#and it'll be appreciated and the writer (if they respond to comments) will know exactly what you mean and how to respond to it and in the

[easterlystars]

tagged by @kokobopam! ahh this looks so fun! thanks for including me in this haha <3

writing tag game

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 11

2. what's your total ao3 word count? 105,867 words. it took me a decade to get to this number though, how embarassing lmao. if we total ALL words from fics i've posted on other platforms, it's definitely uh... more than that (idk how much though as some of these platforms can only be found on wayback machine now... ahem winglin).

3. what fandoms do you write for? i only write for tvxq at the moment. in the past, i've written for tvb dramas, harry potter, super junior, and exo.

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

It's a Deal: police au, enemies to lovers trope, about homin going undercover as a couple at a couple's rehab/therapy island resort. dumb humor. great satisfaction. i am very proud of this fic LMAO took me two years to write it (i was in grad school at the time) but i had so much fun. i am a huge stan of ships with sexual tension who hate each other LOLLL so i do hope to write something like this again.

Your Father and I: family au, friends to lovers trope, all fluff with some minor angst, about homin raising a five year old together. not my first chaptered homin fic but the first chaptered one i completed so i have a huge soft spot for it <3

King Size: one shot based on that one radio interview tohoshinki did in 2018, when yunho said he wanted another mattress. a fluffy story featuring a suffering yunho and an annoying changmin hehe

The World of Everything: a canon-compliant fic also set in 2018, a smutty one shot about homin realizing their feelings for each other during the post-army, begin again era. smut with emotional narrative is how i'd describe it lol. a lot of s3x and a lot of feelings lol

Drunken Confessions: my first published homin fic on ao3, yay! idk why this one is popular but it was popular enough for me to write two different versions of it LOL (one ended up being 'Your Father and I').

5. do you respond to comments? i usually do, but recently i've been so busy with other things in my life that i haven't :( as a writer i really appreciate comments, so i try my best to give each and every comment a productive reply.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? probably my most recent one, 'Seven Star Boys'. not exactly a good ending lol

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? most of them are happy lol but if i have to choose, it'll probably be 'Your Father and I'.

8. do you get hate on fics? it wasn't exactly hate, but more like a critique? a disapproval? the person said my fic had "grape" (it was actually dubcon) and that i didn't tag it as grape. it did kind of get to me at the time, so i ended up taking down the fic to rework it, but i was much younger then. if this happened to me now i'll just shrug it off lol. i don't know if i'll ever republish this fic because it's still incomplete. maybe one day, when i get the inspiration, i'll finish it lol (hint: it's a homin omegaverse fic lol)

9. do you write smut? yes lmao. i think almost half of the fics i have on ao3 contains smut.

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written? uh... idk if this is considered a crossover but the incomplete 'The Tiger's Keeper' features other kpop stars as supporting cast. lee hyori and junsu are big supporting characters in the story.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? not prolific and good enough for people to steal from me lol

12. have you ever had a fic translated? nope

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? tried but failed lol

14. what’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? omg i might've said this earlier BUT IT IS 'THE TIGER'S KEEPER'! like this fic is so ambitious that i actually plan to publish it for real... idk if this dream will ever come true though...

15. what are your writing strengths? i was told by a few friends that i'm good with adding emotional depth to my characters. i write about feelings a lot, which is true. i do strive to write stories that are more character-driven.

16. what are your writing weaknesses? i'm pretty bad with dialogue. i struggle with writing good dialogue exchanges that feel realistic. a goal of mine is to be able to write an entire scene where the reader can infer the emotions and the environment through just dialogue.

17. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? weird af LOL but i will if they are honorifics like "hyung", "noona", or "sunbae" because these are language terms that are relevant to writing about kpop stars lol

18. first fandom you wrote for? tvb drama actors lmfao

19. favorite fic you’ve written? probably 'It's a Deal' and 'The Tiger's Keeper'. both fics are long and both fics i had spent a lot of time on. i'm very pleased with how 'It's a Deal' turned out tbh. i was shook at myself for how good i was able to capture their banter LMAO and of course, i was able to sprinkle in some character development too in a five chapter story... man i was good wtf happened to me now

as for 'The Tiger's Keeper'... i love what i did with the worldbuilding here and i just love thinking about what i COULD do with this story haha. it wasn't originally meant to be a long story, but the more i mapped it, the longer it got. i think i once projected it to end with over 100,000 words but this was all in my head. maybe one day i can finish it, and when i do, i hope ya'll are reading the physical copy and not the ao3 digital version lol

i'm also going to sneak in a third favorite: 'When the Sun Meets the East'. an emotional one shot about yunho going through depression and anxiety post-split. when i wrote this i was also going through something similar.

thanks for reading through this long thing haha <3

tagging @zimriya and @sanasensei to also do this game! :D

[bloodinwine]

Writing Interview

🖤Writing Interview Tag Game🖤

Thank you for the tag @starryjuicebox

When did you start writing?

I think the earliest memory I had of sitting down to write a story was probably when I was eleven? I was working on something based on what my dad gave me as a story prompt. Turned out it was the premise for Fallout 💀

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I think I would class what I'm writing as a...romantasy maybe? Except not so heavy on the fantasy part??? I normally don't read pure romance novels though. I largely read fantasy books - sometimes sci-fi.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

Hmmm. This is interesting, it's less that I want to emulate a certain writer and more that I hope to evoke similar feelings to how something I'd read made me feel. When I get to respond so emotionally to a piece of art, I have to ask myself too like... how were they able to do that? Magic. I haven't been compared to another writer before.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

Sometimes I'm in my study room when I'm proofreading and doing more serious edits. But when I'm just drafting or vibing, I'm writing on my laptop in bed.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Music is a big one for me. To me, nothing gets me more ready to dive into that document than listening to some good music and just putting your mental headspace completely in your own little world. It's my favorite part of writing.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Yes and yes. UY has a recurring theme of the passage of time and how little of it there is. Astarion's immortality and Effy's human life are at complete ends.

What is your reason for writing?

Nothing tangible on this earth is more cathartic to me. It's become so essential to my overall well-being.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

I appreciate them all. Writing is lonely and when you get to finally have that little time in the light sharing your work with others, being able to engage and connect with others over that is really nice and always motivating. I think that's essential to a writer's motivation, I know people say WRITE FOR YOURSELF and yes, absolutely you should, but being able to LET GO of that piece of writing you've held close to yourself for weeks can be immensely emotional in the best way. Now the story you've shared is bigger than just you, it's about other people too.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Diligent - that no matter what, I did my best.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Ahh....I always feel weird answering questions like this about myself. But I'd say that giving characters, whether major or minor, a strong presence in the story is probably it.

How do you feel about your own writing?

I'm working on building more confidence around my writing. But I feel that it's special to me at least. Even though it'll be shared with many others, there's still so many things that occur within that process that no one else will ever know or understand. Not to be dramatic, but damn, writing IS dramatic - like, I know so many things about Effy that no one else ever will. I'm the one who knows exactly what she looks like when she gives Astarion goo goo eyes. I'm the one that knows exactly what those horrible moments with her ex Blake looked like too. The attachment you can feel to your own characters as a writer is immense. A part of me feels sad when I think about the eventual ending of UY. Like one day I have to say goodbye to someone who feels like a friend to me now.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

I write for myself in the sense that I refuse to compromise on how I want UY to go. BUT I did have a moment where I'd faltered and wondered whether I should skip scenes or whole chapters in fear that those moments wouldn't matter to people reading it. So when I worked on the new chapter (Chp18) it felt so wrong and that made me really unexcited to write and that is certainly not the energy I want to put into my work. Writing for myself is the ONLY way I can do this - and damn that first draft came out quick once I was reminded of this. <3

No pressure tag for: @thedreamlessnights @socialinadequacybeingsuchamust

#tag game

[unrivalling]

20 Questions, Writing Editions

Tagged by @forcebookish!

How many works do you have on AO3?

Uhhh 102 -frog sipping and looking away emoji-

What's your total AO3 word count?

