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littlestsnicket · 3 months

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witcher wip amnesty 2023

summary: there was a post going around ages ago about an AU where geralt went to get jaskier before A Grain of Truth, so he's there when geralt refers to nivellen as a friend. and i had a 'oh jaskier would not react like that' moment and started writing fic. and then i thought 'do i really need to rehash why i think large parts of fandom are misinterpreting jaskier and geralt's fight on the mountain?' and i thought 'no' but it turns out i already had.

word count: .8k

[also on ao3]

I know someone nearby, an old friend

“Geralt, it’s fine. It was a joke.”

“It’s not fine,” Geralt growled.

“You don’t need to get all self-flagellate-y. I said it’s fine.”

“I’m not self-flagellate-y. That’s not why it’s not fine.” Geralt deliberately did not comment on Jaskier’s tendency to make up words, he did not want to give Jaskier the opportunity to derail the conversation.

“I said it was fine.” Jaskier’s voice dropped to a lower register. He was actually angry. Geralt wasn’t backing down on this though.

“You do this to me all the time.”

“Well, I am a bard and you are an emotionally constipated Witcher. I’m allowed and you’re not.”

“Jaskier, shut up and let me finish.”

Jaskier’s face scrunched in exaggerated displeasure, but he sat there studying Geralt with uncomfortable intensity for a very long moment.

“Geralt.”

“What?”

“I’m trying very hard here, but you’re going to have to actually say something.”

“Fuck,” Geralt sighed and pressed the heels of his hands into his browbone before forcing hmiself to speak. “If you hadn’t had some doubt, if it didn't weigh on you in any way that I kept denying we’re friends, would you have left or would you have squawked at me about being a needlessly cruel Witcher and talked in circles until I was too irritated to be properly mad anymore?”

“Oh, that’s...” Jaskier trailed off looking away.

“You mean more to me than I know how to say.”

Jaskier’s mouth quirked like it always did right before he said something he thought was funny but was actually incredibly irritating. But his expression shifted the moment his gaze settled back on Geralt. Geralt could see the gears in Jaskier’s mind downshifting as he forced himself to properly engage with the conversation they were having. It had taken Geralt a very long time to understand that, for all his fast talking and nearly uncanny observational skills, it sometimes took Jaskier a while to really process and integrate new information.

“I know. And you’re my best friend.”

Jaskier dropped his gaze to stare at his hands, fidgeting with his fingers. Geralt was privately glad he did, Jaskier’s intensity discomfited him as much as he also craved the attention.

Suddenly, Geralt found himself fixed with Jaskier’s blue eyed stare, “Do you really think that little of me, that I would let you get away with that for decades if it bothered me?”

Jaskier’s smile went wobbly but sincere. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I guess I shouldn’t claim it wouldn’t have made any difference to have that reassurance of you having said it, but it wasn’t that. I made it pretty clear you were really hurting me and you just kept going. And I—I get it, I’m not mad anymore, but I can’t just let you do that. Yen hurt you, and you—”

“I wasn’t—”

“No. Yennefer reminded you how easy it is to hurt someone who cares about you and you decided to deal the decisive blow first before I could hurt you too. It’s not fine, but I do understand. You haven’t lived this long by ignoring potential threats.”

Geralt sighed. Sometimes Jaskier was impossible, mostly because he was right.

“Why didn’t you tell her you didn’t wish for that? You didn’t wish for that, did you?”

“No. It wouldn’t have mattered.”

“Exactly,” Jaskier replied, his voice pained.

Geralt, unsure what else to do, rested his hand on Jaskier’s shoulder.

“Just, you know, do better next time. And for what it’s worth, though I made no secret of how much I hated her, I am truly sorry the two of you won’t get a second chance.”

They were both quiet for a long time, at least by Jaskier’s standards, before Jaskier did the imitation of a hyper-alert squirrel he did when his attention caught on something he was uncertain about. “You know, I don’t like this place. There’s something off about it. It’s... creepy? But not in an oooo spooky old house way. You get used to that. This gets worse the longer I’m here. It’s... whatever is in the ceiling is not a cat.”

Jaskier was right. Geralt refocused all of his senses. Cats did not make subtle clicking noises. He remembered the barefoot prints vanishing suddenly in the snow. “It’s a bruxa. We have to get to Ciri. Now.”

“Tell me what you need me to do,” Jaskier said as he tailed Geralt down the hall.

“Go with Ciri and get to Roach. Watch out for her. She doesn’t trust me yet and might not listen.”

“Ok. Yes, easy. This will be fine,” Jaskier mumbled to himself. Geralt didn’t snap at him to be quiet like he once might have. He was used to Jaskier, his murmuring wasn’t distracting as much as it was a reassuring reminder that he was there.

#the witcher #geraskier #mayo writes fic #wip amnesty 2023 #first drafts of my fic tend to be mostly dialogue not really sure why i write like that

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rycbarmerlin · 10 months

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SPOILERS FOR THE WITCHER S3 VOL. 1

Will be discussing Extraordinary Things, other Jaskier things and Vol. 2 predictions! It's a fairly long scroll!

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I've been seeing lots of people giving their thoughts about Extraordinary Things so I thought I'd give my thoughts and interpretations.

Who is the song about?

People have been umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether it's about Geralt or Radovid (or other) but I definitely feel like it is about both of them. The premise of the situation is Jaskier is playing a few songs for Radovid and company, implying these are songs Jaskier has had in his repertoire for a while. This is where the song could definitely be interpreted to be solely about Geralt. However, from a kind of story perspective, I think the song works as a way to frame Jaskier and Radovid's romantic entanglement.

The immediate parallel I can think of for this technique is in episode 1 with Yennefer's narration of her letters to Geralt (which I LOVED🥹). The letters act as situational and emotional context for the viewer; they tell us where Geralt and Yennefer's relationship is at and an impression of the time passed since Kaen Mohren, all without bloating the episode with snapshots of these moments.

I think, therefore, Extraordinary Things acts as a look towards what Jaskier and Radovid could become, and what they could find in and through each other. Joey Batey said that he wrote Extraordinary Things to replace scenes of dialogue, because it could say just as much, if not more. Hence why I think the song reflects Jaskier's present/past/future.

"The greatest songs are made up of unspoken words of love / of them I have had enough"

These lines, I feel, are most definitely about Geralt. You only have to think of his set-up for Toss a Coin to Your Witcher and Jaskier's line "respect doesn't make history." His career became oriented by singing the praise of the White Wolf in epic ballad styles of quests and battles against foes. Of course, then comes the mountain™ moment and then Burn Butcher Burn. I think (depsite what the showrunners have said and that platonic line this volume) Jaskier has been in love with Geralt. Jaskier loves love, he loves people, why wouldn't he have loved Geralt? I still feel the pronoun usage in Her Sweet Kiss makes the song ambigious in its position regarding his feeling and whose perspective he is singing in. The "I forgive you" line in 3x04, alongside S1 Jaskier's "and yet, here we are" and "just trying to work out what pleases me" lines further contribute to this. Furthermore, as Jaskier confirms with Yennefer about Burn Butcher Burn, "Fine, yes, when I wrote it, it did come from the heart. Perhaps a broken one."

Now, returning to Extraordinary Things, Jaskier's role as a bard is different now - he isn't travelling the Continent trying to be a barker for Geralt. He is the Sandpiper, he has found his higher purpose, the thing he truly cares about and wants to make a difference with (*plays Song of the Seven.*) Those days of Jaskier following Geralt round on uneven terms are over. They have a different dynamic now so those Toss a Coin days, of them he's had enough.

Joey lingers on the line "of them i've had enough" which I think emphasises the feelings I mentioned above. He also beautifully expresses this kind of cocktail of bittersweet regret, longing, acceptance, self-awareness and defiance before singing the following lines:

With you I have enough / with you I am enough / I am enough

Radovid sees Jaskier as Jaskier sees Radovid. They both seem to be able to look beyond the carefully constructed masks they both put up. And yes, it certainly feels they both know that they can "take" each other's hearts, and "break" each other's heart as they're both playing a dangerous game. And yes, the way and time Jaskier sings the song, him and Radovid have only had a few scenes together, but I think this circles back to the fact of this song acting as a framing device for what Jaskier and Radovid could be.

Radovid's admission in episode 4 that Jaskier sees the best in people, while the truth, Radovid is implicating that where Jaskier is seeing the best in Radovid, there are the darker/more nefarious secrets and conspiracies which Radovid is embroiled in. But when you find that person that sees you as you are, especially when many people perceive you as this one-dimensional thing, that can throw logic and rationale out the window.

Regarding Radovid's/Jaskier's position this season, Radovid, I don't think, ever intended to catch feelings for Jaskier, and nor did Jaskier. Jaskier, I think is trying to use his position to protect the people he loves and protect the elves, trying to play both sides. Ultimately, I don't think this is going to work. I feel the season (and Time of Contempt which is the Sapkowski novel the season is predominantly based upon) is all about the reality that you have to pick a side, neutrality is no longer an option, and from what Joey has said, Jaskier is not as good at all this political manouevering than he thinks.

My personal prediction for Vol 2 and what could happen is that Jaskier may find himself in trouble with Dijkstra and Radovid will use his position to get Jaskier out of it. It may be a case where Radovid betrays Jaskier (as one feels is bound to happen) but, as I said, Radovid would ultimately save Jaskier as his kind of 'redemption' moment. Their romantic entanglement feels doomed, but the fact that these feelings can blossom and bloom in such a time of war and struggle and violence is hopeful in a way.

It's not a want / it's a need / it's paying no heed to what others say / to sing

This line almost adds to that feeling of doomed romance - they're playing "no heed" to what would be expected of them (a standard or uncomplicated romance). I also love this line in the context of Jaskier's conversation with Yennefer in Oxenfurt when he is discussing the persecution of the elves. Being queer makes him an 'Other'. Just being in a nonstraight relationship, he is "paying no heed" to the kind of relationship ("song") he is expected to have.

My final thing, slightly unrelated, is that I reallllly hope Jaskier and Rience have a scene together in vol. 2. I am so pleased that Jaskier's trauma from Rience has been discussed so I would just love to see Jaskier in a situation where he is confronted with it - and hopefully sticks it to Rience!

And thus indeeds my far too long ramble about all things Jaskier. Time of Contempt is one my favourite books ever but I didn't want to cross-reference my thoughts with it too much as that is even more spoilers. If you've made it this far, I would love to have a chat about what you all think! Obviously this is just my interpretation and i'm an english graduate so will find any excuse to write an essay lol. Now the wait for vol 2...

END OF POST!!! YOU ARE SAFE

#the witcher #the witcher spoilers #the witcher season 3 #the witcher season 3 spoilers #jaskier #jaskier spoilers #joey batey #radovid #jaskovid #extraordinary things #geraskier #close reading #i love when everyone has their theories so i thought i would be bold and impart mine!

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crazypaperwasteland · 2 years

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How Geralt Lost Her-Part One

Summary: Geralt unknowingly hurt the person he loved most, leaving her feeling unwanted and forgotten by the people she cared for. Will he ever be able to make it up to her? Or will she leave him and never come back?

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: Just a lot of sadness and Yennefer being a bitch (no hate to her, I love her. But in this story, she’s a bitch)

A/N: Just as a reminder, up until this post reaches 50 likes, Part Two will not be posted. Again, sorry about that.

Masterlist

Part 2 (Link will be attached when it’s posted)

I could see that she had Geralt under her spell from the moment he saw her. It was fine, I knew what she meant to him, I knew that he loved her. He’d told me as much, he told me that she was dead too, and that a part of him would always love her. I was fine with that. The one thing I wasn’t fine with was the way that Yennefer looked at Ciri, I could tell that Ciri was uncomfortable as well.

It made my blood boil. I could also see how Yennefer looked at me when Geralt turned his back, she tried to hide it, but she saw me as a threat. She’d been teaching Ciri witchcraft, in ways that I couldn’t teach her, and it seemed that she believed she was superior to me because she spent a lot of time with Ciri. I knew about Yennefer’s infertility, I knew that she had spent decades trying to have a child of her own. I also knew that she saw Ciri as a surrogate for that loss, that void she felt inside of herself.

