#also Joey Batey is perfect casting

[animezinglife]

You knew that was going to happen with Lauren Hissrich and her team of activists masquerading as writers.

Anyone looking to adapt material needs to pass some kind of humility test.

The first box to check:

I understand this adaptation is not about me.

can we like, have adaptations made by people who care about the thing they're adapting

[whatacaitastrophe]

Is It Over Now - Chapter 7

Previous Chapter

Chapter Song Inspiration: "Burn Butcher Burn" - The Witcher, Season 2 Soundtrack (performed by Joey Batey)

Chapter Warnings: none!

Spotify Playlist: Here

Chapter Notes: if you have read this fic, liked it, reblogged it, or left comments THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. keep the comments coming bc i love hearing your feedback (and like tinkerbell, i need applause to live).

Chapter 7: I Hear You're Alive. How Disappointing

The next two days fly by without incident, unless you count Wyll making Fallon cry because she has to do one hundred crunches at the end of their final training session before the ball (Fallon counts it). At least when he leaves the morning of the ball he promises he will not be at their door bright and early tomorrow, because he intends to take the next day off. It’s a sure sign of how Wyll expects the evening of revelry and celebration to go. 

After their conversation, Fallon and Astarion fell into an easy rhythm. The first night, they stayed up talking about everything and nothing, only taking breaks to exchange sweet kisses. They still haven’t properly had sex yet, but that’s something Astarion is perfectly ok with. When it comes to Fallon, Astarion wants to do this right. He doesn’t want Fallon to feel like he poured his heart out to her just to bed her (and maybe, just maybe, he’s still the tiniest bit insecure and worried that Fallon had done exactly that). 

Somehow, despite the past two days being some of the best of his life with Fallon, Astarion is incredibly nervous for this ball. He loves a good party, especially one where the attention will be cast upon him, and he’ll be given the opportunity to charm an entire room full of aristocrats, but the anticipation of this night has him pacing around the suite. 

It could also be because Shadowheart arrived at the suite in the early afternoon with a team of hair and makeup professionals trailing behind her to help them get ready for the evening, and as a direct result, Astarion has been left to entertain Lae’zel, who quickly refused the assistance of the small army Shadowheart assembled, declaring she does not need an entire day to become perfect. 

“Astarion,” Lae’zel warns after his twelfth lap around the sitting room in the last hour. “If you do not stop pacing, I will make you.”

Astarion scowls at the githyanki, but he does as he’s told; mostly because he’s still fairly certain Lae’zel could snap him in two if she really wanted to. He picks up the book about the young wizard that he’s still reading, but concentration eludes him and he’s just staring at the pages without absorbing any of the content. 

“My lover has informed me that I need to work on my….people skills,” Lae’zel starts with a huff. “So I am going to ask you why you keep looking at the bedroom door and why you cannot sit still, but please do not mistake my inquiry for actual concern.” 

Astarion snorts with laughter. “I think part of having people skills is showing genuine concern, Lae’zel.”

Lae’zel gives him a stone cold stare, and he almost regrets teasing her. “It’s the first time Fallon and I are going out in public together. As…more than friends.” He clarifies. “So this giant party where everyone is watching, it’s basically our first date.”

“Yes, Shadowheart did mention a romantic development. I did not realize Fallon was finally over the wizard.”

Astarion winces. “Ah, well, not entirely, but that’s complicated to explain and I’m sure you don’t want to hear about the whole sordid affair.”

“That is correct, I do not,” she confirms. “Besides, I’ve heard enough that I think I understand.” 

“Well, that’s why I’m pacing,” he tells her, and Lae’zel levels a stare in his direction. “You asked.” he concedes, raising his hands in defeat. 

Awkward silence fills the suite, and Astarion really wishes he’d thought to turn on the phonograph before their friends arrived because now he’s too afraid to stand up and risk the gith’s wrath by moving around again. “Do you think the wizard will show his face?” Lae’zel breaks the silence. 

“Gods, I fucking hope not. She’s been doing so well…I worry about what seeing him again might do to her.” 

“Maybe that is the real reason why you pace incessantly. You are worried for Fallon, and maybe a little worried for yourself and your romantic involvement with her, should the wizard return.”

Astarion is stunned, and not just because Lae’zel just read him so thoroughly. “Why Lae’zel, I think you may have just shown genuine concern! Shawdowheart will be very proud.” He deflects, as this is a very strange conversation to be having with Lae’zel, of all people. Then again, maybe the warrior is the best person to have this conversation with, because she minces words even less than her girlfriend does, and unlike Wyll or Karlach, or even Halsin, she won’t try to soothe his nerves with false narratives. Astarion defies her and stands to walk over to the cabinet where he and Fallon keep the wine. He pours them each a glass before sitting back down again. “Do you think he’s going to show up?”

Lae’zel ponders for a moment as she drinks her wine. “No,” she declares. “The wizard has not been in contact with anyone for the last year. I believe he is intelligent enough to know his presence would not be welcome.” As backhanded as it is, Astarion is surprised by the compliment Lae’zel affords Gale. 

Astarion winces. “Well…that’s not entirely true.” 

“My assessment of the wizard’s intelligence, or that he has not been in contact with anyone since he left in the first place?” 

“The second part.”

Deafening silence fills the suite again, and Astarion swears Lae’zel does not ever blink. “You’ve spoken to him.”

“I’ve seen him.” Astarion confesses.

More silence. “When?” 

“Months ago…it’s a long story.”

“Does Fallon know?”

“No.” 

“Does anyone?”

“....no one other than you and Gale.” Astarion did not think it was possible for the githyanki’s lips to get any thinner, but they do and she’s glaring at him. “Please don’t tell her.” Astarion begs.

The silence that follows could not have lasted more than a few minutes, if not seconds, but it feels like an eternity while Astarion holds his breath, waiting for Lae’zel to say something. 

“I will not intervene, because it is not my place and unlike my lover, I do not care to gossip,” she sips from her wine glass. “However, I will encourage you to be honest with Fallon, because if she ever finds out you kept this from her, it will not end well for you.” 

Astarion sighs, finishing his own glass of wine and pouring another. “That’s what I’m afraid of.” 

“I’ve never taken you to be a coward, Astarion. Do not start now, as I do not associate with cowards.” 

It might be the nicest thing the gith has ever said to him, and the closest she’s ever come to admitting they’re actually friends. Lae’zel dismisses herself to get ready for the ball, leaving Astarion alone. Astarion sighs quietly and tells himself that he’ll broach the topic with Fallon first thing tomorrow. He doesn’t want to ruin this night for her. Astarion looks at the grandfather clock by the door and realizes that he should probably get ready as well and he heads for the spare bedroom.

