Breakfast in Beauclair

Elora from the Netherlands and Kyle from the US, join Alyssa for our discussion of Netflix's The Witcher Episode 203 "What is Lost". Very important bits include: Yennefer's stroll through the Tall Grass of Aretuza, parallels between Vesemir and Eskel and Tissaia and Yennefer, the most famous quality of trees, Face Acting!, and my secret conspiracy theory about this very episode. The full episode t...

Elora from the Netherlands and Kyle from the US join Alyssa for our discussion of Netflix's The Witcher Episode 203 "What Is Lost". Very important bits include: Elora's Visual Analysis Corner, primal human fears, The Pendulum in the Netflix series versus our Pendulum in The Hanza Discord, how much Stregobor just sucks, what makes a good villain, and our best impressions of Scottish Ciri. The full...

David from WhibbsGames and Tracie, Miss Magitek, join Alyssa for our discussion of Netflix's The Witcher Episode 202 "Kaer Morhen". Very important bits include: Eskel and the infamous leshy fight; Baba Yaga and the magic number 3; successful examples of special effects, practical effects, and editing; themes of figures, dreams, longing, faith, devotion, and desperation; and how we would have chang...

David from WhibbsGames and Tracie, Miss Magitek, join Alyssa for our discussion of Netflix's The Witcher Episode 202 "Kaer Morhen". Very important bits include: TTRPGs and card games, shared dreams, parallels from The Witcher to our own lived experiences, the history of elves on the Continent, Geralt's approach to fatherhood, speculation as to why Ciri hadn't had any fighting training so far, conn...

Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye and Elsa from France join Alyssa for Part 2 of our discussion of Netflix's The Witcher Episode 201 "A Grain of Truth". Very important bits include: the connections Ciri makes to the "monsters" of the manor and monster as metaphor, Yennefer's characterization in Season 2, foreshadowing with literal shadows and the mechanics of the Chinese Trotting Horse Lamp, echo...

Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye and Elsa from France join Alyssa for Part 1 of our discussion of Netflix's The Witcher Episode 201 "A Grain of Truth". Very important bits include: the role of a script editor, the parental relationships between Yennefer & Tissaia and Ciri & Geralt, comparisons to Sapkowski's short story, "the ancient art of bucket swinging", and Elsa breaks down the Big Question...

Rob, TheUndeadGamr, and Piotr from Witcher School join Alyssa for Part 2 of our discussion of Netflix's anime spin-off film, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf . Very important bits include: the depiction of The Trial of the Grasses in both the film as well as at Witcher School LARP in Poland, Tetra's Mean Girls moment, the consequences of mutagenic alchemy, the fall of Kaer Morhen and the complet...

Rob, TheUndeadGamr, and Piotr from Witcher School join Alyssa for Part 1 of our discussion of Netflix's anime spin-off film, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf . Very important bits include: The Witcher in animation, station and the desire for 'something more', changes from the existing lore of the Witcher, narrative storytelling in VR, Witcher Monster Slayer from Spokko and CD Projekt Red, Sapkow...

Breakfast in Beauclair will return on Thursday, February 3, 2022! Sarah A. from the UK and Alycia from France join Alyssa for Part 2 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 7. Very important bits include: the strength and softness that Yennefer and Ciri bring out in each other; magic as chaos, art, and science; prophetic visions; lessons on intimacy an...

Sarah A. from the UK and Alycia from France join Alyssa for Part 1 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 7. Very important bits include: a joyous reunion between long-lost twins, Ciri's newest influence and her adoptive identity as a sorceress, war as a lived experience versus as historical record, Yennefer's maternal relationship with Ciri and mothe...

Garrison from the US and Daniel from the Netherlands join Alyssa for Part 3 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves, Chapter 6. Very important bits include: all the questions that readers should be asking at this point in the series, our first introduction to Tissaia de Vries and Vilgefortz of Roggeveen in the books, the benefits of being an enigma, the weirdest...

Garrison from the US and Daniel from the Netherlands join Alyssa for Part 2 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves, Chapter 6. Very important bits include: fast traveling across the Continent; the musings of an emperor; military tactics, propaganda, and Do-It-Yourself Justice; Big Reveals with a Capital B; The Steve Jobs of the Continent; sinking feelings; prop...

