Of course Sapkowski has something to do here. He created Geralt. The Geralt he created would never choose Triss, no matter what happens. It doesn't matter what happened in TW1, TW2 and TW3. The Geralt Sapkowski created would never choose Triss. He can't choose Triss because he loves Yen. Without question, without hesitation, without doubt. A Geralt who choose Triss isn't Geralt anymore. It's just a fan-fictionary wish of a game developer - and ultimately - a gamer.
I think this topic is pointless, simple because many people who choose Yen won't consider Triss is viable choice and vice versa....:
You're right, it is pointless, since the question is pointless. There can't be any valid assessment on both books AND games. Since they are not written by the same author and so we have necessarily already at least two versions of Geralt. The question has to be more specific to make any sense...
Do you think Sapkowski sees Triss as a viable option? No, not in a million years...
Do you think CDPR sees Triss as a viable option? Of course.
Do you think gamer X sees Triss as a viable options? Depends.
From OP : Since this is Geralt at the end of his whole journey, by that I mean books AND games, please take in mind you HAVE to consider the events from the games too.
He now have both memory from books and games, so he can choose Triss, he can choose Yen, Sapkowski has nothing to do here.
Yup. I think that canon in the context of this thread needs to consider both, and Sapkowski's views don't really add any clout to ANYONE'S opinion, as all of it is non-canon in his eyes. So everyone should just be thinking of their own opinions.
I found out Triss vs Yen topic have been disappear, not lock but disappear, curious ???
Usually I just avoid those threads like the pest, but just one comment and I am gone again:
CDPR had to wipe out Geralt's memory to create even the slightest possibility for another relationship in his life (and even that one we got in the first two games is still optional and includes two different woman (except for the forced short sex/relationship/one-night stand with Triss at the beginning of Witcher 2...)).
WIthout an amnesia it was impossible to do that, they had to start from zero to make such thing even possible.
How much does that say about Geralt's own voluntary decision in the first place, if you need to erase his whole former life (80 years) for that? And how much does that say about every other woman compared to Yennefer in his view?
To be honest there are, were and would be probably countless "better" options for Geralt and the joke is, he probably even knows that (*cough* Essi *cough*), but none of them had the same impact on him like Yennefer had and still has. Even with amnesia he thought that Triss is actually Yennefer in Witcher 1 and Triss was even glad to fill that empty place at least for a short time.
I personally just feel sorry for Triss because of that, the same way I did for Fringilla (Lady of the Lake)
“Yennefer.” She said quickly. “The one whose name you’ve mentioned a few times to me at night, in moments of ecstasy, has not ever betrayed you or Ciri. She was not an accomplice to Vilgefortz. She fearlessly undertook an unprecedented risk to save Cirilla. She suffered a defeat and fell into Vilgefortz’s hands. She was surely forced by torture to perform the magical detection that took place last year. Whether she still lives is not
known. That’s all I know. I swear it.”
“Thank you, Fringilla.”
“Go.”
“I trust you,” he said without leaving. “And I will never forget what happened between us. I trust you, Fringilla. I will not stay with you, but I think I loved you too… in my way. I ask that you keep secret what you are about to hear. Vilgefortz’s hiding place is…”
or Essi (Sword of Destiny)
A little dedication, he thought, it would only take a little... It would calm her down: an embrace, a kiss, a hug... She wants nothing more... And even if it is not enough, what's the difference? A little dedication and attention: she is beautiful and worthy of that much... If she wants more... It will calm her down. Making love gently, peacefully, in silence. But me... It's all the same to me, because Essi smells of verbena, not of lilac and gooseberry; she doesn't have cold and electrifying skin; Essi's hair is not a black tornado of shiny curls; Essi's eyes are beautiful, sweet, hot and blue, but they are no deep purple, cold and dispassionate. Essi will fall asleep afterward, will turn her face and part her lips; Essi will not smile in triumph.
Because Essi...
Essi is not Yennefer.
That's why I can't grant her even a little dedication.
“Please, Essi, don't cry.”
