#ep 3.05: the art of illusion

[yennefer-x-tissaia]

Remember how everyone was staring and observing Geralt and Yennefer in 3x05?

Like the gossip started the moment they entered the room, everybody started to wisper and gave them poisonous looks because Yennefer really dares to bring a Witcher with her. And then there's Tissaia.

The way she looks at her (while it seems like Vilgefortz doesn't even try to hide his death stare lol). Her attention immediately turns to Yennefer while her eyes get brighter. She looks so soft and lovely. No bad intentions. No prejudices. With her body language she shows Yennefer is welcome and how glad she is that Yennefer's there.

[yennefer-x-tissaia]

Yennaia bits in ep 3.05 (Part 1)

Well, this was a bugger to do because of all the repeated scenes and different angles, but here goes. (I’m attempting to do it in a linear fashion rather than jumping all over the place)

Yen and Geralt enter the ball, and Tissaia turns to look at them (did she sense Yen’s entrance? I can’t decide), clearly delighted to see Yen, who is looking at her in return, even though it looks like she’s looking at the camera.

Yen gives Geralt a rundown of the mages in attendance, including Tissaia and Vilgefortz.

(Tissaia turns just in time for her introduction, seemingly aware that Yen is talking about her.)

She’s looking again later on in this same conversation. (Why she didn’t just go over and greet them I do not know.)

After some light sexual harassment from Sabrina, Geralt goes to get a drink and Yen makes her way to Tissaia and Vilgefortz. Tissaia is relieved she has arrived because she is her favourite.

They do a double air kiss thingie, which could just have easily been a proper cheek kiss, come on producers. 

Vilgefortz gets to kiss Yen’s cheek properly. Although she doesn’t reciprocate.

Tissaia reminds Yennefer of the plan to improve relationships within the Brotherhood.

Yen takes this opportunity to ask about Tissaia’s own little messy break up grudge she’s got going on.

Tissaia turns to look at Philippa.

Vilgefortz steps in, encouraging Tissaia to calm down and let Yennefer be.

To break this nice moment, Vilgefortz spots Philippa approaching.

Which Tissaia is not amused about.

From one angle, it looks like Tissaia steps in front of Yennefer.

There’s a very tense meeting

And then Philippa pointedly asks to speak to Yen alone.

Yennefer accepts, but is clearly conflicted.

What follows is a conversation in which Philippa talks about Lydia being heartsick and blindly following her lover to death, if he asked it of her. Then she asks if Yen knows why she and Tissaia broke up aren’t friends anymore.

Philippa seems surprised that Yen doesn’t know more.

Yen argues that they were right to go and that they won. Philippa asks at what cost, both to the Brotherhood and to Yen personally, but Yen continues to defend Tissaia’s choice. And does the ‘we’ thing some more.

Philippa says that the Brotherhood has no place in the future of the Continent and once again appeals to Yen to see that Tissaia is on the wrong path.

But Yen continues to side with Tissaia.

That’s absolutely not what Yennefer wants to hear. She wants to hear ‘Sorceresses like us’.

I thought this was such an interesting choice of words here - ‘I love with a poison that kills you slowly’.  She’s talked about Lydia blindly following her lover. We know she’s referring to Tissaia being in love with Vilgefortz. But the only person she can be referring to for Yennefer, is Tissaia. Yennefer is following Tissaia down a path because she’s blinded by her love. And I am here for it.

Yen is having none of these repeated warnings, and remains loyal to Tissaia, almost flippantly and arrogantly telling Philippa that her and Tissaia can handle everything.

And again her next words are telling.

What is she protecting? Not Aretuza. Not the Brotherhood. Ciri, absolutely. But also Tissaia. For her, the safety of Aretuza that she’s bringing Ciri to is Tissaia. She couldn’t give a fuck about the building or the institution. It’s all about Tissaia. Just like it was on the battlefield of Sodden.

[yennefer-x-tissaia]

Yennaia bits in ep 3.05 (Part 2)

So, after her conversation with Philippa, Yen bumps into Istredd. Istredd tells Yen about some ancient magic book that conveniently allows time travel. Don’t start thinking about how Yen might misuse that after certain ~events later in the season @thegirl20​, just stoppit now

Anyway, Istredd and Triss tell Yen that the book is in Stregobor’s office and somebody needs to get it. Yen agrees.

Meanwhile, Vilgefortz and Geralt are talking and Geralt is seeing several clues that will come into play later. They see Istredd and Yen talking and Vilgefortz ~casually mentions that Tissaia told him that Yen and Istredd used to get up to naughty stuff in Tor Lara as youngsters.

 (Why on earth would he and Tissaia be talking about Yennefer’s teenage love life??)