An hour later, Lae’zel is the first one to return to the sitting room, followed shortly by Astarion. “Well, don’t you look dashing.” Astarion offers the gith as he takes in her form. The dress Lae’zell chose (more likely chosen by Shadowheart for her), is a simple, black floor length a-line gown with a cowl neckline. The halter top compliments her toned body, and the necklace she’s wearing is a pendant with moons and stars on it. The ensemble is not much different than the one Lae’zel wore to last year’s Winter Solstice Ball, and Astarion is almost certain that Lae��zel not repeating an outfit is entirely Shadowheart’s influence.

The doublet Astarion picked out for himself is black velvet, and the filigree throughout is the same color as Fallon’s dress. Though the development of their romantic involvement is less than a tenday old, Astarion always knew he would be the one escorting Fallon to the ball, and he’d be damned if their ensembles didn’t match, or worse, clashed altogether. Shadowheart calls from the bedroom that she and Fallon are nearly ready, and Astarion begins pacing again. Lae’zel glares at him, but she doesn’t say anything, and Astarion notices that even the stoic githyanki warrior is fidgeting a little in her seat. He does not dare bring it up for fear of losing his head, but it’s sweet to see his friend be nervous about seeing her lover in her dress for the first time. 

The door to the bedroom opens and Astarion freezes in place and Lae’zel shoots to her feet. Shadowheart is the first to emerge and though Shadowheart looks absolutely lovely, Astarion is watching Lae’zel. He’s never seen her look awestruck before. Lae’zel walks over to a beaming Shadowheart and takes her hands. “ Zhak vo'n'fynh duj' : Source of my joy. You are more radiant than the sun.” Astarion looks away when Lae’zel captures Shadowheart’s mouth in a deep kiss (it feels weird watching the gith be this vulnerable), his gaze automatically goes to the bedroom door. 

Fallon steps through the door, and Astarion is breathless. He imagines the look on his face is not much different than that of the one Lae’zel had on her face moments before, but when Fallon smiles at him, Astarion honestly forgets that there is anyone else in the suite aside from the two of them. Fallon walks–no–floats towards him, the chiffon of her dress having the exact effect Astarion and Figaro envisioned together. He meets her halfway and takes one of her hands and Astarion bows deeply to the woman in front of him, and kisses the back of her hand. 

“Well, I must say, whoever chose this dress for you has excellent taste,” Astarion jests as he rises. “You look absolutely exquisite, darling.” 

Blush creeps up Fallon’s neck. “Thank you. For all of it.” He knows she means more than just the dress. 

Wyrm’s Rock is decorated for the season to the nines. Wyll’s stepmother is known for her parties, and this one is no exception. “It’s beautiful.” Fallon muses in awe as they walk in. “I can’t believe I missed this last year.” 

Astarion squeezes her hand softly as he thinks back to this time last year. Astarion and their friends attempted to convince Fallon to leave The Elfsong for this occasion, but their efforts were in vain. When they’d gone to collect her, she was already several bottles of wine deep in the bar with some of the tieflings from The Grove, could barely stand, and was in absolutely zero condition to spend an entire evening socializing with the aristocrats of Baldur’s Gate. They’d all agreed that with the absence of Fallon, and even Gale, it didn’t really feel like much of the celebration it was supposed to be.

The four of them step further into the extravagantly decorated room and are immediately greeted by various members of the court, fawning over Fallon especially after missing last year. Astarion holds his tongue as they fuss and speculate to her face about why she was absent last year, and pride spreads through his body as Fallon fields the question and deflects like she’s been doing this her whole life. This was why she’d become their leader. She charmed people with ease and carried herself with such confidence it was no wonder nearly everyone they met fell in love with her instantly. Eventually she’s able to wave them off, and Astarion leans over to kiss her temple. 

“Gods, those people do love their gossip, don’t they?” Fallon muses with a laugh. 

“Yes, I’d no idea you’ve been out of the city training dragons, do tell me, when shall I get to ride one? You’ve been holding out on me.” 

“Your very own dragon is your solstice gift.” She teases with a wink but expression very quickly changes to surprise and then pure glee. Fallon lets out an excited squeal and Astarion follows her gaze to where Wyll is standing but it’s not Wyll, or even the druid Halsin towering next to him that caused the object of Astarion’s affection to squeal with delight.

It’s Karlach.

Not only is it Karlach, but the tiefling looks like herself. 

Fallon does not bother with proper etiquette, and she gathers her skirts in one hand, takes off towards Karlach at a sprint and leaps into her friend’s arms. Astarion trails after her, and though he definitely is not running as Fallon had, Astarion’s gait is definitely quicker than usual. After sacrificing herself and becoming an illithid, Karlach was forced to lay low after the battle ended. For obvious reasons, illithids were not exactly a welcome sight in Baldur’s Gate, but Halsin welcomed her back to The Grove with open arms. 

“I missed you, soldier.” Karlach is murmuring into her embrace with Fallon as Astarion approaches the reunion.

“I can’t believe it– you’re here! And you’re you!” Fallon exclaims, hugging Karlach again with tears in her eyes. “How?”

“Just a little bit ‘o temporary magic, I’m afraid. Nettie and our pal Halsin made me a potion so I’d look like meself tonight. Not that I ever stopped being me, but, you know ‘ow it is.” 

Fallon greets Halsin next, and the druid picks her up to spin in a circle and Astarion just smiles as the fabric of her dress floats effortlessly around her. He really does have good taste. Halsin was one of the first people to ever suspect that Astarion had feelings for Fallon. The conversation occurred shortly after Halsin confessed his own feelings for Fallon to her, only to be gently turned down after Gale refused the suggestion of an open relationship. At the time, Astarion made fun of Gale for being so incredibly traditional in his way of thinking, but now that he has Fallon, Astarion understands. He doesn’t want to share Fallon with anyone else, either.

“How do you do it?” Halsin asked him whilst sitting by the fire one evening. 

Astarion looked up at the druid in confusion. “Do what?”

“How do you cope with the ache in your heart, watching Fallon and Gale together day in and day out? I only ask because I’ve not been in this group very long, whereas you’ve been here since the beginning. When does the pain of watching her love another fade?” 

Astarion stared at Halsin, mouth slightly open. “Are you suggesting I have feelings for our dear leader?”

“Am I wrong? I’ve seen the way you look at her when you think no one is watching.”

Astarion frowned. “I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”

Halsin gives him an understanding smile. “Then perhaps I misread the situation. My deepest apologies.” 

“No apology needed, friend.” Astarion replied before turning back to his book, ignoring the very ache Halsin just spoke of.

Halsin lets go of Fallon, approaching Astarion. The druid offers him a strong handshake and claps him on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you, friend. I am very glad to see the two of you together. She looks happy.” 

Astarion looks over to Fallon and then back to Halsin. “She does, doesn’t she?” Waitstaff pass buy and offer each of them a glass of champagne, and Fallon eagerly listents as Karlach regales her with stories of the grove, seeing Arabella again, and learning how to live among druids as an illithid, and learning how to live as an illithid in general. 