For weeks, we’d been on the road, after Ciri’s little spill at Kaer Morhen. After learning about Yennefer’s betrayal, Geralt had been giving her the cold shoulder and really only talking to me, Ciri and Jaskier, albeit very little. Geralt seemed to think that he could just come running back to me when his first relationship was at odds with him. I, however, was not content with that little arrangement. So I would sleep near Jaskier, if Geralt set his bedroll down next to mine, I would move away from him and go over to Ciri. The poor man looked so confused. But I was not a toy, I wouldn’t play that game.

I never intended to let anyone in on the way I was feeling. Betrayed, forgotten, lonely, upset. However, eventually those things boil over. Especially with me. Yennefer was skilled in magic, there was no doubt about it. She’d singlehandedly turned the tide at Sodden with all of her flames and had not lost her life. But I was different. Once upon a time, I’d been at Aretuza, long after she’d left.

The mages of Aretuza were fearful of her because of how she’d weaponized flames at Sodden, but when they heard of my abilities, they were even more terrified. There would always be mages who were unlike others, who had greater limits than average humans. I was one of them. A woman with an affinity for fire, I used it everyday, I felt it rising up my throat like bile everyday, fighting to shove it back down everyday.

This day was one of the harder ones. Yennefer had put Ciri in danger. We had come across a monster, another monster after Ciri. While Geralt was incapacitated, Yennefer had tried to portal. But her magic was still…finicky. She had taken Ciri in her arms, trying to protect her, when in reality she’d opened a portal right into the creature’s path and nearly gotten Ciri snatched up into its jaws.

It took a split second for me to burn it into a crisp from the inside out. The work wasn’t the problem. The problem was that Yennefer had put Ciri in danger again. And I felt the familiar burn of fire in my stomach, rising up my throat as if I could spew it at her like my poisonous words.

Ciri had gone to check on Geralt, who was unconscious after being thrown into a tree and hitting his head, Jaskier went with her. “Do you realize that Ciri could have died just then?”

Yennefer glared at me while rubbing her arms, “yes.”

“She would have died all because of your mistake,” I knew Yennefer felt guilty, I could tell, but everything I’d been feeling was coming out now. The hatred I had for her ran deep, because she thought that she could steal everything from me. My best friend, my lover, my child.

“You think I don’t know that?” Yennefer snapped, her eyes blazing.

I felt heat rising in my clenched fists, “if you had simply left it to me, that thing would have been a pile of ashes in a moment. Instead you left me to knock you and Ciri out of the way because you decided you wanted to portal. You decided you wanted to test out your shaky magic when Ciri’s life was in danger!”

“I was trying to protect her!”

“No, you were trying to play house,” I shouted back, stepping up until there was no space between us. “Like you’ve been doing ever since you got here. Happy little family. Mother, father, daughter. With you as the dutiful wife.”

“That’s what this is about?” Yennefer laughed, “you’re worried that I’m going to take your place?”

“No, I want to make sure you understand some things.” I sneered, I grabbed her arms, she hissed as steam rose from between her skin and mine, my hands burned right through the fabric of her sleeves. Her eyes were frantic with mine at the pain I knew she was in. “I don’t give a shit if you buddy up with Jaskier, I couldn’t care less if Geralt chooses you over me. But let’s get one thing clear, Ciri is not your child. You can get close to her, you can teach her, you can love her, but she is not yours. She’s mine. And if you put her in danger one more time, I swear to the gods that I will burn you alive, you spiteful bitch.” I shoved her away and stormed off, twigs snapping under my boots.

I sat on a cliff edge for hours, my feet dangling off. How many times had I considered jumping off of a cliff since Yennefer returned? Three times. Once, when she first came back, I saw how Geralt looked at her. He looked at her like he loved her, he looked at her the way he looked at me before she came back into the picture. The second time was when Jaskier recounted her as his friend and slipped an arm around her, that wasn’t what did it. It was that she looked at me and smirked when he said it. And then the third time was when I heard her and Geralt speaking in hushed whispers while we were staying at an inn one night. I heard Yennefer giggling in delight and speaking in a sultry voice.

All I had left was Ciri, she was the only one that I hadn’t lost, that didn’t entertain Yennefer’s desire for the perfect family. I recalled what my father told me when he found out about my gifts. “You will always be alone. You are extraordinary, but you are also a wrecking ball. Everything you touch, you ruin. You aren’t worth the pain, and one day everyone you care about will realize it too.” For decades that echoed in my head, those words.

I felt tears slip down my cheeks, for a second I thought it was beginning to rain, but then I realized that it was just me. My lips trembled as I picked up a rock and chucked it off the cliffside, letting out a wail that I hoped no one could hear.

Alas, I never got that lucky. In fact, my entire life had just been a series of bad luck. A series I thought ended when I met Geralt and Jaskier, when I met Ciri. Turns out that it was only just beginning.

“Is this why you haven’t been speaking to me?” I heard Geralt ask in his usual gravelly tone, only this time it was softer, as if he was afraid to startle me. “I have no idea why you would think I’d leave-”

“You love her, Geralt,” I cut in, “I don’t need anyone to tell me that what I’m feeling is unjustified, I don’t need anyone to tell me that I’m crazy. You love her. You’re cross with her at the moment, but the moment you accept her apology you two will be all cozied up to one another. In fact, you probably already are.”

Geralt was silent for a long moment, “me and Yennefer are done, (Y/N). I made that very clear to her.” I heard his boots moving on the gravelly rock before he sat down next to me. “I love you-”

“You only love me because you can’t have her, Geralt,” I turned to look at him. He seemed to jump back at the sight of my tear stained face. “I am no one’s second choice. All I have ever done is help other people, all I’ve ever done is think of everyone else, put other people first. And yet no one ever does the same for me.” I stood up and started to walk away from him, but he grabbed my hand before I could get very far.

“You are not my second choice,” Geralt tugged me towards him until I looked at him again. “You should have just told me-”

“And what?” I shoved him away from me, “you would have told Yennefer to leave? You would have “listened” to what I had to say? Like you’re doing now?” I laughed, despair seizing me.

“I am listening.”

“No, you’re not. You’re trying to make it seem like I am at fault. You wouldn’t have listened, because you are unwilling to see the pain I’m in, the pain that I have been in, because you also know, deep down, that you are the cause.” Geralt lowered his head, and I knew I was right.

“Then explain it to me, explain so I can understand, because I truly don’t know what you’re trying to tell me.” Geralt’s voice was pleading.

I huffed a laugh, “it’s simple. She has her claws sunk so deep into your heart that you are blinded to any wrongdoing on her part. You have not seen the way she has looked at me or treated me, because you’d rather not see it.”

“How has she done wrong to you, (Y/N)?” Geralt snapped at me, “what exactly has she done to make you hate her so?” His tone was so…mocking that I flinched slightly.

I felt myself choke on my tears, “this, Geralt.” I gestured between me and him, “she is determined to destroy everything that I perceive as mine.”

“No, she isn’t!”

I let the tears in my eyes fall, my legs felt wobbly beneath me, I saw guilt flash on his face at the sight, but I cast that observation aside. “Fine, Geralt. I’m done….I’m just…I’m done.” I took a step back away from him, “she wins. You’re hers, Ciri is hers, Jaskier is hers. I’m done.” I threw my hands up in defeat and turned my back on him, and I left. I left it all behind, Geralt, Yennefer, Jaskier and Ciri. I left it all behind because I knew if I stayed, it would eventually kill me. So with teary eyes and an aching heart, I walked away from the love of my life, my child, and my best friend.

#jaskier #geralt #geralt of rivia #geralt x reader #geralt angst #the witcher #yennefer of vengerberg #yennefer #cirilla #princess cirilla #ciri #ciri x geralt #rivia #geralt fluff #fluff #angst #sadness #aretuza #kaer morhen

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my-jokes-are-my-armour · 9 months

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Some times Jaskier lowers his mask - Part 1

"Jaskier sees the mask that Radovid is putting out to the whole world, and he knows what it's like to wear one of those masks and to hide behind apparent buffoonery, behind a facade of, perhaps, jokes or debauchery." [x]

This season has one thing I love : exploring layers of Jaskier. And while for the former seasons it was more of a speculative game, here it is part of his arc with Radovid. Understand how Jaskier works. And it is done beautifully.

The game of masks between two characters that let pass a lot of emotions in general but will shield themselves when it matters the most, for them or for others. They are both extreme empaths which can lead to a lot of pain. So this is their defense mechanism. Basically : "don't let them see".

Well, everyone can see that they are weaker than others but digging they would find that they are tougher than they believe. Because what they let see is not all what they are, and most importantly, what they feel. Or should I say how they feel and how much.

Many other characters have masks in the show. From Tissaia to Calanthe, from Dijkstra to Vilgefortz and Geralt himself too. But thoses are different kind of masks. They are all strong characters with a lot of power. Magical, physical, psychological. Some hides softness. Some hides their true nature and their machinations. Some tries to burry under it the fact that they have feelings at all. Right, Geralt ?

Jaskier has none of it. He has no power, no fighting skills, nor he has machiavelic plans to hide. He shows his loving nature easily. His care and his fear too. But he hides himself anyway.

The fact that Jaskier hides himself behind a mask can be seen day 1. He is struggling to live from his music, yet he is performative and he seems confident. He seems the kind of guy that doesn't care much about anything.

His first "lower the mask" moment is when he and Geralt are captured by the elves and he learns the truth about their condition. No-one is looking at him and he is moved to tears. He cares. And can easily be overwhelmed by someone else's pain. He is very empathetic.

Figuring out people is a powerful skill, but being so open to absorb people feelings can be dangerous. In the same way, he can feel too much on his own. So he has to protect himself from a lot and not let other see what can hurt him or not. Also, he can't protect himself from being harmed so he as to navigate people differently in a world that becomes more and more brutal and without mercy.

After the first adventure, Geralt becomes his muse and we know where that leads...

1 - The dragon hunt

During the first season, Jaskier hides a lot and reveals himself only when people don't look at him. There are several moments where we, viewers, can see behind the mask but the other characters don't. Sometimes he struggles to keep his shield up, because he feels too much, but he will lower his mask only when nobody looks at him.

Even when Geralt finally breaks his heart he puts a mask on. Geralt could see the first blows landing but the real hurt was shown when he turns his back to him. Yet Jaskier builds a mask up before leaving. Talking about the story he will gather from the others so he can make it like he just care about the song he wants to write from it. And it echoes the scene I choose to illustrate the "lower the mask" moment from.

For me the discussion after Borch "death" is the turning point.

Jaskier is not well but he would try to help Geralt who is unwell too. Geralt always hides behind a strong facade of "I feel nothing". But Jaskier sees through it, always... So he tries his best to reach Geralt and help him going through his feelings. Doing so, Jaskier own feelings reflects back at him and his fragile mask crumbles.

Geralt asks him if his "philosophical" thoughts are to compose his next song. But Jaskier replies something more personal.

We can see cracks here that would rip open when Geralt's own mask would break after the dispute with Yennefer and that he would burst his rage at him in his pain.

2 - Burn Butcher Burn

This one sees the brokenhearted Jaskier in his weakest point in life. His heart is still bleeding, two years after the mountain, and he is emotionally raw because, empath as he is, he feels for those who are persecuted.

He is doing his best but the pain is here and he is barely able to hide the true depth of it, even in the middle of a crowd this time.

We see him with his performative mask, passionate and shining, only to crumble when his feelings catch him up. He goes deeper than he probably intended to and when the applause of the audience almost wake him up from his introspective moment, he struggles to put his mask up again.

3 - Broken

The most extreme example is when Rience gets him. Before the torture, Jaskier is clearly scared to death but he tries to keep himself together the best he can. But after... he is exhausted and hurt. He seems almost empty but when Rience announces the next round, Jaskier finds the strength to build up his mask back.

Then we see him raw and playing every cards he has to survive. Crying, screaming. But... He protects what matters the most to him in the end. Geralt. Yennefer saves him just in time to prevent permanent damages or death, but in the ruins of himself, Jaskier won the battle.

The psychological damages last long though and we see the aftermath in S3 (which I am glad they addressed). Jaskier is stronger then ever but the fear of Rience combine with his love for his found family leads him on a mined field.

4 - This is different

There are many other moments, in season 2, where we can see him almost break and using his masks. It is really hard to choose the one to pick. There is of course the prison scene when Jaskier tries to let go his resentment but Geralt shuts him up. We can see him on the verge of breaking (my god... this look he gives at Geralt...) and he quickly builds up his mask again, agrees to help him and makes jokes.

