#speaking of which i want the same thing for dara and ciri
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Parenthood as a Major Theme in The Witcher
aka a defense of Yennefer's fertility arc
In some commentary on The Witcher season 1, I've read about disappointment that mid-season Yennefer spends her story time dedicated to hunting a fertility cure. The primary critique of this 2-episode arc for her is that it appears to conform too readily to a trope that "all women eventually want babies", and also seems counter to her previous disregard and cynicism for the idea of motherhood.
I think there's two cases that can be made that demonstrate why this element of the series deserves more than to be judged as "lazy or reductive writing". The first is Yennefer's personal journey--which after two viewings I believe holds up strongly. The second, even bigger case is what the theme of parenthood means to the show, and why Yennefer is only one of several aspects of it. That's what I am going to talk about in this post. Expect full spoilers for season 1.
Birth, Babies, and Legacy in Season 1
To put it bluntly, the topic of reproduction is all over The Witcher. The show is kind of obsessed with it. Let's go through the ways that parenthood and/or reproduction feature significantly in every episode:
1 - The conflict in Blaviken is a result of Stregobor's murderous obsession with killing babies born under a supposed curse. Those infants and girls represented power that he wanted to terminate. In Cintra, Ciri becomes an orphan.
2 - Yennefer's mixed elven parentage is the source of her power and her physical deformity. Trauma is inherited generationally, seen again in Fillavandrel's outcast society, stripped of heritage and legacy. Jaskier's first song references abortion.
3 - A striga is made when a pregnant woman is cursed and her undead fetus becomes a ravenous monster. Foltest wants her to be rescued to live as his child and heir. Her monster body still has its umbilical cord--a gnarly cosmetic flourish that drives the point home. In Aretuza's scary gyno chair, Yen is sterilized in exchange for ultra-performative femininity. Although she consents, it is a corrupt bargain designed to exploit her.
4 - The Queen of Aederin and her newborn are assassinated for being unable to birth a male baby. Yennefer almost dies trying to prevent it, then gives a monologue about how the patriarchy only sees women as vessels. Queen Calanthe tries to protect her daughter from the Law of Surprise, only to see it initiated again on her grandchild.
5 - After some 50 years as a mage Yen goes hunting for a fertility cure, using alchemy and then a djinn. She tells Tassaia that although she knew what she was giving up in Aretuza, "I didn't know what it would mean to me." Also, wow a lot of sex is had.
6 - Geralt and Yen talk about parenthood and their respective lost opportunities. The episode mcguffin is a dragon egg, whom they both fight to defend. Borch Three Jackdaws states the theme of parenthood outright. On the surface he is proclaiming his own motivation, but in the context of Geralt and Yennefer's prior discussions we know that he is speaking for both them and the show as a whole:
"This is my final 'first'. A child. This treasure, this legacy, must endure. There is no other reason to go on."
Episode 6 also shows how Geralt and Yen have grown since episode 4. She is forced to accept that natural birth is impossible, and Geralt is forced to reflect out loud that it's only fear of parental failure that has prevented him from claiming his own child.
7 - On getting news of the Nilfgaard invasion, Geralt decides to claim Ciri. Calanthe and Eist go to extremes to keep their child in their family.
8 - Everyone wants to be Ciri's new family, including this nice woman who doesn't have any daughters. In the end, Geralt finally becomes a father.
Destiny = Family
I firmly believe that the show is leading us to a point where Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri form an eventual family. The desire for family is verbalized multiple times for Ciri, notably in Brokilon Forest when she calls Dara her family, and then when Dara leaves her and tells her find another family. Twice in the show women try to adopt Ciri, promising safety and care. Yet she's driven by a strong directive to find Geralt as "he is your destiny". She is his Child Surprise, essentially this universe's fucked up version of a godchild. And the Law of Surprise is not just tradition, but a cosmic binding with tangible consequences. Geralt initially denies this, but Duny, Eist, Mousesack, Yennefer, and Borch all vocalize it, and season 1 events bear it out.
If Ciri is steered by a bond of destiny, so is Geralt. When he rejects the Child Surprise at Pavetta's wedding, Mousesack warns that doing so will bring ill fortune. Episode 5 and 6 subtly but persistently imply that this prophecy is true, as the witcher's next several years are filled with sleeplessness and an undefined longing. Magically binding himself to Yennefer alleviates some of that (essentially by making him happy), but I don't think it's only because of love, but also because his destiny being intertwined with Yennefer is a step towards his destiny being intertwined with Ciri. Because even after getting some peaceful nights with intermittent Yennaffairs (get it? hah!), something still seems off with Geralt.
"You feel it just the same as me that hole inside you. That itch inside your brain keeps you awake at night. Come with me, I'll show you what you're missing." - Borch Three Jackdaws
This is a cute screenplay trick because we assume that he's talking about nostalgic adventure, but on review he's actually talking about parenthood. Later when Geralt gripes that the thing he was missing is Yennefer as she walks away again, Borch replies, "What you're missing is still out there. Your legacy, your destiny. I know it." (hello Ciri!) We never get a clear idea of why Mr. Three Cool Names knows all this stuff, but I didn't care because a dragon being cryptically omniscient is exactly the sort of thing I want from my fantasy shows.