“I mean, I thought that emperor bloke was joking when he said he ate brains, nope. It’s truly the most horrific part of this ‘ole thing. ‘Course I don’t eat people or anything–” Karlach stops speaking suddenly, and her facial expression shifts to complete horror in an instant. 

“You owe me twenty gold, mate.” Wyll tells Halsin, and his tone can only be described as disappointed anger. Halsin also looks very unhappy, and a sickening feeling begins to form in Astarion’s stomach as he realizes that Halsin’s unhappiness has nothing to do with owing Wyll money. 

“Well, this is quite the reunion, isn’t it? Leave it to The Winter Solstice to always bring old friends together.” An omnipotent voice comments from behind Astarion’s back, and Astarion whips around, willing his fingers to not ball into fists at his side as he tries to remember to breathe. That annoying, condescending voice only belongs to one person.

Fallon spins around to face the owner of the voice and she gasps. For the first time in over a year, she speaks the name of her ex-lover, and her voice is shaking. 

“Gale.”

Chapter List

[marvelousmaize]

I think about Sophie Holland’s thread about casting Joey Batey a lot

She tweeted this out I think a month or two before the Witcher came out. She talks about how difficult it was finding the perfect person to play Jaskier. And then Joey Batey walks in, with his charm and his lute and like - you can clearly read it in her tweets - it’s love at first sight. She knew she struck gold; she was going to a-star-is-born Joey.

I just think about how Sophie openly knew that Jaskier was going to be, if not maybe the standout, definitely the highlight of the show for a lot of fans (I won’t speculate on how anyone else felt, since I don’t think that info is on the record). And I just think this speaks not only to Joey Batey’s undeniable star power as an actor, but also to how absolutely visionary casting directors are when they set out to find the most-perfect person for each role.

Anyway sorry for my sappy rant. Just thank you Sophie for persisting, for doing that One Last Push, for finding us Joey. Many of us I know are forever grateful and indebted to you 💛

[societysonlooker]

FUCKING WATCH THIS

START WHEREVER BUT PAY ATTENTION STARTING AT 4:45

JOEY BATEY IS PRECIOUS AND IS 100% IN THE "PROTECT JASKIER AT ALL COSTS" CLUB CAN SONEONE PLS GIVE THIS MAN A HUG FOR ME

I just... love this. I love the way he describes jaskier here because this is how I've always seen him. From the books, the show, and even, thanks to my bias from the books, in the game. I just love jaskier so much because to me, he represents the best of humanity. The creativity and courage and carefree expression of oneself without remorse that is so uniquely human, I just, I love it. To be so open to love, to give and receive it without expectation and to simply enjoy the beauty of life all around you, it's a kinda of happiness I really hope I can get to one day. A sense of peace I work towards every second. I just really love jaskier ok.

[randomfandomimagine]

I finished The Witcher Season 2 and I wanted to share my thoughts. I enjoyed it in general, but I had high expectations and there were some things that I didn't like, so I'm a bit conflicted and I was a bit bored at times. Still, I thought it was a good season!

Spoilers under the cut!!

I really liked Nivellen’s episode, it was fun and interesting. It was refreshing to see Geralt with a friend and see Ciri feel safe. I also love how they carried out the theme of what makes a monster in this one.

Yennefer losing her magic? That scene where she’s trying to conjure a portal but she can’t and she screams in utter heartbreak? Literal chills!

When Tissaia hears Yen’s voice and you can feel how relieved and happy she is that Yennefer is not dead! Ugh, so good!

I just love the relationship between Tissaia and Yen

“Stregobor is a dick” Yennefer speaking all of our minds 🤣

I’m so glad Istredd is back! I really like him and always enjoy whenever he appears in a scene.

“And you say you’re not her father...” Geralt being protective of Ciri and being himself but still looking after her has me soft 😍

Plus, Ciri training in Kaer Morhen is so cool! Badass!!

And I love all the witchers! Even if Eskel’s presence was cut short...

Everyone in this cast is good-looking, but Yennefer / Anya is so gorgeous that it's actually distracting!

I think Cahir is a very interesting character, and I loved his scenes with Yen!

JASKIER MY BELOVED! JOEY BATEY MY BELOVED!

Burn Butcher Burn is now stuck in my head, it's so good!

Yennefer hugging Jaskier was priceless!

Just all of Jaskier’s scenes, dialogue, gestures, everything!

Honestly, I forgot how much politics there are, it bores me a little 🤷‍♀️

I’ve read the books, but it was so long ago that I forgot that Ciri has elven blood and it kind of blew my mind again

Not gonna lie, I’m kind of intrigued about the monsters and monoliths

I love how much Ciri and Geralt trust in each other, so good!

ROACH NO! WHY?! 😭

Nenneke! I was very excited to see her and she pretty much looked like I imagined when reading the books. Hope we get to see Iola too!

I kind of wish they had dedicated more time to Jaskier being tortured, I was ready for some serious whump!

In general, I think they kind of reduced Jaskier to the comic relief and I wished we got more scenes of him being a person, like the ones where he talks to Yen about fearing losing his muses and how he helps elves

But yes, I do love that he helps the elves because he’s so kind!

That said, his dynamic with Yennefer was probably my favorite thing of this season! Can’t get enough of it!

Jaskier singing in the cell and talking to the mice is perfection

THAT SCENE OF SHIRTLESS JASKIER?! brb dying! Joey Batey is handsome, talented, sweet, he sings, acts and on top of all has a 10/10 body? He's the perfect man and I want to marry him 😭

Omg, I really liked Francesca and Fringilla this season, but they’re so brutal! Fringilla killing those men when they can't move and Francesca killing all those babies? Oof... Chills...

Ciri finally starting to get ahold of her powers thanks to Yen!

Yennefer growing fond and protective of Ciri even if she was being selfish at first? Love it

I think the whole Ciri is possessed thing was meh... bit cliché...

Okay, Yen, Geralt and Ciri being like a family makes me emotional :’)

And the Wild Hunt... I don’t remember it exactly, but I’m intrigued

I did remember the twist of Duny being alive and actually being Ehmyr and Ciri’s father all at the same time!

[multific]

Worries

Joey Batey x Reader

Request: Can I please request an one shot where the female reader is feeling very insecure about herself, and thinks she’s ugly - so Joey Batey does his best to comfort her, by cuddling/kissing her and telling her she’s beautiful.

 Ever since The Witcher became such a success, and Joey became a better know actor, your lives took a turn.

When you married Joey, he was focusing on his band, taking on a role here and there, but nothing major. Of course when he came home one day, saying he will apply for the role of Jaskier in an upcoming show, you were the supportive wife who was there for him.

You were beyond happy when he got the role. Happy that his talent will finally be acknowledged. And he will get what he always deserved.

Joey, himself, didn’t change at all. He stayed the humble, kind, funny man whom you married. It was the fans. Since their numbers grew intensely, which you were happy to see, grew the comments.

People saying he deserved better than you, someone prettier someone well-known. People saying how he should divorce you. At first you were confused why people you didn’t even know talked this way about you. And later you learned to shut their voices out and focused on yourself.

