're so damn cute together

Out of curiosity which ending did you get? I was pretty satisfied overall (witcher!Ciri ending for me) but I remember thinking that the last couple of plot points were pretty rushed. Though tbh, looking back I’m not sure if that’s actually the case, or if things just felt fast to me because I missed so much buildup trying to keep track of the basics. Now that I know the characters, world, conflicts, etc. I keep coming across lines and details that make me go, “Oh, THAT’S what we were referring to!” for plot points that previously felt like they came out of nowhere.

Playing Ciri is so much fun though. I enjoy zapping around as well...even when I accidentally zap myself into some guy's sword XD

I’m constantly told Yen gets better in the books (something, something major character development) and I’d be lying if I said that “The Last Wish” didn’t turn me off, but I personally stopped reading due to more than just Yen. The epic just didn’t grab me. The short stories absolutely, but I didn’t like the writing as much in novel form, heard a lot about future plot points I had no interest in/made me very uncomfortable, didn’t want to read a bunch of Yen being Yen prior just to getting a development I may or may not like… there was a lot that made me drop the books, so I’m not exactly in the best position to be recommending them, or even warning against them from an unbiased perspective lol. I might give them another shot sometime, but for now I’m happy with the games and fandom content.

I’m liking Triss a lot more on my second playthrough too (especially how selfless she is regarding the other mages) and I always liked Keira. I think the game did a good job of making her kinda selfish and manipulative (as sorceresses are wont to be in this world), but not to such an extent that you’re utterly repulsed by her actions. Her conflict is “I want to not live in squalor the rest of my days and am willing to mislead a friend to achieve that. Also foolishly trust a mad king that, if I go through with it, ends in my horrific death.” With the resolution being like, “Oh, someone else will give me a place of safety with something as basic as clean bedding? Sweet! Yeah, now that I have some security, company, and comfort I’ll use this research to cure a plague, nbd.” Keira is a great example of TW3’s argument that if you choose to help and nurture people, good things will happen for everyone, and it doesn’t ask you to ignore anything really awful to get there. I can very much stomach “You kept some info from me and put me to sleep for the night” in a way that’s far harder to do with, “You actively misled me for months while I had amnesia, cultivating this fantasy relationship” or “You callously disregard another’s culture and torture our daughter’s friend through necromancy.”

Depending on the choices you’ve already made, you can hang out with Ciri for like, one cut scene in the DLCs lol. But it’s indeed a cute one! Basically, if you didn’t romance either Triss or Yen and Ciri is still alive, you should see her again. I’m absolutely that fan that if CDPR decided, after this many years, to randomly add more TW3 content, I would in no way be opposed. I want more time with Ciri, with Regis, there’s a character from the second game named Iorveth who was supposed to reappear in TW3 but had to be cut and that tragedy will forever haunt me. Forget the mess that is Cyberpunk, just keep making more Witcher content!

Fandom asks meme - 30 & 31 for Dragon Age and also for The Witcher.

30. 3 reasons the series brings you comfort

31. 3 things you would change about the series

Sorry for the delayed reply, I’ve been away for a few days outside of data range. :)  Thanks for these questions, they’re a great choice.  They could be an ask meme all by itself. :)

Ask meme here

Answers under the cut....

Dragon Age:

Comfort:

1. Hawke <3.  She is just so damned ordinary, trying to do her best in a sucky situation.  The fact that you can play her in different ways, and all seem like totally feasible responses to said sucky situation.  That she cares about her family and tries to protect it.  That this can lead to immoral choices.  Just.  Hawke.

2. Kirkwall.  I love that you spend an entire game in one city.  At first, I had been disappointed by that.  But getting to know a city over the course of years, its people, its problems, really grew on me.  It makes Hawke feel like she actually belongs in this place, see the ordinariness above.

3. The found family.  I really can’t separate them out.  I love the rag tag bunch of DA2.  While I really enjoyed DA:O, and did like the companions, the motley crew of DA2 and the extended period of time spent in a relatively small environment meant that those relationships are intense and important.  Which leads me into the changes...

Change:

1. I hate that the found family mostly went their separate ways at the end of DA2.  I understand why they said that, especially if Hawke goes the mage route and ends up a fugitive, but I hate it.

2. DA:I.  I don’t like the look of the game (the graphics are a little too uncanny valley for me), the use of Frostbite, the endless fetch quests in a vast but underpopulated map (I ended up skipping to the end because I got bored), and how the companions felt more like colleagues than friends or family.  It was basically the opposite of everything I liked about DA2.

3. I just wish that the games had dealt better with the elves overall.  I feel like they really bit off more than they could chew without even really realising it, and only dug themselves deeper and deeper into that hole over the three games.  The lack of integration of the elven protagonist in DA3 really just capped that right off, especially because its absolute tone-deafness inadvertently epitomised the tricky relationship that the game series has had to race all along (and is, like a few things in this series, unintentionally brilliant as a result).

The Witcher:

Comfort:

1.Geralt’s ability to distinguish monsters despite appearances and his strong regard for his own moral compass;

One of the core themes of The Witcher is that humans often turn out to be the monsters, while the monsters that Geralt is paid to slay are basically just supernatural animals doing their thing.  Geralt’s ability to distinguish between the two is a large part of what makes him who he is.

2. Women + literal, actual power

I love the witches in The Witcher, and the idea that women who are most often poor and powerless can grow up to have control over themselves and their environment.  Yennefer is the stand-out here, and I love her for being such a complicated character.

3. The father-daughter relationship of Geralt and Ciri

This is a touching relationship in TW3 in particular, showing Geralt’s depth of heart and character, while also acknowledging Ciri’s strong bonds to her found family in the other Witchers.  Plus Ciri!  Ciri <3.  She unites the two previous points.  A woman with literal, actual power and the discernment and moral compass of Geralt. <3 (Yennefer and Ciri also adds another interesting layer to Yennefer’s character)

4. Bonus: Dandelion (Jaskier)

Just because he’s so daft and the buddy comedy thing he has going on with Geralt is great.  Especially in the TV series.  Great casting choice.

Change:

1. Women aren’t treated very comprehensively in the books (especially) or the games, and are occasionally brutalised for shock value.  One example that sticks out was in TW3.  There’s a side character, Priscilla, who is a singer and a rival/love interest for Dandelion.  She is randomly and brutally attacked, and although she apparently recovers (told not shown), it was unnecessary and poorly dealt with. Having said that, there is a good deal of depth to work with in the source material, and the TV series does a lot better with Yennefer in particular - in large part because we actually get to see her POV.  There are lots of interesting minor characters that more could be done with (and hopefully we get to see a lot more of in the TV series!).

2. In the games, combat is boring, poorly scaled, and awkward in mechanics (rolling, rolling, rolling).  That could be better.  First and second games in particular.

3. A lot of people dismissed The Witcher as sexist years ago because of the women card collecting mechanic in TW1.  It’s a really silly thing to have included, but the encounters that precede the card collecting are actually all about women’s agency and sex positivity in the face of the no-strings-attached (sterile, disease free, drifter) sex-on-legs that is Geralt.  I wish that the games hadn’t included it so they didn’t get written off immediately, because it doesn’t do justice to the actual circumstances in which the encounters took place.