“Yes...” She moved away from him very slowly. “Yes... I understand. It can't be helped.”
or Lytta Neyd (Seasons of Storms)
Oh. Let it be so. I ask you then. What caused that it was Yennefer. Yennefer and no other? Could you describe it, name it?
-If this is object of a bet...
-It's not object of a bet. Why Yennefer of Vengerberg?
Mozaïk showed up like a shadow. With new carafe. And cookies. Geralt looked her in eyes. She immediately turned her head away.
- Why Yennefer - he repeated, looking at Mozaïk. - Why exactly her? I will tell you sincerely. I don't know. There are such women... One look is enough...
Mozaïk opened her mouth, moved her head slightly. Negatively and with terror. She knew. And begged that he would stop. But the game was too far gone.
-There are women - he was still wandering with his eyes over the girl's figure - which attract. Like a magnet. That you can't take your eyes off.
Mozaik didn't answer. Yennefer kept also quiet, she wrapped a black curl around her finger. Suddenly she lifted her head and looked straight into the eyes of the girl. And smiled.
"He told you to get back to me", said Lytta Neyd. "Told you to come back, although he could have imagine what will happen to you by me. I have to admit, i didn't expect that from him."
The fountain was splashing, a smell of wet stone. The scent of flowers, the smell of ivy.
"He surprised me with that", Lytta repeated. "I didn't expect that from him."
"Because you didn't know him", replied Yennefer calmy.
"You never really know him."
Triss couldn't change Geralt's mind in the books, she never had a chance just like everybody else.
She tricked him and tried to replace Yennefer in Witcher 1 without telling him that she isn't Yennefer, what he believed.
She tried to sweet-talk Geralt in Witcher 2 without lasting effect, she was even forced by him to tell him the truth about Yennefer,
and in Witcher 3 she just lost hope all over again, because even with amnesia (and therefore without Yennefer) she couldn't please him and not fulfill her role in his life.
No, I personally don't think she is a valuable option for Geralt, she never was. She wasn't written for that purpose nor was Geralt.
She can't replace Yennefer, because she isn't her and that's good, that makes both unique and not replaceable, but also sad, because I also think that Triss deserve someone better than Geralt and she should just forget that idiot for her own good.
So many people blame only Yennefer for their stormy relationship, but except for that Ice Shard chapter, it was always Geralt, who couldn't be honest to his feelings until the Thanedd banquet.
The Witcher games (and by extension Geralt's character) are based off Sapkowski's novels. The topic of the thread is who Geralt would choose, and for that topic it makes no sense to disregard the work that established Geralt's character.
Speaking as someone who has read the books, I think that someone who has played the games, and especially someone who has played the game and then read the ad nauseam arguments on this forum, is equipped to answer the question posed in the OP without having read all of the books, which may or may not have been officially translated in their native language.
To be honest there are, were and would be probably countless "better" options for Geralt and the joke is, he probably even knows that (*cough* Essi *cough*), but none of them had the same impact on him like Yennefer had and still has. Even with amnesia he thought that Triss is actually Yennefer in Witcher 1 and Triss was even glad to fill that empty place at least for a short time..
I don't think there were countless better options for Geralt tbh. Essi SURELY wasn't one, if only for her age. You shouldn't forget that Geralt is basically immortal, at least compared to a normal human being. The only equivalent partner is a sorceress for him - just like sorcerers and sorceresses usually only start relationships with each other but not with normal human beings - they just die way too quickly. That's why Geralt is so fascinating to the sorceresses as well. He's immortal like them but not an arrogant mage.
So come on, Essi? And Geralt? Not in a million years. It's way more likely that he would start a relationship with Triss than with Essi. Apart from that Yen is the only woman who manages somehow to get along with him for a longer time.
I actually do not think she is a viable choice for Geralt.
We know Geralt, the Sapkowski Geralt, and we know there is no one for him besides Yen. No one else compares for him, not even Triss. In the games you are perfectly justified in your decision to go for Triss if you want to, but it's a player choice thing. If you really want to roleplay Geralt as Geralt, then you can't, it is just out of character. But you are perfectly free to roleplay Geralt how you want him to be, which is fine. There's plenty of options the games give that are things Geralt would not do, that you can choose to anyways. You can kill Saskia, you can kill Letho, you can kill the Doppler, and you can dump Yen and romance Triss.
