Ren > Recent Status Updates

chapter7 (10:19-11:50)
Ciri got found and captured by Nilfgaardian adjacent folks. Everyone wants the money for delivering her.
They run across more despicable men (CW: Jokes about rape.), then some Rats appear.
Murder and an escape, the rats take Ciri in, Mistle rapes her after preventing Kayleigh from doing the same. Was this scene necessary?

chapter6 (9:03-10:19)
Unicorn foreshadowing?
Ciri fell into a desert, walks through it, almost dies, then Unicorn ex machina. Drawing power from fire is dangerous and intoxicating. Gives Falka visions. Unicorns are surprised she relinquished the power, grateful for healing one of their own.

chapter5 (7:08-9:03)
Peter Kenney singing Jaskiers song to the Dryads sounds really pleasant.
Framework plot of Jaskier telling Geralt news. War calculations; dying soldiers; sacked cities. Geralt decides neutrality was a mistake.
Centurion@Decurion: "Don't kill loot or rape" Decurion@soldiers: "don't kill, only loot horse food and keep rapes quiet and out of sight." ...Wow :|
Glimpse at what Emhyr's up to.

chapter4 (5:25-7:08)
Back to Ciri who sees all and remembers nothing. R.i.p. all that knowledge that went up in flames.
Sorcery schemes and foiled coups.
Ciri overcomes trauma by pirouetteing, bearing and sparing the black knight. Geralt gets quickly beaten by Vilgefortz.

chapter3 (3:44-5:25)
Banquet at Arathusa. Geralt can't keep his eyes to himself and every sorceress (minus Phillippa who is said to "have lost interest in men ages ago" which doesn't keep her from flirting) wants a piece of him (as usual) but only Yen gets eaten out tonight.
Mage-history, Vilgefortz and Geralt's humour.
Geralt's stamina.

chapter2 (1:40-3:44 )
Yen telling Ciri they travel in secret and to hide her hair but at the same time they continuously call each other by their actual names. Baffeling.
Ciri in town, being a brat and calling attention to herself.
Madame Tissaia should not be allowed to teach children.
Ciri runs away, gets lost, hears the Wild Hunt.
All 4 main characters are finally together in one place.

Chapter1 (00:00-1:40) Witchers are called by their original polish name (Wiedźminie?) in the pre-chapter "quote", that's good.
Cold open with a post-rider.
Geralt kills a manticore off-screen.
Codtingher and Fenn present a truly enjoyable scenewhich explains and sets up future developments beautifully.
Post-rider end to conclude the frame of the chapter.

Chapter7 (8:55-10:54)
back to Ciri... whose naked body is being described by Yennefer :| Thank you male gaze, was this necessary?
For what it's worth Ciri does read like a teenager more often than not, so that's good.
"lilac and gooseberry" count in this chap: III+
The chemistry between Yen and Ciri overall is nice.

Chapter 6 (7:10-8:55) political scheming. "the torturer asked him politely and at length" ^^
Giving the emperor with the rather Welsh name (Emhyr var Emrys, spelling differs) a vaguely Romanian (most certainly Eastern European) accent was a choice this audiobook made. At least the French assassin gets a french accent.

Chapter5 (5:39-7:10)Timeskip. Even Yennefer, queen of snark's *letters* smell of lilac and gooseberry. A snooty-voiced scientist insists he knows all. Change of place to spies and Jaskier, who is quite nimble on rooftops, love to see it. "It won't be my first window" XD Nice one, Chani (even though she too, of course, must sleep with Geralt as all women of age cannot resist him ...nvm of age, she's 17?! oof.

Chapter 4 (3:50-5:39)
Sick Triss. Attacking squirrel-elves & "non-humans" and a "them or us" mentality from the human commander. Witcher called out for "neutrality." Childlike naivety almost getting Ciri into trouble then being taught the world is not to be divided into friend & foe + history lesson. Geralt's assurance promptly gets proven wrong and battle ensue. Let all see the pointlessness of war/battle. Nice.

Chapter 3 (2:40-3:50)
Teaching Ciri makeup, the bestiary and fighting. Also discussions about war and motivation.
notable moments: elves invented makeup and pirouettes in fights are often superfluous (looking at you, movie fights :P) Also: Triss is cool.

Calling out how weird men are around menstruation by embarrassing the witchers about not taking it in concern when it comes to Ciri. Neat.

Ciri: "I'm goin' to 'ave a magical jacket. Wow!"
that was read truly adorably read by Peter Kenney.

wow, Triss is thirsty. the trend continues.

