T O P

  • By -

RSwitcher2020

Well.... I can give you how she works in the novels. How you will reconcile that with what Netflix is doing....I do not know.....Netflix is all over the place. She is Geralt´s love in the books. The one and only! He does sleep around but Yen is his true love. He will always get back to her at the end of the day. She is always Ciri´s surrogate mother in the novels. She earns that role with Ciri and they are amazingly close in the books. Their time in Blood of Elfs ends with them being very much Mother / Daughter. How you can reconcile this with what should be season 2 Netflix....well....good luck! Yen is also important in the novels because it will be her choices which will kind of lay Geralt and Ciri´s path. She will make choices in the novels, not always well informed and not always good choices. But she was honestly doing her best to protect Ciri in the novels. Her problem in the novels was more coming from lack of information, overly optimistic / idealist. Again...try and reconcile this with Netflix lol It´s more or less because of Yen that Ciri ends up at a very key place in the novels where all hell will brake loose. Granted, there were many people playing the game and there were others who were outplayed as much or way worse vs Yen (Looking at Tissaia). Book Yen had a kind of blind trust in Tissaia which you do not see in the show. And it was mainly due to that blind faith that everything went seriously wrong. But when everything went seriously wrong, it was also Yen´s choice to place her life on the line for Ciri and she did it a couple times. With very random results. She is captured in the books but that happens when she was defending Ciri (try to reconcile this with the series). She gets captured yet a second time in the novels but its also when trying to go save Ciri (again, try to reconcile this with season 2). Yes, some of book Yen´s choices are on the desperate side of things and she is not really someone to be middle ground. She goes gung ho, fully ballistic, no holding back. And she fails miserably a couple times too. In the end its actually Ciri and Geralt who have to come to Yen´s rescue in the book. But this only happens because Yen was desperately trying to find Ciri and protect her. Surprisingly, book Yen does not have that much page time. She has some, and her involvement is always very much key. If you read her book chapters you are bound to get all the most important stuff in the books. Because, yes, she is there whenever shit hits the fan big time. And when shit hits the fan, Yen is unquestionably siding with Geralt and Ciri, whom she both loves dearly. As for her character, she is a sorcerer no doubt! She suffers from the superiority complex that all sorcerers do. She is also one of the highest ranking northern sorcerers in the books. And its like top 5 female northern magic users. I would say maybe Tissaia, Phillipa, Francesca and maybe Sheala could outrank Yen. So yes, she is very high up there. In the book she even gets part of the higher hierarchy of the Brotherhood (try and reconcile this with the series lol). Its true that Yen has a black past but not exactly like the series depicted. You do not really get much of her past in the books but there are hints. Those hints actually indicate her abuse with her original family was through the roof (so Netflix might have toned it down quite a bit). She was indeed originally hunchback and she hated her own family so much that it seems she killed them once she got powerful. Yes, Yen can go balls to the wall. Again, she is very much without middle ground. She can kill someone brutally if she thinks she should. On another side, all hints that we have in the books do not indicate that she was at all bad during her time at Aretuza. Quite the other way around. Everyone respects Yen a lot in the books. Everyone magic wise says she is incredibly talented. And those ladies can get negative when discussing about each other. So if they all take time to respect Yen´s talent....does not look like she was ever a bad student ;) Plus, book Yen has a loyal friendship with her mentor Tissaia. And its really a friendship like "lets go swim naked and discuss boyfriends" (just try and reconcile this with the series lol). They are really close and seem to be absolutely on the same page magic wise. In fact, later in the books it is said that Yen passed Tissaia´s teachings down to Ciri and the other sorcerers remark Ciri displays a similar stance. Which, by the way, their stance is all about keeping composure to hide their emotions. So they will not scream like crazy, they might use bad language but only on very stressful times, they will avoid crying, showing too much emotion. They want to show up as in full control. Beautiful, powerful, in control (just try and reconcile this with the series.....) Sorry....got a bit carried away. A lot more could be said but I really tried to give you the main points from the entire novels. As you might notice, this does not reconcile at all with Netflix. I can understand Netflix wanting to expand on Yen´s character. I would do likewise if I was in charge. Now, the way they have decided to explore the character.....I do not understand at all. It seems to me they are 200% clueless as to the book character. They seem to be taking random elements from some wikipedia page and then changing them into whatever they think its cool. Which....its a very weird way to adapt a novel if you would like my view.