About my witcher kiddo

 I was tagged by @lenkalost​ and @edenorisshitposting​ & I want to apologize this took me forever to complete 😅

LAYER ONE : THE OUTSIDE

Eye Color: Golden (sky-blue before mutation)

Name: Weron

Hair Style/Color: honey blonde, usually worn in a low bun, sometimes in a high ponytail

Height: Cca 170 cm

Clothing Style: Anything that’s practical and comfortable

Best Physical Feature: Freckles, eyes, and hair

LAYER TWO: THE INSIDE

Fears: Losing those who are dear to her. Already happened a few times, though...

Ambition for the Future: To live as happy life as possible, to help those who need it, never giving up on trying to find a way to "repair" her damaged memory... And she's also open to a possibility of settling down somewhere in the future, with someone who would like to share it with her (preferably someone with pointy ears... come on, a girl can dream)

Guilty Pleasure: Colorful and patterned mugs and socks/shawls/blankets... She knows she already has too many of them, but... one more CAN'T hurt, right?

Biggest Pet Peeve: Ignorant people & know-it-alls

LAYER THREE: THOUGHTS

First Thoughts Waking Up: “Five more minutes...”

What They Think About the Most: Her thoughts are usually all over the place, but mostly it's reminding herself to do [the thing which is important at the moment], not forget to eat/go to sleep already, what would her grandpa/uncles do [at this situation], oh, this blanket is really pretty...

What They Think About Before Bed: "If dopplers' clothing is part of their body, can they... get undressed...?"

What They Think Their Best Quality Is: She can get along with almost anyone easily.

LAYER FOUR: WHAT’S BETTER?

Single or Group Dates: "Single, of course. I like to talk with the other person without being interrupted by someone else."

To be Loved or Respected: “It certainly isn’t bad to be respected... but I’d prefer to be loved, thank you.”

Beauty or Brains: “Brains, I already AM beautiful... haha... ha... am I the only one laughing? Ok...”

Dogs or Cats: “I don’t like dogs and cats don’t like me. Well... this is a though one...”

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU?

Lie: “I’m trying to lie as little as possible. It’s easier when you don’t have to remember what you said.”

Believe in Yourself: “Sure I do. You know, someone has to...”

Believe in Love: “It certainly isn’t bad to be respected... but I’d prefer to be loved, thank you.”

Want Someone: "Uhh... NEXT QUESTION, PLEASE?"

LAYER SIX: HAVE YOU EVER?

Been on Stage: “Nah, never. I don’t think I could memorize my lines, hah.”

Done Drugs: Never

Changed Who You Were to Fit In: She tries to be true to herself most of the time (although, if the situation calls for it because of tactical reasons...)

LAYER SEVEN: WHAT’S THEIR…

Favourite colours: Dark blue, yellow, lavender purple, crimson and cherry red...

Favourite animal: Owls

Favourite book: Various bestiaries and history books (as well as some cheap romance novels, but that’s a secret)

Favourite game: Gwent. She's not good at it, but enjoys it nonetheless

LAYER EIGHT: AGE

DOB: She doesn’t know, in fact no one knows (but the Creator says it’s more or less half a year after Ciri was born)

How Old Will You Be: 20/21 during the events of TW3 

Age You Lost Your Virginity: 17 (it was in Wyzima, with an elf... and it was kinda nice, even if a bit awkward)

Does Age Matter: "Ehh... this really depends on context. Is it about old people finding love? Then the age doesn't matter. Is it about someone making disgusting suggestions to a person several decades younger than them? Then it does & die by my sword, creep."

LAYER NINE: FINISH THE SENTENCE

I love: “My friends and my family... and warm blankets... and that special coffee uncle Eskel makes... and...”

I feel: “Constant curiosity”

I hide: “My diaries. It really ISN’T funny when someone reads them OUT LOUD, right, uncle Lambert AND Ciri?!”

I miss: “Uncle Coen... and all those days everything used to be a lot easier...”

I wish: “All the best to those who are dear to me.”

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I should tag someone, right? Well... it's been so long since I was tagged, so I don't know who already did this...

Ok, enough of this, I'm tagging... @akishito & @wackylurker (if you want to, of course 😄)

what are your feelings about geralt and yennefer? either book or game or netflix or all of them?

books

i agree with most canon*. it’s a good relationship that sapkowski put a lot of effort into developing and writing over the course of all of the short stories and the saga, so i think it tends to get more attention just because the author gave it more attention. i think it’s pretty incredible that geralt and yennefer have this deep relationship without even seeing each other in-person for basically half of the short stories and half of the saga, sapkowski did some interesting things to make that happen, but it ends up working.

i appreciate how geralt and yennefer are two very vulnerable people with issues relating to intimacy and letting others into their life, and they actually aren’t ready to have a relationship before they become more mature and understand what love actually means. imo, their journey to committment is a little too focused on monogamy and looking at relationships through that lense, but that is/was the viewpoint of the author at the time.

the major thing for geralt x yennefer as a ship for me is that i appreciate it in canon, whenever i read their romantic parts i feel it’s sweet, their moments in the end of the last wish, at thanedd, and the end of the assault on stygga castle are really moving and wonderfully written. i like how they speak about each other and feel about each other when they are apart. it’s something i can support and like, i feel a lot of this is tied to them being parents as well but it works overall. 

something i also appreciate about them is how they’re really different from a lot of other m/f relationships. geralt isn’t fucking cruel, he acts like a human being and also has the capacity to apologize and act humble towards yennefer, being kind and caring so much about her feelings and what she wants. yennefer isn’t just a sex toy for geralt, she exists as her own person and is a very strong personality, but also isn’t cruel and doesn’t take him for granted. together, they really do care about one another.

BUT. even though i appreciate it in canon and in all of the parts i have read*. i literally can’t really ever think up my own thoughts or headcanons for them. and the reason for this that they never DO anything together in canon, asides from living together in vengerberg, going to thanedd, and participating in the fight at stygga castle. all they ever do TOGETHER as a couple is stay at home, go to a formal party, or fight for their fucking lives trying to escape the mad torture and grief wrought upon them and their daughter. in the other moments, they are just thinking about each other in loving manners, yearning, if you will, but whenever they are together it’s never an activity with potential for a story.

in my mind i HAVE to compare and contrast yennefer and dandelion and their respective relationships to geralt, just because they’re the two closest adults to him that he has in his life. the issue for me with geryennefer is that it doesn’t have potential like gerlion does. geralt and dandelion do all KINDS of fun, weird things together. mainly they go to festivals and bars, but they also just ride to different cities across the continent and explore, sometimes dandelion accompanies geralt on contracts, sometimes geralt has to meet dandelion in a place significant to him like oxenfurt. dandelion is constantly embroiled in other personal relationship drama. they actually DO a lot of things together, and these different scenarios are really interesting as a fan, because you can just think up unlimited things that they could have potentially done during all of these years. with geralt and yennefer, you can’t really do that because yennefer doesn’t travel, she has a house and a career and is a very esteemed and classy woman. in addition, this is just a personal preference it seems, but i never really get too involved in characters (and thus, ships with those characters in them) that don’t have an element of comic relief to them. geralt and yennefer can be in love, but i don’t know what kind of funny situations they might find themselves in, i don’t know what funny or wacky interactions they might have. and so it’s not all that interesting to me.

