pomor said:
None. There was really no female character I'd would like to meet in real life.
I do know that there are people who prefere so called "strong women". And I am OK with that. The problem is, the Witcher games, it caters only to that particular fetish.
I, for one, strongly dislike independent women. I prefere women that need to be cared for. And there is not a single woman, in the witcher games, that I'd like to have anything to do with.
Aaah, now I get it. Years of emancipation and the whole work of feminist movements serves this one purpose: to tickle the fancies of a particular type of fetishist men. Silly me, I thought it was about independence from the rules of desirability and masculine approval.
Unless you're trying to say the writers stick too much to one pattern (I'd disagree with it anyway). But if it's like that, you're using a very awkward way of phrasing it.
Now back to the topic. I can't decide, so I'll enumerate my favourites.
Philippa. A brilliantly written and memorable character (nice to look at as well). I hated her when I learned about her manipulation, but couldn't help but admire her overall coolness and control. Intelligent and ruthless, she's the kind of the bad guy (girl) we love to loathe with a shade of fascination. Great style and composure, whether she was getting caught in flagranti with Cynthia or blinded in prison.
Rather unrealistic and slightly over-the-top, but so is Saskia, only at the extreme end of the spectrum. Crystalline purity and the incarnation of good intentions. It could be nauseatingly sweet, but luckily the writers gave her some crudeness and no-nonsense harshness. I'm a bit of a naive idealist as well, so characters like that appeal to me. Also love the fact she's a dragon (that was a nice plot surprise), gives a new dimension to the whole idea of fighting for freedom and equality.
In contrast, another one of my favourite female characters is Ves, definitely least archetypical and most life-like. Great combination of professional toughness and compassion; I found her scenes with Moril very touching. Also her fling with Geralt was nicely written and believable. I'm really sad for Ves though, life's pretty tough for her - she nearly got raped by Loredo, then she effectively got raped by Henselt and lost her job and position. But she doesn't seem to be the type to break down easily, so that's another reason to like her.
All in all, the writers did amazing job in maintaining the balance between using narrative stereotypes and one-dimensional character patterns (like lady knight) and building fleshed out, likeable and credible individuals individuals around those patterns; it's something I failed to see in TW1.