I've seen a lot of people posting that clickbait headline quote from the casting director of The Witcher around without actually reading the full quote or looking for context. So...

So, we're just not gonna read the full quote? We're gonna pretend people's bias toward beauty isn't white? We're gonna pretend Anya Chalotra didn't/doesn't receive a shit ton of racist backlash, because she's not white? We're gonna pretend that the casting director is wrong?

I get that the haters really wanna be mad at the production team, but this ain't it, bruh. It's really not. Her point is that she wanted to cast a beautiful Indian woman to show that western beauty standards are bullshit. So, all of you out there using the headline to spew hatred, please shut the fuck up.

my dear Anya, it was an absolute thrill to see you on stage ❤️

don’t wanna get accused of no shit and maybe she did just naturally look like that throughout filming but I gotta say, as a person who is the exact same kind of mixed race she is and also light(er) skinned, why does it seem like Netflix was trying to make Anya look much more pale this season

well i was getting back into destiel briefly but that video has flipped my "thinking about anya chalotra" switch again so we are Go for Wife Time

"Joey is one of the funniest men I’ve met. He’s also just so intelligent, and he’s such an amazing friend. He’s just great, he touches your heart whenever you meet him." - Anya Chalotra

"It's very easy to be friends with Anya, she's the nicest person in the world. I don't know anyone who could possibly not be friends with her, she's just a good egg and she's such a delightfully open human being." - Joey Batey

—   𝐀 𝐍 𝐘 𝐀 𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐋 𝐎 𝐓 𝐑 𝐀  ,   𝐆 𝐈 𝐅   𝐏 𝐀 𝐂 𝐊

by clicking on the CONTENT SOURCE BELOW you’ll find #398 gifs of actor anya chalotra in the netflix series: the witcher (season 3, episode 1-4). all of the gifs were made from scratch by me, and intended to be used for roleplaying purposes only. please like/reblog if you find this pack useful! if you’re interested in more support, i’m on ko-fi under zvlda 💕

PLEASE DO NOT :

claim them as your own or add into hunts!

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use in your own graphics or crop for personal use, without visible credit

[ ! ] CONTENT WARNINGS : magic, fire, flashing lights, suggestive scenes, partial nudity [ ! ] COMMISSION INFO :  here

"We looked at things like how Yennefer channels her magic, adding personal touches inspired by Indian dance movements, which come through in small hand gestures. We thought that could really empower her, and make that magic come to life. I like bringing something personal to a narrative. Even though it didn’t necessarily have to come from my cultural heritage, I had that experience. I know Indian dance moves. I danced when I was younger. I grew up watching these incredible artists with my parents. I thought it would lend itself really well to Yennefer’s magic and the mystery of it.” ANYA CHALOTRA photographed for Netflix

So, yeah. A fun alternate Witcher Yennefer design based on Anya Chalotra (click the expand button for a full-body image).

As a huge fan of the Witcher book series I couldn’t skip the Netflix show entirely: I watched the first season when it aired but haven’t touched the season two. The first one was okay for me, but it wasn’t my thing and I am not a person who eagerly spend time watching something I can’t fully enjoy.

But! I’ve been watching a bunch of essays on the TV series though, and some interviews too, because I love learning how things are MADE. I found it interesting, to say the least. For example, I learned that the scenario was written in a quite short period of time, that the costumes for an entire cast were made from scratch in a few WEEKS with barely any guidelines from the showrunner.

It made me think: what should I do if I was a designer for the show, how would I dress Yennefer? What if, for a brief moment, I pretend that I didn’t even read the books? How would I dress the character, knowing only that she is a powerful and independent sorceress wearing black and white? Not relying on Eastern Europe fashion, going more fore a bizzarre fantasy wibe? And I came up with this fun design I would love to share.