There's a big difference between who you want Geralt to be, and who Geralt is. That's the divide really. In the end, the games are fan fiction, you can do what you want. You can play him as your Geralt, you can play him as Sapkowski's Geralt, whatever.
To be honest there are, were and would be probably countless "better" options for Geralt and the joke is, he probably even knows that (*cough* Essi *cough*), but none of them had the same impact on him like Yennefer had and still has. Even with amnesia he thought that Triss is actually Yennefer in Witcher 1 and Triss was even glad to fill that empty place at least for a short time.
And even when he remember Yen he can continue his relationship with Triss, only when he find out Yen alive he left her because of...reason we need to find out ourselves
*Sigh * personally i think this "waifu" war has continued for a very long time, every point just keep repeat over and over again, and we explain our choice over and over again (and i didn't see anyone change their opinion,mostly). So it best i drop it here, drink tea, and enjoy other people's writing :smile:
I wouldn't call it stable, they go from one disaster into the next. First with Salamandra, she doesn't really have much time with Geralt during Witcher 1, just at Kaer Morhen, then they hit the road and don't see each other until chapter 3, which is fairly brief, then separated again until chapter 5 when they meet again in the kings court before he's off to do battle yet again. Then it jumps straight to the siege of Lavalette castle, they get a brief amount of time together before he's imprisoned. He breaks out and they get a short time together in Flotsam before she's gone again until the very end of chapter 3 and the epilogue, then they break up.
There's already a massive overlap between this and other Triss/Yen threads. If it becomes a general discussion about them rather than being on the specific topic of canon-ness (canoninity? canonicalism?) then the discussion should probably move back to the other threads.
Usually I just avoid those threads like the pest, but just one comment and I am gone again:
CDPR had to wipe out Geralt's memory to create even the slightest possibility for another relationship in his life (and even that one we got in the first two games is still optional and includes two different woman (except for the forced short sex/relationship/one-night stand with Triss at the beginning of Witcher 2...)).
WIthout an amnesia it was impossible to do that, they had to start from zero to make such thing even possible.
How much does that say about Geralt's own voluntary decision in the first place, if you need to erase his whole former life (80 years) for that? And how much does that say about every other woman compared to Yennefer in his view?
I think Triss is a viable option. If not then i will wonder why the hell i choose to romance her in first place :lol: Because I play the game as Geralt try to go into his thinking
-The book never give us a chance to explore to see if there is something between Triss and Geralt
-The game give us that (thank to CDPR :thumbsup, i think no need to go in detail here
After the prologue in W3, he love both. But like @0nakita always said, in my playthough he love Triss more
-> Result: There was nothing on Geralt's side, at least nothing that could be called love, and especially nothing that could be compared to what he felt for Yen.
Triss would only be a viable option if Geralt did not recover his memories fully. I have a personal experience in this memory loss actually, all I can say is that, if Geralt truly loves Yennefer, he'd still go back for her. Even if you have amnesia, especially this is a special circumstance, he got it through magic. Most likely he'll still go for Yen, he might look at Triss since he would also remember the things they did back when they were together, but as a viable option, it's too far. Having memory loss is a pretty experience for me, it takes time to heal, though mine was pretty much of a road accident. In terms of love, I still feel some things for my ex, though it's a long time ago already, and my feelings had worn off as my memories came back to me perfectly now.
In books, imo, Triss the one who got to his heart so close as she did, of course Yen was all his heart. But in mine games - oh, yes, he loves Triss equally, or even little bit more! :wisegirl:
In books, imo, Triss the one who got to his heart so close as she did, of course Yen was all his heart. But in mine games - oh, yes, he loves Triss equally, or even little bit more! :wisegirl:
I didn't see that in the books. The relationship was incredibly one sided, meaning all on her. Geralt tried to explain it to her even. She even called herself his mistake and he didn't 'correct' her. He just went on to explain how he values his mistakes and such.