Yen and Geralt meet and then there’s a dance that Geralt has never heard of, but knows the moves to. During the dance, they hatch a plot to retrieve the important book, by causing a distraction.

Tissaia watches them dance, smiling. 

After the dance, Yennefer goes to speak to Artaud and gets him in on the plan.

Geralt challenges Istredd to a pretend fight to serve as a distraction. Tissaia watches, but does not intervene.

She does appear to shield her girls from it though. Even though she is tiny.

(Either that or she’s getting ready to blast them both into oblivion for spoiling her girl’s party.)

Yen goes to Stregobor’s office, and finds evidence of the missing girls there. Meanwhile Geralt calls for a truce, which is a signal for Artaud to fall into a pile of glasses, delighting Sabrina.

Tissaia and Triss go to comfort Istredd, which I only wanted to show because of how little Tissaia is.

Stregobor comes in and finds Yen snooping and they argue, but everyone else comes in at that point and we have a Scooby Doo-esque unmasking scene where Yen, Triss and Istredd tell everyone that Stregobor is behind everything.

Yen says he tried to kill her.

And Tissaia looks like she wants to incinerate him on the spot.

They get out the time travel book and tell everybody that Stregobor stole it so he can rid the world of elves. He tries to plead his case but Tissaia cuts him off.

This is very gracious of her, considering the last time she wanted him to be punished she basically had to come back to Yen and say ‘Ummm, they’re not going to do anything to him, also they think you’re a traitor and you’re going to have to kill Cahir to prove you’re not’.

He’s taken away to wizard jail protesting his innocence and Tissaia says ominous, fate-tempting things.

She thanks Yen (and Geralt as an afterthought) for saving the evening.

We don’t see what she does with the book, but we can assume that it will definitely fall into the wrong hands at some point. 

Yen notices Chekov’s Tissaia’s bracelet on the floor and picks it up.

Everybody goes back to the party and Tissaia makes a toast to peace, and to Yen and Geralt, but mostly Yen.

Geralt tells Yen he loves her, she doesn’t say it back. (Like Tissaia didn’t say it back to Vilgefortz in ep 2.) And they kiss. Tissaia smiles.

The party ends and Geralt and Yen go back to their room and reminisce about all of the events while in the bath and then while having sex.

In the morning(?) they’re getting dressed and they start to discuss Philippa’s weird warnings, leading them to discuss Lydia, which makes Geralt ask about Tissaia’s bracelet.

Now, I don’t mean to be sexist here, but I have never known a man to glance at a set of earrings and take note of what they were made of. But apparently Geralt did.

They know what it is made of and where it is mined. Conveniently.

Then they discuss a painting Vilgefortz showed Geralt, and Yen says that’s where her dodgy portal took her. Vilgefortz is not subtle. And neither is the writing of this scene.

Suddenly, Phillippa’s warning makes sense.

They spring into action, Geralt picking up his sword and Yennefer chanting over Tissaia’s bracelet.

Yen is doing a location spell to find Tissaia, to make sure she’s safe.

Yen does not take kindly to being told she doesn’t have time to care about Tissaia’s safety. She vehemently tells Geralt that she’s not abandoning Tissaia.

And goes back to trying to find her.

Geralt heads out into the hallway where we hear that something bad is happening.

And that’s the cliffhanger!!

(Apologies if I missed a whole strand of storyline - it was difficult trying to do this in a linear fashion!!)

[yennefer-x-tissaia]

That whole episode in 3x05 Tissaia looks at Yennefer like an admiring wife while she wants to make sure that Yennefer feels fine between all those people.

I just love all those looks she gave her in that episode. Especially when Philippa was there and led Yen away to talk with her alone (jealous, jealous) there are not enough edit for that episode! And that look they shared with eachother through the entire room when Yennefer walks with Philippa...

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJtb6BFp/

They did indeed share a lot of interesting looks in that ep, anon.

[yennefer-x-tissaia]

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJpQof6r/

I can't- they are just- I'm in love.

Tissaias looks are always so soft when she looks at Yen.

🥺

[yennefer-x-tissaia]

Just Tissaia recognizing Yennefer's chaos. Because I love the headcanon that she can sense Yen's chaos and that she had always known where Yennefer was on the continent. And that's why she thought Yen was dead and how she knew that she no longer had her chaos when they saw eachother again in 2x03. Because for the first time in decades she couldn't feel her chaos anymore.

So when Yennefer enters the room in 2x03 you can clearly see the surprise and joy in Tissaia's face. She didn't expect to see her again. The tears in her eyes paired with the little smile when she saw her alive. Everything was just perfect. Myanna's acting was perfect as always. And I think- no I know that from the moment she entered that room Tissaia knew she had lost her chaos.