Conclusion
So it's family, family, family. Yennefer is just one corner of this thematic tapestry; the other three are Geralt, Ciri, and #destiny. Their journey to find each other, to accept these bonds, is what the show is about. I expect the theme to cement even more in future seasons.
Consequently, to reduce Yennefer's storyline to cliché alone is to miss the way everyone on this show is obsessed with parenthood in some form. It also misses how much fatherhood will be central Geralt's journey. Even if he came to the same decision 2 episodes (and 13 years) later than Yen did, Geralt actively decides that he want to claim his role as a parent figure. That isn't the easy gripe target of "women want babies", but the point is that Yen and Geralt are both on the same path, with Ciri as the destination. A character can have something that resembles part of a cliché without being negatively defined by it. In The Witcher, the greater context is relevant to this critique.
So I urge you to look at the full season and see how her fertility arc fits into the big picture. If you still wish that Yen had continued to be proudly child-free, then I respect your desire to see that story told. However, it would be worth it to recognize now that this probably isn't going to be the story you want. Parenthood is a big part of it. This story is going to be about two magical adults and one magical child becoming a family.
A family of total badasses, adopted through destiny and love.
#thewitcherdaily#the witcher netflix#the witcher#geralt of rivia#geralt x yennefer#yennefer of vengerberg#princess ciri#cirilla of cintra#ciri#geralt#netflix witcher#toss a coin to your witcher#queen calanthe#renfri#witcher meta#witcher memes#DISCLAIMER: I have played Witcher 3 so I know about Geralt's relationship with Ciri in that game#However I really tried to ground ny thought process here on what I actually saw in the season#Which ended up being pretty intense#like wow so much stuff about birth and dead women and dead babies and suffering
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Life (of) Surprise (4/6)
Jaskier lies to his family about being engaged to Geralt for the second time… and there are way too many surprises involved.
Part 4 of the Singer and the Sailor AU that no one asked for but I wrote anyway (again). The chapter count went up again because I just can’t stop writing this story lmao.
(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
IV - A Surprise Discovery
Geralt is certain that a stag do shouldn’t involve this much crying.
The evening started innocently enough. They have had a room rented at a fancy club and they’re drinking, talking and playing cards. Geralt would rather do this at home but Lambert and Eskel told him not to be so “tragically boring”, hence the current arrangement.
Geralt’s been spending the day with “the guys”: Eskel, Lambert, Aiden, Vesemir, as well as his soon-to-be brother-in-law Silvio and not-quite soon-to-be brother-in-law Nasir. Jaskier, on the other hand, is away partying with “the girls”: Rozalia, Amelia, Triss, Essi and Yennefer.
Geralt hasn’t heard from Jaskier in a few hours, so he assumes his soon-to-be husband (only two months left to the wedding, and isn’t that a thought) is enjoying himself. Geralt, for his part, is having fun too; the stag do isn’t a disaster at all.
Then, it gets better.
Because Eskel is crying.
They were talking about Essi, commenting on what a lovely person she is. Although she’s not exactly Geralt’s type (he’s into people who are more... feisty), he still agrees that she’s a great woman – loving, warm, intelligent and beautiful inside out. Vesemir commented that there had to be many people mourning the fact that she was taken.
Eskel, upon hearing this, started weeping.
“Should we tell him?” Aiden, sitting beside Geralt, murmurs to Lambert.
“Nah,” Lambert replies gleefully.
They watch as Eskel sheds tears, mumbling about how much he’s in love with Essi but he wouldn’t dare to ruin her current relationship because she deserves happiness and –
To be fair, they have drunk a lot at this point.
Silvio and Nasir are clearly holding back their laughter. Lambert doesn’t even bother and guffaws freely, to which Eskel pays no mind, so lost he is in his despair. Aiden hides his face in the crook of Lambert’s neck, his shoulders shaking.
Vesemir seems more tired and sick of their shit than usual, though sparks of amusement dance in his eyes.
“I wasn’t aware this relationship makes you cry,” he tells Eskel gruffly, playing along.
“It does!” Eskel whines, “I should be her boyfriend.”
Vesemir’s lips tremor but he manages to keep his cool as he asks, “And what’s her boyfriend’s name?”
Eskel opens his mouth to respond but he says nothing. His brow creases in thought – it’s visible how the wheels are turning in his head – and then the moment comes when something clicks in his brain.
“Wait,” he says, understanding slowly dawning in his face.
At this, everyone at the table collectively loses it. Geralt is laughing so hard he’s slapping his thigh. Silvio and Nasir are in convulsions. Lambert and Aiden are leaning against each other, wheezing. Vesemir has to wipe the tears out of his eyes.
Eskel is too happy at the discovery to even notice the amusement at his expense. “I am her boyfriend!” he exclaims with wonder. Letting out a joyful chuckle, he repeats, “I’m her boyfriend!” He reaches for the bottle of vodka on the table. “We should drink to this!”
At the same time, Vesemir answers, “No.” and Aiden replies, “Yes!”
Vesemir plucks the bottle from Eskel’s hands and says, “You’ve had enough for now, pup.”