I think it's kind of a misconception to think that there was something between them at least on his side. It's kind of like how Yarpen said it to Ciri
"Never make the same mistake, little witcher-girl," he murmured, indicating the wagon with his eyes. "If someone shows you compassion, sympathy, and dedication, if they surprise you with integrity of character, value it but don't mistake it for... something else."
... i haven't finish the series yet ... but so "Sapkowski doesn't write fairy tales" it's kind of remind me of Dandelion ballads now, so many good things happend in his ballads to cover a hard-breaking-heart truth...
I didn't see that in the books. The relationship was incredibly one sided, meaning all on her. Geralt tried to explain it to her even. She even called herself his mistake and he didn't 'correct' her. He just went on to explain how he values his mistakes and such.
You didn't, but I did. In the books he didn't loved her as a lover, he loved her as friend, and really cared for her, even as a friend. But in games, after amnezia he got a chance to look at her with new eyes.
All is IMO.
In the end the question comes down to how much Geralt has matured in the span of the three games...
In the books, it's hammered ad nauseam that Geralt loves Yennefer above everybody else, for reasons... which is valid, after all love is something that can't truly be explained and certainly can happen just because.
Now, Geralt already knows, along with the rest of his acquaintances, that his relationship with Yennefer has not been exactly all sunshines and rainbows... there was passion there for sure, but there were many break ups... in the end though, it was the only true relationship he knew, his comfort zone, in a way and he was not emotionally mature enough to try and truly explore other options... there were many other women mentioned here, that could perhaps have been better for him, but again, he never gave it a chance.
Enter the games with the amnesia plot... that choice of leaving his comfort zone is made for him... or rather, he has no "zone" anymore, no foundation... he is, in a way, unburdened by his previous life.
For the first time in his life in a long time, he is able to see other women objectively, unbiased... and in this new life he choses Triss as his companion... talking about cannon in a story filled with player agency is, at best, like swimming in murky waters... but we do know certain things... he was able to establish a relationship with Triss, one in which both were comfortable enough that they were ready to "retire", as can be seen from his conversation with Foltest at the start of W2... another thing that we can infer from his expressions is that he did seem genuinely happy with her... and they were both willing to do things for each other... and they were never separated from each other by their own volition or gave hints that they wanted to either.
It was, in a way, a very good and fulfilling relationship for both, except for the big elephant in the room, which was the eventual return of his memories and with that, the biased Geralt that we've all seen in the books... that could very well lead to him returning to Yennefer as he always did.
And it is indeed what happened, he set up to find Yennefer (he just made sure to find Triss first) and eventually reconnected with her, as usual.
Here lies the key differences... all those other mini-romances, fligs, whatever, that occurred in the books, happened when he was on his usual breaks from Yennefer... he was with other women, yes, but undoubtedly she still foremost and ever present in his mind.
The relationship with Triss, differs here in a key point. Yennefer was definitely NOT in his mind. He simply had no recollection of her. He was effectively living a life in which he'd never met her. And so, for the first time, his heart was actually available... and it was picked up by someone.
Now, I return to my initial statement. Is he now mature enough to recognize the chance he was afforded? He loves Yennefer, there's no doubt about that, but can he recall what he felt for Triss, when Yen not in the picture? I'd like to think that he had indeed grown enough personally to make that distinction.
And since love happens for, reasons, and can't be measured either, even if he made that distinction properly, he could still decide he wants to stay with Yennefer. Or he can decide he wants to further explore the relationship with Triss that his amnesia allowed him to have.
Nobody can truly tell what Geralt would chose in that situation and be 100% right, he doesn't exist after all. All I'm saying is that the experiences life put him through, as related in the books and the games, left him in a position where he could sway either way.
Nobody can truly tell what Geralt would chose in that situation and be 100% right, he doesn't exist after all. All I'm saying is that the experiences life put him through, as related in the books and the games, left him in a position where he could sway either way.
You always have the best explanation about their relationship :hatsoff:
One thing though he just made sure to find Triss first Because he don't know Yen is alive or not at this point, while Triss is clearly in Vergen then Loc Muine and her life is in danger