I decided to keep the color scheme monochrome so the dress is plain black (don’t mind it looking a bit brownish in the warm light), with silver embroidery (canonically she did wear silver jewellry though, at least from what I remember).  I also kept her hair braided up like it sometimes was in the season two. Also the fun makeup and the ornament on her dress consist of thorns and flowers because, you know, reasons. Yes! It doesn’t look like the books or games but it is intended. It was a fun experiment and I enjoyed it a lot.

i can’t believe i reached 1k followers— a massive thank you to everyone who follows & interacts with me on here ♡ i’m very happy to share this little corner of the internet with you! 

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this was a weird year but this site sometimes helped lmao

anyway here's my follow forever! every single person here is amazing and you should absolutely go follow them.

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How close Anya and Myanna must have become over the years if that was Anya's real reaction to that scene 😭😭

MyAnna's spoken about loving working with Anya a few times over the years:

“I get my time with Anya, which is wonderful. One, because she’s so much fun to work with, and also because I love the relationship, like you said, between Tissaia and Yennefer, I think it’s really, really special and it’s a huge part of why I love this show so very much.” (x)

And Anya's just a dream. As soon as I look at her I'm filled with love and just...I just adore her. (x)

But this year we got to hear Anya's thoughts on working with MyAnna:

Anya Chalotra, who plays Yennefer, told Insider in a joint interview with Freya Allan that her "greatest experiences on the show" were working with Buring. "She's a force," Chalotra said. "I wouldn't be the person I am today without her, quite honestly. So, yeah, it was hard. And I hope people this season are as in awe of her and what she's done for the show as I am, as we all are." Allan, who plays Ciri, said that she was "really emotional" watching Buring's final scenes because she knew how close Chalotra and Buring became on set. "I know how much she's meant to you in this whole journey," she said, turning to Chalotra. "Especially season one being so hard, and her being there with you through that." (x)

Another one:

MyAnna means so much to me. She was there day one. I’d spend time with her family in Budapest. She looked after me in season one, and has through the seasons — not only me, but everyone on set. She gives so much. That loss is huge for the show and huge for Yennefer. (x)

And lastly:

Were there any moments, good or bad, that really sat with you? Made you laugh, made you cry? That you really felt through season three? Yeah. Losing Tissaia. Losing MyAnna. Watching it. That would be my biggest moment (x)

I wish we'd had some behind the scenes content with them both together, analysing a scene or something. That would've been a nice way to mark the end of their journey together.

I know there's a bunch of fans who have fallen out of love with the TV adaptation of The Witcher because of it's deviation from the books/games, but I don't think I can explain how wonderful it is to see an Indian Hindu woman, a person of colour, playing a powerful, beautiful female main character that is literally loved by thousands across the globe.

I'm third-generation British Indian and grew up watching shows with main characters that never, ever looked like me. I cannot applaud the casting of Anya Chalotra as Yennefer any more than I already have.

i've been thinking that about joey batey since s1 omg like anya does a great job too but i just feel like joey adds that sumn sumn that is the show's redeeming factor...and he's not even in every ep lol

yeah!!! anya chalotra is also excellent at playing yennefer, i think she really understands the character well whilst also lending her own personal interpretation to the role, which is the ideal for a portrayal of a fictional character in an adaptation of the source material in my opinion. they shoulder the burden of that show together and i'm so glad they got to hang out onscreen in season 2, they were by far the most redeeming quality of that mess.

happy 2024! as it's a new year, i thought this was the perfect time to post a plotting call for those who might be interested in writing with me!  if you want to do threads with someone who will message you at the crack of dawn with random headcanons, musings and create graphics (manips, gifs manips, crackships, etc​ )  for our characters — look no further. i also have no triggers, am sm.ut friendly and i love to do multiple plots with the same partner. bellow the cut you’ll find a list of wanted faceclaims, opposites, ships and plots that i would love to do and if anything catches your interest please give this post a like and i’ll message you. this is for mutuals & non mutuals, so feel free to like this even if we have threads/plots happening already!

