META : GERALT + EMOTIONAL PRESENTATION
001. this meta is about geralt and the way he presents himself to others , specifically his emotions , and how witcher training and the perspective of others ( outsiders ) has shaped that . please keep in mind , this is primarily show based , with some ( few for the moment ) influences from the games and books .
002. it’s very clear that there are people that do not like witchers , they distrust them and hold prejudice towards them . there’s even a pamphlet at a point ( game / book ) written by humans about witchers . “ indeed , there is nothing more repulsive than these monsters that defy nature and are known by the name of witcher , as they are the offspring of foul sorcery and witchcraft . ” this is only a piece of it . it’s not an uncommon viewpoint . that witchers are monsters , cold , that they both enjoy inflicting pain and cannot feel pain or any emotions .
003. to a degree , it is very possible that kaer morhen , or his witcher training in general , is a part of it . the intensive process they go through physically , alchemically , mentally — could be a factor into why it is believed witchers are unfeeling . in high tension environments where you are trying valiantly to survive doesn't bode well for your emotional development . geralt having to repress his emotions , internalize them , etc , to become a warrior , a fighter , to survive , isn't far fetched . so many of them come out not properly being able to respond or display those emotions . geralt at some point says he cannot cry , because he doesn't know how .
004. geralt knows he feels , but to a degree , sometimes convinces himself that he doesn't . or that at the very least , that it is easier not having them . some of that comes from him being fear driven but that's another meta . he often lets them think what they will , doesn’t go out of his way to prove them wrong . when they call him the butcher of blaviken , he hates it , but he never corrects them , never reveals the truth about it . i think humanity’s treatment towards him has shifted some of his emotional presentation . if you’re told something time and time again , if you consistently receive such volatile reactions . . . it’s frankly exhausting , and this is part of where geralt gets that hard , glossy armour .
005. honestly though , geralt can never truly , one - hundred percent hide those emotions though from those who look . something jaskier states about him when geralt says he can’t / won’t get involved , is that he always does . geralt , while not wanting to , inevitably ends up in the middle , a compass towards what’s right ( despite trying to avoid it and the moments avoiding it fucks him over ) . another example is the scene in which he expresses regret over his words to jaskier with the djinn . again at the cliff . his outbursts , especially when significantly stressed and high feeling , which will be a part 2 to this .
006. the point is geralt has feelings as much as he likes to pretend that he doesn’t and that nothing hurts him , stemming from humans , training , probably lowkey visenna , and yeah , he never really learned how to properly cope tbh . as the series go on , i do think he improves from the influence of others in his life .