Yennefer is daring and bold, shrewd beyond belief. Ciri is a feisty iconoclast just learning her role in world events, while her grandmother, the Queen Calanthe, is the LIONESS of Cintra and lovingly married to her husband, the Skelligan warrior Eist. #TheWitcher
In their court sits the druid Mousesack. Leading the magical academy at Aretuza is Tissaia. Yennefer is joined by fellow novice sorcerers, Fringilla and Sabrina. And the rebellious Renfri sets incredible events into motion. #TheWitcher
Okay, you got us: The enigmatic sorceress Yennefer will be played by Anya Chalotra. Then there’s Ciri will be played by Freya Allan . From the court at Cintra: Queen Calanthe is Jodhi May. Fledgling sorceress Fringilla is played by Mimi Ndiweni.
Sabrina is Therica Wilson-Read. Millie Brady joins as the outcast Princess Renfri. The druid Mousesack is played by Adam Levy, and Queen Calanthe’s husband, the knight Eist, will be played by Björn Hlynur Haraldsson. Tissaia, head of the magical academy, is MyAnna Buring.
On a Continent riddled with evil, the paths of a monster hunter, a sorceress and a runaway princess converge. The Witcher, starring Henry Cavill, arrives December 20, only on Netflix.
Rational brain: Calanthe is a tyrant who has, throughout her reign, maintained her position by brutal and personal oppression and murder of anyone who looked like a threat. This is such an important point that there are several scenes in a very short show dedicated entirely to exposition about her atrocities.
Lesbian brain:
I love Calanthe as a character because the show really does not hold back in showing that she has done some truly monstrous things, and that one of the features of her reign was the brutal oppression of non-humans (and many magic-users).
And yet, at the same time we’re shown that she is fiercely loving of both her family and her country, is a brilliant leader and politician, and takes her role as queen so seriously that she would rather die than surrender her kingdom. Additionally, in terms of writing, she is depicted with respect and depth.
We don’t get women characters in leadership roles like Calanthe very often. Wicked queens tend to rarely divert from their roles as wicked queens, and even when they’re given motivations, those motivations tend to be fairly stereotypical. Calanthe, though? She has nuance. She’s three-dimensional, and capable of both great good and great evil. She’s human. I love that.
@thepassifloradiscord is holding a drabble event. Rather than spam followers with ten 100 word posts, I’ve popped them all into one big post. Tags/etc at the top of each drabble.
Vesemir, Eskel, Geralt, Lambert, Aiden There was a fairytale Vesemir had once read, something about four animal musicians who scared off some enemy by standing on each other’s backs. He had no idea why it resonated with him so much but it did. Over the years he watched his three pups grow up and he could almost see the tower they could form. Eskel at the bottom, the solid base, the one everyone relied on. Then Geralt, strong, stable but under too much pressure he’d crack. Followed by Lambert, the firecracker. Only, they were missing a fourth. When Aiden turned up, Vesemir’s hopes were complete.
Pre-Eskel/Cahir Eskel was fascinated by Cahir’s sword. It was unlike the ones witchers used. So he took to watching him train, admiring the way he moved through forms and drills. In a way, it was mesmerising.
“I really like how you handle your sword,” he said to Cahir as he emerged loose-limbed from the baths. The words were met with a blush which was rather cute. “I like watching you wield it.” That didn’t seem to make things better and Cahir spluttered, blush spreading down his neck and across his wet chest. Eyes widening, Eskel stammered, “I meant your metal sword!”
Pre-Lambert/Eskel Lambert had rules for seduction. First, he had to find his target. The security guard looked pretty good. Secondly, he needed to assess his resources - he was at the supermarket, he was going to have to get creative. Thirdly, not only did he have to make first impressions memorable but also full of promise. He sauntered up to the guard whose name badge read Eskel.
“Ever seen someone steal a cucumber before?” The question was accompanied by him twirling one. Eskel shook his head, Lambert smirked. “Now you will.” With that, he deepthroated the cucumber and locked eyes with Eskel.
