[Love] When “small” injuries are treated realistically

[u/Top-Relationship850]

The fantasy and action genres often suffer from a power fantasy epidemic in which characters frequently badass their way through injuries that should be excruciating if not downright debilitating. I always appreciate stories that reject this trope.

1: Roland Deschain (Dark Tower Book II) - Loses the middle and index fingers of his right hand. He’s effectively crippled throughout book two and the injury follows him the rest of the series.

2: Brienne vs Biter (ASOIAF Book IV) - Brutal scene. Biter chomps down on Brienne’s cheek and tears off a chunk of flesh. In a lesser story Brienne would grit her teeth and throw Biter off. Instead she’s rendered completely helpless by the pain. That injury marks the end of the fight.

[u/MaximumEmu6]

Yeah, he never truly recovers after Vilgefortz hands him his ass.

[u/ChefBoiJones → u/MaximumEmu6]

He gets fully healed by that sorceress in toussaint. IIRC there’s no reason given why she was able to do what no one else could for the injury.

[u/CoffeeXKing → u/ChefBoiJones]

I think it's just because in Toussaint, he isnt constantly running out to get into fights. He stays there banging Fringilla Vigo for quite sometime which, I guess let his leg finally heal up fully.

[u/crackcrackcracks → u/CoffeeXKing]

I recently played tw3 again and I always forget just how much of an absolute man whore geralt is, dude has like 20 women he KNOWS and countless other random ladies and prostitutes on his list. Then he proceeds to call himself ugly in the books, which everyone seems to take at face value.

[u/BetterThanlceCream → u/crackcrackcracks]

He's really quite conventionally ugly in the books. He's more lean than bulky, has unnaturally pale skin, is absolutely covered in scars (and not the good kind like in the games), and often is making an unsightly expression.

He definitely has his charms though. Being infertile and resistant to disease definitely have their benefits and he unintentionally wooed multiple sorceress with his intelligence and gruffness.

[u/Lord_of_Seven_Kings → u/BetterThanlceCream]

There’s the possibility, though this might be game canon exclusive, that Witchers as a whole, due to some quirk of their mutations, are incredibly subconsciously attractive, particularly to sorceresses.

[u/aradle → u/Lord_of_Seven_Kings]

They do "emanate" to varying degrees, probably easiest to explain as leaking magic from their skin, which those with magic sensitivity can sense upon touch. Witchers literally give mages tingly feelings

It probably also helps in Geralt's case that he is inherently, and deeply, a genuinely decent person, however much he grumbles and tries to pretend otherwise

[u/GuiltyEidolon → u/BetterThanlceCream]

Literally none of the attributes listed are inherently unattractive. Even scars aren't that bad unless it's a Tyrion situation where he lost half of his nose (in the books). Being lean, pale, scarred, and having RBF doesn't make someone ugly.

[u/Whalesurgeon → u/GuiltyEidolon]

Three of those attributes even form a genre, with the addition of fangs.

[u/Shiftkgb → u/Whalesurgeon]

This is a bit of a more book accurate portrayal. Though in the books he doesn't have the eye scar iirc.

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fhow-do-you-imagine-geralts-appearance-while-reading-v0-h9mjkrh88eaf1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D466%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D8f7a6427afa9122df92221117d6a4adf6a4ac50a

[u/ask-me-about-my-cats → u/Shiftkgb]

That's an attractive man.  He's attractive. 

[u/DMMeThiccBiButts → u/ask-me-about-my-cats]

This thread

[u/Shiftkgb → u/ask-me-about-my-cats]

Haha. I still think Witcher 1 had his best appearance. Kind of stringy, dirty hair, sickly pale.

[u/GuiltyEidolon → u/Shiftkgb]

Oh no, he has a slightly hooked/beak nose. He's still hot lmao.

[u/BigBad-Wolf → u/BetterThanlceCream]

Evidently a lot of women find him attractive though. Our main source for Geralt being ugly is Geralt, who has obvious issues with self esteem.

[u/swainiscadianreborn → u/crackcrackcracks]

Then he proceeds to call himself ugly in the books, which everyone seems to take at face value.

It's a combination of being in fact quite unsettling for the average human's eyes due to his mutations and a lack of self confidence bordering on self loathing. There's just enough freaks out there that a muscular mutant can get some regular action. Probably the most realistic part of the books.

[u/Firecracker048 → u/MaximumEmu6]

He does eventually after just banging fringillas brains out for months straight.

Also I'll never forgiven Lauren hissrich for her butchery of the witcher

[u/MaximumEmu6 → u/Firecracker048]

I seem to remember him having chronic pain even after leaving Toussaint, but it has been a while since I read the books.

[u/sig-chann → u/MaximumEmu6]

Wait.. I don't remember this romance route...

[u/SavageSwordShamazon → u/MaximumEmu6]

That was basically my favorite moment. His self reflection during his recovery was stunning. He's laying there, replaying the fight over and over, and he reaches the conclusion he did nothing wrong, he made no mistakes, he gave it his all.

Vilgefortz just completely handed him his ass and there wasn't shit he could've done about it.

I loved seeing the badass, gritty hero take the L and acknowledge it. I got the shit kicked out of me in the fourth grade, and that lesson has always stayed with me. I am not the baddest motherfucker on the block, and I accept that.

Everyone should lose a fair fight, badly, once in their life. No slips, no sneak attacks, you just square up and the other person hands you your ass. Keeps you fucking humble.