#damsel in distress jaskier

[thedemonofcat]

Six months have passed since Jaskier last saw Geralt, and yet people continue to abduct him in hopes of luring the witcher.

In that time, Jaskier has been captured by bandits, creatures, and sorcerers, all eager to use him as a trap for Geralt. He's managed to escape each time through sheer luck, as he's not quite ready to face Geralt again.

Meanwhile, Geralt keeps setting out to rescue Jaskier, only to discover that the bard has already slipped through someone's fingers.

[ladyannemarie5]

I finally got to watch “The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep” again, so here's the third part of:

Things we learned/confirmed about our bard in “The Witcher: Sirens of the deep”

Geralt is always ready to protect his bard on hunts.

He and Geralt share the coins from the hunts and his performances as a bard (awww like in the fanfics). 

He often suffers from financial problems thanks to sharing Geralt's coin and moral code (but he never leaves him alone)

Geralt lets Jaskier touch him as he pleases even though physically Jaskier couldn't move an inch of the witcher if Geralt didn't want to (you know, that scene at the beginning where they're in the tavern, Geralt gets up to leave and Jaskier with a firm hand on his shoulder puts him back in his sit)

He went to Bremervoord, his old town where no one appreciated him and he suffered from bullying and from which he fled so desperately to be himself, just because Geralt was avoiding you-know-who.

He never misses an opportunity to badmouth Yennefer LOL.

He was the driver of the carriage on Ellander's trip to Möen that Yennefer was talking about in S3E1 where she and Geralt did everything but talk (to be honest, I'm not really sure on this point but in the scene where the driver is seen steering the carriage you can see a blue doublet that may be Jaskier's trademark, but maybe I'm just projecting my bard on everything LOL)

It's Jaskier The Bard, The Song Don of Oxenfurt, The Crooner of the Continent

Essi ��Little eye” is like Jaskier's little sister and the bard's #1 defender (Sooo cute and sad considering that probably, and following canon, that was the last time Jaskier saw Essi)

Geralt only learned that “Julian” was the bard's real name 20 years later. 

He used to say he was originally from Oxenfurt (considering this point, it makes me wonder at what point the Viscount of Lettenhove thing came in).

He was meant to be a man of the sea, but he was “creative and different and they treated him horrible because of that” (MY SHYLAAAAAA, I liked that they gave more lore to his past, is it better than what I've read in fanfics? I don't think so, but it's appreciated anyway)

He's a superstar, master of the scene (we already knew this but it never hurts to remember it).

Jaskier steals Geralt's beer 

Geralt is quite used to Jaskier's nonsense and dramatics (that scene where Jaskier spits out the beer, which he took from Geralt, for knowing that Essi is a bard and the witcher just shakes the drink off without blinking)

“If you know my name, it's because you know his songs” (What the hell???? Geralt was so ready to defend his bard's honor).

Jaskier is Geralt's official wingman (he just doesn't want him to be with Yennefer). 

Geralt hunts and cooks for him (awwww)

Jaskier doesn't like Geralt's cooking.

Jaskier knows that Geralt has a big heart and is a softie. 

And there was only one tent, Geralt sleeps outside the tent (probably to keep watch, but there's no way they haven't shared a tent at least once)

Jaskier is a very heavy sleeper

As a bard, he is aware of political, social and economic issues in many parts of the Continent (which helped Geralt to solve the Sirens' problem). 

He is the beauty and moral support in the team (he is gorgeous).

Geralt removes Jaskier from the path of danger (that scene where Melusina in the form of the princess goes for Geralt and he removes Jaskier)

No matter what anyone says, Jaskier solved the case. 

Moral support of Geralt when they call him “sewer cleaner”. 

“And yet, for all the talk of Witchers lacking emotions, I know how to hurt you *proceeds to order Jaskier's death.

Jaskier was already saying goodbye to Geralt and blaming himself for returning to Bremervoord.

Jaskier may always be the damsel in distress, but when the situation calls for it he knows how to use a sword and fight in spite of his fears (keep the swords away from the bard when he is shocked and scared)

Zelest, welcome to Jaskier's harem.