Lambert starts arguing and Geralt rolls his eyes. He then proceeds to drag his older brother to the side and force a lot of water and some food into him. While he does this baby-sitting, the phone in his pocket rings. As Geralt pulls it out, he’s surprised to find Jaskier’s name displayed on the screen. Slightly worried, he picks up.
“Hey, my loveliest sailor,” Jaskier slurs, his voice unsteady and watery. “Can I –” A sniff. “Can I come?”
Geralt frowns, bemused. “Shouldn’t we spent this night apart?”
“Fuck that,” Jaskier grumbles, “I miss you.”
“You haven’t seen me in five hours.”
“So?” Jaskier asks. “I just... want to see you. Please?”
Jaskier sounds downright miserable. Geralt has nearly come to terms with the fact that he may never master the art of telling Jaskier no but he's not fully resigned to his fate yet.
“Okay,” he answers.
“Are sure, darling? I won’t come if you don’t want to, you know,” Jaskier babbles nervously, “I don’t want to make you do anything you–”
“Jaskier,” Geralt sighs, “it’s fine, come here and bring the rest.”
Ever since their argument three months ago, Jaskier takes extreme care not to do anything without Geralt’s knowledge and consent. He keeps asking about every little idea, fretting and worrying whether he’s not overstepping. Most days, that’s the reassurance Geralt needs to keep believing in Jaskier's words. It does get tiring sometimes, though.
“All right.” Jaskier’s voice goes from resonating from the darkest depths of sadness to cheerful as the sun on a spring day in the span of those two words. “We’ll be there soon, my dearest.”
Geralt hums and hangs up.
After fifteen minutes more of trying to turn Eskel into a more or less functioning human being, Geralt witnesses the other stag do party members arrive. Jaskier opens the door to the room with a bang, his arms spread wide and a grin on his face.
“Geralt!” he exclaims and walks towards him with a prominent stagger in his step.
Before Geralt knows it, he has his arms full of drunk Jaskier. His fiancé peppers kisses all over his face and mumbles something nonsensical while Geralt holds him up, a smile tugging at his lips under all the loving attention.
In the corner of his eye, he can see the rest greeting each other, apart from Yennefer and Triss, who are watching him and Jaskier with a judgemental and an amused look respectively.
“Why are you here?” he asks Yen as Jaskier finally stops kissing him and embraces him instead.
“He was crying about how much he loves you,” she replies with an eye roll.
Triss snickers. “He was telling everyone about it, and I mean it. He wanted everyone in the club to know.”
Geralt stifles a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose. Yennefer and Triss laugh. Jaskier raises his head and blinks up at him owlishly.
“Something wrong, my gorgeous sailor?” he asks.
Geralt really bemoans the fact that even a single look from Jaskier can affect him considerably.
“No, siren,” he sighs, “We should join the rest.”
They ask the staff to bring another table and more chairs, and soon, everyone is sitting comfortably, talking, playing and drinking. Everyone except Essi when it comes to the last part, at least; Geralt quickly notices that she doesn’t touch any alcohol. She claims that she simply doesn’t feel like drinking but Eskel, who sits beside her, starts fretting, concerned that she’s ill.
“I’m fine,” she assures him.
“You sure?” he asks, “You haven’t been feeling well recently. Maybe you should see a doctor?”
Geralt’s the only one watching the exchange, as everybody else is occupied with the ongoing conversation about the rules of Monopoly. He sees hesitation in Essi’s face. She bits her lip, seemingly considering something for a moment, but then looks up at Eskel and smiles. “I think I should,” she replies, “seeing that I’m pregnant.”
Geralt freezes in shock. Eskel’s brain visibly short-circuits.
“The fuck. But we –” he stammers out, “Why, I mean, how –”
“I don’t know,” Essi answers, her eyes wide and apprehensive, “I really have no idea.”
Eskel nods slowly, his expression still absolutely flabbergastered. “Fuck,” he says, with much feeling.
Essi looks at him closely, uncertainty colouring her lovely face. “I know this very unexpected and you never wanted a family but perhaps we can... talk about it? We don’t have to keep it but I –”
Eskel seems to finally snap out of his shocked state. “Essi, no,” he says quietly, taking her face in his hands, “I never let myself have a family, but now that the baby is here... Holy fuck,” he breathes out, one of his palms moving to touch her abdomen. “There’s a baby here?” he asks, his voice cracking. She nods with a watery smile, and he takes her into his arms. His whole frame is shaking now, and there’re tears in his eyes. “A baby,” he chokes out. His tear fall but his whole face is alight with joy.
Suddenly, Geralt’s throat is tight. He knows that Eskel never considered himself a father material because of all the issues he’s been battling since his childhood, just like Geralt and Lambert. Although he was quite a ladies man in his youth, he never allowed any relationship to get serious. Years passed like this, and Eskel’s now in his early forties, which is rather late to become a dad. Essi is six years younger than him, so it’s not early for parenthood for her either.
Yet, they both seem so happy now, and Geralt can’t get enough of seeing his brother like this, smiling and crying as he holds Essi and kisses her.