similarly, another thing i always compare and contrast geryennefer and gerlion on is that geralt and dandelion are so different. they’re entirely opposites. dandelion is very extroverted, flirty, gets into trouble, and has no issue with vulnerability or intimacy. geralt stays away from people because they despise him, he stays away from drama, and he’s not experienced with intimacy, he is insecure. they have a lot of friction there as two characters interacting with one another because of how different they are and the different lives they have had that influence who they are and who they might know, what they might like to do in a situation. in contrast to this, geralt and yennefer are very similar people. they both have a lot of issues with intimacy and vulnerability that makes them finding each other and developing with each other over the course of the series very compelling and interesting, but boring when you want to think of headcanons or new adventures and interactions for them to have. once they have developed their characters, they will stay developed. unlike with geralt and dandelion, where there will practically always be at the very least a little friction between them because they’re just so fundamentally different.

tl;dr: geralt and yennefer is a compelling and well-developed relationship in canon because sapkowski just poured his entire heart into developing them, they have many endearing moments together and develop their characters together and parallel each other in many ways; however, this means that they’re very similar characters and their goal as a couple is to finally be able to settle down, and that makes them lack potential as a ship to think about as a fan (in relation to thinking of new interactions for them or new situations for them to be in). 

so as a fan who has ships, i have many many headcanons and ideas and fics in-progress (that i will never get around to writing) for gerlion, but basically nothing for geryennefer, which kind of sucks. but i also don’t disregard geryennefer as not canon or something like that, i just think that geralt can have both a boyfriend and a wife because i am disrespectful to sapkowski’s writing of yennefer as a possessive lover and his emphasis on monogamy as the ultimate commitment.

* obviously the shitty things that sapkowski did relating to consent in the last wish and something more (it’s basically canon that sorcerers/esses can hypnotize others into love and sex, but yennefer just chooses not to do this with geralt after the last wish because they Love Each Other Truly or something like this) should be retconned, just as i retcon the fact that geralt slept with barely-legal essi and shani, just as i retcon the off-color comments and jokes that got written for dandelion

games / cdpr

it’s... fine. yennefer got a major personality retcon and a lot of what cdpr says about their relaitonship doesn’t make sense and is pretty cringey, without much depth (apparently, they bonded over making witty puns...?) but it’s also a video game and we finally got to see yennefer and ciri in the witcher games franchise, which is a gift enough of itself, because they’re like, the most important people to geralt. cdpr has this weird infatuation with triss merigold and sexualizes her at every chance they get, her personality is incredibly different from the books, they basically made her really easy to wife up because she’s just very sweet and agrees with everything you say and loves you, so i am just glad that we have another option besides OOC triss. 

but yennefer is also pretty OOC in a lot of parts, she has been rid of all of her character development from the series and even though she makes a lot of sacrifices for ciri, tw3 is incredibly reluctant to call her ciri’s mother, so what was the point of all of this. they also nerfed yennefer incredibly by making her hair salon curls instead of actually naturally curly, stormy hair, so that detracts from her entire character. the fact that she’s working with nilfgaard is just plain laughable and the fact that geralt is ok with this is even more laughable. there’s not even that much ship material between the two in the game and whatever there is is pretty cringey and base with no real depth or intimacy, so i cringe whenever i see a romantic gifset or something of them. it’s yawntown.

netflix

i despise netflix version of them because they’re incredibly boring and basic with pretty much every common major issue with depiction of a m/f relationship on screen: huge age cap between cavill and chalotra which is uncomfortable to watch because chalotra is only a few years older than freya allen who is meant to play ciri, geralt’s daughter..., they jump into romance and sex way too quickly (yennefer receives geralt in the midst of a huge orgy and is very seductive and sweet to him instead of zapping his ass with lightning and threatening to kill him, she also bathes in the same bathtub with him immediately instead of turning invisible to make a fool out of him), consent (geralt’s wish in their adaptation of the last wish wasn’t heard by yennefer, and in the end, he says “my plan worked,” which are three words pretty much no one wants to fucking hear after sex), weird homophobic joke upon meeting (yennefer says jaskier is “just a friend, [she] hope[s],” which is... it’s 2019 guys, come on), they argue for pure drama, geralt is sincerely mean to her (laughs at the idea of her being a mother), their intimate scenes are tasteless, they break up by the end of the series in the adaptation of the bounds of reason because geralt was mean to her... 

there’s so many things i can’t even begin to list them all, but those are a few key ones. geralt is just a purely unpleasant character in netflix so he doesn’t deserve to be in love with anyone, and yennefer is such a basic and boring character with no sincere flaws or uniqueness that i can’t be interested in her at all. and together, they’re every heterosexual relationship that has ever existed.

2020 Creator Reflection

Pick a favorite piece for each month to celebrate the year! Reflection under the cut.

March: i talked abt this one here so hell yeah, i love me some angst and revving up elliot’s fatal flaw to ruin his life

April:  Oh God, Nol Antagonized The Feral Possum Too And Now Everything Is Going To Become Bad. it was really hard for me to commit and let nol be the idiot he is to one of my friends but im rly glad i managed it. i expected a lot of tauntness in his character from removing him from ishgard but i wasn't completely sure how i would express it beyond his fragmented thoughts. he never says or thinks quite what he wants to in the order he intends. his impulsivity is damning here n i like that a lot

May:  next year for sure im gonna write at least two clo stories. i dont like that he's That Aesthetic Cat Boy on this blog when he's my vehicle for horror. his voice is also one i haven't figured out yet so id rly like to get that done. shout out to the little pharos in the back.....ilu

June (one): trench warfare trench warfare trench warfare, aka me rewriting what square was too cowardly to put thought into, plus a good dose of sucker punching nol. its much overdue but im working on another sb thing too based on brave's IR so i rly rly wanna finish that soon next year.

June (two): i already talked abt this one here but noise good boys cute

July (one):  this one reminded me that oh. yeah. i CAN photoshop things if i have a vision. bc halone knows i havent in a long time. im a bitch for arr and i love the calamity, but i dont write much abt my boys' childhoods so never get to directly address it. i rly love the one of elliot, who is definitely not eating a piece of bread

July (two):  this bitch wrote FLUFF and POETRY in ONE STORY so thats p cool. i rly like elliot getting smacked by the piano.

August:  spinny. the combination of cute pastels and nols dead anger face is p funny tbh

September (one):  i looooove showing nol's perception against elliot's. nol has an interesting relationship w eli's room, too, as a place of comfort but also massive change, so it's always fun to get him to interact w it. still, elliot operates almost mockingly here--id like to change that vibe bc while his actions are deliberate, they're not cruel.

September (two):  this one was fun to write and fun to read. I've missed writing nol n eli in that awkward period of their early friendship a lot n this let me revisit it. their fondness for each other is clear but theyre evidently not quite *used*to each other. also "a fair trade, he considered, as nol manhandled him through the window" still makes me laugh.

