Love is in the air at Fanboy Comics! In this magical month of romance and enchantment, the FBC Staff and Contributors decided to stop and smell the roses. In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, a few members of the Fanboy Comics crew will be sharing their personal love letters to the areas of geekdom they adore the most.

Master Geralt, my dear friend,

With an imposing stature, unusually pale complexion marked by angry scars, shoulder-length hair drained of its color, and piercing cat-like eyes, your quiet demeanor is unsettling and formidable. Folk who have spent their entire lives farming their small plots of land or living in one of the small hamlets dotting the lands are a simple people. When you pass by, they often respond to your physical attributes with derogatory remarks – from the disparaging toned “witcher” to pointing out your “strange eyes” and to the extreme “Don’t eat my children!” All the deprecating statements fade in the wind as you remain unprovoked; you are aware they are narrow-minded from their lack of knowledge that would otherwise be learned from travel and exposure to other cultures and practices. You shake off the ignorance; once more people have judged the book’s cover without ever trying to peek inside.

Fortunately, a few people have not be deterred; they have read passages from your book, and, for a time, their lives have become written within that thick tome of your tumultuous life – Dandelion, Yennefer, Ciri, Triss, Keira, and many others. Your tremendous strength has been sculpted by years of grueling training leading up to the Trial of the Grasses as well as the numerous mutations you have endured. While you became a mercenary for hire, specializing in killing physical and spectral monsters, you are governed by a moral compass that points towards the greater good. You almost became Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Ballegarde – thank goodness you acquiesced to Master Vesemir’s wise counsel! – instead, you are Geralt of Rivia or the White Wolf. 

I guess I could say that our paths crossed a few years ago when I had heard whispers of a Polish economist and fantasy writer by the name of Andrzej Sapkowski who had written about a bewitching lone character who traveled the world fighting monsters. I was intrigued and soon read The Last Wish and Blood of Elves. Your travels, the moral dilemmas, the Dandelion diversions – I was ensnared and enthralled. I wished for more stories! Little did I know that a seed was sown in my psyche and my imagination, waiting for the right moment to bloom.

The turn to total geekiness and, if being honest, a thread of adoration – okay, I was smitten by your gravely voiced video game persona – came when I loaded up for the first time The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on the Xbox One a couple of months ago. All the stories rushed to the forefront of my mind. Finally, the visual satisfaction of experiencing and sharing your world…well, I was in awe (not unlike when I played Skyrim)! Since those first moments to the many hours I have now played, I found an outlet to release the stresses that build up. Yeah, there are lots of drowners, foglets, vampires, and bandits that have tasted your sword, yet I have come to appreciate your patience and your desire to find a peaceful resolution. Even the way you turn the other cheek when people throw negative remarks your way – you rise above it. Via a personal application, finding balance and harmony are traits I can strive for in my own life.

Geralt, thank you for being you (and by extension a huge thank you to Mr. Sapkowski and the developers of CD Projekt RED!), and I apologize for all of the times I have made you jump in the air when I meant to swing your sword or caused you to stumble down a hill because I forgot to hit the B button. You will forgive me?

Your ardent fangirl and admirer,
Michele