But there is that short moment, when he tries to connect the dots with Geralt new dad self, where he tries to make his friend realise that in his rage he can do more harm and could regret things.

He is sarcastic and funny when he first speaks about Yennefer, but then lowers his buffon mask to speak truthfully. He lowers it to the point of revealing to Geralt that what he said to him on the mountain hurt him as much as Yennefer had hurt him. And that yet he is back for him. Trying to tell him that he loves him that much and that he can do the same for Yennefer.

But then Geralt doesn't understand/see and tells him that this different. Lowering Jaskier platonic damaged feelings in front of his. We can see that it hurts him again. So when Geralt finally apologies for the mountain, Jaskier put his buffon mask on again and jokes about his lack of displayed emotions.

Considering what he's been through, that hurts a lot.

I have reached the limit of gifs for one post 😅

I have some more moments to show but I will wait until the vol 2 of S3 to write about it. Because I have the feeling that there is more in the coming episodes. Next part would display more of S3 with parallels of what we have seen so far.

#jaskier #geraskier #radskier #jaskier's masks #whump the bard #am i analysing too much ?#long post #my potato gifs #tw: blood #tws3 #tws3 spoilers

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merlot-and-chardonnay · 3 months

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A Lark Among the Wolves and Dragons Bonus Chapter: the Lark's Broken Wings

Okay, so as I've said I would, we have a bonus chapter to focus on the Lady of Larks and her trauma. I'll admit I had to go to a pretty dark place to make this chapter a reality, it was not easy to write.

That being said, major content warning with mentions of PTSD and sexual assault and the trauma associated with that. If this makes you uncomfortable, hang in there, I have more chapters planned for the main story line (plus a couple more bonus chapters).

Also I as a writer recognize that r*pe related trauma is not a universal experience, and it affects people in different and varying ways. If you have been through a similar experience, know you are not alone.

The following story also takes place during the Baptism of Fire story line more or less.

"No...no...please...stop...."

Your pleas in your sleep along with your thrashing about in your sleep bag stirred some in the group who made camp for the night.

Among those was Geralt who was quick to get on his feet and approach you. The witcher was followed by Jaskier who took a few seconds more to realize what was happening.

Zoltan Chivay and Cahir were a little slower to wake, Zoltan rubbing his eyes, "what is going on now?" he asks, "are we under attack again?"

"No," was Milva's answer as she approached with concern, "it's happening again."

"Go away....get away..." you continue as your nightmares of the Rogue Prince continue to haunt you.

"(y/n)?" Geralt places a hand on your shoulder and tries to shake it in an attempt to wake you. "(y/n)! You're having a nightmare! Wake up! (y/n)!"

"GET AWAY!" you scream, eyes wide as you bolt up from where you laid. You broke out in cold sweat, panting hard like you had been running for your life. Considering what your nightmare consisted of, you might as well have.

"(y/n)-" Geralt tried to touch you again, but you slap his hand and back away from no one in particular, clearly still in panic mode and hyperventilating. "He's coming, he's coming for me. He's coming for me, he's coming for me..."

"(y/n), you were having a nightmare," Jaskier tries to reason but you didn't listen, only screaming and crying in response. "He's coming for me again."

Geralt and Jaskier only exchange concerned looks, completely at a loss of what to do. "What do we do?" Jaskier whispers to the witcher. "(y/n)," Geralt tries again in a soft voice, slowly approaching, staying at a certain distance to keep you from feeling like you were suffocating. "He's not coming for you again, (y/n)."

You feel your breath return to normal, looking around to see Geralt kneeling in front of you. To his left you see Jaskier and to the right you see Milva and Regis and the others in the group staring at you.

It was just a nightmare, you realize. You were not in King's Landing anymore. You were not being abused at the hands of Daemon Targaryen anymore...you didn't have Aemma in your arms anymore. You had escaped...but at the cost of losing your daughter in the process.

You felt the tears threaten to spill. You place your hand over your mouth to stop yourself from making any weeping sounds. "(y/n)," you hear Geralt say, empathy conveyed in his tone. You lean into Geralt, not caring about the scene you were probably causing before the company, "he took my daughter from me," you whisper as you sob incoherently into Geralt's shoulder, "My Aemma...my little girl." "I know...I know," Geralt rubs your back for comfort, sadness filling inside him for you, and the anger for the man who did this to you rising.

You stayed in Geralt's arms for a bit, willing to stay there all night, maybe forever. But then you saw the rest of the groups staring at you with looks of confusion and pity. You pull away. "What are you all looking at?" you ask, sniffling and wiping your eyes, "it was just a nightmare."

"It seemed more than that," Milva points out. "Well it was," you insist, "I'm fine, really." "Are you certain?" Cahir questions. "Yes, what does it matter to you? Why is he even still here?" you exasperate, "I thought we kicked him out. Aren't still mad at him because of Ciri?" "How about we don't change the subject?" Milva steps in. You lightly push her to the side, "I'm fine," you repeat, "I'm sorry I woke you all. I just want to go back to sleep."

You lay back on your sleep mat, turning around and curling your knees to your chest, trying to ignore the stares from everyone else in the camp. You were not a victim, you say to yourself- the things that happened to you in King's Landing at the hands of...that man did not change you or damage you in any way. All this, despite the fact this wasn't the first time those nightmares haunted your sleep, and it wasn't the first time said nightmares forced you to scream and wake up everyone around you.

After escaping the Lodge, you were reunited with Geralt and Jaskier, whom were just as relieved to see as the last time they saw you, you were at death's door and had disappeared seemingly in the middle of the night. You explained to them what had actually happened, that Yennefer took you to a secret place to save you with the help of her fellow sorceresses.

At first Geralt had been furious that Yennefer would put you in the position you were in, and not trusting him enough to tell him her plan, but he was glad she did what needed to be done to save your life. You had yet to disclose that the remedy that saved your life also came at the expense of your fertility.

After the reunion, you had been introduced to the others that were part of the company: the vampire Regis, a dwarf Zoltan, Cahir, and a dryad named Milva. All four of them were somewhat familiar with who you were as the Lady of Larks, but didn't know the extent of the events you had endured as of recent.

The company was heading South towards Nilfgaard with the hopes of rescuing Ciri from the hands of the Emperor. You wanted to go back to Westeros to rescue Aemma, but with no mage to open a portal back to that place, it would take an army to lay siege to King's Landing just to save your daughter. It was a long shot, but maybe if you found a way to appeal to the Emperor's more empathetic nature, he might be able to help with that. Again, you were not sure how that would work, but it was the only plan anyone had.

It was a long journey, and your bouts of panic attacks during the day, and the nightmares that followed weren't exactly helping the company, save for depriving them of a full night's sleep and slowing their trek when you needed to step away to calm yourself.

It was understandable they were all concerned, especially Geralt and Jaskier, but you still insisted you were alright, and this was temporary. It would all go away as soon as you got Aemma back, you convinced yourself to believe. Once she was back in your arms and away from her father, the nightmares would surely cease once and for all.

The following morning, the company departed at first light. You trailed behind for the majority of the trek, wanting to avoid eye contact with anyone in the group, and also with the hopes of avoiding answering any uncomfortable questions. Geralt was leading the group; today, it looked like he was able to cover more ground at a faster pace then he did yesterday. Since that day on Thanedd, when you were still in King's Landing, when that coup took place and Geralt suffered significant damage at the hands of the sorcerer Vilgefortz, the witcher has dealt with occasional bouts and flare ups that were associated with chronic pain. While he could put up with it most days, Geralt also had bad days. Even when Regis was kind enough to create a medicated balm to ease the pain, the witcher would still have days when the pain was too much, and he would either need to take it slow, or stop the trek altogether. You understood, and had no wish to push the man past what he was able to bare on those days. It was going to be a long journey anyway, what was a few extra days to stop and rest?

While you lagged behind, you found yourself lost in thought, thinking about your dream, specifically the part of the dream that wasn't a nightmare. When you heard Aemma crying in her room. You had walked in, seeing her in distress. You didn't know why, but you came to her side, picked her up in your arms, and sang her a soothing lullaby, which calmed her and had her falling asleep against your chest. You thought about how that dreamed reminded you of when you would do similar things with Aemma back in Dragonstone and King's Landing, when she was the one thing that kept you going during those dark times. She was what kept you fighting to survive so you and her could escape that terrible place. You escaped...and she was still behind.

You didn't want to think about how worried she was for you, not knowing where you were or if you were even coming back. Part of you had speculated the things her father was putting inside her head as of right now. What lies was Daemon concocting right now to fill inside your daughter's head. That you died? That you abandoned her? That someone came and took you from her?

What if it was too late by the time you went back with the proper reinforcements? What if your daughter was so convinced by Daemon's lies, she would end up hating you?

You felt the tears build up, but you don't bother to stop them from spilling as no one in the front would see you crying. Or so you were hoping.

Milva looked behind to see your silent tears. She lagged now to be by your side. "Are you thinking about last night?" the dryad inquires. You shake your head and wipe your tears. "I wasn't thinking about last night," you assure. "Bullshit," Milva scoffs. "I don't want to talk about it," you huff. "Suit yourself," Milva concedes. The two of you walk side by side in awkward silence for a few brief moments before she spoke again, a little more empathy in her voice this time around.

"I used to have nightmares too, you know." You say nothing, continuing to walk in silence. "Most of them were of my stepfather," the dryad continues, "The man he...well we didn't get along. Well I didn't get along with him, and he tried to get along with me a little too well. He would always unwanted advances towards me even though he was married to my mother. I was barely past adolescence around that time. Even after I stood up for myself and ran away after knocking him out with a rake, he still haunted me one way or another. I used to dream he was coming after me for revenge or something far worse." You turn your head to make eye contact with Milva.

You didn't know too much about her, save for what little she has disclosed to the company so far; before becoming part of the dryads of Brokelin Forest, Milva was part of a family of hunters in Upper Sodden. Her father taught her everything she knew about the trade, and it was something she maintained well, having made her first kill when she was only 11. You knew her mother had remarried after her father died, and she ran away soon after, but this was the first time you understood why. You didn't know how much Geralt had disclosed to the dryads when they first brought him to the forest to heal him with the waters of Brokelin Forest, but Milva remembered when Geralt insisted he needed to get to King's Landing to rescue from the family of dragon lords who ruled that place. She was under the impression they kept you in prison there. She was right, though it wasn't a prison like a dungeon. It was a gilded cage, one that seemed nice and luxurious on the outside, but on the inside it had turned into your personal hell.

"I'm sorry you went through that," you told her, meaning it, "but I fail to understand what this has to do with me." "I...I just thought it might help if you knew you are not alone in whatever it is you went through. Whoever it was that hurt you-" "Nobody hurt me!" you insist. Milva only gave a incredulous look in response, to which you took offense. "What you don't believe me?" "I'd have an easier time believing you if you weren't so defensive," Milva explains, "I used to get that way too. I tried to convince others around me, the other dryads, that my past didn't damage me. I would put up a front and act like I was not broken, not after I went through-" "I'm not you, Milva!" you interrupt her, the others up front pretend like they're not listening in.

"I'm sorry that you went through such horrible things, but that wasn't me. Yes, I was...in a less than ideal situation. I endured more shit in the last three years than I ever did in my whole life, I was...I was forced to do things I had no say in, sure that happened, and those things happen everyday. But I'm not damaged." "(y/n)-" "I'm not a victim, Milva," you insist, "I survived and I came out in one piece. Well, one piece was left behind, but I'm fine. I at least know my daughter is in a place where she can't be harmed for the time being. I'll be fine. I'll solider through till we get to Nilfgaard, rescue Ciri, and then rescue Aemma."

You stare daggers at the group, whom you knew were eavesdropping due to the fact they had slowed down, "and you all can stop pretending you were not listening in!" you shout. "(y/n), it was none of our intention to eavesdrop," Jaskier tries to intervene, running over to you, "we're just...you know, concerned."

"Why? Why all this concern?" you exasperate. "(y/n), you were held against your will on some foreign land with no allies or friends, except for your daughter. You were forbidden to leave and he-" You now stare daggers at your brother, almost daring him to finish his sentence, "he did what, Julian? HE did WHAT?"