Despite all the drama and commotion in the fights, Geralt constantly checks that his bard is alive and well, always ready to drop everything and help if needed.

Jaskier is quite used to Geralt's favorite technique of being eaten.

Jaskier has been to many royal weddings 

Jaskier gave up his life and everything he knew in order to fulfill his dream of being a bard (and he made the right decision) 

“But for now, looks like Jaskier will have to do” (To be honest, I don't know how to take this lol).

Jaskier is the one who decides where to go in his adventures with Geralt. 

The whole Sirens of the deep is set immediately before the dragon hunt (and that breaks my heart)

And last but not least, Joey Batey is the love of my life (and I love that they respected his incredibly blue eyes). 

(I didn't think this would turn out to be so long but here we are, sorry for the verbal vomit).

You can check the previous parts here and here

[patroclusdefencesquad]

next time jaskier and valdo marx meet i want to see jaskier smugly telling valdo how "MY sorceress wouldn't have left me alone during a violent coup. in fact, MY sorceress calls me her damsel in distress and ALWAYS saves me. but that's because MY sorceress (yennefer of vengerberg by the way) is sooo much more powerful than yours. and sexier by the way"

[curious-trickster]

I love it when Jaskier is able to save Geralt, whether that be by sheer dumb luck and some guts or by immense skill like with people. Just anytime they both save the other is such a good time in my opinion.

How do you feel about it? Are you a Jaskier is the only damsel in distress or do you like them to switch off being the damsel in distress?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Oh gods, I LOVE competent/feral Jaskier, you have no idea.

I just think that there's so much potential for hilarious moments to ensue whenever someone makes Jaskier a little more dangerous than you expect him to be.

I think it's much more realistic to have Jaskier actually be able to defend himself from danger, seeing as he does travel across the continent on his own sometimes. Add in the experience he gets over the years from traveling with Geralt and you have a Bard that actually knows how to fight.

I take a lot of joy picturing Geralts disgruntled but reluctanty flustered face whenever Jaskier comes to his rescue or the small pleased smile he can't fight down whenever he sees Jaskier give back as good as he gets in a fight, surprising everyone around him because they assumed the Bard dressed in fancy clothing to be all talk with no real skill and Jaskier just flattened them.

Jaskier's face whenever he notices Geralts reaction is all smug and pleased, he can't help making some quips about it or sauntering up to Geralt, teasingly asking him if he liked the show, feeling even more pleased when Geralts face turns red in a deep blush that surprises both of them.

Like imagine them looking like this:

[thelostgirl21]

Well, actually, I mean...

He did "hire" Geralt (as in, he claimed that Geralt "owed him" for his help with changing his reputation and making coins flow his way) as protection for a bunch of (some rather small and pathetic) humans that wished to kill him, too...

Then again, perhaps he didn't want to cause a scene at a royal event, didn't want to be forced to "come out" to the world as being "a really buff bard", and was counting on Geralt's size and looming presence alone to deescalate situations.

And he also needed to be saved from that guard at the docks (OMFG! why did autocorrect change "docks" to "dicks"?!?!?! Sorry! Had to say it!)...

Then again, that guard is bigger than he is... and quite frankly, from the way he's staring back at him here, I can't even tell you if Jaskier completely froze because he was feeling scared, or because he suddenly got really aroused by the way that huge bear was manhandling him:

Talk about the worst timing to experience some "kink awakening"...

Elf:Fuck the North. Jaskier (in his head): Yeah, and fuck me, too!

(On second thoughts, maybe autocorrect was onto something when it tried to get me to write "guard at the dicks" instead...)

He also sort of got really nervous when three average-size men showed up and started harassing Yennefer back when she'd lost her powers, and took off running after her...

Then again, that would be three against one, and maybe Jaskier is such a gentle soul that he'd only resort to "fight" if "flight" was no longer a viable option.