The rest of the table finally catches on that there’s something important happening. Then, the news is out, which brings their celebration to new heights. Jaskier is so happy and satisfied with himself that Geralt suspects his chest may soon burst from how much Jaskier puffs up with pride.
“See?” Jaskier tells Lambert, “I’m a better matchmaker than you!”
“I made a marriage happen!” Lambert replies.
“I made a baby happen! Beat that!”
Lambert scoffs, the picture of unimpressed. “Maybe you and Geralt are gonna have kids too.”
“We’ve already got two,” Geralt answers without thinking.
Jaskier lets out a shocked gasp, staring at him in disbelief, and Geralt slowly understands what he said.
It’s not that it’s not untrue – they do have two children under their care. The thing is that neither Ciri nor Dara is very likely to call Jaskier their dad. Technically speaking, Jaskier will soon become Ciri’s step-father, but Ciri sees him more as Geralt’s partner. In Dara’s eyes, Jaskier is a supportive, parental figure, but it'd be foolish to think that the boy could ever consider himself Jaskier’s child. Geralt knows that Jaskier realises how silly that wish is but he still seems to hope for it, deep, deep down.
“Geralt–” he says, tears welling up in his eyes.
For a stag do – even two of them at once – it’s too much crying involved.
***
“Shoes off, Geralt, honestly,” Jaskier complains, “Are you doing this on purpose every time?”
Geralt only grunts. His head is spinning, too much to be pleasant, and he doesn’t trust his mouth to form a dignified enough answer. Jaskier’s very drunk too, so he doesn’t comment on Geralt’s response, or lack thereof.
The two of them slowly make their way towards the bedroom. Jaskier’s house is rather large, though, and they’re many objects and corners they stumble into. The rucksack they’re causing makes them snicker but their amusement is cut short when walk by the living room – Ciri and Dara are there, sitting on the couch in front of the TV and observing the two of them with delight.
“What are you two doing up?” Jaskier slurs out, “It’s...” he looks at his hand, where a watch should be, but there isn’t. “It’s late.”
“We found an interesting show on TV,” Ciri replies innocently. Geralt doesn’t believe it for a minute.
“Well, sleep is important!” Jaskier exclaims, gesturing dramatically with the hand he doesn’t use to hold on to Geralt. “Go to bed!”
“Yes, Jaskier,” Dara answers.
“Young people like you should get a lot of sleep.”
“We know, Jaskier,” Ciri sighs.
Jaskier would go on about the significance of sleep for teenagers if he was allowed, so Geralt starts dragging him away. Before they disappear behind the corner, though, he turns back to Ciri and Dara, shooting them what he hopes is a withering look.
“Show’s over,” he growls out.
Ciri and Dara have the decency to look chastised.
Arriving in the bedroom successfully takes them a few more minutes. When they finally do, they go straight to the bed, not bothering to undress. Then, they’re kissing, messy and eager, but their bodies have a problem rising up to the challenge because of the copious amount of alcohol flowing through their veins. Jaskier breaks the kiss quickly anyway, saying that he’s about to be sick, and rushes to the bathroom.
After Geralt is left alone, he tries to process all the holy fucks of the day, primarily the reveal that Eskel is going to be a father and by extension, Geralt’s going to be an uncle. Then there’s the very fact that he marries Jaskier in two months. Geralt also has a memory of seeing Yennefer and Triss kissing during the party, and that is a lot to unpack as well.
The world is spinning as he lays in bed. He registers Jaskier returning and laying down beside him before he falls asleep.
It feels like no time passed at all when Geralt and Jaskier are waken up by noise. The loud thumping bores down into his skull, causing awful, throbbing pain. He sits up, groaning, and Jaskier does the same with a whimper.
Then, they hear Jaskier’s voice sing the first verses of Her Sweet Kiss and, suffice it to say, Geralt has had enough of that gods-damned fucking song and its techno remix especially.
“CIRILLA!” Geralt bellows.
“DARA!” Jaskier yells.
After a torturous minute, the music is turned off, but there’s no blessed silence. Instead, bright laughter reaches their ears. Geralt huffs, irritated, and checks the time on his phone. The fact that it’s one in the afternoon and that there’s a glass of water placed on his bedside table redeems Ciri and Dara slightly.
“Fucking hell,” Jaskier moans, messaging his temples, “I love my life.”
Strangely enough, there isn’t an ounce of sarcasm in Jaskier’s voice. Geralt turns to watch him closely, taking in his pale face, chapped lips and the grimace of pain twisting his features. “You do?” he asks.
Jaskier looks at him, the blue of his eyes as beautiful as always. “I do,” he answers softly, “My life is so much better with you in it.”
Warmth explodes in his chest and Geralt moves closer, kissing Jaskier on the mouth, the cheek, the nose, hoping to convey what he finds himself unable to say. Jaskier responds to the affection with a happy hum, angling his face so get more kisses. Geralt indulges him gladly, pecking him on his forehead, his brows, under his eyes, down his neck.
“So much better indeed,” Jaskier purrs.
Geralt chuckles. “That is thanks to Lambert.”
“Oh shut up.”
Jaskier’s grumble is so grumpy that Geralt can’t help but laugh. Jaskier carries on grouching about being better than Lambert, and it keeps making Geralt laugh.