At this point, the company all but stop moving. Jaskier could see in your eyes you were not going to acknowledge what happened to you anytime soon, and any further pushes would only lead to you clamping down on your unresolved trauma. You would only continue to keep it all in, even when it continue to bubble up to the surface, be it in the form of your nightmares or your daytime panic attacks. So your brother steps and concedes, "...nothing, little sister. Forgive me for doubting you being fine. I believe you."

You didn't believe him, but accepted his apology all the same.

The company continued their trek.

Jaskier walked up ahead to Geralt, "Geralt-" "I know," the witcher whispers to his friend. "She can't keep going like this," Jaskier insists, "if she doesn't let it out soon, it may end up destroying her before we even get to Nilfgaard." "She won't talk about it," Geralt points out. "She can't keep it in," Jaskier points back, "I know she keeps saying she's fine, but I know she's not. I saw that look in her eyes when I came for her in King's Landing. You saw that look too, Geralt, you know she was at the end of her limit."

Geralt had a sad look in his eye when he subtly turned to see you walking behind, putting on a brave face for anyone that would see you.

The witcher recalled how after the two of you reunited, you would sleep next to him at nights, albeit with some space in between. You often would turn from him, curling up with your knees to your chest, hugging yourself in your sleep as if you were trying to protect yourself from whatever perceived dangers may be coming your way. He thought about the times when you and him shared a kiss, how quick you were to pull away so abruptly; there was even one time when you were making out which ended in you slapping him in misdirected anger, only for you to look at him in shock when you realized what you've done. He would ask, but he never pressed when you simply answered it was nothing and you were fine. Not at all trying to repress your trauma.

Geralt could only speculate the things Daemon did to you. He already had some idea given the state you were in before the escape. It was telling in the way you flinched and backed off during any attempts you made to be intimate with him.

"Maybe there is a way she can process it...indirectly?" Geralt suggests for a solution?

Jaskier thinks on this, an idea dawning on him when he remembered a little activity you and him used to do years back before your time in Westeros.

--------later that evening-------------

"So...you want to collaborate on an epic?" you tilt your head a little in curiosity, yet feeling skeptical. "Yeah, why not?" Jaskier points out, "come on, little sister, we used to do this all the time, remember? We created some of our best ballads when we worked together, brother and sister, why try that to maybe create an epic this time?"

You were still hesitant, yet it did sound like a good idea. You and your brother had indeed done something like that many years back when the two of you were still socializing in the same circles, something you had been doing since before even meeting Geralt, when you and Jaskier would brainstorm together for coming up with new songs and ballads to perform in taverns and such.

It's been a while, but if it would help take your mind off certain things for just a little while then you were not complaining. "Okay," you nod, taking out a pen and paper, "we did compose some pretty amazing songs when we put our minds together. What do you think this epic should curtail?"

"Well," Jaskier begins the brainstorm, "I was maybe thinking of something along the lines of...a long journey, one filled with strife and struggle, one filled with pain, but it ends with something good, where the heroine in the story comes out of it on top." "Heroine?" you furrow your brows a bit, "interesting. Not many people think of women when they think epic of strife and struggle." "Well, maybe you could have an input on that," Jaskier suggests, "you are a woman after all." "Yeah...I am..." you say softly, taking some deep breaths as you put the pen to paper, trying to focus on some ideas.

It felt like forever as you struggle to come up with ideas. "Take your time, sis," Jaskier encourages, "there's no rush." "I know that," you say through gritted teeth, "I'm just...I can do this. I'm not sure how to feminize this epic." "I wasn't thinking of feminizing- well maybe a little. It's a heroine's struggle after all." "Heroine's struggle," you repeat absentmindedly, thinking of your own strife. The imprisonment, the abuse, the numerous assaults, the unwanted pregnancy that ended in a mutated miscarriage, the near death experience that followed, the physical cost that came to saving your life, the second imprisonment and the second escape that followed....

Everything else that happened in between. Having your daughter pried from your arms at the very last second just as you had tasted freedom once again. The idea that some time may very well pass before you ever see her again, the idea that you may lose seeing many major milestones in her life.

All this-and yet....you could not them into physical words. Why? Why was this not possible? You were able to channel your emotions and life experiences into your work before, why couldn't you do it now?

You feel your writing hand shake as your breaths became uneven- something that didn't go unnoticed by your brother.

"(y/n)? (y/n) are you alright? (y/n)?" Jaskier frantically questions, though you didn't hear him the first time around. "I...I can't do it," you say in a soft voice. "What?" "I can't do it," you say as your voice broke, a tear escaping your eye, wetting the paper. "You can't do what?" Jaskier asks. "I...I...I can't..." you shake your head and look up to see the concerned expression from your brother. "I'm sorry," you try to quickly assure, wiping your eyes, "I'm just exhausted. I should go to bed now." "(y/n), we only just begun, you can't just-" "I can and I will," you say rather snappy.

"(y/n), this is hardly like you to cut something like this so short," Jaskier brings up. "There's a first for everything," you say, trying to sound stoic, "I just need to sleep and it will come to me when I am ready."

"(y/n)-" "I'M FINE JASKIER!" you scream at the man, once again getting the attention of the company, "I know what you're trying to do, Julian, and it's not going to get me to admit anything." "What exactly would I even want you to admit," Jaskier exasperates, having reached his limits in patience, "(y/n), you can't keep this to yourself forever. You were imprisoned in King's Landing for three bloody years. You had your daughter ripped from your arms at the very last minutes, for gods SAKE (Y/N), the father of your child-" "Jaskier-" "He-" "don't. you. dare. finish that sentence-" "He's the reason you were in that situation in the first place, he assaulted you on more than one occasion, (y/n), and I know this, because I saw the effect it was having on you at the Red Keep even when you kept assuring everything was going to be alright in the end," Jaskier continues, "but it's not alright, is it, (y/n)? He hurt you in more ways than one and you can't admit the damaged he caused-"

"I AM NOT FUCKING DAMAGED!" you shrieked, "I'M NOT DAMAGED, JASKIER! I'M NOT A VICTIM! HE ALREADY TOOK SOMETHING FROM ME PHYSICALLY, I AM NOT ABOUT TO LET TAKE AWAY MY CREATIVITY!!"

"...what do you mean he took something physically from you...?" Jaskier asks, eyes slightly wide from that piece of information you unwittingly revealed.

Unable to hide anymore, the dam of tears broke, "I can't have anymore children, Julian," you finally confess, which got Geralt's attention right quick. "What do you mean?" "I...I...I was dying," you further confess in tears, "Yen- she- she took me to the Lodge of Sorceresses and- and they saved my life, but it came at the cost of my womb, the same womb that was already fucking damaged from that...mutation. He caused it. Dae...Aemma's father was the reason that even happened in the first place. He was hoping I would give him a son, and I would've. But now, I'll never have anymore children. Aemma is all I'll ever have, and she was ripped away from me. How much time must I lose before I see her again? What will I miss by the time I see her again? I'll never get to experience all those little milestones with anyone else, and now it seems I won't be able to experience those with her."

You look to see the pitiful looks once again, from Jaskier, from Geralt, and everyone else.

You couldn't stand it anymore.

Choking down more sob you turn and run, wanting for nothing more then solitude to process the grief you should have processed a long time ago.

More to be continued...

Bonus Masterlist

#hotd #the witcher #geralt of rivia #oc #ciri #jaskier #cahir mawr dyffryn aep ceallach #milva #zoltan #emiel regis #geralt x reader

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finleycannotdraw · 1 year

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Sorry for this stupid question, but I haven't watched or played Witcher (but planning some day at least to watch it) so I think you'll understand me 😅

I saw you reblog at first a lot of Witcher x that young boy (sorry, I have literally no idea what's his name is but he sings cools songs)

And now I'm seeing Witcher x another old man about which I know even less than nothing

Maybe I'm being stupid or something, but these guys are one from the series and another from the game? Idk cuz I knew only about Witcher x young boy and now I'm seeing that old guy and I'm confused because you just haven't reblogged it before and your reblogs are the only thing that teaches me about the Witcher. Idk when I'll watch series, but here's the question. WHO SHOULD I SHIP BRO JUST SEEING THEIR PICTURES AND HAVING NO IDEA WHO ARE THEY BUT STILL CARE FOR THEIR GOOD???

It’s not a stupid question! I’m happy to explain.

The first one is Geralt (witcher) x Jaskier (younger man who is a bard), and most fan-content of them portrays Jaskier the way the Netflix series portrays him. He is an adult, but most people tend to ignore the age gap because fantasy world (Geralt is close to 80 when he meets Jaskier in the show, but doesn’t look it). Plus, henry cavill and joey batey (actors) are close to the same age, so people tend not to think about it.

Jaskier is based off of Dandelion from the original witcher books. In the books, we don’t get to see how Geralt and Dandelion meet, because Dandelion is almost 40 and has reunited with Geralt for the duration of the books.

Another character in the books, that Geralt meets later on, is Regis (the old man). They get along very well, and Regis ends up traveling with Geralt, Dandelion, and a few other people in a group called the hansa. The way they interact is often flirty and sometimes homoerotic. Eventually it’s revealed that Regis is a higher vampire (very powerful and potentially very dangerous), and he and Geralt have a bit of a falling out, but that only lasts about 15 pages or so before he’s back with them.

Regis appears again in the Blood and Wine DLC of the third witcher game (the one I’ve played), where he and Geralt reunite as old friends before advancing the plot together. Regis is not in the Netflix series as of now.

Another character in the games that I’ve been posting about is Vernon Roche (but I wasn’t sure if you were referencing him at all). He’s a major character in the second game and comes back in the third. He’s the commander of the Blue Stripes, a Temerian (country) special forces unit designed to combat the Scoia’tael (a group of elven bandits from the books; they appear in both the second and third games, but much more heavily in the second). I’m not actually sure how old he is, but he’s more middle-aged than Jaskier or Regis.

As for the reasons I ship all of these different couples, it just comes down to a few things:

- I watched the Netflix series first, and therefore started off my witcher hyperfixation and subsequent reblog spree with Geralt x Jaskier. Later on, I learned about the book series, and fell in love with Regis, which led to the beginning of my Geralt x Regis reblog spree, continued vitally by me playing the witcher 3 and loving him even more. Then I made a super awesome friend who shared their love of Geralt x Roche.

- All of these characters, in my opinion, can make Geralt feel safer, happier, and more comfortable with emotional vulnerability. (This is also why I don’t enjoy the ships with the sorceresses, but that’s another post). I enjoy all of these ships because Geralt is an amazing, dynamic character whose relationships with others provide lots of space for good feelings and creative expression.

- I don’t stop shipping any of them when I have a burst of love for one of the ships in particular.

As for who you should ship, I can’t make that decision for you! I’d recommend engaging with at least one witcher series, be it Netflix, books, or the games (or the 2002 Polish Hexer series, which is low budget but made with so much love) and then deciding whose dynamic makes you the happiest! Fandom should be fun, shipping should be fun, so my advice is to just have fun.

Hope this helps! If you want to know anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out. :)

#the witcher #asks :)#geralt of rivia #jaskier #emiel regis #vernon roche #geraskier #geralt x jaskier #geregis #geralt x regis #geroche #geralt x roche #the witcher books #the witcher games #the witcher netflix #information post #(i guess)

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mintedwitcher · 2 years

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Okay so re: this post I have feelings about the way the relationship between Geralt and Ciri is portrayed, and I'm going to try and make this make sense but like, bear with me.

First things first, the Geralt we see in season 2 with Ciri is vastly different to the Geralt we've seen in season 1. He is softer, he's more thoughtful, he's more careful with his words and his actions. Even in the few scenes where he's disciplining Ciri or trying to "tell her off", his words are never angry, he never raises his voice at her, he doesn't lash out.

And yes while we could attribute this to the fact that Ciri is still a child (despite her claims to the contrary), I like to think that instead, this is Geralt learning from his mistakes.

The last person he raised his voice in anger to was Jaskier, and it cost him a twenty-year-long friendship. He doesn't want to alienate or scare Ciri the way he did to Jaskier, and he doesn't want Ciri to distrust him the way Yennefer does after the dragon hunt.

This Geralt has learned, and he's trying to do better, to be better, for Ciri, and I think that's an amazing thing to see.