I think the most "fighting" I've ever seen Jaskier do against another human being on the show is blocking a blow, and managing to push that weapon away from him after Geralt distracted his opponent by sticking an axe in their shoulder...

That mix of adrenaline and upper body strength probably did come in handy!

I kind of recently dedicated a video to him being very good at running, hiding, and/or being rescued, actually, since that's what most of his action scenes have consisted of thus far on the show...

Although, I do kind of like the idea that Jaskier might just really be wired to instinctively act scared / back off with people (and living beings in general) as soon as he's being threatened, in the hopes that it will calm them down and show that he's not looking for trouble, and has no desire to fight them.

If that doesn't work, then he'll just run away from the situation or conflict if possible.

And when a big fight occurs where others might get hurt, he'll just run towards it to do some damage control and try to keep people from getting injured, and/or rescue those that have been.

But yeah... Perhaps if "flight" is not an option, or someone actually needed physical protection, Jaskier would fight back. He's just never really had to get that far yet.

Then, something happens where someone threatens Radovid, and Jaskier just instinctively shoves him behind him and punches the guy, sending him flying to the ground, effectively knocking him out...

And Jaskier is just looking at his own fist, in shock, going:

"Wait. What just happened? I've never even punched a guy before! How did he go flying like that?!" Geralt: "For fuck's sake, Jask! You're built like an ox! What did you expect would happen?! What do you think all those muscles are for?!" Jaskier: "Well, actually - " Geralt: "No. Don't answer that." Radovid: "Thank Gods!"

Okay, I felt like this post (by @panur & @underthebluerain) deserved some visuals, so people could really understand and truly appreciate just how dramatic the difference in body sizes and shapes between these two gorgeous, absolutely lovely men, is!

And just how skilled the costume design team is, on the show, when it comes to giving the illusion that a character is much smaller (in Jaskier's case) or much larger (in Radovid's case), than their actors actually are.

There was an incredible post, a while back, that really explained how those wizards work their magic!

And it's utterly fascinating!!! Seriously, if you haven't read all of that yet, I highly suggest you go and take a look!

But yeah, when you look at the way their clothes have been designed this season, there's definitely been some attempt to make Jaskier look generally smaller than Joey Batey really is, while making Radovid look generally bigger than Hugh Skinner really is, too.

A few examples (with my extremely humble interpretation / things that have grabbed my eye when I look at their costumes. Please bear in mind that I am but an humble fan with no experience in costume design, so there's probably tons of stuff I've missed, and/or I might have misinterpreted some of those designers' intent):

Then, of course, there's Radovid's cloak that just... triples his size or something!

So, when you look at them side by side with their clothes on (even without the cloak), there really doesn't seem to be such a huge difference in body size and shape between the two.

Why are they so pretty though?

Like yeah, you do get the sense that Radovid might be a bit leaner, and that he has a longer torso, perhaps, but it's not THAT dramatic of a difference...

As soon as you get them out of their costumes, however...

On that last gif, you can really see that Joey's roughly the same height as Henry Cavill, and get the sense that he'd probably fit really well in a Witcher's armor, too!

Technically, their heights are listed as: - Henry Cavill: 1,85cm (6 ft 7/8 in) - Hugh Skinner: 1,83cm (6 ft) - Joey Batey 1,82cm (5 ft 11 5/8 in)

So, Joey's like 1 1/8" smaller than Henry and 3/8" smaller than Hugh.

Since I'm ½" taller than my own partner and virtually never realize it, I doubt they'd notice that 3/8" difference between them.

But yeah, one of the really funny "side effects" of costume designers being so good at their job is when you somehow manage to forget about it while watching the show and then this happens:

and your brain needs a moment to re-calibrate its settings because you're like "Right! Buff bard! Right... 6 feet tall really strong looking damsel in distress that keeps complaining Geralt could break him like a twig, when it would be something closer to splitting a log!"

Makes you wonder if people in Jaskier's family are just... naturally muscular or something (lots of fast-twitch muscle fibers?!)?

Because, while Joey is apparently into climbing, kick boxing, swimming, fencing, medieval sword fighting, etc.