Garrison from the US and Daniel from the Netherlands join Alyssa for Part 1 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 6. Very important bits include: Nicodemus de Boot's condemnation of murder regardless of motive or circumstance; Northern displays of strength; historical parallels to kingdoms, empires, and regimes in our world; peacetime v. wartime lead...

Josh from The Pod Called Quest and Erick Schwartz from the US join Alyssa for Part 2 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 5. Very important bits include: How Oxenfurt is really just a fantasy Ivy League, one of the most delightful character descriptions from the series, methods of manipulation, Drunk Witcher, age is just a frustrating plot point, an...

Josh from The Pod Called Quest and Erick Schwartz from the US join Alyssa for Part 1 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 5. Very important bits include: the famous "Dear Friend…" letter and the relationship between Geralt and Yennefer, the strengths of a short story format, Sapkowski's possible attitude toward academics of the Continent, that one "...

Lea from the US and Madi from the US join Alyssa for Part 3 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 4. Very important bits include: Ciri's struggles with her trauma from the Nilfgaardian war versus the expectation of her neutrality as a witcher-girl, the witcher's' neutrality—or neutral-ish neutrality, the balance of a thousand-year-view, the personal...

Lea from the US and Madi from the US join Alyssa for Part 2 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 4. Very important bits include: a dissection of the complex conflict between races on the Continent; plot poisoning; "avuncular"; and Ciri as a Pokémon, a baby, and Brad Pitt. And if you can't actually be soulmates with the object of your infatuation, ma...

Lea from the US and Madi from the US join Alyssa for Part 1 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 4. Very important bits include: Number 1: The Endless Struggle Between Factions on the Continent… and Number 2. Plus, introductions to abatement falconry and law, plot armor, Fort Exposition, and Geralt of Rivia and The Less Awkward Thing. The full episo...

Anita and Karolina from Witcher Kitchen and Nerds Kitchen join Alyssa for Part 3 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 3. Very important bits include: our first first-hand look at the Second Battle of Sodden, how Ciri's guardians parent against her desire for revenge, a sure-fire guide to translating Polish through context clues, "Everything is Geral...

Anita and Karolina from Witcher Kitchen and Nerds Kitchen join Alyssa for Part 2 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 3. Very important bits include: a look at Ciri's witcher training in Kaer Morhen, what separates Sapkowski from authors like Tolkien in his own words, language learning, Dumpling Gate, a new entrepreneurial venture for the witchers,...

Anita and Karolina from Witcher Kitchen and Nerds Kitchen join Alyssa for Part 1 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 3. Very important bits include: a behind-the-scenes look at the production of Witcher Kitchen and Nerds Kitchen; your list of must-eats and must-sees for your next trip to Poland; the origin of the Wild Hunt; trances and prophecies,...

Lindsay Fawn from the US and Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye join Alyssa for Part 3 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 2. Very important bits include: the changing of the seasons and walks down memory lane, everyone's quality time with Aunt Flo, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Hanza Holiday storybook, crystal belts, voiceover and...

Lindsay Fawn from the US and Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye join Alyssa for Part 2 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 2. Very important bits include: The "Uncertain Dad" trope, The Four Horsemen of the "Perfect Woman" trope, ways we've gotten back on the literal and proverbial horse, the presence of femininity in the series, a mother's perspec...

Lindsay Fawn from the US and Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye join Alyssa for Part 1 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 2. Very important bits include: behind-the-scenes of voice acting and streaming, raising a pre-teen, strong female characters, Ciri's relationship to oracles and soothsayers throughout history, and the joy of seeing our kids—or...

Brett from Whispers of Oxenfurt and Lars from WitcherFlix join Alyssa for Part 2 of our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's first Witcher novel Blood of Elves , Chapter 1. Very important bits include: debates on names, stakes, and plagiarism; "The Witcher Bros."; speculation on the upcoming Netflix spin-offs; what you need to know from the Witcher short stories before Blood of Elves ; and the transi...