October:  FRUMPY CLOTHES FRUMPY CLOTHES FRUMPY CLOTHES. v happy w this outfit. good clothes this year even if i didnt play very much at all.

November:  i loooooove writing jos and nol. they have so much tension its beautiful. mentor characters are one of my favorite ways to push another chara to do smth uncomfortable, so jos' prodding is the perfect combination of understanding and advice to get nol to reflect on what he needs to. even if that's calling elliot a bitch

-------

i didnt get to do anything for three of the months this year, which is kind of weird for me, but also. its whatever. bc this is 2020.

i rly didnt get to create much at all tbh for 2020 reasons, but also for job reasons--i v happily began working at a public library halfway through this year. adjusting to that time sink was p difficult.

i also really. didn’t play ffxiv much. i did start playing a couple other video games tho, like animal crossing and a few zeldas, and i started tw3 a few weeks ago and im enjoying it. ill take that as progress, too

im working really hard on starting a book blog so i dont expect to return to the game very quickly next year. but i really miss my characters and my friends so i def want to put more time into ffxiv. i have an industrial revolutions wip that i should be done with in the next month, plus another marriage plot wip that i can begin tying together too.

i would really like if i could finish the rp plot for marriage plot im cooking and contribute it to my fc a little. who doesnt need a little more ishgardian drama in their life, duh,

but we made it! to the end of the year! even if it feels lonely and the festivity is really out of me, im glad to move into 2021 and take the little good parts with me.

past reflections:  2017 | 2018 | 2019

Love that we have a possibility to learn more about you through the asks! I'd like to read your answers to 4 (maybe you read my tags?), 16 (what are your favs?), 17 and 18~

I did see your tags! I was hoping you would Toss an Ask so it’s wonderful to hear from you! 4. Did I kill the Cat School Witcher or let him live?: I have played "Where the Cat and Wolf Play” both ways but the last few times, I’ve spared him. On the one hand, vengeance can be sweet and Gaetan is a challenge as he knows Geralt’s tricks and it’s a satisfying fight. Considering how Gaetan went overkill in slaughtering the entire village, it may even seem like justice especially if you skip the dialogue fast. But if you let the Cat explain why he spares the girl, he becomes more humanized when talking about how she reminded him of his sister who had by then died of old age. 

As he’s a Cat school Witcher, it seems plausible that Geralt might not be as willing to show mercy considering the treachery of the Cats in their plot against the Wolf School which resulted in many deaths on both sides years before, as well as the fact that Cats are often willing to take on less ethical contracts and assassinations. On the other hand, I can see how Geralt might spare him because its a fair statement that he’s not one to judge the actions of another Witcher considering he’s got his own regrets as the Butcher of Blaviken. Depending on Geralt’s actions in TW2 and possible alliance with Letho in TW3, there’s actually quite a a lot of considerations to make in this one quest. So... it’s ultimately complicated but if you do spare Gaetan, you also get a nifty sword and either way, you can help little Millie so there’s another possible happy ending.

16. Favorite Mods: This might be a long list... I tend to switch up mods often but there are a few that never get turned off. Autoloot (stupid popups be gone!), Jump in Shallow Water, Glowing Eyes, and Indestructible Items are always on. I get annoyed having to fix gear all the time and although that may break immersion for some, it works for me. I *don’t* use Fast travel Anywhere, 9000 Weight, No Fall Damage (use the roll button or get good at the jumping/climbing timing, FFS!)  because then the game is just too darn easy. I avoid mods that change combat and game mechanics because they tend to get glitchy or don’t play well with other mods; it’s always those ones that have given me trouble. 

Most mods I use are strictly cosmetic. 4k retexture with Striga scars for Geralt, El’s Custom Complexions for the ladies (the Geralt version is lovely but he’s almost tooooo pretty), and lately Perverse Appearance are all ones that I highly recommend. HD Rework Project is an absolute must if your computer can handle it and Immersive Lighting is also a great choice to spice up the weather and lighting. If you ever have questions about mods I use in images, please do ask because I have  pretty good memory for such things and will happily send links.  17. If I could change one thing...: Well, I don’t enjoy Gwent because I’d rather be out questing but I do miss dice poker from the previous games which is far more lore friendlier game in the Witcher universe anyways. Also the ability to drop Triss in the fountain at the Vegelbud Estate when she gets a bit too drunk & touchy...Sorry, but I just want to get back to Yen, lol.  More time with my fellow Wolf School Witchers and a longer storyline in Kaer Morhen besides the battle would also be content I’d have enjoyed although the drunk shenanigans in “No Place Like Home” are probably some of the funniest in the game. It’s hard to choose just one... 

18. Combat style: When I first started playing, I didn’t pay as much attention and hacked away with all fast attacks and heavy quen/igni but as I’ve played more I really enjoy the dance of graceful pirouettes. Using parry and dodge effectively makes the combat much richer instead of slamming the roll button constantly and losing stamina in heavy armor. Deflecting arrows is not only lore friendly but extremely satisfying instead of relying on armor glyphs to do the same trick. Alchemy is your best friend if you have the patience to track down all the recipes and time your attacks and it surprises me when other players say they never bother with it... potions and bombs can be the best tools in Witcher’s arsenal! (I do miss the throwing daggers from TW2.) I use my signs of course, but heavy sign builds take away some of the challenge and are ultimately way overpowered.  For Mutations, I usually stick to Euphoria, Metamorphosis or Bloodbath. Piercing Cold is fun but it makes Geralt’s hair glitch and fly off about 3 feet from his body so while hilarious, I don’t bother with it. 

Anyways, thank you for the Ask! It’s so much fun to talk about my love of Witcher with you! :) 

Random vent time, since I have nothing to do today; and writing about things that are bothering is known to be helpful :”)  A bit of rant about the Witcher (Aen Elle, guess what), feel free to scroll past it if it’s not your cup of tea. It may n0t even make sense or be productive, I felt just the need to to it, and tumblr is already a burning trashcan (that I still love somehow), I’m just adding some oil to it. Some spoilers ahead, from TW3 and Lady of The Lake.

1: Wild Hunt (I speak as per The Red Riders, not about the game title) in general was really poorly done (plot-wise), but at least CD Projekt Red admitted it was their fault and because of lack of time and resources. It happens, it’s fine, we still have books (... well, one [last one] book and about 30 pages in it, but damn, these are good pages). It’s been 5 years, it’s okay, we accepted it, many discussions were held on this account.