Uhhhhh 552,539 words -frog sipping and looking away intensifies-

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Blooming in Frost (ZongChi, Genshin, randomly)

If I Die Before You Wake (TadaAi, Sk8)

breaking point (Ferdibert, FE3H)

Irreplaceable (Claurenz, FE3H)

First Time (Ferdibert, FE3H) Oh man, it's always the oldest ones that you don't personally feel are your best work anymore, huh 🥲 (Not to rag on any of these fics or shame anyone for loving them--if you do, I'm so glad and honored, truly!!! I just know I've grown so much as a writer since these that it feels strange to see they still have the most kudos.)

I will say that all the FE3H fics make sense to me, partly because of how very, very active that fandom is as far as engagement and encouraging writers, and I think breaking point is really and truly the first "mature" fic I ever wrote. That one means a lot because it brought me a lot of amazing friends, and I think is the first project that REALLY taught me how to write. Even if I think I've grown since then, breaking point was the absolute seed of me as a mature writer.

What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, primarily Black Butler, Twisted Wonderland, Sk8, and Fire Emblem 3H (technically dormant rn but it'll always mean so much to me <3) But in the distant past I've written for: Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Yu Yu Hakusho, Bleach, Saiyuki, Resident Evil, Dresden Files, the Johannes Cabal books, Hetalia waaaaaay back in the day, MCU, Overwatch, Assassin's Creed (especially Syndicate), and Rawhide (yes the old western TV show).

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try really hard to! I appreciate how both writers and readers can kind of feel like they're throwing their words out into a void, but I don't always know what to say and I don't always have the spoons. I try to get to everything eventually, though <3

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

-FROG SIPPING AND LOOKING AWAY EMOJI-

Listen I've written 18 deathfics and counting for most of my fandoms so, pick your poison tbh~

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

To me:

West of Eden (Eden, Sk8, Western AU)

Don't Tell the Bees (DimiDue, FE3H, canon divergent)

Do you get hate on fics?

Not really.

Do you write smut?

I try!! It's not exactly my specialty, but I do want to show characters being together and in love (or in hate, or in sexual intercourse but romantic neutrality) and fucking about it. I tend not to write about penetration, though I like reading it.

Do you write crossovers? So That's My Secret, Cap, I've always loved crossovers, although I rarely if ever write them. Just never felt like the audience was there or it was worth it.

Honestly, there's usually some kind of background radiation in my brain of whatever my like, top 3 characters at the time are interacting with each other (had an elaborate AU Jacob Frye/Loki romance playing out in the back of my head for years at one point). However, I very rarely actually write them. They're much more likely to be AUs, or just thought experiments. I do like thinking about how to fit one thing into the world of another on a strictly mechanical level as well, again, even if nothing comes of it.

That being said, I'm exploring writing more with Black Butler specifically, since I think the time period it takes place in and the worldbuilding of it actually lends itself well to crossovers with other things, and I'm trying to do a new thing where I write only what I actually really want to. I've written a Sk8 crossover, and I'm working on a Black Butler + [REDACTED] crossover rn. I'm not quite ready to talk about it 👀, but if I happen to write it, Kuro will be 2/2 for repairing my busted relationships with past fandoms.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, other than the LLM scraping.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

A bit here and there. I co-wrote a bit in a couple of my past-life fandoms, but in my current-life fandoms I co-wrote Warm Welcome (3k), a Ferdibert fic with Hubert coming back to Ferdinand after a hard mission, with my friend GoldenThreads for our friend Nuanta 💛.

What's your all-time favourite ship?

Ferdibert 🧡🖤 That ship and the people I met in it changed everything for me. I found it after a really awful moment in my life, where I was getting over a really traumatic sickness and planning on more or less quitting writing, and it completely relit things for me. It was everything I'd ever wanted out of a ship. It didn't totally repair my relationship with writing, but it set me on the right path.

What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

-FROG SIPPING AND LOOKING AWAY EMOJI-

Any multi chapter I haven't updated in a year or more 🥲 I'm better at planning multichapters than I am at finishing them. I've just sort of accepted this is part of my creative process--I might not finish every multichapter, but I finish some. Never say never, though.

What are your writing strengths?