He couldn’t be more glad that he’s stayed.
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the witcher: four marks
I think it’s interesting that we meet Yennefer and Jaskier in the same episode
What is Istred doing here? Is he really trying to protect her from Tissaia? Cause if so, it’s not super effective, and I would think he would know that? Also, I feel like Istred would think it was best for Yennefer to study magic?
“That woman’s a witch, you know what she will do.” What is that supposed to mean? They certainly can’t suspect what she actually does to young girls that don’t make the cut.
It’s really cruel that Tissaia haggled like that. She could easily afford 10 marks for Yennefer, but she wants to make a point that Yennefer is worth less than a pig in the eyes of her father, and that is really messed up psychological manipulation.
Clever Ciri, hiding her hair! And she looks so cold, poor baby.
Dara is excellent. He’s so patient with Ciri while she gets over being casually rude and dismissive. But he’s also never like a dishrag, doesn’t endorse her bad behavior. And she shares her gloves :)
“You think you're safe” of Jaskier’s song overlaps with Ciri entering the encampment where she thinks she will be safe!!! AAAAAAAAH!!! Also, what is up with Posada? That tavern is in an absolute batshit location that doesn’t really match with where they end up going looking for the devil.
All the tavern patrons just looking at Jaskier, lol. He’s also clearly dressed better than anyone else there. He can (or could until recently) afford really nice clothing but it
“They don’t exist” what was Jaskier playing before the “abortion” song cause I’m sure Geralt knows that people having ill advised sex exist.
So, I’ve seen people make fun of this (Jaskier stating the obvious that Geralt is a Witcher), but Jaskier knows who Geralt is, specifically, by name. And the kid that gives Geralt the job, even though he is clearly desperate, doesn’t approach him until after Jaskier has identified Geralt as a witcher.
“I could be your barker, spreading the tails of Geralt of Rivia, the Butcher of Blavikin.” Jaskier is not stupid. Does he possibly really think that Geralt is not upset about that story? Depending on how it is told, he probably comes across as competent and ruthless and efficient, and “taking no prisoners”, which would be good things for a witcher to trade in on for work. It does make a certain amount of sense to assume that a Witcher (especially as they are known not to have feelings) wouldn’t mind being associated with that story.
Tissaia’s outfits are all great, but I particularly like this pin-strippy one. The silhouette and the sleeves!
“You should have let me die, at least I had control over it” --that’s a big thing for Yennefer.
I like that they don’t try to hide how short the actress that plays Tissaia is. It makes her presence that much more impressive when she is so small.
The face Tissaia makes when Yennefer eats the flower, like she puts together where that came from that quickly.
“Doing my part to avenge the lives lost in Filavendral’s uprising” which WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF THE ELVES HAD STAYED WHERE THEY WERE OUTSIDE OF POSADA!!! Actions having far reaching and unintended consequences is a witcher theme. What is Jaskier doing all the way out there?
(Since I paused to look at the map, Arteuza is really close to Oxenfurt, huh.)
“Oh child your shoes, let’s get you a fresh pair.” this is so uncomfortable. Like this woman is so cruel and racist (speciest?) but she’s kind to Ciri--possibly only because she can identify her as someone of high class. There’s a lot going on. (“Don’t worry, he’s one of the clean ones” eeeeeh!)
Jaskier clutching his lute case strap when Geralt moves past him too quickly. He has some amount of self preservation instinct after being sucker punched. But then he is also like “ACT TWO BEGINS!”
You have to admire Yennefer’s nerve just lying to Tissaia like that. That’s crazy.
“Even if you were a beauty, still no one will love you.” --this colors so much of Yennefer’s behavior.
Istred is so kind to her. Maybe he’s the first person to do so. “Are these the things you love? These are the things I thought you would love.” That is such a subtle poetic difference, I love it.
Shouldn’t someone know who Geralt is and be able to tell Ciri? There are a bunch of points where he seems like almost a household name.
“That’s impossible, No, it’s magic” it seems like Tissaia has taught them nothing.
“There are mages like Sabrina who ignore their emotions, then there are mages like us who are consumed by them” You have to wonder what Tissaia is like when she lets her emotions out.
Jaskier seems to speak Elder pretty well. And goes from delighted to concerned about Geralt headbutting elf lady so quickly!
Jaskier’s education on elves at least started as part of a deliberate misinformation campaign, though that was probably generations ago. It’s interesting that he seems to be fairly unquestioning about it while he clearly has his own highly developed skills in the area. But he does take being wrong in stride, so he must be well versed in propaganda, just hadn’t questioned that specifically?
Filevandral is “not a king, not by choice”
“One human, and you can let him go”
“The lesser evil, no matter what you choose, you’ll come out bloody and hating yourself.” --someone is speaking from experience :(
“They’ll make slaves of us, pharias of half blood children” — I doubt Yennefer’s deformity actually has anything to do with being part elf, sounds like racist fear mongering.
“Show the humans that you are more than what they fear you to be”
Oh, Yennefer is lying about being sent home. But i think most of this is her using her real feelings to manipulate Istred rather than actually lying.