2: Wild Hunt may be done poorly, but Eredin himself got absolutely and devastatingly flattened to a pancake, while in the book he’s a juicy donut. No, right now I’m not talking look-wise (which isn’t that important anyways, I presume), but motivations and personality wise. That hurts more. Way more. Also, why make him kill Auberon on purpose? In the books it was accidental, and he himself was briefly shocked, but had to immediately return to his cold facade because capturing that goddamn escaping Ciri was the most important thing at the moment. Making him just a typical usurper was another reason to not see him as a good villain. The plot of TW3 could still be glorious if they actually stick to the “Auberon death was an accident, aphrodisiac + fisstech don’t work well together, it’s a fact” and Eredin became King as a natural way of things. Books never specified if he was actually the second in line for the throne, neither they say who actually became the King after Muircetach died, but it seems quite likely that it would be Glas. The whole idea of trying to open Ard Gaeth / beat the White Frost / invade the Witcher world would still make sense. And would be, of course, more interesting if CDPR would add those quests they had to scrap off for reasons I mentioned above [1]. For those not aware - there was one involving Geralt going undercover, trying to learn more about Caranthir and Hunt’s plans and it was supposed to be massive, but... <sad violin>  Also, the “Eredin killed Auberon on purpose” could make sense if it was somewhere stated that it was Avallac’h’s manipulation, but then Corine’s vision doesn’t make sense. Remember that Auberon died with Ciri at this side, with her holding his hand [book-wise]. She’s nowhere to be seen in this vision, and if I remember correctly the oneiromancer’s visions could not be fabricated. Sad violin intensifies.

3: Well, I’m a trash so of course I have to mention this somehow. Witcher 3 really went too much into “[Eredin’s] face resembled a bird of prey” line from Lady of the Lake but quite forgot that he was still an elf. And, surprised pikachu, Ciri immediately upon meeting him got interested in him, which he was aware of. Despite the fact that he was insulting her constantly, she wanted something from him <wink wink, remember the scene in the alcove in Tir na Lia?> This should be a sign that he must’ve looked both dangerous and attractive at the same time. Attractive to the point where his insults were not able to totally douse her fascination.  Eredin in Witcher 3 is perfect if you want to be terrified on spot. Though maybe they did it on purpose because they wanted to make a strong point that he’s the villain of the game, I don’t know. Also, making attractive elves is something they know how to do - Iorveth was pretty neat, the face features of elves in W3 are also really good (also god bless some normal sized elven ears, I can’t look at those big and long they have in Dragon Age for example). Avallac’h wasn’t portrayed exactly like he should (aquamarine eyes where? blonde hair where?) but he looked good, let’s admit it. Imlerith was quite-quite (though why THE FUCK is the poor guy bald, jeezus citrus). Okay, Ge’els is the symbol of Aen Elle glory and you can’t change my mind - they managed to create fantastic clothing, give him good, defined features, somehow predatory look (Eredin is crying in the corner) and quite a mature skin complexion with few blemishes here and there. And it was good, because it made him look natural, like he could genuinely exist, he wasn’t extraordinary perfect. I wanted to touch and feel his face so bad. Just oh god, the goth queen makeup, why? All Aen Elle are suffering from this condition. Well, male ones. The Aen Elle female in Crevan’s laboratory looks quite decent. Or they just didn’t want to change her model, since it is the same the Aen Seidhe female have in brothels, for example. 4: Ciri trusting Avallac’h and mentioning this trust at every occassion is... god, just no. I will try to describe her situation in Tir na Lia [from the book] in my own words: 1. Imagine that you’re running away from a man that was your captor [Bonhart] and used to torture you for weeks/months. During this escape you accidentaly find yourself in a foreign country, full of foreign people with their own language. They look different, they act different, they have different morals, everything, you name it. 2. One of those people [Avallac’h] is saying it’s a destiny that brought you here, and you have to pay the debt to all his people because your great grandfather from six [6] generations ago banged a girl they were literally creating for centuries. It’s your fault, pay for it, Ciri. 3. The man says that in order to pay that debt and be able to return to your country, you have to sleep with his boss and at the same time your great-great absolutely great grandfather from 7 generations ago [Auberon], because the mix of your genes and his genes will allow to extract some kind of gene that will make humanity immune to, I don’t know, Covid 19 for example. It’s the key to saving people, you have to do it. 4. Later you hear from this great-7 generation-grandfather that either you agree to this, or you will go into laboratory and they will forcefully take out your placenta (presumably).  5. Just to make you feel better, everyone in this foreign country is hostile towards you (passive-agressive is a better term, alright), so everyday you see this disgust on their faces. Not to mention that while Avallac’h is trying to play nice, Auberon didn’t manage to do it for long, while Eredin is straight forwardly describing you as a worthless being. <3

And she’s trusting him so much after that? Really? Now, I get that if you’re running away from mortal danger you will probably try to get every help you can, so I can somehow accept that she accepted Avallac’h’s protector role, but I don’t accept that she’s trusting him to such an extent. Why? Because trying to put a woman (or a man) in someone else’s bed fits the defitinion of rape perfectly. I find it hard to accept that she would be all “I trust him” after that. Not to mention that she was, I think, 16-17 years old at that time? I need to check this later... Okay, I’m done, sorry~ The only wish I have is that Netflix series will stay the hell out of any Aen Elle or Tir na Lia plotline. Please. I beg you. Don’t touch it. Don’t look at it. Leave it be, leave it to this one book, to this 30 pages, I absolutely beg you.  I sense Witcher Netflix rant coming from me soon, woohooho~

Forever salty, forever sad

Fic: Blood Ties; all hail the Queen of Cintra

On 13th of January last year I managed to finish Blood Ties, my take on Ciri’s fate post TW3, where she rejects the Nilfgaardian throne, puts down her witcher swords and goes to reclaim Cintra. 

I began writing it in August 2015, (originally in Polish), as Ciri completely took over my brain, loudly demanding that I FIX JUST A FEW THINGS FOR HER. Oh, and give her plenty of romance options while I’m at it.

Those ‘few things’ turned into a massive political plot, the likes of which I never thought I could ever come up with, nevermind pull it off. This story cost me over three years of my life; it cost me sweat, tears, hurt and a writers’ block of a decade. 

It was only because of @merulanoir​ screaming as they got to ch5, and @kaeltale​‘s unwavering love for this project that I managed to get it finished. On the eve of the fic’s anniversary, a biggest thank you in the Universe, birbs. I wouldn’t have done this if it hadn’t been for you two.

Also massive thanks to @namesonboats​ for all the support, and her love for the story. And that gorgeous mood board above, summing up the fic perfectly. 

Thank you to all of you friends who enjoyed this story and expressed your love in various forms. You kept me going. To say I learnt a lot is to say nothing at all.

Happy birthday, Mammoth. 

I hope I did right by you, my all-time-favourite brat. My obsession with you doesn’t seem to be waning, so here’s to more happy endings I shall continue writing for you.

7, 9 and 39! 💕

7. Any games you have multiple copies of?

skyrim. the xbox version and then the pc special edition version. i wouldn’t get any other game multiple times. but i would buy every skyrim if i could.

9. Most regrettable purchase?

to be fucking honest………… like every other game i bought in the past year and a half? because i didn’t play any of them. they ain’t for me. why did i buy them. Man. i have to stop buying games. for real. because i always just,, replay what i love lmao. like.. the last game i got into was dishonored? and then somehow tw3 but it still took me like half a year to finish. other than that i didn’t really get into any new game.but here are a few i would say i regret purchasing: kingdoms of amalur, tyranny, the vanishing of ethan carter, thief, prey, the long dark, metro 2033, assassin’s creed III

i think i just regret putting money into all of them. what i could’ve done is,, get them illegally, try them out and Then maybe buy them if i liked them. because in most of those games i don’t have more than 4 hours. with the exception of tyranny where i have around 20 hours but the last time i played it was a year ago and it really isn’t my kinda game. some of it was fun and i appreciate the story but i can’t play it. i’m not saying those games are bad, i like them from an outsider’s perspective, but they didn’t spark Anything in me personally and so i’m like kinda :/ about having them

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?