The moment when a character thinks they are going to die and everything they have ever been and ever wanted calcifies into pure regret, horror, and a desire to keep living. Also slow, ponderous mourning that feels like walking around with an open wound, cloying mortality asking why the remaining character lives on.

I also think I write decent BDSM, nature, and character descriptions.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Pacing, on account of mostly just not having the spoons most of the time to put as much into a fic as it probably needs, and knowing I'm cutting corners. I also think I use past-imperfect too much because I was inspired by a lot of British writers.

I also struggle with slice of life unless there's something sad going on. And I struggle with the moment-to-moment of writing character relationships. (I do not count my use of adverbs a weakness--I think they add sparkle to prose and you can pry them from my cold dead hands)

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic? Depends. I try to avoid it, but then Rook Hunt happened, so.

First fandom you wrote for?

Pokemon, Sailor Moon, or YuGiOh. Yu Yu Hakusho was right after though.

Favourite fic you've ever written?

Sorry I can't pick just one, but I'll limit myself to 6.5~ West of Eden (Eden, SK8, Western AU where Langa and Adam are both gunslingers, and Langa brings in outlaw!Adam without considering the consequences)

Passing the world by (SebaGrell, S1 BB, Canon divergence for the end of S1, and written well before I'd finished the series or read the manga, but it was the first fic I'd written after coming out of a truly gnarly burnout and it was the first one I'd had fun writing in a long time, and it's still my prototype for SG even though I would write a very different fic now. It's not my strongest and I also didn't even understand that Kuro had two canons at the time, but I'm glad I wrote it.)

From the Garden (TadAi (although it's more Ai solo), Sk8, Ainosuke abduction fic)

At Stake (RookVil, TWST, Vil sent back in time and gets arrested by witch hunters)

Ten of Swords (Claudebert, FE3H, Canon divergent fic where Claude and Hubert are the only survivors of the Battle of Gronder field when all sides are massacred, and they go on a rampage of revenge across Fodlan)

Garroter and Hangman (Ferdibert, FE3H, Hubert almost decides to assassinate Ferdinand when they're at Gareg Mach, proceeds to have years of crippling guilt about it that culminates in a mid-life nervous breakdown) Tagging: ANYONE WHO WANTS TO but top of mind are @thislittlekumquat @sssneakiest @specterthief @bunny--manders @plague-of-insomnia

[leofrith]

[20 Question Fic Writer Tag]

I wasn't actually tagged by anyone and I would never usually do this but @ainulindaelynn said anyone could consider themselves tagged and this one looked fun so here I am. 🤪

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Five! Four one-shots and one multi-chapter WIP.

2. What is your AO3 word count?

16,451

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently Assassin's Creed, formerly (but I'm sure I'll be dragged back into it at some point) Star Wars. I also have a bunch of old WIPs for Pacific Rim and (🤢) the MCU but never completed/published any of them.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

I only have five fics posted so:

Hideaway - 147

Bright Skies - 136

Press On, Move Along - 92

Out of the Cold - 35

Honor Bound - 22

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I try to respond to every comment I get, even if it's just a short little acknowledgement. Because I would like people to know I see them and appreciate them so they keep commenting. <3

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Press On, Move Along. Everyone died, dude.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hideaway!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet! 🤪

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, as of like... three months ago. I have yet to publish any of it though and it'll probably be a long while before I do, but I also have a little one-shot that may be done long before then if I decide to actually finish it. In terms of "what kind" I think it's pretty vanilla. IDK how else to describe it.🧍🏻‍♀️

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Not generally, except for the AC Star Wars AU that has taken over my brain. I'm not even sure I would count that as a crossover so much as a fusion AU because there are absolutely no Star Wars characters in it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I'm not positive this person was copying my fic, but I distinctly remember not long after I posted Hideaway coming across a fic with the same premise (Din playing hide and seek with the kids on Sorgan), which followed all the exact same plot beats as mine. And I do mean exactly. Obviously the plot itself is not particularly groundbreaking and I think there are plenty of other similar stories out there, but this one was similar enough to set off alarm bells.

