I think I'm in the minority of minorities on this but I actually like the Rats from The Witcher 🥴 like idc how cliche or whatever the justifications for they being fxcked up are I do feel bad for them regardless. Like Mistle was tw: gang raped, Asse saw his sister and mother raped in front of him and his saw his dad violently butchered... Their stories show how psychologically damaging and traumatic war can be to children and teens and how disastrous all that unaddressed trauma can be left without tending to and how in the name of imperialism and conquest and protection of traditions and assets and lands and all the reason these kingdoms went to war, they ruined the most valuable resource they have, their people. Their tragic lives further show how not one army or the other is the true evil, how some of the soldiers don't lose their decency or humanity despite being forced to do evil. That those in power don't give af about their citizens and never think of them most of the time. Yeah, seeing Ciri become Falka is transgressive and she becomes fully corrupted and a child of contempt but she also learns to see the world through the eyes of the common people, she makes friends with people her age, no matter how damaged they are, which she hadn't up until that point except when she was very little. People take the fact that those townspeople are afraid of them but they aren't decent themselves anyways. Remember how that one dad beats up his daughter just bc she was trying to copy Iskra's aesthetic? There's no justification for child abuse, either. The Witcher books beat you over the head with the “all people, elves, dwarves, halflings etc etc., generally suck but some do so less than others” message. It depends on you who those happen to be. And I do find it an interesting contrast of how Ciri has to confront her actions when she was with them when she spends time with Vysogota. Idk I probably suck at explaining why I don't hate the Rats and like I said from what I see from other Witcher fans I'm practically alone in this but I don't hate them and no matter how bad they were they didn't deserve the fate Bonhart have them. Like fuck that murderous boomer! Anyways I had to get this off my chest bc it really pains me to see all the Rats libel and I hope netflix knows how to tackle this part and make it justice, at least for my murderous but LESS problematic thieves Giselher, Asse, Iskra, and Reef. Idgaf about Mistle (unless they fully remove THAT) and Kayleigh can croak idc.