The Witcher Netflix Series

Lulcielid

Eyes of the Lord
AKA
Lulcy
Official Poster

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Cthulhu

Administrator
AKA
Yop
At the minute it just looks like an okayish cosplay photoshoot / creative interpretation, :monster:
 
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fancy

pants
AKA
Fancy
I've been seeing some folks in the comment section of the yuuchuubs get upset about the fact that there are black folks in this adaptation haha considering that it's a story based on Slavic fantasy.

I find that really interesting––what are all your thoughts?

Personally, mayhaps at the risk of sounding like an apologist, haha, I think folks have a sound reason to be annoyed. I understand the want and need to have diversity and representation in films and such, but inserting black folks in a story based on Slavic mythology feels like needless pandering to a people who haven't a right to feel miffed imo lmao. If we see white folks in stories based on African, Asian, Precolonial America etc mythology, we'd be sideyeing that shit haha and justifiably so. So I think it's interesting that the opposite is allowed to happen eh.

Diversity and representation are for sure important things needed in the media—and it's absolutely great when you have that in spaces where that would that would be naturally occurring. Shovelling it in to score some diversity points misses the whole point and goal imo. That point being having more POC stories and more POC characters where they would naturally occur in our media instead of erasing them, lmao, not sprinkling them everywhere for the sake of it.

btw disclaimer, I'm totally unfamiliar with the Witcher universe so I could be making a total fool of myself LOOOOOOOOL. But based on what I've seen, HMMM, this is what makes sense to me.
 

The Twilight Mexican

Ex-SeeD-ingly good
AKA
TresDias
All medieval fantasy stories to me are set in an alternate universe, where things may be based off certain time periods/areas, but it's still a completely different world. So I personally don't care.
The setting of "The Witcher" is a tad bit of both: Humans aren't native to that world. We crossed over during a cosmic catastrophe affecting the multiverse, some 1500 years in the games'/novels' past, and our own Earth is long since destroyed.
 

fancy

pants
AKA
Fancy
Right, I understand that it's fantasy, eh? Even so, I reflect on the fact that this fantasy has some roots in a specific culture. You know? I mean, technically you're correct, eh. In the rules of that specific universe, anything and any race is technically free game. It was just a thought that occurred to me as I was taking in one perspective of the outrage that left me thoughtful. There are so many fantastical stories with roots or ties to a specific culture or people with histories dating thousands upon thousands of years ago, prior to any groups of people interacting with another, or seeing another human body so foreign to their own, so they had every reason to believe at the time that they were alone in their own civilisation and that they themselves were the default human. I mean, the Chinese word for China is 'zhongguo,' which literally translates to 'Middle Kingdom' or 'Central Kingdom' reflecting the origins of said name, stemming from a time where the Chinese thought themselves at the centre of civilisation and being prior to globalisation opening up the world.

And so I guess I wonder if there is merit in depicting stories such as they were likely originally dreamt if that makes sense? Not to suggest that Witcher is some ancient piece of mythology LMFAO but hmm, it takes cues from a specific culture, eh? So was my understand as folks are also condemning this trailer for looking like Generic Western Fantasy. If it was just Generic Western Fantasy, I'd have a different pov, haha. hmmm.

I think it's an easy thing to brush aside those complaining as 'racists' but I suppose that this was my attempt to put aside that assumption and try to empathise with why someone might legitimately be bothered. Thinking about it tho, given that western fantasy is so predominant and normalised in our definition of fantasy, the assertion of POCs would still be rational eh, as, again, that is our default and normal anyway. So it's technically free game for any human looking any sort of way to be a part of said fantasy worlds.

TEHEHEHEH THANKS FOR PATIENTLY BEARING WITH ME AS I UNDERGO THESE THOUGHT PROCESSES OUT LOUD HAHA. I find it all so fascinating. <3
 

The Twilight Mexican

Ex-SeeD-ingly good
AKA
TresDias
For whatever it's worth, by the way, there are dark-skinned people in the setting. Folks from Zerrikania are predominantly -- if not invariably -- darker than in the Northern Kingdoms.

Based on the tribal attire of those women in the trailer, my guess is that they are in fact Zerrikanians. Their nation is also a matriarchy, and most of the warriors are women. Sooooo that's pretty obviously who they are. And so, whoever was complaining in the comments section probably knows what they're talking about even less than I do (I've not played, read or watched much related to the franchise).
 

rimavelle

Pro Adventurer
AKA
rima
^ It seems they are dryadas from Brokilon. In books they are described as short, thin women in clothing made from random pieces of materials in green and brown shades, mixed with leaves and tree bark. They have different colored hair, streaks of green on their faces and use bows. Nothing is known of their skin color (I've seen a lot of artworks showing them as having green skin, but it's wrong). Their leader, Ethine, has silver hair and eyes. They don't look how I would imagine them, but I'm also not mad. Just wonder how they gonna solve one problem - Dryadas were kidnapping girls from nearby villages to make them dryadas too and at one point wanted to do the same with Ciri. If so, there should be some dryadas looking more as your everyday-village-girls/women. Maybe there are some, we only saw one scene. Or maybe they won't mention it.
As for trailer itself, footage aside, it sucks as trailer. There are 3 groups of people who are gonna watch it - people who read the books, people who played the games, and people who did none of it. So you have two groups of people who know nothing about the books. Does this teaser tell them what to expect from the series? Nah. I know what some of the things are, as I've read the books, but someone who didn't would have no idea. It really does make it look like another typical western dark fantasy. But trailers are made by different people than those who make the shows/movies so there's hope.
I really wish they would go with some simple scene instead. Teasers have more freedom than normal trailer, they could just show one scene. One, full, making sense scene. "Geralt walks into a bar...". This is how first book starts.
Also they should make the "BASED ON BOOK SERIES" bigger and leave it there for longer. Also add "NO WE CAN'T TAKE THE THING FROM THE GAMES, WE DON'T HAVE RIGHTS TO THAT" ^.-
 
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