Your insecurities didn’t come from the fans, or from their comments. Your insecurities came from you.

When you first met his cast members. Freya and Anya were so sweet, you became friends instantly with the two, Henry was just as Joey told you, and you had to admit that in person, he was even more handsome and well-built than on TV.

Your insecurities didn’t come from Joey’s cast, or the amount of beautiful women he was surrounded by. Your insecurities came from you.

One night, it was late, you were in your bed, Joey sleeping beside you, not moving an inch, he must be very tired.

You moved to sit up and went to the bathroom, you washed your face and drank a little bit of water.

Your insecurities arrived two days ago, like it was a scheduled plane or train. Your insecurities came from the way you lived. You felt like you were holding Joey back. You felt like you were the reason he couldn’t grow and become who he had to become.

You looked at yourself in the mirror one last time before you headed back to bed.

“Y/N?” you heard Joey call out sleepily.

“I was just in the bathroom.” you explained, knowing he was confused why you weren’t there when he woke up. But since his mind was still cloudy, he went back to sleep with ease. Leaving you with your thoughts in the dark once again.

These thoughts had been bothering you further 2 days.

To the point where Joey noticed.

One Friday night, you were having dinner which you made, you sat down and ate in peace. Music playing in the background.

“Okay, Honey, you have to tell me, I can see something is bothering you.”

“I’m just being silly. Don’t mind me, I will get over it.”

“Y/N. I’m your husband, if something is bothering you, I’m the only one who can help.”

“It’s silly really.”

“That is why you haven’t been sleeping? I thought it was because of work.” you didn’t think he would notice. But the amount of attention he paid at you felt really nice.

“No, I just… I had this silly thought, seeing you with the others, Anya and Henry, and I thought that maybe I’m holding you back. That you need so much more than what I can give. All I have to offer you is a simple life, with an ugly wife. I’m not rich and definitely not a super model. But I know it’s silly.”

Joey was silent for a minute, he couldn’t believe what you just told him.

“It’s not silly. It’s incredibly stupid. Why would I want more when I already have everything I ever wished for? My life is perfect with you. Well we could do some touch ups with the kitchen, since that bloody cupboard door keeps falling off, but my life is perfect. Don’t be stupid, Love, please you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met and ever will.Love, you are not ugly. You are the love of my life. My everything. It really hurts me you talk about yourself this way. Please, I know I cannot make you see yourself the way I do, but I will prove it to you just how gorgeous you are.” he reached over the table and grabbed your hand. When he mentioned the kitchen you laughed a little.. You stood up and went to sit on his lap, hugging him.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you.” he pulled you back from the hug and kissed you. “I love you, Y/N. You are beautiful, please don’t ever say things like this, ever.”

“I promise.” you smiled at him.

“Okay, now dessert, I have baked something for you.” your eyes rounded, judging by the video he made you shoot and upload to Youtube, the Great Witcher Bake Off, he wasn’t a big baker. Which was actually true. He wasn’t good in the kitchen, it was an ongoing joke that he could even mess a salad up. So, you got a bit worried when he stood up and went into the kitchen. You quickly thought back into the day. You knew you took an hour nap while he was reading, he could have produced something during that time. But you never smelled anything sweet or nothing.

Well, it didn’t matter what he would appear with all that mattered is that all your worries really did disappear. Sure, Joey liked to make a joke of life and was rarely serious, but you loved at about him and you also loved that how in the end he always managed to make you feel so much better and so much more beautiful.

Taglist: imreadinggoaway fleursirvart  v-2bucky ehsebastian  crunch-time-sports pxstelrainbow ablogbypeteparker liamssmiler smexylemony greenarrowhead feelingsareharddd thisismysecrethappyplace sincerelyfan theoneanna aestheticsandmarvel rororo06 castellandiangelo avengers-r-us destynelseclipsacastellandiangelo  spilledinkindumpster celebsimagines capsiclesdoll firstangeldragonranch snoopy3000 firstangeldragonranch puknow crazzyter alwayshave-faith  soleil-dor  alex12948 scream-kiwi79 dancingwith-thesunflowers

~Masterlist~

ˇAO3ˇ

My taglist is open!

Feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank You for reading my story!~

[gotarcher94]

The Witcher

So I’ve watched the first season of the Witcher on Netflix and all I can say is holy motherfucking shit. That was a good season. 

I wanted to jot down a few things that I liked about the season, bearing in mind that I haven’t yet read the books and have only played the Witcher 2 and 3. I will be using spoilers so consider this a spoiler warning.

(Also this will be a long post)

OK? OK

Henry Cavill

When Henry was announced I gotta admit I had some doubts over the casting. Not because I don’t rate him as an actor but I just couldn't picture him as Geralt. My personal pick was Zach McGowan, known for playing Charles Vane in Black Sails. He had the gruff voice, he looked like the game version of Geralt, and he even had similar hair. Just dye it white and he was good. 

But having seen the show... I recant every syllable of my foolishness.  

Henry Cavill is perfect as Geralt. He perfectly embodies the White Wolf. From his sarcastic sense of humour, to the subtle emotion on his face to the conflict he has while making the decisions he does. Absolutely perfect casting.

Anya Chalotra

Speaking of perfect casting, Anya is an incredible Yennefer of Vengerberg. Like Henry she perfectly embodies Yennefer. Anya plays the evolution of Yen superbly, from her beaten down and almost broken early days to the immensely powerful and confident sorceress she becomes later, she performs both absolutely perfectly.

And to all those who say that Anya is wrong to play Yennefer because she doesn’t “look like her”.... I cannot say shut the hell up loud enough. She was incredible and deserves all the accolades that should be sent her way.

Freya Allan

And rounding out the three main characters, the show is three for three in terms of perfect casting. I loved her independent and driven nature, continuing to keep going on despite all the trouble going her way despite only been about 11 or 12 (i think, not 100%). Her strong bond with both Queen Calanthe and Mousesack is evident, despite the relative lack of screentime devoted to it. I can’t wait to see how both the character and actress evolves over the (hopefully) seasons to come.

Geralt and Ciri

I loved the “the girl in the woods will be with you always” transition in the first episode, that eventually came full circle in the finale with the two finally meeting (with the run and hug scene!). Having seen their bond fully established in the games (I know they aren’t canon) I cant wait to see it develop on screen

Queen Calanthe

Is a badass. End of story. Ruling a kingdom, fighting at the front of every battle, effectively flipping off destiny and law of Surprise and being an incredible role model for Ciri. Absolute awesome character and Jodhi May did such an incredible job playing her.

Yennefer’s backstory

As a game only fan in terms of knowing much about the characters when I went into this season, my knowledge of Yen’s backstory was pretty much nonexistent, as I can’t remember it even being mentioned in the two games I played (of which Yen was only physically present for one). However, the show delved deep into it, and I’m glad they did. It simultaneously made us empathise fully with Yennefer but also established the basis for her desire to grow stronger and be in control of her own destiny and future, and why she was then so frustrated being in the mire of courtly intrigue, not able to grow higher.

