#anyway. ENJOY NEW INTERPRETATIONS OF CHARACTERS YOU HAVEN'T THOUGHT OF OR DIE

[elysianymph]

Walburga stared into Sirius’ cold eyes, narrowed in defiance as he desperately clawed at the cage she had confined him in, searching for a way out, not knowing it didn't exist. Grey eyes swirling with hatred and anger so deep that Walburga knows he must’ve inherited it from her. The same eyes that looked at her in childish wonder as she had explained to him how their magic was made of stardust, how their namesakes were given for a reason. It was an old lie that her own mother had told her, one that Walburga hadn't believed for over a decade.

However, looking down as Sirius’ eyes lit up at her words, she had almost thought it true. Maybe Sirius was the exception, maybe he was a blessing sent from the stars that had finally decided Walburga had seen enough disappointment and pain in her short life. Maybe Sirius would shine just as bright as his star does, twinkling when Walburga pointed her finger at it with Sirius’ gaze carefully following her every move. A toothy smile spread across his face and she almost felt bad when she reprimanded him for it, that wasn't how a Black ought to behave but Sirius… he was different. She could feel it in what little remained of her heart.

That much had been true. Sirius was alive, burning as bright as his namesake, so warm that he burned others without meaning to.

She had never told him the curse of their namesakes, that a star burning so bright could only shine so long before it collapsed in on itself or destroyed everything around it.

Walburga had never thought he would burn her, the one who had given him everything she had.

Until she was pointing her wand at the tapestry where her once beloved son’s name was written, burning his face off of the fabric and crumbling along with its ashes on the floor, crying for a son she had lost years ago.

[callmegwynbleidd]

So, I thought I'd do something I haven't really seen on tumblr and that's provide a spoiler free review for those who are still on the fence about watching Netflix's The Witcher!

I've got several friends who didn't go near the series because of certain casting choices, adaptation choices and more. So, I hope that some of you enjoy my personal little review of The Witcher.

SPOILER FREE.

Before we begin, I just want to say that I'm a film nerd and would love to direct someday. So, I go deep into these things. Also believe it or not as a major fan of the games I went into the series with gritted teeth and I was actually expecting to HATE it. Yet, here I am with a Witcher themed blog. Says a lot doesn't it?

First up, basics.

Effects. They were pretty good! The CGI was decent and the set design, costume design, and the makeup looked epic. They captured the medieval tone nicely and the world they presented felt just like the games in my opinion. Geralt also looked WAY better then that first wig test. A visual highlight was definitely the blend of practical effects and CGI on the Striga. That creature was all sorts of hellish and it was amazing.

Writing: Very smooth, very timely. I enjoyed it. The humor was good and  Even the weaker plot points were never a complete bore.

Casting: Here's where things get tricky. At first I thought Henry Cavill was a bad choice. (UNBELIEVABLE I know) but I have grown to adore him as Geralt. Henry loves the character, and all aspects of the source material and you can totally tell that by the way he plays Geralt. He's taken elements from the Geralt we know in the games, and the books, and added his own interpretation into the character. I really like this version of the famous White Wolf because he feels familiar, yet new at the same time and doesn't disrespect his source material.

The same has been done with Yennefer, and Ciri. And it's been done very well. Then of course there's Jaskier, to put it simply he was a hoot and an absolute highlight.

Let's address Triss for a second... Personally, I would've preferred her to look like her in game counterpart. I mean if they can give Henry Cavil A WHITE WIG AND YELLOW CONTACTS they can give Anna Shaffer striking red hair. Just saying.

Do it for the gamers.

Now, let's address the pointless hate on black washing. This criticism is typical and rather annoying. Yes, The Witcher is set in a vaguely European land in a medieval Era. And yes, there are infact Canon lands in The Witcher that are home to people of a darker skin color. But with all that aside, I've had so many people complain about the timing of the African American cast, and personally I see no issue with the decision. People need to understand that either the casting crew either get the love of the die hard fans by keeping the cast historically accurate. Or they get globally panned and labeled racists just because of the all white cast. Unfortunately, these days forced diversity is a bullet most casting crews, writers, and directors have to take. It's simply to please the masses, and in my opinion, it takes nothing away from the series or the characters that they gave a darker skin tone to.

Sound track: Brilliant. Both the songs performed by Jaskier, and the instrumentals set amazing tone in every scene.

Characters: well played, well delivered. I have no issues with anyone's performance apart from the bad commander dude in episode three. His delivery was a tad amateur in places, but never poor.

Adaptation thoughts: Personally, I see the games and the books as separate entities. After all, the games are more of a spin off of the books than an adaptation. However, the series is an adaptation of the books with some elements of the game tossed in. All in all, they're different mediums, different versions, and different perspectives. I don't compare the Geralt from the games to the Geralt in the series. Same with the books. They're all unique versions of the same character and the same stories, and they're all epic in their own right.

There you have it! I hope this review encourages those of you who are on the fence about the series to give it a shot, and I hope those of you who have seen it enjoyed my little run down of the series.💜

Please remember this is my personal thoughts on the series without getting into the nitty gritty technical stuff like the cinematography and fight choreography. (Which I also loved btw. It was very well shot and structured, and the ambiance was lovely) and EVERYONE is entitled to their own thoughts and opinions!

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this post. If you like this sort of thing, please let me know!💜