Trying to convey what it’s like dealing with your typical Yen fan (and I’m sure they’re not all like this, I just wish the good ones would police the nuts, we’d all be happier).
1. Your common, or garden-variety, (fanatic) Yen fan:
2. When they think they’ve found a little spot to bash Triss in peace, but you noticed:
3. Rare footage of a Yen fan ‘making’ a point:
4. When you see the way they beatify Yen for mistreating Geralt:
Her control and manipulation of him, and total disregard for his opinion or feelings, is a sign of “strength”, apparently. So, if Geralt was like that to her, if he manipulated her, ignored her and mocked her for dissenting, would he be a “strong man”? I think he’d be a fucking insecure asshole and she’d best leave him in the rear view. It’s amazing the moral gymnastics these people can do, the hypocrisy of it! Amazing, and fucking disturbing. Then they vilify Triss for caring. Her caring about Geralt, loving him, treating him as an equal is “worship”. Her worrying about his safety is “coddling”. The funny thing is, that’s how he treats her. It’s even, mutual, it’s called love! There’s a reason Geralt says “with Triss I finally feel harmony...a calm”. Jesus...I even had one say Triss didn’t care about Ciri because she wasn’t “tortured enough” (!!!) for her by the witch hunters! Yet Yennefer, who is working to hand Ciri over to Emhyr and a life she doesn’t want, who Ciri herself says is “using her”, ‘loves’ the girl? Are you serious?! There is something seriously wrong when you are justifying lying, manipulation and abuse and vilifying love, care and respect. This isn’t healthy thinking people, this is crazy, disturbingly so.
5. When they’re so insecure about the relationship (Geralt/Yen), that they feel the need to put Triss with other characters, just so they feel safer, more secure (despite the fact it’s grossly OOC):
And the list is absurd. I couldn’t do that, and no need to either. There’s no need to justify Geralt and Triss, they speak for themselves. Who the hell am I going to put Yen with anyway? No one likes her, and she’d make anyone miserable. Emhyr, maybe? Hell, she comes off as his wife anyway in the game. She certainly cares more about his feelings/desires then she does Geralt’s or Ciri’s; they’re a match. Maybe put her with Lambert, if I’m feeling cruel towards him? Such silly nonsense. You can add the derogatory art as well, it stems from the same insecurities.
6. When you give them a shopping list of evidence, actual lines, scenes, etc, and they start retorting with their headcanon like it’s fact:
For example, Yennefer and Emhyr. I present every scene/dialogue involving Yen and the subject of her deal with Emhyr, up to and including the original ending where she betrays all her fellow sorceresses to imprisonment and torture in Nilfgaard. They come back with “no, Yen was going to betray him, she hated him, she was using him...” Where the fuck do you get that from? Like, WTF?! There’s room for headcanon, but not when literally everything in the game on the subject contradicts your point (feel free to keep headcanoning it, just don’t expect to be taken seriously). There’s delusion and then there’s delusion.
(Actually, you could group 4, 5 and 6 together. You pretty much run the gamut in those situations.) 7. After getting dozens upon dozens of TY trolls “following” you, this is (sadly) how you react now whenever you get a new follower:
Seriously, it shouldn’t be this way. These people are a disgrace to the fandom (and humanity).
8. Whenever they mention the words “book” or “lore”:
Seriously, if CDPR stuck to the books I’d be without my favourite game. Phil dead, Hjalmar dead, Regis dead, Cerys gone. Ciri with a knight of the round table in Camelot?! Lolseriouslywtf?! But that didn’t happen in the games, did it? Along with a lot of other stuff, because the books aren’t the bloody games, a fact which I’m eternally grateful for. Because instead of buying these games several times over (console, PC, and as gifts for friends), I’d be trading them in.
9. When they complain about something in CDPR’s adaption being different to the books (probably goes towards explaining all those awards they won):
10. How you feel when you’ve countered every ‘point’ they make, put their ‘arguments’ in their proper place, and decide to move on and cleanse yourself of the entire experience:
Honourable Mention (No .GIF): The way they target new players to the game and are desperate to colour their opinion before the players are even exposed to the characters and story. There’s desperate and insecure, and then there’s desperate and insecure (not to mention cruel and selfish).
UPDATE: Fixing this to make it easier to read (which necessitated a new post, couldn’t just edit it). Unfortunately, all this stuff still applies. It has (possibly, it’s hard to say) lessened of late, but I can now add to the list being attacked and marginalised with sexist comments for calmly and politely offering a counter-point to someone speaking dismissively (and erroneously) of Geralt and Triss’ relationship. And it seems I now have my own personal troll as well (they’re taken care of, don’t worry). I’ve never once attacked, been rude to or trolled a Yen fan. I don’t care who/what you like, as long as you respect others, but hey...
That being said, thank you to all the Triss fans and all the other Witcher fans who do not act like this. You guys make everything worthwhile! :)