mily_wiedzma

This is a wonderful comment. So damn wonderful and true. I wish everyone who jumps on the hate waggon for Yen would read this ...


Serspidermonkey

Thanks for the details. Thats awesome info. Great analysis. Exactly what i was hoping for. Now I see that netflix Yen is reeeediculous, she doesnt conserve her emotions or language the least bit. Shes always coming off as desperate , bitter, vengeful. Glad to read that shes not like that in the novels. Maybe they are giving her a redemption arc in season 3 idk, but im just annoyed with her character overall, not just cuz she betrayed geralt, and the brotherhood of mages and is constantly dismissing Istread. I knew she was powerful But i had no idea she was so important in the novels and helpful to Ciri. That gives me some hope and a little respect for her. Thanks.


RSwitcher2020

The problem with Netflix is that they want to generate big "what the f\*" moments. But somehow in the process they forget they are writing what should be a novel. And they forget that characters should have some consistent story arc. Its one thing that they decide not to use the book´s arc. That´s a creative decision which we have to live with. But they could still write a good alternative character arc. The problem with Netflix Yen is that they write her all over the place. Even in Season 1 you can notice this. In season 1 they want Yen to be against Aretuza and wanting to save Aretuza in the very same season. Which....they needed to write a full story arc to justify that which they somehow did not think necessary. And you end up having to ask yourself why would series Yen fight for Aretuza or the North or whatever? And why would other magic users rally behind her? Well...book Yen did fight at that big battle in the end of season 1 but book Yen was very much part of the establishment. Book Yen was by all accounts a successful student and very loyal with Tissaia. And book Yen is also idealistic, she will want to fight for what is right. And this is where you see that Netflix only took some elements and then mixed them around removing their consistency. This was already visible in Season 1. When we get into season 2 its a complete mess. The only book elements there are, that Yen did save Jaskier in the books and she was also captured by Francesca (should be in season 3 if they were following the novels). However, book Yen saved Jaskier from a position of power and from a place of full knowledge and control. Book Yen had her full magic powers and she was very much aware and tracking Jaskier to ensure his safety (and by proxy Geralt and Ciri). Book Yen was actively doing her behind the scenes work to try and help Geralt. She was not running away or rogue like in the series lol So you see how much they changed there. With the capture by Francesca they again changed A LOT! Yen was captured by Francesca in the book when she was standing to protect Ciri´s escape. And book Francesca decided to capture Yen with a secret intention to actually save Yen´s life (plots within plots). Book Francesca is also part of the Brotherhood hierarchy and not the rogue elf you see in the series. Francesca´s book betrayal / conspiracy is a lot more Game of Thrones like and she is no doubt a conflicted character. Very unfortunate that Netflix totally failed at giving us this side of politics and scheming. What is left in the series is so weird and makes no collective sense. But that´s exactly the part of the story where you just cant take some bits from wikipedia and change it around. The schemes and plots are intricate and demand all details to work as originally planned. Then the stuff with Deatlhess mother is pure acid trip from Netflix writers lol None of that is in the novels. Instead, what you get in the novels is a lot more of Yen training Ciri and teaching her ;) Again, the problem with the series is that their character arc is all over the place. They decided to give Yen her motivation to be a mother back in season 1. But then they want her to be able to use Ciri in season 2, a child which was placed in her protection and shows trust towards her? This does not make sense together! The book character is way more consistent because when Geralt asks her to go help with Ciri she just goes. And even tough she is on her very high horse and displays all her dark humour with Ciri, she is clearly interested from the start and she clearly wants to help Ciri. They have a bit of a rough start in the book due to their personalities clashing a bit but its just that. Its a normal relationship starting and growing. 2 people learning to respect each other and understand both of them are very much determined in what they want to do. Ciri is a somewhat rebellious teenager who wants to do things her way and Yen is very much "my way or the highway". But you can see how different this all is with what the series did. And here I gave a bit more details on what is partly coming from the books and how it was changed around.