faceclaims i’d love to play! * melissa barrera** * greta onieogou* * ana de armas* * phoebe tonkin* * margot robbie* * camila queiroz** * sydney sweeney* * ayca aysin turan * hande ercel * alycia debnam-carey* * simone ashley * melisa pamuk* * adria arjona * anya chalotra * olivia cooke * kristine froseth * grace van dien * grace van patten * jessica alexander* * madelyn cline* * madison bailey * priscilla quintana* * meghann fahy * benedetta porcaroli * camila morrone * riley keough * suki waterhouse* * adelaide kane* * florence pugh* * crystal reed * sophia bush * ester exposito * lily james * lily collins * gabriella wilde* * sofia carson * josephine langford * danielle rose russell * danielle campbell * abigail cowen* * halston sage * camila mendes * brianne howey * gemma chan * eiza gonzalez * lindsey morgan * zendaya * sabrina carpenter * candice swanepoel * elsa hosk * jasmine tookes * emily ratajkowski

faceclaims i’d love to play against!

* all the ladies above * pedro pascal** * ben barnes** * joseph quinn* * joe keery* *christopher briney* * henry cavill * ricky whittle * casey deidrick* * jd pardo * jamie dornan * adam demos * richard madden * sam clafflin * carlos miranda * scott eastwood * garrett hedlund * drew starkey * clayton cardenas * jonathan bailey * jeffrey dean morgan * rudy pankow * felix mallard * dj cotrona* * charlie hunnam** * sebastian stan* * alex fitzalan * dylan o’brien* * nick robinson * manny montana  * chris evans* * harry styles * jacob elordi * boyd holbrook

some ships i’d love to do! * any of the above fcs combined tbh. ( m/f or f/f ) * click here for full list since tumblr has a text limit.

plots id love to do! * this unhappily married dad/babysitter plot. * * this angsty/fluffy my best friend is having my baby plot. * * this zombie apocalypse/last of us inspired plot* but also any za plot. * celeb plots! especially this one. something like two super famous actors hiding their relationship or famous person/non famous plots?* * single dad/nanny plots! give me something cute and angsty. * * escort/client plot where she breaks the most important rule… don’t fall for your client* * grumpy ceo/soft assistant plots.* * royal plots! bridgerton esqued plots! * * f/f socialites plot… blair/selena/upper east side inspired muses but make it gay* * college professor/teacher’s assistant plot.  * college professor/student plot. * crimey plots? sons of anarchy inspired? or maybe m.afia/m.ob/gang stuff?* * bodyguard/client plots bc i’m a sucker for them* * soulmates plot. i have a whole lore i’ve been wanting to write out for ages so * sugar b.aby / sugar d.addy plots *  * best friends to lovers plots ( gimme angst) * WHEN THE M.OB PRINCESS MEETS THE M.OB PRINCE: forbidden love is always angsty so why not do that and add rival g.angs to the mix?  muse a is the daughter of the head boss of the local g.ang and is sick and tired of having her life controlled by her overprotective father. so, to rebel against his wishes after an argument, muse a decides to go to a nightclub that her father had always forbidden her to attend. unknown to her, the club is run by the rival g.ang’s boss’ son, muse b, and not knowing who she is, can’t stop looking at her on the dance floor. they eventually bump into each other and after having a few drinks, end up at muse a’s apartment and they hook up. i was thinking they both never brought up their families and their true professions and maybe start to hang out/go on dates and then bam, the truth comes out and drama begins. especially when they can’t stay away from each other.

