Misethere
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Misethere |
| Author(s): | astolat |
| Date(s): | 02 January 2017 |
| Length: | 46219 |
| Genre: | slash fanfiction |
| Fandom: | The Witcher |
| External Links: | on AO3 |
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Misethere is a The Witcher story by astolat for the pairing of Geralt/Emhyr. It is a sex pollen/love potion story in which Emhyr is hit with a drug that makes him fall in love with Geralt.
Emhyr was looking at him for once, with a strange expression. “I have misjudged you,” he said, sounding irritated actually: how dare Geralt surprise him.
“I get that a lot,” Geralt said.
Reception
Opinions on the work differ.
OOC
This article or section needs expansion. |
One of the main points of contention is the characterization within in the fic, which book and video game fans alike say is OOC - a criticism that has been leveled as astolat's Witcher works and her shipping of Geralt and Emhyr in general.
On the fail_fandomanon thread, "Top ten pairings for your fandom on AO3," Witcher fans discussed why Geralt/Emhyr was the second-most popular pairing:
fuck you, Astolat, for making a WTF pairing based on a voice actor so popular.[1]
A voice actor? What happened?
The voice actor for Emhyr var Emreis in Witcher 3 is Charles Dance, who played Tywin Lannister in the HBO production of Game of Thrones, and Astolat has apparently said that she ships Geralt with him basically because she adores his voice. Even though their few interactions in the game are antagonistic, and in one ending Emhyr explicitly says that he never wants to see Geralt again. As you might expect her characterization is...idiosyncratic. Which is perpetuated by people who write it hoping to catch her eye.[2]
Those not actually in Witcher fandom or familiar with canon tend to have a better opinion of the works.
Tropes
Astolat's use of tropes in the fic is an appeal for some and a turnoff for others.
I suspect it's popular not just because it;s well-written (and it is) but also because that pairing has two very attractive tropes: "two incredibly powerful individuals, but powerful in very different ways, outsider and establishment"; and "man whose entire life is built on control finds his control compromised by love". Those two tropes really do it for me.[3]
Generally they're very strictly in line with all her other pet pairings. astolat has a clear id and she's shameless about sticking to it - so in her Witcher fics that means cruel mastermind Emhyr with a tiiiiny soft spot / competent meathead Geralt who falls for him despite his douchebaggery. Is that in line with canon? I'm guessing no, lol.[4]
The podcast Be The Serpent had an episode dedicated to the fic.