I also think that taking care of Ciri better prepares him for his reunions with Yen and Jaskier, respectively. With each of them, he's more open with his emotions, he's more honest with them about how he feels for them, because parenting Ciri has made him brave enough to be able to express these things more freely.

I've spoken at great length before how Jaskier deserved a better verbal apology in season two but reflecting on it now, I realise that trying to focus on Geralt's words is a mistake. We need to look at his actions, because while he's gotten much better with his words around Ciri, his interactions with Jaskier and Yennefer cannot just rely on words, because that's not how Geralt needs to apologise to them. He can say "sorry" as much as he wants to, but both Jaskier and Yennefer know that Geralt is a man of action, not a wordsmith.

So with Yennefer, this means being open and vulnerable enough to let his worry, his relief, show on his face when they reunite. This means introducing her to Ciri without hesitation, without trying to hide her identity or lie or brush her off. This means trusting Yennefer with the one person who is arguably the most important to Geralt. (And Yennefer betrayed that trust but that's a rant for another day.)

With Jaskier, this means showing physical affection (the hug). This means verbalising that he needs Jaskier. This means busting Jaskier out of prison and asking him to travel with him again, and taking him to Kaer Morhen for (as far as we know in canon) the first time. This means trusting Jaskier to look after Ciri in his absence.

Geralt has learned to show affection through words for his daughter, but the ripple effect of this change impacts all of his relationships. Ciri, just by virtue of needing Geralt in her life, has helped Geralt grow beyond the man he was at the end of season one.

And in return, being Geralt's daughter, being loved and protected by him, being accepted by his family, has helped Ciri become more than just a princess. And yes, she might idolise him and the other Witchers a little too much at times, but that's what happens with most children. They idolise their parents, they want to be just like their parents. Ciri is no different. This is a young girl who has grown up without her real father, without her mother, and who has just found a group of people that she can consider a family, thanks to Geralt.

Their bond is not just one made by destiny, or the Law of Surprise, but by choice. They choose one another. Geralt doesn't just love Ciri because she's his Child Surprise. He loves her the way a parent loves their child. He loves her because she deserves to be loved. And Ciri similarly loves Geralt the way a child loves their parent. She has faith in him, she believes in him, she trusts him. And yes, she argues and lashes out at him when she doesn't get her way, but that's typical of every teenager. And even when she lashes out, Geralt never responds with anger.

And yeah, sometime he says the wrong thing ("I've known many who wanted to be great fighters. Do you know where they are now? In cemeteries."), sometimes he gets frustrated ("When I say run, you run."), but he never gets angry. He never lets his temper get out of hand, because he's seen the damage it can do. He knows better now.

And the fact that he tries so hard to be good for Ciri is what made me love season two the most. Here is a man who has lived for decades in a hostile world, who has every reason to be cold and closed off, and here he is, trying to be better, so that Ciri can become better. He doesn't want her to become him, he wants her to exceed him. He, in my opinion, wants what every good parent should want for their child.

And yes, before anyone says it, I agree that we can't solely attribute his character growth to just Ciri alone, but I think she has made a massive impact on the way he views himself, and in turn the way he views his relationships.

TLDR: The relationship between Geralt and Ciri is a beautiful thing that has helped both characters evolve and grow into better people than they were before, and I genuinely hope that they keep this energy for season three.

#the witcher #meta #long post #just my opinions #please no discourse #the witcher spoilers #geralt of rivia #cirilla fiona elen riannon #cirilla of cintra

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natjennie · 1 year

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no you're absolutely right to question it and i was hoping someone would ask.

so this has to come with a disclaimer because i love the witcher a lot but as far as knowledge goes? i've seen the netflix show, the first season like 3 times and the second season only once, and i've read a good deal of fan fiction. that's it. so you'll have to work with the fact that that's all i've got for canon understanding on the witcher end of things. on the ofmd end of things? i'm. a lot more confident.

anyway! ed and stede are very similar characters when you get down to it. when you think about themes of abandonment and solitude and loneliness and longing and survival, they're extremely similar, so i'm not actually that opposed to flipping the roles. but, what matters to me is looking at where they start versus where they're going.

it's easy to look at geralt as a strong powerful monster hunter who's this famed hero that everyone loves and fears in equal measure: you'd want to slap ed on there.

but that's like. not really who he is. especially not before jaskier. geralt is a loner, he's done things differently his whole life, he's ridiculed and mocked and ostracized from civilization. he's not a powerful mythical figure, he's a weird wet horse guy who sleeps in the swamp. but we can call him to get the rats out of the inn sometimes.

and jaskier's background isn't really shown in the show but i know he went to a top school, he's brilliant and clever, he's a viscount. again, easy to paint stede in that role, right? i get it.

but he's bored and lonely and looking for inspiration and just so happens to come upon something different. something real. for once. so he drops everything and attaches himself to geralt's hip and drags himself through the mud and the muck, walking while geralt gets to ride, just to be a part of his story.

sound like someone we know?

and then there's the little things! the silly small character details that make them who they are.

stede's kind of a cunt! he's kind of selfish sometimes. he doesn't think highly enough of himself to believe people care about him, which gets them hurt in the process. hello?? geralt?

and ed's a poet! hes a theater kid, he sings, he writes lyrics. in canon. he wants to be able to slow down and appreciate life and live a little instead of being bound to duty and stede is just getting started.

and i hate this comparison bc they're both both in my opinion but. it's like stede:autism:geralt and ed:adhd:jaskier.

also! geralt is actually a wicked nice guy. like he cares so much about humanity and about other people and he wants them to be safe and happy and assumes that doesn't include him. he takes on missions no one would dare he doesn't hesitate to go back into the fire if it means saving someone else. very stedelike behavior if i do say so myself.

and jaskier is living on the edge he's got a name to spread an image to build a reputation to uphold. he's a scoundrel and a rapscallion and he's fucked and fucked over more people in this specific village than you could count.

and if you think about their experiences with violence! stede raised a sword against izzy. he doesn't resort to violence and he doesn't like it but he's not afraid of it anymore when it comes. he's ready and willing to look it in the eye to make things right and protect his crew. geralt.

and ed on the other hand hasn't killed anyone in decades. outsources the final blow. he deceives and tricks to get around it. jaskier.

stede adored plants and animals, he knows all about teas and moths and flowers. ed hates nature. geralt and jaskier.

geralt leaves jaskier on that mountain. jaskier gets depressed and writes a meltdown breakup song (burn butcher burn). i mean. in canon stede leaves ed on that dock and he gets depressed and writes a meltdown breakup song (life's a hard sad death).

i mean i could go on. but basically i think it's fine to do it the other way, i get it. i just think that's a really basic and uninspired reading of both shows. i think if you really dig into the core of the characters, it's much more interesting and pertinent to map stede as geralt and ed as jaskier.

#this went wicked long #and i still dont know if i said everything i wanted to say #but this is the gist #ofmd #the witcher #edit: i bolded the key parts so it should be easier to read

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bambirex · 8 months

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It's A Game We Play: Chapter 2

Pairings: Geraskier, Yennskier, Radskier

Characters: Jaskier, Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, Radovid, original female characters, Essi Daven, Priscilla, Ciri of Cintra, Valdo Marx

Additional tags: inspired by Mamma Mia! (movies), crack, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, omega jaskier, alpha geralt, alpha yennefer, beta radovid, awkwardness, jaskier is a good parent, protective jaskier, weddings, found family, post mpreg, fluff and humor, alternate universe - modern setting

Rating: teen and up audiences

Full word count: 4,816 words

Chapter word count: 2,430 words

Chapters: 2/?

Summary: Jaskier's daughter is about to marry the love of her life, and she decides she wants both her parents at her wedding. Only problem is that Jaskier has slept with a little too many people in his youth, so the identity of the other parent is a mystery. That does not stop the bride-to-be from inviting three potential daddy candidates and unleashing absolute chaos in the process.

Otherwise known as Jaskier's terrible horrible no good past decisions leading to terrible horrible no good outcomes. Also known as the Mamma Mia! AU nobody asked for, but I wrote it anyway.

Chapter summary: Amaryllis goes looking for clues in Jaskier's diary. She finds three of them.

Author's notes: All of your lovely feedback motivated me so much that I had to get this chapter out as soon as possible, thank you all!! ❤️ We're getting a glimpse into Jaskier's past and a very vague introduction to the three potential other parents.

Read on Ao3

Amaryllis knew she was facing quite the challenge with trying to figure out the identity of her other parent, but she was Jaskier's daughter; that meant she inherited the "never-backing-down-from-a-challenge gene". She was going to find out who it was, come hell or high water.

Her Papa was a little too tight-lipped about the whole ordeal. Amaryllis didn't know if it was because he actually had no clue, or because he just didn't want to reveal it, but it seemed like that if it remained up to him, Amaryllis would never find out.

Clearly, pressing Jaskier for further info wouldn't work, so Amaryllis needed a different method to investigate. And how lucky she was to have a father who was such a hopeless romantic with a great artistic streak, that he sentimentally kept a journal all these years- a journal that may or may not have contained the clues about what Amaryllis so desperately wanted to know.

She felt a little bad about rummaging through Jaskier's drawers to find his diary. She's made a promise she would never read his intimate thoughts, but desperate times called for drastic measures.

"Are you sure there's anything of substance in there?" Vera, one of her friends and bridesmaids, asked, as Amaryllis sat them down in her bedroom and waved Jaskier's diary in front of their noses.

"I know he used to write a lot," Amaryllis explained. She ran her fingers over the birds and flowers on the cover. "He even told me himself. It was a kind of comfort for him. Songs, short stories, just talking about his day... he still wrote in it when I was little."

"And you think he also wrote about all the people he's slept with," Marion, her other bridesmaid, pointed out with a chuckle. Amaryllis snorted.

"I know it sounds weird, but I think he did. He's exactly the type of person who would write epic poems about his romances, no matter how short-lived. I think if there's anything that could help us, it's this diary."

There was a chance she was wrong, of course, and that she wouldn't find anything in the diary. But she had to try: she's dreamt about this all her life. About someone who cared for Jaskier the way he deserved, who helped him through everything. Amaryllis knew she couldn't give Jaskier back all those lonely years of raising her alone, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and mend things. Maybe it was never too late to try and build the kind of family she and her father both deserved. It was her wedding, after all, which was the best opportunity to make everything perfect.

Taking a deep breath, Amaryllis sat between her friends and opened the diary.

They had to pass through many boring entries about Jaskier's mundane days, and then some angry rants about the one who shall not be named, even though everyone knew exactly, that those entries were about Valdo Marx, Jaskier's biggest rival. They attended the same theater group in high school, and they hated each other with a burning passion, being the two most talented of their peers. They competed with each other all the time, and they applied to the same college of performing arts.

Valdo got in, and Jaskier got pregnant. Jaskier didn’t immediately apply after finishing high school, because he decided to help his aunt on the island by working at the inn. And with having a baby so soon, he never even had the chance to get into that college. Amaryllis swallowed the guilt down heavily.

After many irrelevant drabbles interspersed with various ideas on how Jaskier was planning to murder Valdo, they reached a long segment with many glittery hearts and rainbows drawn on the margins, which caught their attention.

"Look at the date!" Marion squealed, "Summer of 2002!!"

"Shit," Amaryllis's heart sped up. This was it. She was born in the May of 2003, so the summer of 2002 was when Jaskier has spent the most time on the island, and has gotten pregnant with Amaryllis.

"That's a long entry," Vera chuckled. "Slept with a guy named Jonathan... Not very remarkable and he smells like gasoline. Cindy is cute... oh, Cindy is an Omega, we're crossing her off the list. Thomas took me behind a trashcan!? I'll never be able to look into your father's eyes again. Are you planning on going through all of these?"

"Well, we have to narrow it down," Amaryllis said. "Let's count quickly... I was born in May, so nine months back is... August. Let's focus on August."

"August the third, what a night!" Amaryllis read out loud. "After what felt like years of trying to convince him, Geralt finally agreed on spending the night together. Dear Diary, let me tell you, this man is a beast in bed!"

Oh, God. Amaryllis will also never be able to look into her father's eyes again.

"He's so hot, I can't control myself around him. It's been three weeks since he helped me after my car broke down on the road. His defined muscles are practically bursting out of his shirt. I still shiver just remembering the sight of him working on that flat tire... bloated biceps on display... his long, white hair falling into his eyes... those wild, amber eyes, like a wolf, how I wished he would devour me!"