Episode20: A Midsummernight's Dream (46min)
"On midsummernight's eve in 1593, William Shakespeare gathers his theatrical troupe in a remote country setting to perform for an extraordinary audience"
Oh, this one was fun! Did not much care for Puck's voice acting but I will certainly re-listen to this episode many times. A perfect story to end this audio-drama on.

Episode19: Façade (33min)
"Retired adventurer Urania Blackwell, despairing over her immortality, encounters death herself"
This was part social criticism, part philosophical and in its own way, as Death often is, life-affirming. Melancholic but beautiful. I had to immeadiately relisten it. 5/5

Episode18: A Dream of a thousand cats (28min)
"In a midnight Graveyard, a throng of cats gather to listen, as a great siamese talks of ancient legends... and of shaping the future"
Well this was interesting. Should we worry about a cat uprising? Though if they do dream together we'd never know the difference. 5/5 stars.

Episode17: Calliope (37min)
"Novelist Richard Madoc goes to Extraordinary Lengths to overcome his writer's block"
Oof, writer's block, who doesn't know it. Also Bezoars. A trapped woman (muse) held as a slave and raped by men who profit off her. So Orpheus was Dream's son under the name of Oneiros, interesting. Stellar voice work. 4/5 stars

Episode16: Lost Hearts (30min)
"Morpheus brings Rose into the dreaming to end the threat of the dream vortex"
Oh, I liked this one, things get revealed. Plus, Desire makes an appearance. 5/5 stars

Episode15: Into the night (31min)
"Rose Walker sleeps and enters the dreams of her housemates"
This was nice :D Clearly setting up the next episode.

Episode14: Collectors (48min)
"Rose and Gilbert check into a hotel where an unusual, secret Convention is taking place"
Neil Gaiman's voice is soothing as always and his words evocative and picturesque.
So this is a convention of serial killers. Interesting.
Yay~ Morpheus to the rescue.
The first episode with The Corinthian I did not abhor. Morpheus talking to him was great.
4/5 stars

Episode13: Playing House (27min)
"Morpheus searches for 2 escaped nightmares hiding in a boy's fantastic dreams"
- That poor woman Leeta's been pregnant for YEARS in the dreamdome? Oh boi.
- "My adoration does not limit my anger. I am dream. I am coming" is a good line.
- everything with the Corinthian is not made for me, I'm afraid.
-"you... you are what?" Nice reaction
- Dream wants to... adopt?
3/5stars

Episode12: Moving In (25min)
"Rose travels to Florida in search of her missing 12 year-old brother Jed"
Warning for Misophonia. Nightmares living inside a child's head is a terrifying thought. This episide is difficult in that I enjoy parts (Rose and the House) and abhor others (The Corinthian).

Episode11: The Doll's House (32min)
"After seven decades of slumber, Unity Kinkaid reunites with her daughter and her granddaughter Rose, who is having the strangest dreams."
Meeting Desire and a follow-up on the woman who was raped while asleep in episode 1, her daughter and granddaughter Rose. An enjoyable episode.

Episode10: Men of good fortune (29min)
"Every 100 years Hob Gadling meets a mysterious Stranger at the Same Tavern in London"
oh, this one was nice.

Episode9: Tales in the Sand (29min)
In episode 4 we met Nada & heard how Dream still loved her but had not forgiven her. Listening to this episode I ask: What by the gods would he have to forgive?? If anything Nada is the one who might forgive *him* but she shouldn't! No means No. As a woman I'd love to hear the woman's version of the story that is teased in the last sentence yet the male gaze's all the chapter gave

Episode 8: The Sound of Her Wings (22min)
"Morpheus accompanies his sister, Death, as she performs her duties and collects the dying."
Kat Dennings as Death is a DELIGHT. This is refreshing after the last two harrowing episodes, despite, you know, lots of people dying.
Highlights: Dream: 'You... threw the bread at me?'

Episode 7: Sound and Fury (28min)
"Morpheus and John Dee wage war on a battlefield of dreams with the sanity of the world hanging in the balance."
The image of giant Dream was delivered beautifully. However...So... the villain is getting nothing more than a slap on the wrist (well, and getting thrown back into Arkham Asylum)? After what he just did an episode ago? No. Another one I won't listen to again.

Episode 6: 24 Hours (30min)
"At a Roadside Diner, John Dee elicits the deepest desires of the people around him... and dredges up their blackest regrets in a day of unspeakable horror"
This one was too dark for me, only enhanced by the stellar vocal performances. I will skip this episode on future relistens.