Can 'Something Ends, Something Begins' short story fit into Witcher 3 game canon? (spoilers)

[sidv88]

Can 'Something Ends, Something Begins' short story fit into Witcher 3 game canon? (spoilers)

This post has spoilers for 'The Witcher 3' and the short story in question, so steer clear if you don't want to know the ending for TW3.

Basically, 'Coś się kończy, coś się zaczyna' (Something Ends, Something Begins) is a short story written by Andrzej Sapkowski depicting the wedding of Geralt and Yennefer. The text of the whole story, in English, can be found here: http://witcher.gamepedia.com/Fan_translation_of_Something_Ends,_Something_Begins .

Mr. Sapkowski did not intend for the story to be canon (he wrote it to use as a wedding gift). However, considering how players can end 'The Witcher 3', is there some way this story can fit into game canon (with the story fitting in after the ending of The Witcher 3)? Even if just for fun.

Spoilers for The Witcher 3 ahead:

Spoiler

First of all, Princess Adda is mentioned as one of the guests to the wedding in the story, so any playthrough of the Witcher games would have to keep her alive in The Witcher 1.

The books mention that Emperor Emhyr survives long after the timeframe of the books and games. Therefore, the ending in The Witcher 3 with Emhyr triumphant (assassinating Radovid and then defeating DIjkstra) would be the only one that works, since all other "Northern Kingdom" endgame states end with Emhyr's immediate assassination.

Geralt will obviously choose Yen over Triss if the playthrough is to lead into the short story of him marrying Yen. Ciri is mentioned in 'Something Ends, Something Begins' to be a freelancer who meets Galahad, so The Witcher 3 ending of Ciri become a Witcher would best lead into the short story.

The only thing that doesn't seem to fit is that Vesemir is killed in 'The Witcher 3', whereas he shows up alive as a wedding guest in 'Something Ends, Something Begins'. Maybe we can pretend that Vesemir's injuries from TW3 were not as severe as initially believed, he was mistakenly declared dead while really in a top-secret Witcher trance, and he awoke later on. I haven't actually gotten far enough in the game to see Vesemir's death scene, so maybe someone who's seen or played that scene could elaborate if he could somehow survive to appear in the short story and make it "game canon"...

'Something Ends, Something Begins' was just meant to be a funny story showing an idealized world state for Geralt and his friends. But I'm wondering now if the game can actually lead into this state, and make the whole story "canon" with the games (depending on the ending you get, of course). Does my reasoning work?

 

[CTPhipps]

Eh, given they burn Vesemir's corpse, I'm going to have to say no.

It's close, though!

 

[Noobseals]

I remember there is also a quest named "something ends, something begins" in TW1. So it is just a homage.
But there should be some after ending content to interact with all main characters, that is what we want.

 

[leinad312]

Perhaps it could work if the wedding was placed in between the time that Geralt returns with Ciri and the Wild Hunt attacks Kaer Morhen. Though this would mean that the Wild Hunt didn't immediately attack for some reason.

 

[Folkrom]

i just cant see yen and geralt getting married, spending the rest of their lives together yes, actually a married couple no, however you look at it...

 

[Kallelinski]

Well, of course it could fit as some kind of epilogue with some changes here and there, just remove all characters, which are dead or gone for good.

Does it make sense that they marry at all? Not really? It's not like they needed to be married to act like a married couple, if you ask me

If CDPR really consider doing some kind of "relationship dlc" (whatever this might be), this short story could be quite handy anyway. Would be almost a wasted chance to not use it this story then.

Also we could finally see Yen in a real dress, but probably still all-black

 

[sidv88]

Perhaps it could work if the wedding was placed in between the time that Geralt returns with Ciri and the Wild Hunt attacks Kaer Morhen. Though this would mean that the Wild Hunt didn't immediately attack for some reason.

Spoiler

I finally got to the Battle of Kaer Morhen while playing the game, and I just don't think there is any reasonable time between Ciri's rescue and the Wild Hunt's attack for there to be a wedding. I sort of wonder if CD Projekt Red was aware of this story and made sure their game didn't fit into the short story's world state. That way, there won't be a "canon" ending to the game, and "canon" remains with whatever the player decides. If one of the game's endings led straight into this Sapkowski story, fans would immediately consider that ending "canon" and wouldn't even bother with any of the other ending choices.

I guess the closest explanation to come up with is that this wedding can still take place after the end of the game. Ciri couldn't bear for Uncle Vesemir to not be present for the wedding, so she went back in time before his death, brought him into the future for the wedding, and then (very reluctantly) sent him back to his own time. That means Vesemir knows all along that Ciri would be rescued, Yen and Geralt would be revived and happily married, and that for some reason he himself would not be around to see the wedding--he kept silent throughout everything to ensure the timeline towards Geralt's and Yen's wedding. Hmm... :hmm:

 

[leinad312]

Spoiler

I finally got to the Battle of Kaer Morhen while playing the game, and I just don't think there is any reasonable time between Ciri's rescue and the Wild Hunt's attack for there to be a wedding. I sort of wonder if CD Projekt Red was aware of this story and made sure their game didn't fit into the short story's world state. That way, there won't be a "canon" ending to the game, and "canon" remains with whatever the player decides. If one of the game's endings led straight into this Sapkowski story, fans would immediately consider that ending "canon" and wouldn't even bother with any of the other ending choices.