The Yennefer and Tissaia dynamic

One of the most unexpected but welcome events of the show was the dynamic that they two shared. It was not the typical mentor and apprentice relationship and I appreciated the change from the norm. From Tissaia’s initial attempts to bring Yennefer to heel before eventually being the one to tell Yennefer to unleash her chaos during the battle at Sodden was great. 

The striga episode

I mean..... just wow. As soon as they mentioned Temeria I had a feeling that it would be the striga, as it was one of the few things that I knew about from the books. And holy shit they did not disappoint. From the investigation aspect, to the fight scene, to the music. It was incredible episode and one that I cannot wait to get back to when I re-watch the series

Battle of Sodden

The main focus of the incredible finale. I had heard of the Battle of Sodden during the games but to see it was something else. A great battle scene combined great fights, solid battle plans and incredibly cool magical skills. And also,during the night scenes, you could actually see what the fuck was happening. See GoT! It isn't hard!!

Vilgevortz

As soon as his name was revealed in the episode, I’m not gonna lie but i may have gone full fanboy. I know a little from what was mentioned in the books and have read a little from other sources about his story in the books and was immensely excited when he showed up. And I cannot wait to see his story unfold on the show and see him interact more with Yennefer and meet Geralt and Ciri.

Jaskier

From what I know, calling him Jaskier (his original name in the Polish stories) instead of the English name of Dandelion was one of the problems people had with the show. And I have to ask... does it really matter? He still acts like him, talks like him, annoys Geralt like him. He is the same character, the showrunners are just honouring his roots. 

And he brought some comic relief to the series in just the right ways, especially in the djinn and dragon hunt episodes. Joey Batey was great.

Music and Cinematography 

Both of them were absolutely fantastic. Every episode looked and sounded phenomenal. I’ve been listening to a few tracks from the soundtrack that have made it onto YouTube on repeat for a while, most notably “Toss a Coin to your Witcher”. However, one track that I really liked but haven't been able to find is the battle theme from the striga fight. If anyone could send me a link to it, I would be incredibly grateful

Fight choreography 

All of the fights this season were absolutely fantastic. Both the human fights and the monster battles. Geralt and Duny vs the Cintrian soldiers, Vilgevortz vs Cahir and (my personal favourites) Geralt vs Renfri and her gang from episode 1. All of them superb and I couldn't have asked for more from the fight scenes. 

Magic

I really like the magic system they set up in this series. Not only is it incredibly diverse (with the finale alone showing us Vilgevortz constantly creating swords, Triss making poison mushrooms grow beneath the feet of the army and Coral wiping out a whole section of the Nilgaardian army) but I really like the idea that it isn't just them tapping into a great power, that there can be a great cost to performing these spells. Not something that a lot of fantasy series do.

Cahir

He was a great antagonist throughout the season and again I know little in specifics about him but I know that he is important to Ciri’s story, so I am looking forward to seeing that develop further.

Geralt and Visenna

I loved the scene of the two of them in the finale, even if it proved to only be a dream/hallucination. The “How do you like my eyes?” line legit gave me chills. Incredible acting by Henry there

Geralt and Yennefer (Yenneralt?, I think certain parts of the fandom have settled upon)

Now, as a game only fan prior to this, my exposure to the relationship between the two of them was limited, as the games only touched upon it in the Witcher 3. Before then it was told that Geralt and Yennefer had an epic love but it was very much tell and don’t show, as Yennefer didn't appear in person until the Witcher 3 and by then CDPR had developed the Geralt and Triss romance story in the Witcher 2. And I’m not gonna lie, I was fully into their romance during my playthroughs. Not that I didn't like Yennefer but I just didn't have the same basis into their bond that the book fans did. 

After Season 1, however, I am fully onto the Geralt and Yennefer ship, having seen it develop as it did.

Methinks it may be time for another playthrough, as well as buying the books.

Things I’m looking forward to seeing on the show in the future 

1. Yennefer and Ciri meeting

2. Seeing Geralt and Ciri bonding more, with some time together at Kaer Morhen

3. Thanedd Island (eventually)

4. Zoltan! 

5. Regis!

6. Vesemir!

[positivelyamazonian]

are you watching the witcher on netflix? what did you think of it?

Hi! This is not Tomb Raider related but I don’t mind answering it. I’ve been a fan of The Witcher universe since 2015 when the third videogame by CD Projekt Red (The Witcher III: Wild Hunt) fell into my hands. Unfortunately I wasn’t aware of the existence of the books despite being a long term high fantasy reader because these were never at the public library of my town, neither in the bookshops I used to frequent. 

The videogame was fantastic and I enjoyed it like not so many videogames before. The story was excellent to my tastes and then it was when I did my research, bought all the book series and read all of them. Then played the second, previous game (The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings) and if I didn’t manage to play the very first one it was because of incompatibilities with my PC. Since then, I consider myself a Witcher fan.

Now, going to the Netflix series. As everyone, I guess, I was very skeptical about the upcoming show; but it’s something that always happens to me when a beloved story and saga gets a TV/movie adaptation. I wasn’t familiar with Netflix at all - never had a subscription before - and neither with the casting, including Henry Cavill. But after watching the show I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it a lot and I think that in general a nice, good work has been done with the Witcher universe here.

I am aware that right now the fandom is divided between those who think the show was fantastic and the book purists that are disappointed and outraged because everything wasn’t like they expected. You ask some and they say they love it and you ask some others and they say they butchered it. Personally I’ve loved the show. I think the casting was a pleasant surprise, specially with Henry Cavill (Geralt) and Anya Chalotra (Yennefer) who have exceeded all my expectations.

For miracles, I must admit I could have never seen Joey Batey (Jaskier) coming. I mean, Jaskier was never one of my favs, in the books he’s relatively OK (but nothing more) and in the videogames I find him (Dandelion) outright annoying. But for the first time the Netflix show has presented me a version of the character that I can love and admire. Thank you, Joey.

Apart from the casting, I thought that the three timelines arranging was brilliant. Some people have felt uncomfortable or even lost with them but despite being confused at them myself at the beginning, I soon got used to the pace and I loved it. Maybe because having read the books and played the games helps, of course. But my husband that is only familiar with the videogames and has never touched the books got used to it immediately, too. So really it’s a matter of will, in this case.

What else: the music was delightful. I was expecting it to be trash because the videogames’ soundtrack is such a masterpiece that I was sure it could be not beaten. Well, it wasn’t anyway, but the show’s soundtrack was decent enough and even amazing at some tracks. I’m very happy they are releasing it tomorrow, because I’m sure as hell I am getting a playlist for my long hours of correcting projects and exams. Also, Joey Batey, again! What a lovely voice!