Jaskier complained about needing to walk down the path of a mountain on his own, because his fancy boots kept sliding.

He does a lot of traveling and walking, sure... But that doesn't really help you develop your upper body / pectorals / arms, etc. in such a way!

Unless he just... likes the way those muscles aesthetically look on him?

You know, I really wouldn't put it past him, now that I think about it...

Over the years, Jaskier has just developed his very own calisthenics workout routine to build and maintain his looks, but feels the need to hide it.

Because "body fitness" is not exactly a popular discipline on the Continent at that time.

People tend to train to learn how to fight, or develop muscle mass while working the land or their craft, not because "they like the way those muscles look on them when taking their clothes off!"

So, Jaskier wears clothes that hide his actual body shape, since he's afraid that, if people saw and noticed how built he really is, then they'd just assume he knows how to fight and defend himself, when he doesn't.

People might stop shoving him out of harm's way, pulling him behind them to stand between him and the danger, coming to his rescue, etc.

And, since Jaskier's whole ongoing survival sort of depends on people spontaneously stepping in to save his sorry arse, well...

In the bedroom, however, the added bit of upper body strength and endurance does wonder when you want to be able to fuck someone against a wall while keeping their feet off the ground (for example).

Being able to lift and carry more than your own weight definitely has its advantages...

As Radovid has no doubt found out...

And, if the prince turned out to be a bit lighter and easier to carry around than Jaskier was initially expecting him to be, you definitely won't hear him complaining, either!

Although, I must admit that part of me also likes the idea that they might have been able to accurately "size each other up", so to speak.

Radovid's just there looking at all the lines and proportions on Jaskier's pants and shirt, while figuring out where his shoulders and arms actually stop underneath; being both fascinated by the actual size of Jaskier's body, and the choice of clothing design that's making him look much smaller than he appears to be (if his calculations are, indeed, correct)...

While Jaskier's just looking at all those layers covering Radovid, while attempting to get a rough estimate of the total naked weight underneath, and for how long he could keep him lifted... Hypothetically... For science...

But even there, there's a huge difference between knowing those clothes are playing with your perceptions and briefly getting a mental glimpse of what you think might be closer to the truth... And actually gazing upon or getting your hands all over said truth!

Because sincerely, no amount of me trying to look at this while attempting to make abstraction of the whole illusion created by the clothing design:

is successfully going to be able to make me see this:

Hence why I tend to forget about it, and need a moment to re-calibrate almost every single time Jaskier winds up getting shirtless!

Seriously, just look at the bottom gif of him shirtless, then at the top where he's got his clothes on a few times, one after the other, and try to tell me that you're able to visualize where all of that body at the bottom is managing to fit in there at the top!

It's like part of it literally went missing!

So, even if Radovid had managed to guess that Jaskier was a lot buffer than his choice of clothing was letting on, and vice versa, I'm thinking they'd still have been in for quite a bit of a surprise when they actually got each other's clothes removed!

Therefore, that headcanon would still work, regardless of Jaskier and Radovid having guessed that each of them used their clothes to make themselves appear less threatening, or more imposing than they really are.

[ahh-fxck]

Grrrghhhharghsdfdsfasdf going to be chewing on that bullying scene with Jaskier for WEEKS. BULLIED CHILD BACKSTORY WHEN? It's NOW, folks!!! I for one cannot wait to start my blorbo rotating engines. The bit with Essi coming to the rescue is awesome, also. I love their dynamic already! Definitely setting up the "damsel in distress" role that he keeps gravitating back to. Is this history with Essi part of why he's so attracted to Geralt?

[wannastayugly]

Jaskier playing damsel in distress but always making sure to look sexy is what I'm offering you today 🤲

PATREON

[setaripendragon]

I love it when Jaskier is able to save Geralt, whether that be by sheer dumb luck and some guts or by immense skill like with people. Just anytime they both save the other is such a good time in my opinion.