Pre-Eist/Calanthe This was the big night. Eist had grand plans, he was going to impress Calanthe and make her fall wildly in love with him. Everything was coming together; fancy outfit, a few quips and compliments to drizzle into conversation, he had even had one of the servers putting his love notes onto the plates Calanthe was served. In short, he wasn’t going to fail at wooing his queen. Confident, he strode into the banquet hall, only to trip on his cape and end up flat on his face. “Looks like I fell for you.”
She laughed, the evening was salvaged.
Geralt/Jaskier “And who is that?” Geralt asked.
Next to him, Jaskier drew a deep breath. “The ball sack sweat that festers in your smalls after a performance gone wrong. Never before have I been so insulted to be in the same room with a rancid flake of toe cheese. Now I shall have to boil my eyes, gargle with a whole lemon’s juice and scrub myself raw with a sea urchin. No amount of wine is enough to purge the knowledge that I’ve had to share a stage with a mouldy wet mop.”
“Ah,” Geralt nodded. “So that is Valdo Marx.”
Eskel/Lambert/Aiden/Cahir, Geralt/Jaskier It was all very well that Eskel, Lambert, Aiden and Cahir had found happiness together. But when their night-time activities woke Ciri, that was just infuriating. The first night it happened, Geralt put it down as a mishap. Second night was rude. The third night that Ciri ended up wedged between him and Jaskier, he stomped towards the offending room. It didn’t sound like noises of passion. Grunts, giggles and the odd “stop resting on me, lift your arse.” Pushing the door open, Geralt stared at the game of naked twister in progress before silently backing out of the room.
Lambert/Aiden As a nurse at the emergency room, Eskel had thought he’d seen everything. But there were giggles about the couple in Bay 8 and went to investigate. Somehow he shouldn’t have been surprised it was Lambert and Aiden. At least this time it wasn’t Lambert on the bed but his boyfriend, who was holding a bowl under his chin to catch the copious amount of bloody saliva dribbling from his mouth.
“Do I want to know?”
Pouting, Lambert looked to Aiden who nodded. “We didn’t realise candy canes could be sucked so sharp. He’s got a new tongue piercing now.”
Letho&Ciri The great thing about being so large was that people rarely started fights with Letho. That didn’t mean it never happened but usually it was other witchers, which was why he tended to avoid them. Alas, needs must and he ended up wintering in Kaer Morhen. Surprisingly, the wolves and their guests were polite, accepting and actually good hosts. Until one resident yelled and charged at his legs. Hefting Ciri up was no hardship, she was small, young and not too wriggly. But the wooden sword still thunked against his bald head. Letho smiled, he liked Ciri’s courage and confidence.
Geralt, Jaskier, Eskel, Aiden, Lambert, Cahir, Vesemir, Ciri It’s a simple game, they sit in a circle and name the person whose turn it was next. Eskel starts.
“Dick. Lambert.” “Penis. Take it away, Aiden.”
“Schlong and over to you, Geralt.”
“Cock. Lambert again.”
“Trouser snake. Cahir!”
“Meat wand. Uh…Jaskier?”
“Nilfgaardian brain! Eskel!”
“Custard launcher. Vesemir, join us.”
“Why should I talk about fucksticks, hm, Aiden?”
“Because mine’s a third leg, isn’t it, Cahir?”
The door opens to reveal Ciri.
“What’re you playing?” Faux innocence fills her voice.
Stammering, Cahir’s unable to lie. “Synonyms for the word willy.”
“Oh!” Ciri looked delighted. “Have you had princess tamer yet?”
Eskel/Cahir Groaning, Eskel took in the damage around the room. The headboard was cracked, the door looked like it had been slammed hard enough to pull it off its hinge, all his trinkets had been swept off the chest of drawers. His body ached, muscles he didn’t even know he had were protesting at each motion. Not to mention that he could taste blood on his lips, tongue licking over the scab that had formed. However, Eskel couldn’t bring himself to feel anything but contentment as Cahir cuddled up against him, body covered in hickeys. It was a damn good night.