The show has done really a good work with the female characters. They were already outstanding, empowered and self-aware in the books, even standing for their agency more than in the videogames, sometimes, so I’m happy the show presented this legion of amazing heroines for the newcomers to love and enjoy. Now, I’m biased because Yennefer has been always my personal favourite, but each one of them are fantastically portrayed: the sorceresses, the queen, the princesses, the swordswomen... Kudos to another unexpected miracle: Jodhi May as Calanthe. 

Has the show some flaws or things I didn’t like? Of course. Everything can’t be perfect. Personally I didn’t like all the Brokilon arc, it was depicted awfully in the show. I think the last scene, the reunion between Geralt and Ciri, would have worked much better if being loyal - dialogue wise - to the book instead of that awkward silence with just two random lines. In general, Ciri’s arch is a bit dull and boring, but honestly not much more could’ve been done with the changes they took. And yes, the golden dragon episode and the Blaviken episode feel, somehow, rushed and unclear. On the contrary, the rest of episode 1 and 3 were almost canonically perfect. Finally, the physical removal of the uterus and ovaries as a way to sterilize the Aretuza adepts was a bit shocking and gory for my taste, this detail was never clearly specified in the books and it seems added for shock value. I’ve always assumed this sterilization was magical/chemical, not surgical. 

But these are sins of the adapting I can pass. I am grateful for Yennefer’s arch, which is barely explored in the books and deserved some focus, and I’m also glad for the portrayed diversity of the show. I know so many people has hated the diverse cast, but I love it and I think it didn’t feel forced; in fact, it was needed for awareness of the main point of the story: exploration about hatred among races. If an actress or actor delivers a good portrayal, caring about the color of the skin is just utter and plain racism. 

I also like the sensuality and mature content in the series because it’s a remarkable aspect of the books and it was handled with tasteful delicacy. Not even the nudity felt forced or out of place, Witcher universe has been always mature and sensual.

Another trait both present in the books and games is the dark humor and the goofy situations. What I loved the most about the Witcher universe was this kind of humor, nonexistent in the classics of high fantasy and scarce in the modern ones, but always generous in The Witcher. This is faithfully depicted in the show and has given us plenty of funny and goofy scenes and dialogues. It’s a shame so many people has understood this as a lack of quality or a Netflix input. It isn’t. It’s true to the source. After all, the whole Witcher universe is a self-parody of fantasy genre itself. Taking too much seriously what you see would be the first mistake. Sapko - the author - was the first one to laugh at his own stories.

I think this is getting too long, I’m sorry. All in all I’ve enjoyed the show and I’m looking forward Season 2. I think they did fantastic things and I hope they will keep delivering, expecting them to correct some minor flaws and move on with better world building and character development. Thanks for asking.

[pixelgrotto]

A penny for my Witchery thoughts

The Witcher Netflix series was released at the tail end of last month, giving Geralt of Rivia the interesting distinction of a literary character who’s now a well-known TV protagonist but just happened to achieve international fame through video games first. (Aye, there was a Polish film and show in 2001 and 2002 which called Geralt a “Hexer” instead of a “Witcher,” but they’re not exactly good, though perhaps worth a peek on YouTube for chuckles.) 

Geralt’s adventures - both in the stories written by Andrzej Sapkowski and the games developed by CD Projekt Red - are close to my heart. I’ve spilled a fair amount of digital ink writing about the franchise, and my playthrough of the games and subsequent devouring of the books from 2014 to 2016 reignited my appreciation for fantasy and served as the impetus that got me reading more genre fiction and eventually delving into tabletop RPGs in 2017, leading to my current obsession with Dungeons & Dragons. I’m naturally protective of material that means a lot to me, so when the Netflix series was announced I viewed it with only subdued optimism. After all, with the possible exception of a certain HBO thing based on George R.R. Martin’s books (which now seems to be viewed worse in retrospect after the final season), fantasy doesn’t have a great track record on the small screen. I also wasn’t especially impressed when Henry Cavill was cast as Geralt, since I primarily know him from the recent Superman movies, which paint the guy in such a dour light and force him to constantly grimace like someone who’s just taken a dump only to discover that there’s no toilet paper in sight. 

But now the show’s out in the wild, and after scanning some mixed reactions (not to mention one truly baffling “review” by two Entertainment Weekly twats who only watched the first episode) I cautiously consumed it with my girlfriend over Christmas break...and can happily report that it’s good. But, it’s also a show that expects its viewers to skip through some mental hoops as we bear witness to three intersecting story lines, all of which are taking place in different eras. Then you’ve got your standard variety of fantasy names, terms and themes, several of which might be tricky to grasp if you’ve never read the books or played the games. For instance, I don’t think they ever bothered to fully explain the “Conjunction of the Spheres” (the time when planets aligned and monsters and humans came to the world, uprooting the indigenous elves and dwarves) or the “Law of Surprise” (when a person’s fate is intertwined with something unexpected - usually an unborn child). I can also see how the show’s numerous mentions of the word “destiny” could seem like wacky dialogue to viewers unaware of the fact that Sapkowski’s realm really does have a strong undercurrent of inescapable fate running through its veins. 

Unique structure and terminology aside, the first episode was more of a slow burn than I’d imagined. It starts with an awesome sequence of Geralt fighting a Kikimora, but then transitions into a fairly serious interpretation of “Lesser Evil” from the first short story collection, The Last Wish. The episode then cuts into the exodus of Ciri from the kingdom of Cintra, an event mostly described in flashback in the second short story anthology, Sword of Destiny. The scenes of death and destruction as Ciri flees her burning kingdom are fairly meandering, as are the interspersed interactions between Geralt and Renfri, a woman with seven loyal followers who was supposed to be a grittier version of Snow White in the books. There are some great fights near the end, but as I watched, I couldn’t help but think that I probably would’ve made the opener speedier and a bit pulpier, especially since the tone of these early Witcher tales was more “tongue in cheek fairy tale deconstruction” than plodding epic fantasy. 

The second episode also took its time, though the decision to detail the plight of Yennefer the sorceress before she uses magic to change her hunchback form into something that she sees as more conventionally attractive is a good one, since this was once again only flashback material in the novels. But the cream of the hour was certainly Jaskier the bard, who’s going by his moniker in the books rather than the “Dandelion” translation that the games used. He’s played by actor Joey Batey with a perfect blend of magnificent bastard bravado, surpassing his portrayal in the games with a larger than life theme song that’s now something of a cult phenomenon, and his characterization made me feel like the show knew what it was doing at the end of the day.

Episode three is where things truly came together for me, since we barrel straight into the Geralt versus Striga battle from Andrzej Sapkowski’s first Witcher short story. It’s a full-on horror interpretation (which I liked but my girl found too spooky), and also full-on fan service for someone like me who still watches the intro cinematic to The Witcher 1 on occasion. And in later episodes, as my head began getting used to the nuances of the three character timeline, the show seemed to find its footing with this delicate blend of fan service, pulp and seriousness. By the time episode 8 rolled around and the character arcs of Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer came full circle with the Battle of Sodden Hill - yet another event that Sapkowski mostly wrote in flashback - I found myself wishing that season two would arrive sooner than 2021, and my girlfriend felt similarly. I also realized why the showrunners decided on the unorthodox timeline - this is a series that’ll probably excel on rewatches, particularly if you already have an idea of what to look out for. 