“Rewriting history with the stories we tell, the songs we sing about our own triumphs, it’s what we do.” the “plot arc” in this episode is questionable at best, but all of the different threads tie together so nicely! They all build on one another despite taking place decades apart.
Stregobor!!! In this moment, he’s not doing anything worse than Tissaia, but he still makes me angry just by being there.
I don’t even know what to say about that bit with the mother and how the dwarf stabs her. I don’t blame him?
Dara rescuing Ciri!
So there’s a bunch of points earlier in the episode where Yennefer asks questions and is ignored. It feels important.
When are mages supposed to learn that Aretuza is powered by eel-girls?
So how did Jaskier end up with Filavandrel’s lute? Was he just like, you broke my lute give me a new one?
“That’s not how it happened, where’s your new found respect?”
“Respect doesn’t make history.”
The face Geralt makes is pretty close to “oh no what have I unleashed on the world? Should I do something to stop this?” he’s underestimated how clever and ruthless Jaskier is. And it’s also too late, this is Jaskier’s thing and Geralt does not have the skills to counter it if he wanted to.
“He wiped out your pest” also lines up with Yennefer sweeping the eels into the lake. (And of course, as the writer of the episode mentioned on that podcast, Yennefer is on screen with the line “a friend of humanity”)
Yennefer and Tissaia smiling at each other in that last moment. This is probably the one singular moment where Yennefer is taken in on the whole being a mage thing. It gets more complicated for her again very quickly.
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Aaand now it’s time for episode 6 of The Witcher! Rare Species is the title and it’s intriguing, are we going to learn more about witchers?
Anyway, let’s do this. F.lux off, luminosity on, earbuds, clean glasses, and we’re ready. Nobody cares about that but whatever.
We start directly with Jaskier which is always welcome.
Geralt’s employers for the case think he’s dead by now and take Geralt’s stuff... but some strangers just show up and help out. Stranger dude introduces himself and I immediately forget his name and don’t try to learn it. Now he’s Suspiciously Helpful Guy, for short Beard Guy. The ladies with him are gorgeous.
This is about a dragon!!! That’s super exciting. Hope the dragon looks cool.
Jaskier also thinks the ladies are gorgeous. He probably thinks everyone is gorgeous but still, mood.
The reward for killing the dragon is huge, because it’s about the reputation of a king. Makes sense. Suspiciously Helpful Guy isn’t suspicious after all, he just wants the lord title and whatnot and wants Geralt on his team because Geralt is like the Cristiano Ronaldo of monster hunters, and that makes sense.
Beard Guy doesn’t want the reward for itself, but wants a last adventure before he gets too old to do anything exciting, apparently. He tries to appeal to Geralt emotionally, but Geralt is still unconvinced. Aaaand now we get what convinces him to join. The world is small :)
So welcome to Deadly Gishwhes.
Yennefer is there as a fancy escort to Pompous Knight. I think they haven’t started yet and she is already Done with him.
Meanwhile-not-meanwhile Ciri is walking right into Fake Mousesack’s trap...
Deadly Gishwhes for now is a camping trip. Isn’t this fun! Geralt is convinced that the most dangerous thing on the mountain isn’t the dragon, but Yennefer... we’ll see. I mean, definitely.
Dinner is an awkward affair until it gets a more intimate affair, then it’s cute. I’m afraid these nice people won’t survive this.
Dara suspects Fake Mousesack, but Ciri doesn’t...
Meanwhile Yennefer has been sleeping and has lost her escort. Oops.
Oh, he’s been found. Double oops.
The dwarves suggest a shortcut, our team accepts, but we’re gonna have some Yennefer-Geralt drama first.
And of course Yennefer is meaning to use the dragon to get her uterus back.
Geralt says she’d definitely made a bad mother and, well, is he wrong. Apparently it’s customary to make witches and witchers sterile, and he acknowledges that their lifestyle isn’t suited for children. Which I can’t really disagree with... if you really want a child, you can adopt one after deliberation, and not risk to produce a child accidentally that will be thrown into a very unstable environment. I get where Yennefer is coming from, though--it’s not really about a child, it’s about reclaiming the possibility of a choice that was taken from her. I think it’s more about having a part of herself taken away, and maybe she’s been rationalizing her feelings as wanting to be able to have a child, but I think it’s about the integrity and wholeness of her body, of getting back something of herself she got robbed of (even if she chose it at the moment--but it was a choice dictated by the desperation of fixing what had caused her a lifetime of abuse, suffering and self-loathing).
I love how this thing is all leading to Geralt becoming a mama duck.
(Yeah, I don’t know how this story will progress exactly, but I am assuming the plot is going to be about Geralt becoming a mama duck until proven otherwise. I mean, this episode is yelling at us that Ciri is going to become his adopted daughter, we just got hammered with a reminder that she’s tied to him by destiny and Geralt is now babbling about the fact that it’s not a good idea for him to have a child. But for some reason I expect Geralt to go through the story being imprinted on by every orphan or lost soul he meets, like baby ducklings with mama duck.)
(I can’t really think of Geralt as a father but I can only think of him as a mother, does that make sense? I’ve watched too much Supernatural.)