* MY BEST FRIEND IS A ROCKSTAR: (tw: death) muse a & muse b have been best friends since they were kids and grew up together. throughout their childhood, muse b had always told muse a about his plans to become a famous musician and as he grew older, became more and more determined to make those dreams come true. when they both hit their teen years, feelings eventually grew and the two were head over heels for each other but neither of them was ever able to admit it. they were both terrified that the feelings would be unrequited or that it would ruin their friendships so just imagine the angst of them seeing each other with other people and FGHDFG. anyway, when muse b finally turns twenty-one, he decides to move to hollywood to make his dreams come true, and muse a stays in their small hometown. they keep in contact with one another but as time went on, muse b becomes a huge rockstar with his band and their contact start to drift but they always had each other in their thoughts, wishing they were closer to one another. a few years pass and they still speak but it’s not like before. muse b was hugely successful and enjoyed the life he was now living but always felt like something was missing. that someone was missing… it’s not until he gets a distraught call from muse a telling him that her mother died does he rush on a private jet and comes home to her. after helping her arrange the funeral and being there for her through her grief, he suggests that she comes on tour with him and the band. wanting to run away from everything and everyone in her small town, she agrees. queue cute ass moments on the tour bus, traveling the world and falling in love like they did when they were young. add drama, angst ( because they’re both still dumb and won’t admit to their feels) stadium tours, TENSION!!!, groupies, etc, etc. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE BC TUMBLR HAS A TEXT LIMIT.

Do you guys have voice claims or references for your Touchstarved OCs?

Here are the ones that I was thinking for my Touchstarved MCs below the read more:

Luneth (Unnamed) — Anya Chalotra. At first, I considered Simone Ashley, whom I looked at for visual references when drawing my Unnamed!MC, but her voice didn't quite fit. Anya's voice has a unique gravel that I really like when spoken in a monotone.

Alon (Hound) — I was thinking of Eva Noblezada, because her voice has that youthful, plucky vibe that I imagined with them. Though there is a glaring discrepancy in how she's an absolutely godly singer and I made my Hound!MC garbage at it. XD

Jin (Alchemist) — Howard Wang. He voices Xie Lian in the English dub of Heaven Official's Blessing, who shares a lot of similarities with Jin, appearance and personality-wise. I think it fits Jin's lighter, softspoken voice.

I love The Witcher, and I love so many people in this fandom who make amazing content but it is just so sad to be a Witcher fan. I’ve been in many fandoms but I have yet to see anyone that has this much blatant racism everywhere I turn.

I just wanted to be excited about this cute tweet where Anya Chalotra is holding a water bottle

View on Twitter

But of course you go the replies and you see racist and just plain deeply insulting things

And before you say “oh that person is just talking about book accuracy” they are actually using that as a dog whistle because they just want an excuse to be racist as fuck.

Which btw, as a massive fan of the books, it’s such a shame to see “book accurate” turned into a racist dog whistle, particularly on Reddit and Twitter. Just look at some of the replies under the new casting announcement RI released today.

View on Twitter

You have ur blatant racists

Then you have ur “Slavic Erasure” crew who use that as an excuse to be racist

Which is closely related to the “book accuracy” crew of racists

And of course we can’t forget the people who try to say the reason Sapko supports the show and says color of the characters doesn’t matter is because he was bought out

And I love the few people in the replies trying to combat this, and I love how almost all the quote tweets are super positive but holy fuck is it exhausting to not be able to even celebrate the casting of a character.

I often feel like I can’t enjoy the show at all without getting dog piled in some way. And it’s not that I think the show doesn’t deserve criticism, but it’s more like sometimes I just want to enjoy friends without having to dissect every tiny intricacy. I just want to make a nice meme about Yennefer being dorky or Fringilla being flustered around Francesca without having to make some sort of disclaimer about how I hate X part of season 2 or I thing Y is inaccurate to the books.

I feel like many people are so pedantic that they’re finding more enjoyment in complaining about the media than the media itself. and I’ve done a fairly good job of trying to block it out but it’s just difficult when you have to really put the work in to try to avoid constant negativity.

I will say this, Tumblr is definitely the best place that I have found. Reddit and Twitter are practically unusable at times. 

I don’t know what makes the Witcher different than other fandoms that the racism is so consistent, blatant, and common. More so than most places. But it’s just sad.

Sometimes, I just want to enjoy a show I love, talk about my favorite characters (if u know me u know who that is), and feel like there’s an actual fan community.

But it’s just. Hard. And I’m tired. And I know others are tired too and I just don’t know what to do to combat widespread racism of this magnitude.