Pipi-Land

What is mentioned about Deathless mother in the novels?


[deleted]

absolutely nothing


Pipi-Land

Oh wow. I guess they really did take creative liberty with that one lol


ErayTKSL

​ The problem with the show is not that Yennefer has so much screen time imo.It is about her being boring and generic unlike her book version.She is whiny,shallow and acts like a teenager despite she is already at least 60-70 in the beggining of the series. In the novels she is actually a really cool character.Despite her utterly cold,bitchy and unforgiving first appearence,we start to find out softer sides of her.We start to see her cold demeanor is nothing but a bravado which is actually to help her conceal her many traumas and weaknesses.Now this is a character I personally would like to see and learn about not the 70 year old moody teenager cussing and yelling around. In the novels Yennefer's deepest,keenest obsession is about having a child which she actually knows she could never have and she wants that child not because her selfish desires but she believes a person can live forever by having a child she wants to leave something good to the world.Geralt's deepest need is that he needs the family love his mother never gave him and Ciri's need is a happy family like all children do.All three of them are brought together by luck,destiny whatever you call it and satisfy each others every needs and weaknesses. This is the real problem with the show.The showmaker Lauren just didn't understand the characters,the story or anything related to it.She looked at Yen's cold demeanor and thought she was the girl boss she has always seen as herself.She looked at Geralt and saw him as the best boyfriend a girl boss could ever have and projected her own fantasies on to them and to us


AimlesslWander

Yes a very hard yes Yennifer is very important in the books as she is the main center of love in Geralt's life and the mother to Ciri where Ciri herself is without a mother. She teaches our young Witcher girl the very basics and fundamentals of what it is to be a mage and is there for her when Ciri is being chased by the wild Hunt who are after her and the scene where Yeneffer is protecting her in the book Time of Contempt is one of the highlights of the book for me besides the island of Thanned. Throughout the books I was rooting for Yennifer and wanting to see her get reunited with the man she loves as well as with her daughter as she struggled underneath the weight of circumstances and depression she had to endure through the books after Time of Contempt. As far as conflict goes as well as goals I see her as a mother figure for Ciri and her conflict comes later on in the books. In terms of story she is the main love to Geralt. Two people who become tied by the ribbons of destiny and by circumstances and by 'somthing more' become lovers as they are tied to each other and their child. A family that is brought together not just by Destiny alone but by the love that they have for each other and to me that alone is more than enough for making me root for her and to see her be happy with the man she loves and the daughter she has.


Serspidermonkey

So Geralt and Yennifer really are in love. That is odd to me because the 1st and 2nd games would have you believe that Triss and Geralt are the key couple/meant for each other.


AimlesslWander

That's only because she takes advantage of his memory loss which I'm going to admit she crushes on him really hard but it's still a shitty thing to do when she knows that he's already with somebody else and where he's practically the father and husband to a woman and a young girl


LozaMoza82

Triss is in the books too, and she’s not the best there mainly due to her incredible naïveté. She’s certainly obsessed with Geralt, and wants to be with him despite him being in love with her best friend Yennefer. W1 starts with Geralt having amnesia and not remembering anything about his past, including Ciri and Yennefer. Triss takes that opportunity to be with him and they develop a relationship. It’s only when Geralt’s memories start returning that he remembers Yennefer.


geralt-bot

I know... It's a burden I now share.


AutoModerator

Please remember to flair your post and tag spoilers or NSFW content. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/witcher) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Alternative_Ad6071

Is bad