Series producer Lauren S. Hissrich (who’s quite a joy to follow on Twitter) has mentioned in interviews that this is a show that expects a tad of patience and effort from viewers, but will give a lot in exchange. I’m inclined to agree, and while this depiction of Sapkowski’s lore has some initial roughness around the edges, it ultimately reminds me of how The Witcher 1 was janky even upon its 2007 release but exhibited a unique magic to anyone who stuck with it for more than a handful of hours. Many professional reviewers tend to avoid giving fantasy shows patience and effort (Game of Thrones is an anomaly), which may explain some of the negative reviews. But The Witcher seems to have found a strong-as-nails following from audiences, who made it one of Netflix’s top efforts of 2019, and even friggin’ Anne Rice liked it. (Geralt of Rivia now possesses the other interesting distinction of being a literary character/TV protagonist/video game hero who’s been mentioned in the same breath as Lestat the vampire.) 

Speaking of Geralt, I owe Henry Cavill applause. I didn’t think much of his casting, but he pulled through in the end, delivering a silver-haired hero that’s clearly influenced by the games - particularly in the voice and the occasional spell slinging - but still very much his own take, with nary a “where’s the toilet paper” grimace in sight. Audiences can now take their pick between an iconic video game interpretation of the White Wolf and a likely-soon-to-be-iconic TV version, which is a rare choice to have in fandom, especially for a franchise that was once little known outside of Poland. Toss a coin to your Witcher, indeed.

[proteuus]

The Witcher production team didnt have to find us a Jaskier who could actually sing, they could have pretended, but they did that for us. They found a twunk with a whole lotta dumb hoe energy and the worst case of brat bottom you've ever seen who ALSO can sing, god Made Joey Batey for this role, and I thank them for that.

wow you're so correct like he must have been literally crafted just for this bc idk how else they could've found someone So perfect.... the Talent that actor has.... What an icon

The Witcher really did some perfect casting in general like I couldn't imagine anyone else but Henry Cavill in that role

OH I take it back, Idris Elba like he was in ragnorok. He looks nothing like game or book geralt but he Has the vibes

[teddylacroix]

The Audition Room: The Witcher casting director on playing hard to get with Henry Cavill, Joey Batey playing the lute and the character impossible to find

https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/20/witcher-netflix-season-1-henry-cavill-joey-batey-geralt-auditions-exclusive-11929585/

Sometimes you need a little bit of magic to spark a casting director’s interest and get you a role – and that was certainly the case with The Witcher.

But if you can nail that one game-changing audition, then the world is your oyster… and as you’re about to find out, going the extra mile is definitely worth doing to get a casting director’s attention.

To help you budding young stars out, we’re scoping out info from those on the inside of the industry with Metro.co.uk’s Audition Room.

Last time, it was The Politician’s cast talking about their campaigns to make it onto the series, but now we’re heading into the world of fantasy to see how The Witcher’s cast was magicked into existence.

Speaking to Sophie Holland, the casting director of the new Netflix series, we picked her brain on what she needed from the leading stars, the lengths actors went to to stand out…

… And also what it’s like playing hard to get with Henry Cavill.

Henry Cavill – Geralt Of Rivia

‘He is a huge fan of the world,’ Sophie told us. ‘He plays all the games, he’s read all the books, and he and Lauren chatted super early on. So early on, we didn’t have anything for him to read, she was like “I don’t have anything to kind of show you!”.’

‘We sort of talked about it and we thought it was important for us to see as many people who would fit the role as possible I thought there would be lots and lots of men between sort of 35 and 40 who would play it.

‘The shock, I think, was that we saw hundreds, and some brilliant actors, just no one who had quite nailed it. Meanwhile, in the background, we’ve got Henry’s agent calling saying he loves the project, he wants to meet for it. How can we make this happen?

To be honest from the moment he opened his mouth we just knew. We just knew.

‘We’re entering a phase in casting where ‘offer only’ is what everybody’s pushing for, and that can be really soul-destroying for a production. Once you do that, once you make a commitment to the actor, without ever hearing them read for it, then you have no idea really what the range is, what their approach will be, what they’re like… but he really wanted to meet with us. So we flew to New York, myself, Lauren and Alik Sakharov, we met at the Netflix office there.

‘To be honest from the moment he opened his mouth we just knew. We just knew. Which seems crazy that we actually could’ve saved ourselves all that trouble. But I’m kind of glad we did go on the hunt for it, and realising what we couldn’t find, meant that when we found him we just knew he was absolutely the right fit. Which is weird, because this is 100% Superman like you’ve never seen him before.’

Freya Allen – Ciri

‘We saw Freya when we were looking for another character. She got cast as another character in episode one, a character called Mirilka.

‘Then we showed her to the team, and everybody kind of fell in love with her. Freya’s so smart in such a young person’s body. She feels millenial. So we pulled her in, and we’re still having trouble searching for Ciri, so we thought “shall we just try it?” and she read for it and she was perfect so we booked her for that instead.

‘It was quite a process, I mean, just the hundreds and hundreds of girls that we saw for that role, just trying to find somebody special. Maybe two girls out of the hundreds that we saw could’ve played that role, so we were chuffed when we saw her.’

Maybe two girls out of the hundreds that we saw could’ve played that role, so we were chuffed when we saw her.

‘To find a girl who was 16 and could convey in a really emotional way, the loss of her parents, the loss of her grandparents, being pushed out into this world that she doesn’t know and surviving on her own in a way that is completely alien to her,’ she told us. ‘Imagine being 16, and trying to show that? When some 35 year old actors would struggle, we knew she had to be special.

‘Thank goodness she walked into our room when she did. She’s brilliant.’

‘That was really tough,’ Sophie added. ‘We knew it was going to be an unknown [actor], and we knew she was going to be super young, and we knew the chances were we were going to find, we were going to have to look really hard.

‘When you’re dealing with younger children, essentially, finding someone who’s genuinely talented is quite a difficult task. So we had to look in, not just places like the theatre, but also schools and youth clubs and theatre groups.

‘We’re really lucky we found her! I don’t know what we would’ve done if we hadn’t.’

Anya Chalotra – Yennefer

‘This was easy,’ Sophie told us. ‘I had met Anya on her first-ever professional audition for another project. I just knew immediately that we would work together.’

‘In the initial conversation when we were talking about our top 10 girls, Anya was on it but she was completely unknown. She’d not done anything and I wondered how I was gonna sell it. I didn’t need to sell it. That was the easiest find.

When we were talking about our top 10 girls [for Yennefer] Anya was on it. She was cast before anyone else.