DISHONORED 3!! D I S H O N O R E D   3 !!! pleaaaaase….. please arkane studios feed me……. (no i don’t consider doto a thing. i don’t acknowledge its existence)also dragon age 3…. but not dai……. a nice sequel to dao/awakening or da2…and skyrim 2. not tes 6. just skyrim again. pls. and something with morrowind again. maybe tes game set in morrowind. that would be nice.

vidya gaem asks 🐑

new av with my witcher oc, Namrevlis, because i found some hc about her :>

her full name is Namrevlis yn A´ghaen aep Vherithas, but for some unknown reason bros from hunt call her also Coccinellidae, which is a stupidly long way to say ladybug

she is ex-wild hunt rider, so you can imagine how much more drama it adds to the whole tw3 plot

she’s also trans and speaks in the voice of doug cockle, so yeah, 2-meter tall elven woman with a voice like this is definitely something in northern realms

she's at least 100 years old, maybe over 150. no big deal for aen elle anyway

like others wild hunt riders she's result of many years of genetical research and breading. they wanted set of golden kids but instead got her, nithral and imlerith.

(and maybe so other fuckups but like whatever, we don’t know them anyway)

they don't consider themselves siblings of any kind, but are friends. kind of?? imlerith is slightly older

(also Imlerith is more muscle type than a magician. he can't even create stable glamorous. You know, the easiest spells...)

(on other hand nithral is the person that abuses glamorous. he changes hair color every week. fucking diva.)

(still caranthir is called most beautiful of all riders. we love our only son with an actual college degree)

because no one thought it’s a good idea to have riders with proper education. they’re not dumb, they just never learned that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. tho it’s not like knowing this will help them catch zireael

anyway, nam was a scout, and later a first scout

oh, coming out Nam was meet with a bit of surprise and ge’els collecting a shitload of bets. imlerith was nasty for some weeks, but eh.

nam isn't mage-mage, she can teleport on really short distance (because doppler mod is so convenient) and knows few signs and glamorous. still, she's great hunter and rider. her sense are ‘similar’ enough to the witcher ones.

she won every single horse race by herself, but the one with general voorhis. he let her win. she was angry about this for like a second.

on other hand, she has no idea what going on in gwent, but she loves the artwork, so of course she gotta get them all. soo, she casts aksji on every single player, that they think she won. it gets tricky during tournaments, tho.

but dice poker is easy. although they don't hold tournaments for it.

she also succ in anything related to herbalism and alchemy. if not for papa vesemir and later kalkstein she would probably drink 4 superior black blood’s and opened doors to spiral in attempt to kick her own ass.

there's a lot of things going on between her and sorcerers, but mostly ‘did you just came saying some gerwalds name instead of mine?’

that's why she prefers to have friends outside of geralts gang. Like Thaler, Maria Luiza, Roche, Iorveth. Even Letho.

she actually can't read Old Specht, it's gibberish, same for Nilfgaardian. eventually, she learns some, but like ugh

because she had no memories of being rider while she was fighting with Wild Hunt King over soul of Alvin (W1) , she kind of banished herself from Tir na Lia, by this. Which ended up with Eredin going back home and announcing that now she's traitoress. There was a lot of confusion going around. Eventually they blamed her for escape of Geralt, which tho makes sense when you think about it. So at point of W3 no one in Tir na Lia was surprised Namrevlis is helping Zireael.

(but pleas don’t ask me how exactly it happened that gerwald isn’t her instead of her, idek, i get a headache when im thinking about this for too long)

during all stupidity of W1 she meet Maria Luiza for first time. Nam got her hands on a big pack of fisstech and decided to try it in middle of a marketplace in Visima. Maria Luiza had to carry her passed out ass to her own house, because maria luiza is a fucking angel and we don't deserve her

nam loves horses, like really, one, back when she was riding with hunt, was named Matriarch, and later, after the whole tw3, she got from voorhis some 8-legged mutant monstrosity that she wanted to name Claeipen (Horny), but was persuaded to set on Ceanternne (Sweetness)

oh yeah, and she totally boned future emperor of nilfgaard, like why wouldn’t she

❛ i won’t let them take you, you know that? ❜ [pippa @ ned]

TW3. accepting.

     This has been the most fun he has had in his life, he thinks. They have travelled the world, the two of them, and all the time there is to see of it, and he has lived so many lives in these last years. He’s fallen in love, been part of worlds he’d had no access to before, worn the title of Captain and been lauded for it. He has had everything. But now it feels like running. Now it feels like shame. 

     Ned has never liked shame. He feels it all the time now, since they caught up with the two of them. It all makes sense, of course, now. All of the dreams, all those deaths, so visceral, so real, he could believe that he really lived them. And he did. He did. Dozens upon dozens of times. And now he’s learned that he’s only causing harm by taking breath he has no right to.

     Pippa, of course, is furious. She’s saved him so many times now, what could possibly make her stop? No matter the damage it’s doing. He loves her for that. He’s always loved her and he always will. But he’s been thinking and... hasn’t he lived such a good, long life? He doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life running from things. He only ever wanted to run to them.

     ‘ Pippa, ’ he says finally, voice quiet. ‘ I know. But I do not think it’s right. I know it isn’t. I’m not worth the rest of it - and that is not a lack of self-respect, that is simply the truth. I cannot even fathom the things of which I’m ruining but I know I have no right to. I never have. I do not want to hurt anyone, Pippa. I think... I think I am old, now. Aye, I’ve a few years left in me, but... I do not wish to spend them like this. Fleeing a stranger’s wrath and breaking the world with every step I take. It’s a beautiful world. You showed me that. ’ 

     He sighs, hangs his head for a moment as he thinks. He rubs his fingers across the grain of the wood fence he’s leaning against and thinks of home. The stables on her estate, where he wishes he could’ve stayed, tending to the horses and enjoying his simple life. How many simple lives has he stolen, completely unawares, to keep on with this one? He doesn’t know. But any more would be too many. 

     ‘ Let’s go home. Eh? We’ve had our fun. Let’s go home. ’ 

Alright, I’ve been talking about The Witcher TV show for months and months, and now I’ve FINALLY seen it.

I've skimmed through the books here and there, but really I’m a diehard fan of the video games, particularly The Witcher 3 (I’ve played TW1 and TW2 as well). Because of all the hype, attention and love the TW3 got over the years, with even Henry Cavill being a major fan of the video games, Netflix went and made this tv show, with Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher.

MY THOUGHTS

It was GOOD! \(^0^)/ I really liked it!

Alright, don’t get excited, I think this show had some serious problems. But we’ll start with the good before getting to the bad and the ugly.

THE GOOD

THE ACTING

Everyone was top notch, and did a fantastic job. I freaking LOVE Grandma Calanthe, omg. I wanted more of her, and Mama Tissaia, and the different sorceresses (when Sodden started I was like hooo boy, I know how this goes; the finale is WORTH the price of admission, folks).