I didn't end up doing anything about it because again, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and it could have easily been a coincidence, but obviously if they had fully reposted my fic then that would be a different story.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Actively written a fic with another person? No. Plotted a fic from start to finish in a months-long series of increasingly deranged DMs? So many times. Hi Parker. :)

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Girl... I can't answer this. I don't know about "favourite" but if I had to pick a ship that has made me crazy for the most amount of time, it's probably Mako/Raleigh.

15. What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will?

I still think about my post-Mando s2 fix-it fic every once in a while but I honestly doubt I'll ever finish it. Disney has pretty much killed any care I once had for this show and it fucking sucks. :/

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm not even being modest right now I just actually don't know lmao. Anything that I might qualify as a strength isn't consistent enough for me to feel justified in calling it a strength.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Overthinking my use of commas, editing while I write, feeling directionless when I don't do enough planning ahead of time but feeling suffocated when I do too much planning ahead of time. Also just being sooooo fucking slow, but I think that can be attributed to the overthinking.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I avoid it as much as humanly possible. If someone is speaking another language I'll usually just note it in the text somehow or, as has been the case with Honor Bound a lot of the time, purposefully write from the POV of a character who doesn't speak that language which, in addition to conveniently sidestepping that issue, works well as a narrative device.

I just absolutely hate the thought of putting Google translated dialogue in a fic and having a native speaker cringe their way through grammatically incoherent dialogue lmao.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Marvel >:(

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Honor Bound obviously holds a special place in my heart but Out of the Cold is really good. Like really good IMO.

No-pressure tags: @orphiceonian, @aeide, @findusinaweek, @reiverreturns, @basimibnishaqs, ????? anyone else who wants to <3

[phvntom-limbs]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @scary-monsters <3 ty ily

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 6! One for The Witcher and 5 for JJBA.

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 6,498 <3 So few!!! For now <3

3. What fandoms do you write for? JJBA, One Piece and maybe a few others in future. Buuut mostly those two right now. Even if the OP shit is unreleased. And Resident Evil!!! Hopefully soon.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Well this is sorta easy with only 6 works in total. BUT. His Sweet Kiss (Geraskier fluff), Letters from a lover (compilation of short letters from characters), If I could be with you tonight (Gyro angst), Ties that Bind (Dio fic...... that I uhhh,,, haven't continued. Whoops) and Phantom Pains / Fleurs Captives (Diabeth angst) !!!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes! I do try to! I don't get them very often, mostly because I'm only recently getting back onto writing platforms. But I do try to. I like people who enjoy my works to know the support is appreciated.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Definitely Phantom Pains. Out-of-the-blue Diabeth angst ending in grief and regret... I do love writing angst and I don't shy away from sad endings either! Although I do love a good happy end too <3

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Speaking of.... His Sweet Kiss is definitely the happiest one, at least so far. My lost-to-time fics from the Wattpad era weren't exactly happy, so I think a fluffy mess like HSK is the best right now.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not yet. Yet. It'll happen eventually I'm sure.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I do! I have yet to publish any of it, though. Mostly because I am incredibly picky when it comes to smut, and by extension incredibly finicky with my own smutty works. As for what kind? Ah... a mix.

10. Do you write crossovers? I don't. I don't even think I'd necessarily consider it for anything other than a crackfic.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I have not! But I have had people copy my writing suspiciously closely.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I have not, but I would be honoured if someone offered to, and I hope that at some point I'm fluent enough in another language to do so myself.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have not. I'm semi-open to the idea of it, but also... kind of sounds stressful.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? Ahhhh..... Geraskier held my heart for a very long time. I'm also a YenRalt truther, though. I struggle a little to compute ships nowadays but I think Dinopants is really fun. and Satosugu.

15. What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Oh god, the Dio fic I started and then never continued. It was meant to be a look into Diabeth over the years but I changed a lot of things since I started it, so I may have to scrap the whole thing and restart.