How do you feel about it? Are you a Jaskier is the only damsel in distress or do you like them to switch off being the damsel in distress?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Oh, I have extremely varied tastes when it comes to Jaskier and his relationship dynamics.

I do have a soft spot for feral!Jaskier who gets treated as the soft and squishy damsel in distress just because he hangs out with witchers so much, but is actually a feral little gremlin who can hold his own quite well against other humans, which usually culminates in saving Geralt from other humans that Geralt doesn't want to fight/hurt for angsty self-loathing reasons.

But I also have a soft spot for actually-pretty-soft-and-squishy!Jaskier who doesn't know how to fight or really have much of a self-preservation instinct, but... I remember seeing a gifset of an interview with the actor where he explains that one of the things he focused on in playing Jaskier was that he would save people when a fight broke out. Plays crowd-control and crisis-management and keeps people calm and morale up.

It's an over-looked role in a lot of high-drama fantasy stories, and I really like it when there's emphasis put on that. Which, I suppose, is an example of Jaskier helping save Geralt.

I also like the stories that put emphasis on how much his songs have helped not just Geralt's public image, but all witchers.

So, yeah, I think I can say I like it when Jaskier gets to save Geralt, I just like it when he gets to do it in unconventional ways. Geralt gets to be the dashing knight who saves the damsel in distress from mortal peril, but Jaskier gets to save him right back in quieter, subtler ways that matter just as much.

[littlestsnicket]

i watched sirens of the deep

- it was good. solid. i think the pacing was a bit off? but i am like unreasonably sensitive to that. especially in animated things. especially with the character models feeling a bit flat and not super expressive. more eyebrow movement needed i think?

- but the advantage they took for the fight choreography!! all the fucking pirouettes!! yes!!

- baby jaskier!! yes of course he was bullied for being a sensitive kid. it would have been really easy, imo, too go to hard here but this felt very real.

- also essi rescuing jaskier from his childhood bully!! really reminded me of jaskier and yennefer in season 2 and jaskier’s damsel in distress speech.

- (also if i write fic about this it’s going to be jaskier trying to process that he has wished zelest dead so many times in such creative ways and now he is and it’s monumentally unsatisfying… jaskier being glib while he tries to process how upsetting this is in the background)

- i’m conflicted about essi. i really like how childish she is in the short stories. she is a mess. she’s sexually experienced and is used to having men eating out of her palm, but she’s never really fallen in love with someone before and certainly never someone as messy as geralt. as much as she is the adult in the room in every other way, she is so out of her depth. i get why they didn’t do that. i get it. and i do love what we got. it’s just a bit disappointing. i want more women who are both badass in someways and totally and completely cringefail in others. if they were going to fundamentally change her character, i think it’s good that she’s someone who wants to stay and build a family, that she is more like geralt than geralt will ever admit. and that this dovetails instead of being at odds with how hard she is willing to fight

- i think they did a decent job of getting across the core humans exploiting natural resources and geralt being skeptical of people that’s core to the short story.

- also yennefer! i would have liked more yennefer, but i think what we got was really good. the flashbacks! geralt’s subconscious yennefer saving him by telling him to wake up? yeah that was really good

- also jaskier’s almost entirely defensive sword fighting :)

[lucigoo]

I love it when Jaskier is able to save Geralt, whether that be by sheer dumb luck and some guts or by immense skill like with people. Just anytime they both save the other is such a good time in my opinion.

How do you feel about it? Are you a Jaskier is the only damsel in distress or do you like them to switch off being the damsel in distress?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

I often feel like Jaskier ramps up the damsel in distress act. One he is a phenominal actor, and two, why wouldnt he? Geralt likes to help and be useful. Jaskier knows this and if Geralt can save him, then yeah, go Geralt! Jaskier is often alone (most winters) and he was the Sandpiper. Like his entire character is BAMF, but he is also not afraid of being seen as soft or weak which I adore about him. He is the human surrounded by non humans and he knows this and I feel like he plays it up for his super strong, emotionally repressed friends lol.