I even liked Eclipse-Princess (her name escapes me, my bad; I was calling her Arya 2.0 in my head). Don’t think I effing missed how they threw in a nod to the Eclipse Princess from Blood & Wine; that was awesome, featuring the Black Sun “curse” again.

I already knew I was gonna HAVE to tune in to see Yennefer’s story, and it was every bit as superb as I suspected it would be. Dare I say it was THE most interesting story arc of the three? Caught me tearing up a few times. I still don’t see book/game/Polish Yennefer with her, but she did a GREAT job, nonetheless--her emotions and delivery and everything was excellent.

She sounds so dang young though, which throws me off with the timeline, cuz when exactly does Yenn’s story take place in all of this? It’s hard to match her with the more...well....matronly/mature persona we’re more familiar with in the games. But I guess she develops that over time, after getting to raise Ciri. Though this does put in better perspective why she was so mean to Ciri at first, calling her ugly and everything. She wanted a child so badly, and Geralt just...gets one by surprise, and she was feeling bitter, I see it now.

THE ACTION

And I gotta give it to Cavill. Boy can MOVE. My favorite moments with Cavill were when he was sword fighting; whoever choreographed all that needs a frikkin award. I imagined the Butcher of Blaviken just tearing up mofos, and that’s exactly what we got. And he was WERKING them pants! XD

Except we never really saw my favorite sign, Igni. Oh well. And I hate that he doesn’t have cat eyes. And the Toxicity ISTG makes him look like a vampire and makes no effing sense, but whatevs.

And sometimes he was sounding WAY too Batman or demonic with this really deep and gravelly voice -- I appreciate that he was trying to give us that gruff and sandpaper dry video game Geralt, but when they’d make him yell or be mad I was like JFC NOT TODAY SATAN. But an attempt was made, and I appreciate it. ^_^ He was fine for the most part. More than fine, even. As I said, the acting & action was great, and they played to Cavill’s strengths.

THE SPECIAL EFFECTS

I also thought the CGI was fine--not the best, no, but I’ve seen way worse in shows with bigger budgets. The dragons...eh.... And that kikimore.... Well, I’m just remembering the Polish tv show, the Hexer--BIG improvement. Trust me. O_O The practical effects were excellent. Even though they messed around A LOT with the Striga plot from TW1, and what it looked like, I did like that they stayed pretty faithful to the fight. 

THE STORIES & CHARACTERS

IMO, the best episode was E04, with Pavetta & Duny. It was just REALLY well done, and the one I was LEAST expecting. My favorite episode was E06, with the dragon, because of course. Reminded me of Hercules the Legendary Journeys, IDKY. The finale was really good, too; I love the sorceresses and all the magic. And E07 when all the plots and flashbacks come together was great.

And now for MY COMPLAINTS

THE BAD

#1) OMG WTF WAS UP WITH THE TIMELINE?

I feel BAD for anyone who’s watching this show fresh, who’s never played the games, read the books, seen the Polish Hexer tv show, played Gwent, or anything related to the Witcher world.

I was thrown off several times, as they shot from Ciri running for her life or Geralt fighting a Striga in the present time; to Yennefer learning magic in the past. Geralt & Dandelion go on adventures Shrek & Donkey style--I ASSUMED in the present, with the Sylvan, Djinn & Dragon, until an episode or two later they’re in Cintra together in the PAST, and Ciri’s not even born yet, and we’re seeing a drunk Ermion/Mousesack and young Crach an Craite (I squeed, my dad~!! His accent was on point!), and Ciri’s mom and grandma. (And WOW, the lady they got to play the mom looks just like the actress playing Ciri--are they related?)

And they do this over and over again over the episodes--present day with Ciri, eff knows when with Geralt or Yennefer. Especially since you know from the books/games that they’re both almost 100 years old. Yenn keeps throwing out “it’s been decades“ this and “years” that. But W H E N though!?!

I mean, I could follow along, sure, but they REALLY needed to make it clearer SOONER for people who have NO idea who TF these people or which kingdoms are which, that some things are happening YEARS apart from each other. Pay attention to how many times GoT shoved those maps of Westeros and Essos in our faces. Or how different shows use color filters for flashbacks or something. Properly situate the audience in time AND space--we’re not Cirilla, who can travel willy nilly between both. They bounced back and forward between past and present with the toss of a frikkin coin.

And speaking of coins...

#2) THE MUSIC WAS...Well.

Oh, Dandelion. XD

Anyone who knows me knows I fangirl HARD over the Witcher video game OSTs. And unfortunately, the music on the tv show was just...alright. :\ And for a franchise so closely connected to iconic music like the band Percival, it’s a crime against nature that the tv show never had a single track that made me go YES. Give it up for POLAND. The end credits song is okay, but I only started getting into it at like Episode 6, soooo... :\

And no, I didn’t like Toss A Coin to Your Witcher in this show. It didn’t sound like part of this medievalesque universe AT ALL, but something kinda pop/country, aimed at I don’t even know who. Sure, the dude playing Dandelion can sing. But so can Ed Sheeran, and when GoT got him to sing on the show, he sure AF didn’t bust out with the next Billboard Top 40 on us in the middle of nowhere.

#3) THE CHARACTER BONDING?

The acting was top notch...it was the plot/writing I didn’t like. Or rather, the relationships between the characters. I felt more for Yennefer & Istredd, and Geralt & Roach, and Ciri & the Elf boy (and her grandma), and even Pavetta & effing Duny/Emhyr (that royal piece of sh!te) than I did for any other characters on this whole show. And that’s a bit of a problem.

First off, I HATED how they made it seem that TEENAGED Ciri had no idea who TF Geralt was. TV Ciri’s gotta be what? 15? Geralt said something about it having been 12 years since Pavetta & Duny, but even that’s too old. Book!Ciri met Geralt IN the Brokilon or whatever forest with all the water drinking and the dryad queen and mess.

They were already obsessed with each other before the fall of Cintra even happened! Ciri was like 10 already when Geralt took Ciri to Kaer Morhen to start her Witcher training, but this girl on the show’s way older, and effing clueless. They don’t even meet til the final few SECONDS, wtf!! It’s just Destiny~! Destiny~! Child of Surprise, but we never even have a scene together~! Destiny~!

Speaking of children, we have Yennefer and Geralt, which was better, but again, WOAH with the pacing. I felt effing BAD for Istredd! :( I don’t really GET why Geralt & Yenn fell so hard for each other; I don’t really feel that connection. Geralt had just as much bonding time with that eclipse-princess! They only had the Djinn episode, really, and by the end of the Dragon episode it was already over!

I mean, yeah, in the books/game they have A LOT of ups and downs, but come on; we’ve already wasted so much time on Geralt & Triss (that homewrecking wench, I’m glad her airtime was minimal), and I just want more BAMF battle couple parents Geralt & Yenn raising Ciri already! >_<

Same with Geralt & Dandelion. Geralt’s kinda mean to him, which is fair; Geralt hates everyone. But I don’t feel where they’re friends at all, and they part at the end of the season on NOT great terms. I kinda feel Geralt doesn’t really like Dandelion at all. :( Even with the whole comedic relief Shrek schtick,

THE UGLY

#4) THE LENGTH

I dunno what’s up with all the 8 episode miniseries lately (GoT, Mandalorian, Witcher, etc), but it REALLY isn’t enough to really flesh out a story. Especially not one as convoluted as The Witcher, AKA the GoT of Poland.

