#this is why specifically i really like @astrolunos and @23monkey45's art because when they draw yennefer they draw her as a WHOLE PERSON

[gayregis]

(1) I think the issue is that few fans treat Geralt and Jaskier as perfect beings who can do no wrong and anyone who disagrees is clearly a stupid misogynist (plus many ppl have only seen the games and/or the Netflix show). People are more reactive about not liking Yennefer because a lot of fans act like she's a perfect Overly Competent #girlboss who never does anything wrong, is smarter than everyone else, and if u don't like her then u hate all complex women. Is she a good character? Yes. But the point of complexity is that she can be wrong, and way too many artists and writers just make her a snarky goddess with zero flaws, or any actual flaws are treated as fun quirks or virtues. That's my take anyway, and part of the reason I don't read many fics where she's got a starring role

(2) Disclaimer female power fantasy is fine, people are allowed to hype up a character if they want, and I understand why people like Yen who is for the most part a powerful, unapologetic survivor. It just gets very irritating when that fanon gets treated as canon, and rather than a person, you just get a snarky magic creator's pet who is rarely if ever held accountable for her bullshit. You can't even block her name bc she's a main character and appears in a bunch of posts and tags even ones that aren't even about her.

i disagree with the first part about how the fans treat geralt and jaskier (i have seen a lot of that kind of treatment for jaskier for example, and geralt’s wrongness never extends to hurting others besides jaskier (for example, ciri, literally the most important person in his life) in the fanon mindset i’ve seen).

but i do agree with second part about yennefer, but also like this isn’t her fault as a character, it’s the fandom’s fault for erasing her complexity (not saying you are saying that, just to point it out). i also don’t rush to see fancontent with her, because a lot of fans just boil her down to being a kind of snarky woman that geralt sometimes gets along with and who’s sometimes mean to him, essentially imo they erase her humanity by making her so boring. she’s not the only character who suffers from this (i dont rush to see content with geralt or dandelion either, because they boil them down to one-dimensional “mean guy” and “funny guy”). fanon yennefer literally sucks, as does fanon jaskier and geralt. they erase what makes them compelling, their flaws and their best qualities (yennefer’s motherhood to ciri is erased, her ability to be wrong is erased. geralt’s self-deprication and self-loathing and indecision is erased, as well as his fatherhood to ciri IN TERMS OF sacrifice and suffering. dandelion’s arrogance is erased (outside of being funny, i mean his arrogance as it affects geralt for better and for worse), his adulthood is erased, and his ability to handle serious matters, especially serious emotional matters is also erased).

honestly. okay i blame it on shipping. because if you focus only on shipping, it’s easier if you have characters that are more one-dimensional... when someone actually gives a shit about yennefer being a mom to ciri, it totally comes out in how they interpret her character. that’s what i want to see, characters treated as their whole beings, while ALSO acknowledging the biases of the author putting things in there that are detriments to the character.