[thedemonofcat]

Jaskier didn't often get the chance to play the hero, but once he did, rescuing a woman from a perilous situation. As it turned out, this woman wasn't just any damsel in distress—she was a mystical deity with considerable power.

Impressed by Jaskier's act of bravery, she took a liking to him and decided to reward him by granting him immortality, along with the ability to see the future.

However, there was a catch: Jaskier couldn't control his newfound power, and the visions came at random, overwhelming him and driving him gradually insane.

Fortunately, Geralt stumbled upon Jaskier just as the bard was having a public meltdown due to a particularly intense vision. Now, Geralt must find a way to strip Jaskier of this uncontrollable power before it completely shatters his bard's sanity.

[estethell]

I love it when Jaskier is able to save Geralt, whether that be by sheer dumb luck and some guts or by immense skill like with people. Just anytime they both save the other is such a good time in my opinion.

How do you feel about it? Are you a Jaskier is the only damsel in distress or do you like them to switch off being the damsel in distress?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Ciaoooo :D Thanks for asking this cute question, it's always nice to talk about the ships we love!!

I love this ship because I love how Jaskier is so adorable while Geralt is all serious and grumpy, but still has a soft heart and goes out of his way to help his friends. I love it when Geralt saves Jaskier and Jaskier is all in a hurry to thank him and adore him while Geralt is all annoyed (but secretly relieved), and when Jaskier saves Geralt and is very proud while Geralt is annoyed (Geralt is always annoyed LoL).

I felt so bad when they fought, I really saw Jaskier's heart break when Geralt yelled at him, and I really loved Jaskier's song in the tavern, you could tell he wasn't over it!

In conclusion, I love this couple because Geralt always seems so bored of Jaskier (but in reality he adores him and I suspect he smiles secretly), while Jaskier literally wags his tail for Geralt (obviously this is how I understand the couple, my personal opinion, don't pay attention to it if you don't agree)!

[measurelessdreamer]

I love it when Jaskier is able to save Geralt, whether that be by sheer dumb luck and some guts or by immense skill like with people. Just anytime they both save the other is such a good time in my opinion.

How do you feel about it? Are you a Jaskier is the only damsel in distress or do you like them to switch off being the damsel in distress?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

I don't think I have any strong preference when it comes to who saves whom. I enjoy any option as long as I enjoy the story and the choice fits. I haven't been active in this fandom for so long now so I no longer know what's going on, but I know that while I enjoyed the fics where it was Jaskier who saved Geralt in his own special way, I also love the good old-fashioned Geralt coming to the rescue. Like you said, as long as one of them saves the other one, I'm good. Especially if that's how they meet again after The Mountain. I don't even know if people are still writing about that, but I never got over it and these fics are definitely one of my favourites!

Thank you so much for the ask!

[patroclusdefencesquad]

manifesting damsel in distress jaskier again

[corancoranthemagicalman]

I love it when Jaskier is able to save Geralt, whether that be by sheer dumb luck and some guts or by immense skill like with people. Just anytime they both save the other is such a good time in my opinion.

How do you feel about it? Are you a Jaskier is the only damsel in distress or do you like them to switch off being the damsel in distress?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Oh, a healthy measure of both. But I don't like a "traditional" damsel in distress for Jaskier, so he either needs to break the mold (be super chatty, talking himself into and out of trouble, being very much the princess who romances the dragon, etc)

So, I love the trope when it's done either in subversion or satire the most, and that means unconventional damsel Jaskier, or its Jaskier using any of the skills he pretends he doesn't have to save Geralt.

[freshvanillapng]

I love it when Jaskier is able to save Geralt, whether that be by sheer dumb luck and some guts or by immense skill like with people. Just anytime they both save the other is such a good time in my opinion.

How do you feel about it? Are you a Jaskier is the only damsel in distress or do you like them to switch off being the damsel in distress?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

absolutely switch! i love it when the quote unquote „damsel“ has to save the other. like you said either through shear dumb luck or through their own wit and skill.

need to see more of it tbh.

do you experience this with any of your other ships?