AAAAAAH he’s “thought about this--often”. He’s thought about children and parenthood. Excuse me, I needed that heart, who gave you the right.
Oh my god, he’s been avoiding the surprise because he knows he’s supposed to parent the child, and does not want to subject the child to the life he leads!! I am having feelings!! He does not want a child to go through what he goes through!! He’s literally been tormented by the idea that destiny wants to give him a child but he doesn’t want the child to suffer through the horror and pain of his life!! Wasn’t one (1) show with these themes enough, did I have to add another??
Well, now Yennefer is going to be bitter that she’s been trying to get a child for decades and this dude stumbled into magical adoption just like that.
Also love how Geralt is like “why do I start babbling like an idiot when I’m near you”. It’s called being neurodivergent Geralt. I know this isn’t the take I was supposed to get from the scene but I’ll go with it. It makes sense okay?
Ciri catches Fake Mousesack, and They(TM) get fed up with the whole thing... Ciri is savage af.
The shortcut is terrifying and Jaskier is being perfectly reasonable thank you very much.
Nooo Beard Guy!!! Goergous Ladies!!!! I mean, I expected it, but still. :’(
Oh bby he’s trying to console Geralt and also working out his own pain.
The directors have a favorite angle to shoot Geralt, uh.
Yennefer has made a Tardis Tent. And they have an emotional (emotionally mature, at least for they standards?) moments. They suffer a bit from a-man-and-a-woman-share-a-pencil-syndrome, but that’s just how the show has been working so far, it’s a lot about negative space, so I’m giving them a pass.
Me the other day, as a joke: the horse is the fantasyland equivalent of the Impala. This episode: if he wasn’t a hunter witcher he’d work with cars horses. *deep inhale* Okay.
Ah. Her dream is to be important to someone, yes. A child of her own would be a sure way of achieving that.
Alright, this scene was sweet. They lil stupid faces when they wake up together. They’re dumbasses but cute.
And Ciri is caught. This guy is either feeding her some fat lies or not, let’s see. He speaks destiny stuff so he probably believes what he’s saying. The camping party was talking about the religious zealotry of Nifgaard peeps. He’s probably the religious righteous type, which is the most dangerous type.
OH! Now this is intriguing! It’s Them(TM). And yes, he believes the prophecy stuff, and the shapeshifter thinks he’s insane. Yep.
Yennefer cheats at track and field.
I have a theory about the dragon, let’s see.
Ho ho ho! This is great, the ladies are alive, Suspicious Guy was not what he appeared uh.
I was right, the dragon was a she and had a baby. That was my theory. Yennefer was after it for motherhood reasons... but the real motherhood was the dragon she was after all along.
Suspicious Guy was indeed a gold dragon, the rarest, the ones with the very peculiar mutation... of course. I should have expected it. He hired the only person who’d empathize with dragons and could protect the baby dragon.
Mama Duck Geralt Foreshadowing Abounds!!
Sorry guys, Team Protect Baby Dragon are the most badass people around.
Dracarys.
Ah, I’m so happy about how this episode went. Sorry for poor dragon mama, but the rest was 👌🏼
Dara is done with white people bullshit, which we can’t blame him for.
And now it’s time for draa~ama! They break up. I mean, I knew I’d happen because they’re dumbasses and just at the beginning of their character development arc. I want them to be each other’s weird ex that somehow is always involved accidentally in everything the other does.
Dragon Dude is like, forget heterosexuality, embrace your true nature as a Mama Duck.
Well, dumping your frustrations on Jaskier doesn’t seem fair. Aw, that’s so sad. Yennefer and Geralt speak the same emotional language, but Jaskier is a lil dumpling.
Fringilla boosts Creepy Religious Dude’s self-esteem. They have a Mission!
And we’ll see how it goes in the next installment...
This episode was really good. Yep.
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I'm watching the Witcher! I have thoughts but I don't want to liveblog by spamming my blog with single posts so I'm just updating this one as i go. We good? Good.
Don't read this if you haven't watched it obviously because A spoilers duh and B it is pretty much incomprehensible if you haven't (and probably also if you have lol)
I've watched 8/8 episodes
Ep 1:
And right into action we jump! Nice
Ok. Killing a monster and a helpless injured animal in the first scene, it's that kind of show.
Fun bantz with daughter and dad i presume, love that
Bombarded with exposition. What's happening?
Lots of grey morality. Like it.
Very mirrory, that eclipse girl and the wizard. Who's right who's wrong? Who knows, Im sure we'll lose either way.
Really good clothing and set design!
The soundtrack is banger after another just very very good
I knew I find manbuns and half up half down hair very sexy but man if Geralt and that wizard guy from the royal storyline don't remind me of it, thank you for your service!
The fight choreography where geralt takes those men is superb and camerawork supports it in a way that's its actually possible to follow and enjoyable to watch, great job!
Hmm okay so seems like timelines are a bit fucky, princess scenes after geralt scenes
"I love you" "find Geralt of Rivia" OUCH
Good scenes but oh man i wouldn't want my rulers to just kill themselves during an attack yikes
Not to say that those suicides make me excited and confused but well i am definitely confused and excited for the princess storyline and what the heck those nilfgard (sp?) folks want.