Huh. Jaskier sure had a vivid imagination.

"My brave, strong Alpha knight in black armor! He always wears black. He's spending the month on the island, holidaying with his family. I hope he stays longer, though he says he has to go back to finish college. He's gonna be a personal trainer, which makes so much sense, just look at him! I wanna be in those strong arms all the time. He's a bit grumpy, and he doesn't speak a lot, and he seems so traditional, too, not wanting to jump my bones right away... But then... He did! Dear Diary, when I tell you that he has a huge... "

"Yikes," Amaryllis quickly passed the following, explicit lines about the night Jaskier and his big strong knight spent together. The night when maybe, a white-haired, muscled introvert has knocked up her father.

The next entry was Jaskier talking about being so in love with Geralt, who then broke his heart by telling him that he needed to leave the island earlier with his family, and he didn't want to make things complicated by continuing their romance.

The next entry came a week later. It told the story of Jaskier falling in love again.

"August the tenth, what a night! I was approached by a lovely Beta named Radovid. He is literally blond Prince Charming... not on a white horse, but in a white Bentley. And those blue eyes... and that smile... He's sweet but knows how to flirt. He just inherited his father's company (coconuts? He mentioned what they were trading but I forgot, I think it was coconuts), so he has lots of money. Has the idea of being a sugar baby crossed my mind for a hot second? Maybe. But actually, he could be completely broke and I would still end up in his lap with how smoothly he was talking me out of my pants all night."

"Oh, Papa," Amaryllis chuckled, "you're so easy, bless your little slutty heart."

"He told me I was the prettiest Omega he has ever seen, and that he would love to hear me sing one day! He looked so good in that maroon button up, I couldn't wait to get him out of it. He ordered me the most expensive drink. I didn't want to offend him by telling him it tasted like dishwater. The way he looked at me over the rim of his glass was worth it, though. He could peel an orange open with just one look. We spent a wonderful night together. Very gentle and generous lover! I especially liked it when he..."

"Dude," Vera groaned, "why does your father have to go into such details?"

"Well, he never intended this to end up in our hands," Amaryllis chuckled.

Of course, the Disney Prince left the same way Geralt, the big buff paramour did: his freshly inherited business called out for him, and he left a very sad, and possibly pregnant Jaskier behind on the island.

But Jaskier wasn't mourning for long.

"August the twenty-fifth, what a night! I think I've mentioned Yennefer the chef in training before, right? She's working at the inn for this summer, and I've been trying to seduce her for two months and she refused all of my advances! But then Auntie threw a little party, and this time, she was the one that came up to me! She's such a sassy Alpha. Insanely hot too. Very sharp tongue and also very talented, if you know what I mean... "

They didn't need to know what he meant because Jaskier described it quite vividly in the next paragraph.

"I'm pretty sure the guests heard us going at it the whole night, but it was worth it! She's so beautiful, I couldn't stop looking at her lying next to me, raven-haired, violet-eyed supermodel, God! I wish I could paint so I could capture her beauty as she lay bare next to me. I'm already sad knowing she will have to go home soon, but maybe I can try and convince her to stay..."

He didn't manage, clearly, because Yennefer also went home, oblivious to the fact that maybe she and Jaskier made a baby on that night.

Amaryllis put the diary down with a big sigh. So many emotions swirled inside her: excitement over finally finding clues, sadness for her father's broken heart, also a whole amount of nervousness realizing that three horses were in this race. Her other parent was one of the three that Jaskier played hanky panky with in August.

"It's one of them," Amaryllis said, staring down at the tiny sandpiper in the corner of the cover. "But God, which one?"

"It's hard to tell, like, we cannot exactly determine the date of your conception," Marion replied. "But, out of the thousand people your father has slept with, we managed to narrow it down to Muscle Man, Ritchie Ritch, and Savage Soufflé."

"That's still three people!" Amaryllis threw her hands up in frustration. "How am I supposed to decide which one's the real one?"

She dropped her hands into her lap with a deep sigh. She got closer to the solution, but instead of making things easier, this revelation actually complicated everything even more. Amidst the sea of people Jaskier has had sex with, stood out three islands, but they were so distant.

She couldn't figure it out just by looking at their names. And she couldn't figure it out by asking Jaskier. She looked down on the diary, then opened it again. On the margins, next to the tiny doodles, were addresses scribbled down- with a tiny note saying "if I'd be brave enough to go after them."

An idea formed in her head. A crazy one, perhaps, but right now, it felt like her only chance of finding the other parent she was longing for.

"I'd know if I met them," Amaryllis eventually said. Seeing her friends' confused faces, she continued. "I think if I saw them in person, if I talked to them... I would feel it. Papa wrote down their address. I could send them a letter."

"Or you could find them on social media like any normal person would," Marion told her. "A letter? In this century?"

"Yeah, well... they don't know me. But they know my Papa. And if I wrote in his name and asked them to come see him... they might. I don't want to leave any traces behind, and once something lands on the internet, it stays there forever... besides, I know my father is a hopeless romantic. If he were to write a letter to his previous beaus, he would go all traditional and write a letter with his own hands."

"And what are the chances their address is still the same?" Vera chimed in. "And that the mailman would deliver a letter to someone whose last name you don't even know?"

"I have to try. That's the only way I can figure out who it is. And not a word about this to my father!"

She stared at the hearts on the margins, and smiled. Her Papa will absolutely kill her if he finds out, but that was a risk she was willing to take if it meant finally finding the rest of her family.

Strange. Jaskier could have sworn his diary was in the third drawer, not the second. But maybe he remembered it wrong.

He sat on the bed and hugged his diary to his chest with a sigh. It was silly of him, to suddenly feel the need to take a trip down memory lane just now, but truth be told, Amaryllis's question triggered some memories; memories of passionate nights and happy mornings, syrupy-sweet romances and horrible heartaches.

His heart got broken, and he broke other people's hearts, many times. As a young, reckless Omega who fell in love with anyone, he didn't really stop to care.

But now, his adult daughter needed an answer that Jaskier brushed under the rug all the time. Did he not know who it was? He didn't, not really. Did he not have a clue?

Well. He wasn't very good at Math, but he was able to count to nine. It wasn't as if the idea never crossed his mind, and while he has went through half the population of the island that summer, there was only a handful of people he had sex with in August, shockingly.

But Jaskier promised himself he would never go there, even though those three somehow always stood out - his feelings for them ran a little deeper than for the rest. He even had half a mind to seek them out after he parted from them, but he was too much of a coward. And a slut, probably. Who knows, maybe one of his one-night stands that came after knocked him up. Anything was possible with how much he used to sleep around.

They were all in the past, anyway. Those three, and the several others, too. It would tear up too many scars to try and get into this too deeply.

He needed to focus on making Amaryllis's big day special, instead.

#the witcher fanfiction #the witcher fic #geraskier #yennskier #radskier #a/b/o #omega jaskier #alpha geralt #alpha yennefer #beta radovid #jaskier #geralt of rivia #yennefer of vengerberg #radovid #my fic #mamma mia au

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fangirleaconmigo · 2 years

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I love your book analysis and show analysis posts! I like that they aren’t super gatekeeper-like and don’t talk down to people for simply enjoying the show. While I enjoyed the books more I don’t see the need to insult people who favor the show. Reading your recent post about “Burn Butcher Burn”/the “Mountain Break-Up” got me thinking about how different Geralt and Jaskier’s dynamic is in the books compared to the show. For instance, in The Edge of The World, Show Jaskier writes a song about Geralt but Book Jaskier writes about the Goddess. Or how in the show Geralt and Jaskier have a major fight early on in the series during the dragon hunt but in the books, they don’t have a major fight till later on during the Hansa's stay with Annarieta. Furthermore, the simple difference that Book Geralt and Jaskier are more affectionate towards one another than the show versions are. My question for you is, why do you think these differences were written into the show? Why do you think they changed their dynamic like this? (Sorry for the long ask! 😅)

Thank you! I am so glad it comes across that way. I think there are many very good reasons someone would prefer the show, and I do think a lot of the changes they made, made a lot of sense for the format. I adore most of what they've done with Yen and the sorceresses. I am intensely invested in her journey. I could go on about other things I love, but that'd be a different post.

As far as why they did what they did to Geralt and Jaskier's relationship? Ok, so I have my theories, but keep in mind this is all just me talking. I don't know anyone on the show. I'm wildly speculating.

I'm tagging TWN critical but this is not critique. It's just wild speculation and analysis.

My guess is that in order to deliver the kind of show Netflix wanted, they had to simplify. So, they looked at the show and said, we choose-- "Geralt's emotional arc will be a closed off, gruff, grizzled man who is changed by the love of a woman." And then they crammed everything else into that.

I think this for a few reasons. First, in S2, when Nivellen asks Geralt what changed him, why he is saving Ciri, Geralt says that Yen changed him. So it is said explicitly there. That takes away most of the guess work of the arc.

But also, in S1, pretty much all of Geralt's friendships and non romantic relationships were erased. I think if they'd have shown him being so loving with Ciri, Nenneke, or warm and affectionate with Borch, Jaskier, Chireadan, or Yarpen, it would have undermined that 'changed by romantic love' narrative and character arc.

That's my guess.

The way I differentiate between book and show Geralt is,(I've gone way into detail here, but to summarize):

With Book!Geralt, we see a man constantly trying to connect with a world that rejects him over and over again. He navigates these rejections with a bit of self consciousness and caution. His hurt is evident. But he always jumps at the chance to make a friend.With TWN!Geralt, we see a man who has shut himself down to protect himself from the world’s cruelties. He rejects people preemptively. They are like the inverse of each other in a way.

I think the nuance of the book version is...Geralt yearns for connection but it's complicated. He doesn't know who is going to hate him for being a witcher and the bigotry of the world can make him assume people are just morbidly curious or objectifying him (and indeed sometimes that's true). The discrimination has made him cautious at times, especially with humans, so he can be awkward and careful until he knows he isn't going to be rejected.

He tries so hard to reach out to people all the time, with varying levels of success. Yes, he tries to push people away sometimes, but it's when he is literally actively heading into dangerous situations. And then he is very open about why he wants to go alone. He's like...I am going alone. I do not want you to die. We like to tease book!Geralt about being broody lone wolf, but the fact is, it IS mortally dangerous for people he loves.

Now, I think that is incredibly difficult to translate all of that to screen under time and space constraints. We don't have Geralt's internal voice on a show, and they aren't writing a character driven show. Netflix decided on an action show. Some people say that The Witcher was Netflix's answer to Game of Thrones. But I see it as Netflix's MCU or Star Wars.

I know Game of Thrones fans complain about the reduced quality of the writing after they ran out of books. But BEFORE the books ended, they lifted a ton of writing from the books. The language could be very stylized and witty, and reminiscent of what modern people expect of medieval language. There was a bounty of character and relationship development.

The Witcher just fully went with plain modern speech, and a faster moving plot. I really think they're thinking MCU here. They wanted a franchise they could develop that would make them a player in the scifi fantasy realm. Those properties try to deliver genre, action, comedy, and a bit of heart. Whether they succeed depends on the show/movie.

So. Going back to Geralt. That nuance in the book was flattened, which I think made it easier to translate to screen. Plus, when you go genre/action you cut out almost all of the space for multiple relationships or character dev, so you have to pick one. And they picked his romantic relationship to center it on.

But wait, I hear you say, they didn't spend enough time or effort on that either! And all I can say to that, people who are consumers of the romance genre often do not need all that space to be filled in. That genre often speaks in tropes, and it is accepted and understood that the viewer will be invested automatically and will fill in all the spaces.

I think the way it was written, they were counting on that. For me that doesn't work. I'm a very unromantic aro person. (Yes, I write romance. I do love love! Just not romance on it's own. Trust me, it makes sense in my head) For lots of people, it does. My older sister told me that Geralt's love for Yen is what humanizes him for her, and she wouldn't have been invested in him otherwise post-S1. My other sister (I have three) said she immediately understood their bond and didn't need anything else. So. To each their own.

So that is all a very long way of saying, his best friend was a fatality in the reframing of Geralt's emotional life and the choice they made to focus on the romance. Season 2 tried to play catchup somewhat, but had to focus mostly on the Geralt Ciri relationship to make up for cutting out their entire relationship S1.