Again, I REALLY feel for the casuals watching, who probably don’t know what the Conjunction of Spheres Istredd keeps referring to is, or what exactly a Witcher is, or why Ciri’s so dang special -- was Lara Dorren or the Elder Blood ever even MENTIONED???

We know Yenn’s got elf blood, but it’s waaaay more than that with Ciri -- though I don’t think they mentioned her elf blood, either, just that Calanthe’s grandmother or someone had their Banshee powers before Pavetta & Ciri.

BTW, wtf with Ermion/Mousesack? That’s gotta be a red herring or something. Cuz we know this dude’s old AF and thriving in Skellige, sooo....? TF. Why the Doppler? Why?

TBH this felt like Season 1A, if anything. I don’t feel the plot really progressed much at all, other than us getting Yennefer’s story. Ciri & Geralt finally meet (cliffhanger supreme right there), but jfc this felt like a prequel -- so much of the season was dedicated to backtracking us in a roundabout way up to the fall of Cintra, then skipping ahead to the Battle at Sodden Hill.

And why the heck did they wait so long to get to get to Vigelfortz!? That’s what I was sitting here WAITING for! You mean I gotta wait for Season TWO to see my Hanse in full force!? :( URGH. Reeeeeeeegiiiiiiiis~! :(

Maybe cut out some of the unnecessary nudity every frikkin where and tell the full frikkin story, hmm? (Yenn’s boobs look great, we got it the first 5 times. Meanwhile these cowards won’t even have a dude’s left testicle be shown on screen, but whatever.)

So yeah, those are my 4 biggest complaints.

Well, and that wig’s hard AF hair line, jfc.(I was DYING during the Pavetta & Duny scene, when Cavill was holding on to that wig for dear life. XD XD)

Otherwise, I really liked the show! B+!

Curious, why do you think MEA is struggling to gain momentum like this?

Short answer, nonny? The stack was rigged against this game for five years, it faced odds that, even if the devs had reconstructed ME2 itself, could not have been overcome.

Long answer:

There are several active groups who have been undermining this release for a long, long time. First among them are GamerGate/anti “SJW” people who spewed their venom and then singled out a few wonky animations to turn that into a dealbreaker and sow hatred even before release. They’ve doubled down on a few “anti white” tweets by Manveer Heir to raze BioWare to the ground for not firing their “racist” developer. These aren’t just a couple dozen angry dudebros whining about the female LIs being “ugly feminazis” (And that’s one of their “least” offensive terms), these people stalk, threaten, harass and bully esp. female & LGTBQA+ fans and devs currently working on ME. To the point of BioWare themselves stepping in.

The next group is a subset born out of the otherwise cool Witcher 3/CDPR fandom who actively attempt to damage AAA releases (But BioWare is their main target) to sabotage them and keep TW3 on its pedestal. They’re the kind of ppl. who think that the Witcher’s kind of “representation” is superior to BioWare’s because it’s more “realistic”. BTW all they did were fetishized lesbians (Lesbomancy jokes IN GAME) and one NPC with a couple of minutes of screentime he uses to tell you how he was ostracised over loving his Lord’s son and how his lover committed suicide. And Geralt “relates” by stating that “Yeah, I getcha, I’m a freak myself, uwu.” 

And the final group are the people raining fire on ME:A as revenge & Gotcha! over the ME3 endings and how that backlash was handled. That includes several critics as well.

Finally, there are some legit gripes with the game itself: IE the allotment of LGTBQA+ LIs re: mlm Ryders having NO squaddies as LI options (Just 2 NPCs thus far) in comparison to bi/lesbian Ryders getting two squaddies as LIs and at least two NPCs as well. In addition to BioWare’s typical pacing issues (DAO and DAI had that too) and a bunch of glitches as well as a regressed Chargen and clunky UI.

  Some critics also went with the flow instead of giving the game a chance on its own merits. ME:A never stood a fair chance.

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t legit concerns, I mentioned quite a few myself in this post. But the majority of the initial backlash was overblown, unmerited and caused by things that had nothing to do with the game itself.

My two cents on the issue anyway.

2, 9, 14 and 15 for ze gaming asks! ✨

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.

in the past: skyrim. most recently: definitely dishonored.when i started playing skyrim for the first time it kinda.. really kicked off my creative juices because i was like oh? cool fantasy world? well i want that too! so that’s when i really started working on my original story. because i just wanted a fantasy world of my own? with elves and magic and dragons and all that stuff but,, My Own with my own characters. and i would draw and write a lot back then. good times.honestly and da has influenced me creatively a lot as well. gotta give credit to it hhhhhh. when i got into it i would also constantly draw and write about my ocs.but most recently the stuff i’ve been writing or painting is mostly dishonored and i haven’t been writing much this year and getting into dh Again towards the end of this year suddenly made me want to write again?? which is amazing and i really have dh to thank for that :^)

9. Most regrettable purchase?

to be fucking honest………… like every other game i bought in the past year and a half? because i didn’t play any of them. they ain’t for me. why did i buy them. Man. i have to stop buying games. for real. because i always just,, replay what i love lmao. like.. the last game i got into was dishonored? and then somehow tw3 but it still took me like half a year to finish. other than that i didn’t really get into any new game.but here are a few i would say i regret purchasing: kingdoms of amalur, tyranny, the vanishing of ethan carter, thief, prey, the long dark, metro 2033, assassin’s creed III

i think i just regret putting money into all of them. what i could’ve done is,, get them illegally, try them out and Then maybe buy them if i liked them. because in most of those games i don’t have more than 4 hours. with the exception of tyranny where i have around 20 hours but the last time i played it was a year ago and it really isn’t my kinda game. some of it was fun and i appreciate the story but i can’t play it. i’m not saying those games are bad, i like them from an outsider’s perspective, but they didn’t spark Anything in me personally and so i’m like kinda :/ about having them

14. Favorite game music?

obviously so many. video game music is just… mwah.so ofc skyrim soundtrack is very close to my heart. like. all of it. feels like home.then tw3 soundtrack is very unique and i love it a lot. specifically the white orchard and skellige ambience. also the hunter’s path and on the path of velen.world of warcraft eversong woods ambience……… Very close to my heart as well. and then many other wow tunes. i might not be into wow that much but it’s still the first game i ever played and so the soundtrack just.. feels like home. kinda like with skyrim.also ok. one (1) thing i like about dai is the soundtrack, but mostly just the one from trespasser and the descent. those are nice

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?

hmmmmm idk. i don’t think much about tattoos. but something skyrim related? since it’s,, my Life. or dalish symbol from da, bow with the leafy branch. OR the outsider’s mark from dh but that would be too,, obvious maybe. i would get a tattoo that could vaguely be related to a vidya gaem but also something that would look completely normal. i’m not some dweeb. i don’t want people recognizing it and thinking i’m their friend or smthin.

vidya gaem asks 🐑