‘She was cast before anyone else. If you imagine casting sort of secondary lead before you’ve even found Geralt. They couldn’t chemistry read together. We’d already booked her.

‘We had to find a guy who would just [fit]. I just knew. She’s gonna be the one I think everybody’s gonna watch that series and feel literally like a star is born. She’s unbelievably in touch with her emotions, she’s beautiful but it’s like she doesn’t know it.

‘She has a kind of natural beauty. We didn’t have to search hard for her which feels wild considering the pressure. She is wonderful.’

Joey Batey – Jaskier

In the cast of Joey’s audition, it was a case of going the extra mile that ensured Sophie there was no one else to play the dashing comical Bard… which was lucky considering it was a last minute audition.

‘This was the worst character to cast in the entire series. To find somebody… it was really hard. We had to find somebody who’s gorgeous, sexy, charming, can play the lute… and we just couldn’t.

‘We’d find someone that was almost, like, it was close but not quite there. We were split down the middle with some amazing people. I thought to myself, “we are not going to find this character, we’re just going to have to settle for second best”. We did one last push for actors and his agent said you’ve got to meet Joey Batey.

‘We gave him 24 hours and in that time he’d learned off-by-heart two scenes, he’d borrowed a lute… I mean, where on earth do you borrow a lute from in 2018?! That’s impossible! He’d learned a song, he’d set it to music, and he came in dressed as the character.

‘If ever there was an actor who deserved a role more… Like, he was, he was incredible. I said to him, rather inappropriately, “I could leap across this room and hug you!” He opened his mouth, and there was Jaskier.

Where on earth do you borrow a lute from in 2018?!… I think out of them all, in a way, I’m most proud of Joey Batey.

‘He’s funny. He sings beautifully, he’s so genuinely charming, he’s living his best life. He’s living his best life. That’s probably our proudest moment in casting, that character, because I really thought at one point, we saw hundreds and I really thought we can’t find him. Then he came in, and there he was, fully formed right in front of us.

‘He could play the lute, sing like a dream, can act and Jaskier could be a pantomime character, but he can act. He can make you laugh and then take you to the depths and bring tears to your eyes, with his honesty, his humour. I think out of them all in a way, I’m most proud of Joey Batey.’

[x-enter]

GAME OF THRONES Actor Kristofer Hivju Joins THE WITCHER Season 2

The cast of The Witcher Season 2 is getting bigger with the addition of actor Kristofer Hivju. Many of you willl recognize him from HBO’s Game of Thrones series. He played Tormund Giantsbane and the guy will make a perfect addition to The Witcher!

The report comes from Redanian Intelligence, who says that Hivju will portray a character named Nivellen, who appeared in Andrzej Sapkowski's short story, “A Grain of Truth”. The confirmation of the casting comes from a cast sheet and describes the character as a “charismatic, witty and funny man. He’s from an aristocratic family and has been cursed for the crimes he has committed in the past. The role is described as physically demanding with a requirement for a great emotional range.”

In the original story, Nivellen is a cursed man who has beastly powers and lives in a secluded manor. It’s said that the character will only appear in the opening episode of Season 2.

It was also recently reported that Peaky Blinders actor Paul Bullion has been cast in the series and is reportedly set to play Lambert, while Yasen Atour will portray Coen.

These new cast members will join Henry Cavill as Geralt, and he is joined by Anya Chalotra (The ABC Murders, Wanderlust) as Yennefer and Freya Allan (The War of the Worlds, Into The Badlands) as Ciri. Here’s the synopsis for the first season:

Based on the best-selling fantasy series of books, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.

The series also stars Jodhi May (Game of Thrones, Genius) as Calanthe, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson (Fortitude) as Eist, Adam Levy (Knightfall, Snatch) as Mousesack, MyAnna Buring (Ripper Street, Kill List) as Tissaia, Mimi Ndiweni (Black Earth Rising) as Fringilla, Therica Wilson-Read (Profile) as Sabrina, and Emma Appleton (The End of The F**king World) as Renfri, Eamon Farren (The ABC Murders, Twin Peaks) as Cahir, Joey Batey (Knightfall, Strike) as Jaskier, Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards, Sherlock) as Stregobor, Royce Pierreson (Wanderlust, Judy) as Istredd, Maciej Musiał (1983) as Sir Lazlo, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte (Jamillah & Aladdin, Dickensian) as Dara, and Anna Shaffer (Harry Potter) as Triss.

source https://geektyrant.com/news/game-of-thrones-actor-kristofer-hivju-joins-the-witcher-season-2

[theyearofrisinglight]

The final trailer practically ended me idk what's gonna happen once I actually watch the show lmao The more trailers/bits they bless us with the more I can already see this show is actually perfect–the casting, the acting, the direction and cinematography, the locations, all complementing a stunning and fantastic story ride with moral dilemmas, the aftermath of war, the xenophobia, racism, intolerance, and prejudice and how these are used to benefit those at the highest hierarchical power, how far and wide and deep we're willing to go to do evil or how others judge what we do as “evil”, and is neutrality something to even aspire to? in short it's all about the essence and scope of humanity plus magic, political drama, parenthood, s e x, and good girl horseys hehe Takeaways from this final trailer: • I am not, never have been and probably (?) never will be a Dandelion stan but Joey Batey can get it 🤤🤤 (I know they're gonna call him (real pseudonym) Jaskier, EYE am gonna keep calling him Dandelion bc I'm used to it, I think it actually suits him more (at the risk of being an Anglo localization/translation bigot😬) and I just like it more sorry). I mean he might even make me relent once I see him in action. And the song they used for the trailer, like why is it so perfect 😭? Is this man even real?? God. • The mages are all stunning, powerful, fearsome, scheming, beautiful beings like they should be and MyAnna Buring is EXACTLY, E X A C T L Y as I envisioned Tissaia de Vries while I read Time of Contempt, like the casting director really snapped on this show omg • Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach is giving off terrifying, creepy Nilfgaardian-not-a-Nilfgaardian vibes and I wonder how they're gonna go about it in this particular storyline though. Bc the books and when in Ciri's perspective it kinda makes you go crazy thinking a lot of messed up things about what happened between these two during the night of the fall of Cintra. Also I'm kinda not prepared for when the non-book readers start hating on him thinking he's one of *them* 😭 like at the beginning (read Blood of Elves) I slightly hated him bc I had thought idk what things about him but once I read on (though he's ~completely~ absolved bc creepy is a motif here) I ended up loving him anyway. It's gonna be tough. • Yen and Geralt asdjdkdfllfflg 💞💞💞💞😻😻 • Yen and Geralt fighting side by side is my new kink • Geralt becoming a father and vowing protection of the Lion Cub 😍 • Roach being a good girl and scene stealer *chef's kiss* • Nilfgaard vs Cintra battle scene will snatch wigs • The Witcher will be, hell already is, succinctly, perfect 💖🐺