Ep 2.:
Poor girl. (i wonder if thats makeup or if they actually cast an actress that looks like that, which would be v good)
So weird eye colours mean stuff?
Rat boy?
YES WE MET BARD BOY! Predictably I'm in love already. What a good first interaction
*Chanting* shrek dynamic shrek dynAMIC SHREK DYNAMIC!!!
I'm wheezing they really brought onions into this 👀
Thank the makers for not showing graphic self harm scenes 🙏
Powerful magic woman giving a monologue about chaos and magic? Hnnnggg
"Here i go again delivering exposition" *snort*
Hmm. What's the issue with the races? Elves etc i mean. And what's up with the guy wjo had to give "Fiona" shoes? He's one of the "clean ones"? Oof
Poor Yennefer.
Another good speech from powerful magic woman
Count on the bard to bring the laughs. And oof those elves, theres obviously some tension there.
Being Not human not another race but a Witcher does have its perks in talks with elves.
Things like "the great cleansing" worry me
There are three plots going on rn (i think theyre at the same time by now) and my priorities are 1. Geralt 2. Yennefer and 3. Fiona though 2. And 3. Is very close.
Hands down the most unrealistic thing is how everyone can repeat that language perfectly from having heard it once.
Yennefer is a half elven?
Huh. A game of marionettes and masters. The wizard controls the boy, the magician controld the girl.
Sidenote, the magic system of channeling chaos into magic and newtons 3rd law is metal and i love it
Eels, huh? Interesting.
So taking stock we have Bard (Human) & Geralt (Witcher), Yennefer (Half elf) and Humans, and Ciri (Human) & Dara (Elf).
First two episodes are over and I'm hooked. Excuse me while I go listen to "Toss a coin to your Witcher" on repeat a few hundred times now.
Ep 3
Here we gooooo
I watched half of it on a train and was too engrossed to write about
Fuck it up Yennefer!
Boob window!
Ok wait so wait wait wait is Yennefer still a Timeline before geralt?
Oh man beauty is a difficult concept
I miss the bard
Ep 4
What's that warrior women tribe and why did the forest call ciri?
I've had the bard for a day but if anything hapoens to him I'll kille everyone in this room and then myself
I love how his song has taken off!
Fuck yeah sidequest!
If i were to describe everything i loved about that scene id have to transcribe it whole
Timelines are fuckin... Fucky
Oh now we'll find out why grandmother wanted ciri to get geralt. Guess he made an impression
Damn she's so metal
Oh btw we love when media passes the bechdel test
Aww Yennefer.
Hmm.
That has to be a gambit
Ok i just read up on the law of surprise, and like to almosr everything in this ep my reaction is "metal af"
WHAT THE FUUUUUCK
Ep 5
Are you making a humunculus?
Doppler!???!?
Oh no poor wizard man
Oh Fremdscham alter Freund
These German accents oof
Oh Yennefer
Ragamuffin LOL
Jaskier huh? Nice name
Well fuck
Right. Good.
Make him drink the water! The doppler doesn't have good intentions
Also i really hope ciri isn't promised to geralt by the law of surprise in a yucky way
I love how lust and sex is handled here
"Flora and (yikes) Fauna" oh jaskier every word out of your mouth is peak comedy
Oof that guy Yennefer is traveling with
I bet they're gonna end up being a team anyways, i mean our main characters. Some how the others will perish.
Oh doppler you're so dumb
Witcher good ending: Geralt & Yennefer make a life with Ciri (I'm sure 1. fics are being written as we speak & 2. It wont happen)
Oh man that route
There's so much suicide and suicidal ideation in this it's crazy
And: called it!
There are so many insanely good quotes
"it's hard to regret something you didn't chose" yeah
Yennefer! Don't sleep with makeup
Uh
You forgot jaskier!
Yeah the hints were there. Blorchs fancy jacket...
Why does nothing good ever last. Yennefer and Geralt are so good together
And poor jaskier
We really in it now, Ariana
Ep 7
Wow calanthe you should know by now that these foul tricks don't work
Man, geralt cant catch a break
He's such a nerd
Harsh teachers get a lot of mileage out of "You're my best student"
... And that's why it's so easily used against their students.
Fuck i really care for these characters. Especially geralt, Yennefer and jaskier.
Yennefer just wanted to send sad girls on the drug trip of their lives and they're just... Hmm.
Ideology is so dangerous when it makes sense to you
And to think, geralt was right there under cintra
Well that was... Hmm
Ep 8
We haven't seen elves in a long time
Uh... No?
I dont accept geralt dying like that and at that time
OH HELL YEAH THAT INTRO ANIMATION
There's nothing
Of everything thats happened so far, the magic, the hotness, etc etc, i feel like my biggest fantasy brought to the screen in the witcher is a powerful teacher appreciating and spending time with a former student.
(*Tissania waving a glass of ale at Yennefer* me: god i wish that were me)
Ok but what's happening with geralt?
Who is vesemir
All those magic scenes are so good
Oof they just keep missing each other
Are they gonna meet in the last scene?
... They did. In the last scene.
Colour me interested in season 2! Off to tvtropes i guess and the tumblr tag.
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