I guess the closest explanation to come up with is that this wedding can still take place after the end of the game. Ciri couldn't bear for Uncle Vesemir to not be present for the wedding, so she went back in time before his death, brought him into the future for the wedding, and then (very reluctantly) sent him back to his own time. That means Vesemir knows all along that Ciri would be rescued, Yen and Geralt would be revived and happily married, and that for some reason he himself would not be around to see the wedding--he kept silent throughout everything to ensure the timeline towards Geralt's and Yen's wedding. Hmm... :hmm:

Lol, that's an interesting way to get around it. Ciri could also ask Yen or Triss to erase Vesemir's memory before sending him back, like what Triss did to that spy in the game.

 

[sidv88]

Lol, that's an interesting way to get around it. Ciri could also ask Yen or Triss to erase Vesemir's memory before sending him back, like what Triss did to that spy in the game.

I can see it now--After the wedding, Yen (who we know is completely ruthless in ensuring the happiness of herself, Geralt, and Ciri) is about to brutally mindwipe Vesemir, while he asks for mercy and vows he'll never breathe a word of what he saw of the future. But Yen doesn't want to take chances that the timeline leading to her wedding would somehow be altered.

And Triss, as usual, is acting nice and sympathetic and saying that Vesemir should be allowed to return to the past with his memory intact. But Triss secretly hopes that Vesemir will inadvertently alter the past so that she will end up with Geralt instead of Yen...

 

[Charcharo]

A modified version of this story can be used.

The level of fan-service... glorious...

 

[Kallelinski]

Spoiler

I finally got to the Battle of Kaer Morhen while playing the game, and I just don't think there is any reasonable time between Ciri's rescue and the Wild Hunt's attack for there to be a wedding. I sort of wonder if CD Projekt Red was aware of this story and made sure their game didn't fit into the short story's world state. That way, there won't be a "canon" ending to the game, and "canon" remains with whatever the player decides. If one of the game's endings led straight into this Sapkowski story, fans would immediately consider that ending "canon" and wouldn't even bother with any of the other ending choices.

Sapkowski said explicitly that this shortstory is not canon, so implementing it into the game doesn't make it more or less canon. The original short story also doesn't really fit in the actual book story, as someone like Galahad appears only at the end.
There is also at least one person, who is already dead, yet he appears nonetheless.

But i also think this has either to be before the Battle at Kaer Morhen or after the actual game, somewhere inbetween would appear out of place considering the situation.

You know, Kaer Morhen is free after the game, since nobody wants to take care of it anymore. A little bit white paint there, some black paint there, some scent diffusers et voilà, it's like new

Far away from politics, war and other annoying things.

 

[sidv88]

There is also at least one person, who is already dead, yet he appears nonetheless.

Who was this? I must have missed that.

 

[Kallelinski]

Who was this? I must have missed that.

http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Radcliffe

Spoiler

He died during the Thanedd Coup, so either the wedding is before that, then it doesn't make sense that Ciri is in company with Galahad, or the wedding is after the saga, then he is already dead a year and Geralt & Yennefer already left the witcher world..

The problem is also that the story just doesn't fit anywhere chronically. The german version has a preface by Sapkowski, in that he says that the story was finished at the end of 1992 and published 1993, but the first saga book, Blood of the Elves, was released 1994.

 

[Zeroscape]

Hadn't read that story before, pretty interesting.

Gotta say I liked the vengeful Ciri saying she's running away. Wish she harbored more resentment like that in the game towards Nilfgaard. Could've created some really interesting dialogue in regards to visiting the emperor. Or, could also be used for an expansion or stand-alone game. Though I guess she had 6 years of world hopping to come to terms with those impulses. Too bad.

I think this is too much hardcore fan service for my liking, though. I admit that I'd love to see things end up like that for Geralt and Yen but I'd rather have something a little less rosy.

 

[sidv88]

I think this is too much hardcore fan service for my liking, though. I admit that I'd love to see things end up like that for Geralt and Yen but I'd rather have something a little less rosy.

If this short story is fan service, then the games seem to be super fan service, since they seem to lead right into the story (for those who choose Geralt and Yen's happy ending in TW3), with the only discrepancies being 1 or 2 resurrected characters.

 

[Zeroscape]

I don't think a 2 sentence "happily-ever-after" slideshow is too much fan service. If we had a wedding at the end of the game, I'd agree with you.

 

[sidv88]

I think fan service can be a good thing.

Another possible wrench in putting this story after TW3 (spoiler for game):

Spoiler

Crach an Craite is in the story, but I read he is killed in TW3 (haven't gotten this far in the game myself to confirm)

 

[leinad312]

I think fan service can be a good thing.

Another possible wrench in putting this story after TW3 (spoiler for game):

Spoiler

Crach an Craite is in the story, but I read he is killed in TW3 (haven't gotten this far in the game myself to confirm)

Well Geralt doesn't check for a pulse so maybe he lived? XD