16. What are your writing strengths? Description. I love describing things and spaces and people more than anything and I think that love has lead to a lot of practice. I can be a little flowery at times but I don't particularly mind it. It's not for everyone, though.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Dialogue. I never know how much to have people say or not say. It's something I need to practice. On the flipside, sometimes I have characters say too much and then I completely neglect action. I just need to get better with it all-round.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I do it! And I respect other writers who have the balls to do it (and potentially cock it up). I tend to check, and double/triple check it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? If I'm being honest it was probably Skullduggery Pleasant, back before I even knew Fanfiction was a thing. And I read it out in front of my class at the time. I think I was about 10.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Honestly? Every since I wrote Phantom Pains it's been my pride and joy. I really love my use of description and imagery and tone in that one specifically. I just really love it.

I don't have anyone to tag.... that Kat didn't already tag. So take this as a free ticket to join in should you wish to <3

[witcher-and-his-bard]

Winter Prompts Day 18: Letter Writing 🌲

Pairing: Geralt x Jaskier Warning(s): none Rating: general

Fic Summary: Geralt replies to Jaskier’s letter. A continuation of the last prompt.

🌲 Doing this thing  🌲

The morning after Geralt finds the letters, he sets to writing his own, but he finds he doesn't know what to say. He's frustrated, sitting there with a quill and paper and not a single thought in his head. This must be what Jaskier feels like when he complains of writer's block - Geralt makes a mental note to be more sympathetic about it in the future. 

It's been about a week of his trying and failing to write anything more than Jaskier's name on the paper and a little doodle of Roach on the side. He's been lying awake thinking about it, going over the two letters he's read from Jaskier now and unable to come up with so much as a reply. Anything he thinks of seems like too much. So after another week of frustration, Geralt turns to Eskel for help. 

It's late, Aiden and Lambert have long turned in and Geralt is the only one still roaming the halls when he knocks on Eskel's door. He waits a few moments and is met by the half-awake, squinting face of Eskel. 

"Geralt?" he asks, "what are you still doing up?"

"Can't sleep," Geralt mumbles. 

"You wanna come sleep with me?" Eskel grins, "haven't done that since we were kids."

"Appreciate the offer," Geralt says, "but I need your help with something."

"At midnight?"

"It'll help me sleep."

"Alright," Eskel relents, standing aside so Geralt can enter the room, "what do you need help with?"

"I- Jaskier wrote me a letter, I don't know how to respond."

"Okay. What were his letters about? Eskel asks. Geralt can feel his cheeks heat and Eskel lifts an eyebrow but doesn't push. 

"He.. told me what he was doing when he was writing it, how he was watching me from across the camp," Geralt explains sheepishly. 

"Sweet," Eskel comments, "why don't you do the same? Tell him about your day, tell him what you got up to?"

"You think he'll be interested in that?" Geralt frowns.

"Of course I do. He'll be interested in whatever you have to say."

"Okay."

"Anything else I can help with?" Eskel asks. 

"No, I think that should work." Geralt muses for a moment before nodding to himself and thanking Eskel. He retreats from the room, wishing Eskel a goodnight before returning back to his own room.

But he has no intention of sleeping just yet. First, he wants to write a letter. So he lights a candle at the desk and sits down with his quill and paper once more. This time, he knows how to start.

Jaskier,

I have spent the last two weeks trying to find the perfect thing to say, but I've realized words are not my forte. Eskel says I should tell you about my day, but all I did was work on the old alchemy tower patching up the roof. So instead, I want to say to you what I wish I had said before we parted for the winter. I want you to be here with me. I wish I had been brave enough to ask you to come, but I didn't want to rush things if you weren't ready for that. I miss you. I lie awake thinking about you at night counting down the days until we meet again and I know this letter is nothing compared to yours, but I do care for you. 

Yours, Geralt

Geralt sets his quill down, rereading the letter. It's not exactly what he wants and he's overcome with a wave of anxiety reading it over, but he wants Jaskier to know. He wants to say these things and throwing this letter out isn't going to accomplish that. So he quickly folds it and seals it before he can change his mind, then he tucks it under Jaskier's letters in the bottom of his pack for the spring. 

Geralt loves the winter, he loves to see his brothers and spend the few months without constant monster hunting, but this year he can't wait for spring, because spring means Jaskier and he can't wait to see what comes next for them.