And I do think the common fandom criticism has some truth to it. They just do not 'get' how to portray a complex, nuanced masculinity that allows for affection and love coming from men who are also strong and deadly and very very traumatized, to other men. They allllmost had it with Geralt and Vesemir before they pulled the rug on that one.

I've seen people say that the show knows how to portray complex femininity but not complex masculinity, and I think there is a good case to be made for that as well.

ETA: I've also seen people say there is a very American flavored no-homo anxiety to the show. They are trying to please everyone and maybe they fear affection between men would alienate certain types of cishet male fans who want to see themselves in Geralt, and would interpret these types of things as emasculating. This is the 'no-homo' anxiety. Could be. That's something I think you'd have to be behind the scenes to know. But I never doubt the power of the enforced gender binary on our society and in our stories.

#asks #the witcher #geralt of rivia #jaskier #these are all guesses #i'm just guessing #i'll tag twn critical #but i'm not being critical #just analyzing #but hey #twn critical

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seidenbros · 2 years

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❝ i love you just like this. i love you when you touch me gently like no one else ever has. and i love you when your hands are bloody and your knuckles are bruised. ❞ for Geraskier pls <3

JESS 💚 I hope you know how much I love you, right? And this was just such a gooood prompt. Keep it short, I told myself, and ended up with nearly 2k words, because I can't keep it short. I hope you enjoy how this turned out, but I'm just a sucker for established Geraskier and soft/vulnerable Geralt.

(I’m always happy to receive requests, so if you want to, send some in. If you need inspiration, here are some prompt lists )

Pairing: Geraskier

Warnings: bit of blood and violence, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff

Word count: 1952

On AO3

_________________

All of You

“What happened?”

Jaskier was in his feet and at Geralt's side in a matter of seconds, looking him up and down. He was covered in dirt and blood, and Jaskier wasn't sure whether it was his blood or someone or something else's.

Geralt tried to avoid looking at him when he took a deep breath, but winced. He'd probably broken a rib or two and the cuts he'd gotten in the fight were hurting as well.

“I'm alright, don't worry.” Geralt tried to move past Jaskier, even though he should have known better. That might have worked a couple of years ago, but not anymore. Not when he'd told Jaskier how he really felt about him. Not after they'd shared a bed for more than a year and not as friends.

“Do not tell me not to worry! You don't have to tell me exactly what happened, but don't lie to me about your injuries.” Jaskier sighed and walked past Geralt to talk to the innkeeper for a moment. He needed something to do, some distraction as to not freak out, because he'd seen that these weren't just superficial cuts, but also deeper ones and they needed to be treated.

“Come on, we're going to get you cleaned up.”

Before Geralt could say anything or protest, Jaskier lead the way to the bath in the back where they would be alone and he could take care of Geralt – and he knew better than to stay where he was, and followed Jaskier.

“I can really do this alone.” Geralt heaved another sigh, looking at Jaskier who was bringing in some water to clean him up. He didn't want to be a burden on Jaskier, and right now, it very much felt like it, even though Jaskier would definitely tell him differently.

“I know.” Jaskier put down the water and motioned Geralt over to him. “But you don't have to. I'm here after all.”

The last words made Geralt comply. They'd had conversations like this before, especially when they'd not been in a relationship, when Jaskier had tried to help him and he'd refused this help. After some time, Jaskier hadn't backed down anymore, had even picked up this and that to be able to really help him. He'd learned about Geralt's potions, so that he could pick the right one in an emergency. Right now, he would hopefully not need them, but he couldn't be sure right now.

“Take the boots off ,” Jaskier commanded, earning him a smile from Geralt.

“Bossy,” he commented, but took off the boots and put them aside.

“Don't pretend that you don't like that!”

Meanwhile Jaskier got to work on Geralt's armour so that he could carefully take it off his body. Later on, he'd have to patch it up as well, but right now, he had to take care of Geralt's injuries. The tunic, he was still wearing was drenched in blood, but it wasn't only Geralt's - at least a little relief.

“Sit down!”

Geralt did what he was ordered to do, before he raised his arms over his head so that Jaskier could take off his tunic as well. His eyes were cast downward, as Jaskier got to work. Ever so gently, he touched the wet clothe to Geralt's face to clean that first, before he moved further down his body, taking his time. He knew that Geralt wouldn't break, that he didn't have to be so careful, but he wanted to, wanted to treat him the same way Geralt treated him when he was injured.

“You know, you don't have to be so gentle,” Geralt reminded him, slowly looking up.

“I know.” Jaskier raised his hand with the cloth again and dabbed at Geralt's shoulder, careful not to touch it directly to the biggest cut he'd found yet. “But you always take such good care of me, so you deserve the same treatment.”

He did that because Jaskier was more fragile than he himself was. He was human after all, and Geralt couldn't stand to see him get hurt. Whenever Jaskier got badly injured, he nearly freaked out. It was like he was working on autopilot, not really realising what he was doing, it was just automatic what he did.

“Mhh,” he simply gave as an answer and let Jaskier continue.

Once the blood and dirt was washed away from Geralt's body, Jaskier could assess the injuries. It wasn't as bad as he'd first thought, but still not a pretty sight.

“I need to stitch that cut on your shoulder. Everything else will heal in no time, but this is a little nasty...”

Jaskier turned around to grab his equipment before he set to stitching Geralt up. By now, he was rather good at it. He'd taken the time to get taught about this, just like he'd done with a couple of other things that came in handy when he was travelling with Geralt.

“There... all good now,” Jaskier said, conjuring up a smile. He couldn't hide the worry on his eyes, but he could try to lighten the mood a little bit. Geralt was safe now, he was here with him, and nothing would happen right now. “Let me just wash all that out of your hair and then we can go lie down. You need a lot of rest.”

Jaskier had picked up on Geralt's laboured breathing, on the way his hand had snapped up to cover his ribs every now and then. Once in their room, Geralt could get to his potions, and Jaskier had some oil that helped with the bruising, because he could just see where his ribs had been injured.

“I can-”

“-do that myself, I know, Geralt. I know you're that big guy that can and will do everything himself, but just...” Jaskier let out an exasperated sigh, not wanting to lecture him again, tell him that he could help.

“Alright, alright... I'm sorry, Jaskier.”

“Will you let me wash your hair now?”

“Yes...”

No more protesting, no more word, he simply followed Jaskier's lead and sat down again on the chair next to the bathtub and leaned back over it. Jaskier used a bit of the fresh water to rinse Geralt's hair, get most of the dirt and blood out. Then he reached for the soap he'd brought in here as well, lathering up his hands, before he started to put the soap into Geralt's hair. His fingers started gently massaging Geralt's scalp to help him relax at least a little bit, and it worked. The content sigh that left Geralt's lips was proof enough, making Jaskier smile to himself.

With the soap he got rid of the rest of the dirt and blood in Geralt's hair. He finished up with a bit of hairoil, which Geralt never thought necessary, but Jaskier was the one in charge right now, so he'd have to do with that.

“Trousers,” Jaskier said once they were finished with Geralt's hair.

“What?”

“Take them off, clean your legs, and I'll get you some fresh clothes.”

That was something he let Geralt do himself. Not that he didn't want to help him, but he knew that he wouldn't keep his hands where they were supposed to be and that wasn't a good idea looking at the state that Geralt was in right now. So instead, Jaskier went to their room and came back with a change of clothes for Geralt, so that he could get dressed again.

“Good, now that you're clean and smell heavenly, you can come back to our room,” Jaskier said with a grin. Of course he would have taken Geralt with him no matter what, but it was nicer this way.

Without waiting for a response, he took Geralt's hand in his, interlaced their fingers, and led him up to their room, where they had some peace and quiet. Well, as far as quiet went with someone like Jaskier around, but he would try his best to not talk too much, since Geralt needed some rest.

Once the door was closed behind them, Jaskier made his was to the bed, arranging the pillows so that Geralt could lie there as comfortably as possible. When he turned around, Geralt was still standing by the door.

“What is it, dear heart?” Jaskier asked, concern clouding his face as he approached Geralt again.

“How can you deal with all this?” Geralt asked shaking his head. He'd been on the road with Jaskier for years now, but ever since they'd been a couple, he'd asked himself that question. What did Jaskier see in him? How could Jaskier love him? He was a monster, just like people said, and he couldn't understand, why Jaskier apparently looked past all this.

“Because I love you.”

It was a simple and as complicated as that. He'd told Geralt before that he loved it when he didn't understand a reference Jaskier made and that little frown on his forehead appeared. That he loved the way Geralt smiled when he talked to Roach about what had happened while they'd been away. All the little bits and pieces. Still, he understood where Geralt's question was coming from. People still looked at Geralt like he was an abomination, and he'd been treated like that most of his life. Being genuinely loved by someone that wasn't his family was something he wasn't familiar with.

“I love you just like this,” Jaskier said, reaching for Geralt's hand, bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss to Geralt's knuckles. “I love you when you touch me gently like no one else ever has.” He turned Geralt's hand in his and kissed his wrist, looking up at the Witcher. It was true, he'd had many lovers, but none of them had touched him like Geralt did. “And I love you when your hands are bloody and your knuckles are bruised.”

Jaskier raised his free hand to cup Geralt's cheek, run his thumb over it.

“I love you, Geralt. All of you!”

With that, he pulled Geralt towards himself and sealed his lips with his own. Finally, Geralt relaxed beneath Jaskier's touch, because of this kiss and because of the words that had soothed his aching soul.

Once they parted again, Geralt couldn't help but smile, feeling at ease all of a sudden.

“Anything else you want to ask me?” Jaskier whispered against Geralt's lips, resting his forehead against Geralt's.

“No... no more questions.”

“Good, then get in bed. I'll just go and grab us something to eat. You need it.”

Trusting that Geralt would follow his orders, Jaskier turned to head out the door, but Geralt stopped him with a hand on his wrist.

“Wait...” he said before he pulled Jaskier back against his own body and kissed the air from his lungs.

“What... was that for? Not that I'm complaining.” Jaskier felt a little light-headed, but couldn't keep the goofy smile from his lips.

“For being you,” Geralt simply said.

“Mmhhh.” Jaskier mimicked Geralt with his reaction, causing both men to chuckle.

“Get some rest, dear heart. I'll be back in a minute.”

This time, Geralt didn't hold him back, and instead went to lie down on the bed. A sigh left his lips, when his back hit the pillows and he closed his eyes. Replaying Jaskier's words in his head, he could only smile. The same goofy smile he'd seen a moment ago on Jaskier's lips.

I love all of you.

#geraskier #the witcher #geraskier imagine #the witcher imagine #geralt of rivia #jaskier #geralt x jaskier #the witcher fanfic #geraskier fanfic #jesskier #staffi writes #established relationship #established geraskier

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onthesandsofdreams · 2 years

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The Surprise

Fandom: The Witcher (TV) Pairing: Geralt x Jaskier Rating: G Summary: Jaskier has fifteen minutes before he goes to the new interview, when he notices something tucked in among his clothes. Frowning, he pulls it to find an envelope with his name on it in Geralt’s handwriting. Words: 540 Notes: Modern Setting. Tagging: @flashfictionfridayofficial

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Jaskier has fifteen minutes before he goes to the new interview, when he notices something tucked in among his clothes. Frowning, he pulls it to find an envelope with his name on it in Geralt’s handwriting.

Curious, he carefully rips it open and realizes is a letter. It’s not a very long one, after all, he’s only been away from home for a week and this is his last day of work before he returns home. Returns to Geralt.

He unfolds the letter and begins to read.

Dear Jaskier,

I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you.

Thank you for loving me. I know I have not been the easiest boyfriend or friend at the beginning of relationship. I know that our differences in character made things hard for you to be my friend, and later, someone who loved me.

But I am glad that we have come together. You have lightened my life in a way that I can’t begin to put into words. So thank you for that also.

I want you to know that I have missed you, and every time that you have to leave for work or I have to leave you behind for my own work, I miss you and will always miss you. And I have a confession to make, I always carry the bracelet you gave me as a good luck charm. I’m quite sure it has worked on several occasions.

And when I’m on assignment and I miss you, it’s the one thing of yours that I can wear and feel comforted. It helps me feel closer to you.

You know that I was loud about not wanting attachments, how thankful I am that you never gave up. Even on those moments were I was not the best for you. Your friendship means so much to me, and it meant the world back in those dark days, because I was used to being alone. Now, I am aware that I have not always been the best, one of my least proud moments is that one when I yelled at you and all but pushed you away. How stupid, blind and such fool I was.

I will always owe Yennefer for the fact that she made our paths cross once more. And I will always owe and love you for forgiving me. You made me grow as a person and I am very much thankful for that. You made me see life in colors that I never knew existed.

So, take care and come home safely, for I will be waiting to envelop you in my arms and kiss you senseless.

I’m very much looking forward you coming home.

With everything that I am, Geralt.

P.S. This letter stays between us, Jaskier.

His eyes are blurry with tears when he finishes the letter, and he is sure the smile he has is one that could classify him as a fool, but he doesn’t care. This was such an unexpected gift from Geralt, that for once, he was speechless. The fact that Geralt had written him such a small, yet meaningful letter touched him and made him love Geralt all the more.

Now, he really wanted to go home.

#geraskier #geralt x jaskier #geralt of rivia #jaskier #the witcher #the witcher fic #au: modern setting #established relationship #Flash Fiction Friday

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ficsforfundota · 2 years

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I’m Here - Jaskier/Geralt

Geralt groaned, he didn't feel right. He stumbled out of bed and headed to wash up when he was stopped by Jaskier. "My wolf, you don't look so good. Come on, let me help you please. I'm not asking, I'm telling."

Geralt looked over his stubborn boyfriend and nodded. He followed him towards the bathhouse, Jaskier set up a bath while Geralt began to undress trying not to stumble to much. He needed to be strong for his song bird, and right now he didn't feel so strong. His body was warm and cold all at the same time. He staggered a bit as Jaskier reached his hand out to him, while Jaskier was enamored with his body this wasn't time to hassle him for some fun. Geralt looked sick, and Jaskier knew Geralt hardly got sick, if ever, it was his time to take care of his lover.

Geralt lowered himself into the bath of water while Jaskier scrubbed his hair and washed his scarred chest. "Are you sick? I didn't think Witcher's got sick." Jaskier muttered as he kissed his temple before he continued to scrub him clean, he needed to make sure his wolf was okay.

"Not sick, just don't feel well. I don't get sick."

"Humph." Jaskier mumbled making sure to lay the back of his hand across his forehead. "You just seem off Geralt, you were stumbling."

"I don't get sick."

"Can't and don't are two different things, I also recall Witcher's didn't have emotions. I find that to be one of the biggest lies I have ever heard."

Geralt looked over his shoulder at Jaskier who was still taking care to scrub his broad shoulders. "I am not sick," Geralt replied. "Not sick my song bird, I am the one who protects and takes care of you in this relationship."

"I may be your bird, but even birds eat wolves when they're dead." He grumbled as he tilted his chin up. "I do not want you head, or sick or hurt. Please let me care for you. You can't take care of me like this can you?"

Geralt bit his lip and shook his head sinking into the tub, Geralt murmured as Jaskier continued to scrub his hair clean. He ran a wet towel over his face carefully cleaning each worry line. He continued over his forehead and kissed him softly before he noticed the look in Geralt's eyes.

"You're tired love, I can see that much. Have you been sleeping well?"

Geralt looked him up and down. "Honestly, no Jaskier I haven't."

"Why?"Jaskier asked as he continued to scrub his chiseled chest.

"I worry, I have worries."

"What are your worries?"

Geralt grumbled under his breath. "You would be angry with me my bard."

"Just tell me and maybe I would understand." Jaskier remarked taking his hands in his own. Geralt looked him up and down with concern before flipping Jaskier's fingers over in his hands.

"Because of me you've been injured. Your ability to play music the way you always have has been taken away. Because of me." Geralt remarked. "Because of me you're scarred." He ran his fingers over the burn marks on his fingers.

"No Geralt, I chose to not tell him anything about you. About you or Ciri, because she is ours. She is our daughter and I chose this fate. He told me what he was going to do, he told he would do it if I didn't tell him. I knew it was going to happen. You are my life Geralt, and Ciri is our girl. I chose this fate, and I will continue to do this. I will continue to live the life I am living because I love you. Because I love her. I want you to get some damn sleep, and not worry about me so much. I am here. I am still alive, I am here and I will never regret my choices."

Geralt frowned but kissed his finger pads. "Are you really okay?"

"I am, I have you and I have Ciri and I still have my voice. I want you to care for yourself. I want you to not keel over and die because you're not sleeping."

Geralt nodded. "I will take care of myself better my bird."

"Good, because if you didn't I would knock you out just so you would sleep, my wolf."

Geralt chuckled at the comment allowing Jaskier to finish cleaning him before he stumbled back to bed. Jaskier cuddled up to him with a soft smile. "Sleep now, understand me?"

"I will sleep, just stay by my side my love."

"I'm here, I'll stay by your side I promise."

"My bird."

"My wolf."

#sick fic #geraskier #geralt/jaskier #jaskier/geralt #Jaskier #geralt z rivii

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roughentumble · 10 months

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I know what classpecting is but I saw the witch of time Yen knight of blood Geralt post now I'm curious what Jaskier's would be

mostly i didnt add him because i was literally falling asleep as i made the post and didnt want to keep myself up, but also because im stuck at a bit of an impasse on what i'd classpect him as.

explanation of geralt yen and ciri classpecting for the next four paragraphs, jaskier explanation at the end, sorry its so long

im fairly sold on knight of blood for geralt, because not only does it just Sound very Him, knights are known to have a facade they show to the rest of the world to hide deeper inner turmoil, and blood is the aspect of connections, and he is literally at the center of a vast web of connections (the hansa, the witchers of kaer morhen, the family he creates with yen and ciri) which he has to work at various times to maintain and keep healthy, despite the way he thinks he's not suited for it, the way he expects to be hated, and in fact the times where he's genuinely in over his head. he's both challenged by, and inherently suited for this post, which is a very Homestuck Classpect thing. not to mention how deeply he feels bonds once they form, and how far he'll go to protect them.

i mostly made yen witch of time because while geralt is the much needed glue to hold their little family together, she is vital for the teaching and mentoring of ciri in a different way, she's a very powerful figure in her own right, and time is one of the two aspects that is absolutely necessary for a viable session. i don't know how much the classpect suits her personally, but it's a very necessary and powerful role, and i could easily see it being one of seclusion, where one thinks they know it all and so they'll make and guide through their plans and their timeloops, and the others ought to simply go where they lead, and yen making plans and not telling others the details seems to be a running theme. in fact that may make her even more suited to be the /mage/ of time, but, like i said, i was falling asleep, and a witch just sounded more right simply because she's a witch/sorceress in canon lol.

ciri as witch of space is most up in the air, i could see her being a lot of other classes, but space is the other aspect that a session literally cannot be viable without. even more important than time, without a space player to breed the genesis frog, your session will never give birth to life, and all of the game is doomed with no win conditions. this makes ciri a player that is incredibly important and sought after, but mostly due to the fact that she'll have a potent role in breeding-- something unfortunately true in canon as well, where she's sought after for the fact she's said to one day give birth to a fatedly important man. on top of that, some classes suffer from an abundance of their aspect, and one of the ways ciri suffers is through space; an abundance of it keeping her from the people she cares about, who care about her, who would want to keep her safe and loved and looked after. one who suffers from space and yet uses space to appear where needed, teleporting and yet never able to be near loved ones and always seeming to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, suffering and yet giving birth to something vital should she fulfill her destiny, or leaving a new world to rot as she shucks what the gods plan in order to live with those who really matter to her. seems very ciri to me, mostly i gave her witch as a way of inheriting the title from yennefer. a class that is somehow a middleground between yen and geralt while still being active, and one that inspires suffering through its aspect, would be more suited for her but again i was falling asleep.

the reason also that they three have these specific classpects is a way of making them viable as a small three-person session. time and space are needed, but if it were only yen and ciri they would be a lord and muse, and i dont want to leave geralt out. if it was literally them and only them in sburb, time and space are non-questionable. and geralt doesnt strike me much as either sort of player. ciri COULD transcend rules and be dual-aspected, i suppose, since canonically she's the lady of time AND space in the witcher universe, but that feels a little too fanon-y to me and im not into it. so in the case of a three person session, yen would have to be time while ciri would be space, and geralt just seems a blood player to me.

now. here we get to jaskier. first of all, introducing more players means that yen's classpect gets called into question. suddenly she doesnt HAVE to be a time player, since others are open for the role, others who personalities might be more suited for it. but also being a time player makes you Very Important, and im hesitant to remove that plot relevance from her character. onto jaskier himself: its actually tempting to make HIM the [class] of time, because time is often associated with music in homestuck. dave has his turntables, aradia her music boxes. time is the rhythm of reality, and when you're tuned into the beat, that's what gives you control of it. so a musician seems very leaning towards that role. you could even make him a bard! bard of time is a valid classpect. but bards in homestuck dont fit the same role as bards the career. and honestly i kind of agree with that one classpecting post i read that said bards are the author's puppets in homestuck. bards as we've seen them in the series kind of just do what's needed for plot contrivance, and i dont think jaskier is THAT useless. a bard of time almost makes sense for him based on other classpecting, where theyre a role of whimsey and joy, and time having musical associations. but i think it makes him too plot-central and leaves him with too little agency, it kind of reduces him in a way i dont think suits him. also, i dont think i want him to wear a codpiece and a cone-shaped hat! sorry, im bringing aesthetics into this

ignoring gendering the classes, i could see him as a rogue, page, or sylph. all classes generally thought of as passive. rogues steal [their aspect] to distribute to the rest of their team, while suffering from an abundance of [aspect], like roxy(rogue of void) suffering from blackouts due to her excessive reliance on alcohol. sylphs are thought of in fanon as a healing class, healing others through [aspect], like the sylph of light healing psychological wounds by helping people "See the light". and pages are thought of as weaklings who suffer from a total lack of [aspect], but who become the most powerful characters once they grow. the trouble is getting them to grow at all. like tavros, who couldve been powerful, but spent a lot of his time stagnant or lead astray, "growing" in ways that were actually regressive for him. (ive seen arguments about how to define a page but shhhhh ive already typed so many words).

rogue of heart might be a good classpect for him. he steals people's love though his wondrous lute playing, but suffers from a lack of ability to feel that love himself, whether because they dont return his feelings, or because he has difficulty actually feeling that love in return. but heart is also linked to personality, sense of self, etc, and jaskier doesnt strike me as one that deals with confusion about his sense of self.

a sylph of heart would potentially be similar to a rogue of it, healing others through love, but again, im not entirely convinced heart suits him. as a sylph of life he might live life to the fullest, and inspire those around him to do so as well!....sometimes to their own detriment.

i dont know what draws me to page. i certainly dont think he's the most strong or valued player on the field, which is what i like about him, and giving him a class that says "you'd kick everything's ass if only you unlocked your potential" doesnt do it for me, though i guess if we relegate him to being forever stunted, or make him highest "goal"/"best self" one who's incredible talents dont lie at the heart of getting ahead in the game, perhaps it would work better. tavros DID excel when vriska wasnt trying to make him something he wasnt, he just didnt excel at the parts that were, like, winning the game.

there's plenty of aspects, too, that i think could suit him. heart, in his ability to sway the hearts of others. life, for his vivacity, the way he starts with abundance(a viscount, being born into royalty is a very common life player thing), the way he suffers from rules and constraints.

but ultimately, i think breath would be an interesting aspect for him. breath is easygoing, blowing from place to place, with no interest in being tied down. breath is whats in your lungs when you tell a story, its what carries each note from your lute to someone's ears. its associated with protagonists and jokesters, and while he isnt the former he does have the plot armor of one, and he can most certainly be the latter. caught up in whims, letting himself be pulled by the force of the story, his deepest connections forged by the knight of blood who so quickly saw him and grew close to him, without asking him to compromise his flighty ways.

but at the same time, his flightiness sometimes hurts him. he gets into trouble when he blows things off, when he gets too full of hot air, when he cant seem to stop talking. he cant find just one love, darting from one partner to the next, too free to be pinned down like a butterfly on a board. he sometimes suffers from an abundance of freedom, though there's nowhere he'd rather be than the open road, on the next great adventure, sat beside his closest companions. i think he would be a rogue of breath.

#witcher tag #ogc tag #open to other classpects ofc!#but this is what i get from him #long post tag

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