#emotionally mature geralt
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viktoriaashleyyx · 6 months ago
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Listen, I love my long haired, leather clad beef cakes as much as the next guy but
You can't tempt me with Cassian when I already have Geralt
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Those tags!!! I know this so deeply. My mom, far from perfect, tried so hard to give us a good life and sometimes I said things I didn't mean. With my dad, who loved me, but I didn't see often, I would never! I did not act out, always did chores and what I was told, because I was never sure he loved me enough to keep me if I acted out. Oof the poor boy is probably thinking about this fight every day, wishing he could fix it.
I love your art soooo much-it gives me life!! đŸ„°đŸ„°đŸ„°
I have a question about Milek and Jaskier! Milek says they fought before Jask went missing-what did they fight about? Did Milek say something he shouldn’t have? 👀😱 is there ANGST?
Also does Geralt know Mileks plush friend is called Roach? Because surely that’s a clue that Milek is his
(I love this universe so much)!!đŸ„č❀❀❀
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[MASTERPOST] That was the last conversation they had before Milek stormed out - and when he came back, Jaskier was. gone. The thing is, Jaskier knows what Milek is interested in (and he is not even wrong about that, Milek has an interest in medicine, and helping people, and I think when they met he was Shanis biggest fan) and I think Jaskier is aware that some of the conflict does have its roots in Milek not wanting to leave him, even if they get really heated and ugly in their arguments. Milek shouldn't feel like he has to care for him, or have to protect him and at times I think Jaskier feels quite ashamed, which leads him to being way too unrelenting at times - especially if he thinks he's doing something to protect Milek.
#geraskier lovechild#the witcher#jaskier#artists on tumblr#omegaverse#I think if they argue Milek is saying stuff he shouldn't all the time#I think for Milek the part that makes him feel really bad is that he KNOWS that Jaskier would always choose having him again and again#because he KNOWS that he loves him more than anything else#but he still implied that he doesn't know - and he knows what he said was cruel#but he also !! is so angry#because Jaskier always treats him like he knows what's best for him and. let it be true - it still makes him FURIOUS#he isn't a little kid anymore#and he wants to HELP he loves his father and he knows that Jaskier gives and gives and gives especially when it comes to him#he doesn't need a fancy education in an academy where he'll be just the bastard kid again#he just needs a Pa who doesn't absolutely run himself to the ground#and I think he finally wants to meet Geralt too#also I'm trying to do a thing here which I think shows how secure their relationship truly is#because Geralt sees Milek as a quite sensible (if sometimes a bit hotheaded) young man - who is quite mature for his age#which he CAN be#but Geralt is also basically a stranger even if Milek knows he's his dad - and he tries to impress him naturally - ofc he wants to be liked#with Jaskier? who has his one true emotionally secure relationship with?#moody teenanger - but also allowing himself to be childish at times - crying shouting teasing - exploding sometimes#because he never ever had to question their relationship once#he can just let loose#art
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hanzajesthanza · 1 month ago
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about geralt and eskel (crossroads spoilers)

even though eskel wasn’t in crossroads himself, i love how he’s a recurring motif. damn it, i would love to see more about these two. they are like the epitome of “he’s not heavy, he’s my brother”. (and as an only child i find that fascinating, very unique and curious).
and something which hit me. is how geralt and eskel’s relationship changed over time, as they got older.
the first story we ever hear of them is about the bumblebee, a memory from childhood: incredibly innocent and silly, boyish, mischievous. of course, they are disciplined pretty brutally for it* but it’s a real childish game
later, at the beginning of this book—when geralt is still more innocent—he “brightens up” at being able to mention something funny about his brother, recalling his name
 he’s left kaer morhen, he’s not side by side with him anymore, but still his memory brightens with a mention of him
towards the end of this book—geralt is still young, but no longer innocent—he uses eskel’s name as a psuedonym, as he’s stalking a man to murder him in cold blood.
it’s a bit of levity to an otherwise predictable situation (we know when the white wolf goes on the prowl, he catches his prey, haha, similar situations can be seen in the saga so we pretty much know how this will turn out)
but despite the dark subject matter, it’s still tinged with a bit of mischief. eskel won’t actually have these murders pinned on him, because geralt uses his name that he doesn’t use anymore, but it’s still a bit like how a boy geralt might respond to vesemir asking who knocked over some alchemy equipment: “noooo, wasn’t me, it was eskel”. funnily shoving the blame onto his brother, who is miles and miles away from him at this point. and wholly unable to retort, “what?! nooo, wasn’t me, geralt did it!”
by blood of elves, both of them have matured, they’re men in their 50s now, they’re professionals. witchers. they’ve both managed to survive. their bond still persists, but is that of men, not boys—a comment, “you’re alive,” a sudden, quick, wordless embrace
 a brief moment. and yet they are so similar, carbon copies, just with different color palettes. (select > ctrl-C > ctrl-V > ctrl-U > adjust the hue slider).
and what their bond is now is not so many jokes and mischief, but a shared responsibility, to raise a child, to take care of their home, to bide by their old father, to groan at their younger brother. and between them, a shared sense of nobleness, eskel was very polite and upstanding to triss merigold, geralt was too, and in his emotionality
 yeah.
they grew up.
(* note, one could argue that belt whippings are normal discipline in this universe, but i ask you to look at how geralt never beats ciri with his belt, only threatens it once, but never goes through with it—rather he shares with her his food and relents to her the two apples. how tuzik never beat his daughter until he came home one day and she had dressed herself up as falka. and how andrzej sapkowski himself, in historia i fantastyka, said he is such a pacifist he cannot even spank a child. imo, it’s pretty obvious that belt discipline is considered an extreme, it’s used to invoke a sting of pathos in the witcher, it’s unable to be glazed over)
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panur · 2 years ago
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I... want a fic post mountain where Ciri and Geralt find jask early and they go to Nivellen’s as per the plan
and Jask has to see Geralt call this dude 'friend'
edit: PEOPLE IT HAPPENNED (but fee free to make more!
if somebody loved you, they'd tell you by now - Tallfroggie20 - WiedĆșmin | The Witcher - All Media Types [Archive of Our Own]
Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: WiedĆșmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, The Witcher (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion Characters: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Nivellen (The Witcher), Roach (The Witcher), Vereena (The Witcher) Additional Tags: Episode: s02e01 A Grain of Truth (The Witcher TV), Fix-It, Episode Fix-it, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, mostly hurt ngl, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bruxae (The Witcher), Friendship, Hurt Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Jaskier | Dandelion Has Feelings, POV Jaskier | Dandelion, Emotionally Constipated Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Examining what it means to call someone a friend, Rated M for violence and swearing but it's not super graphic???, Based on a Tumblr Post, Geralt and Jaskier have Divorced Energy, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, post-mountain, Post-Episode: s01e06 Rare Species (The Witcher TV) Summary:
A muscle twitches in the witcher’s jaw. He clears his throat. “We recently
 reunited. He and I used to travel together.”
“And the moment I can get out of this storm, we will cease ‘traveling together’ once more,” Jaskier says bitterly. Traveling together. Ha. Geralt makes it sound like they were nothing more than acquaintances on the road.
To him, Jaskier supposes it was. Unfortunately, Jaskier’s own heart and mind never received the memo.
Nivellen raises his brows, glancing between them. “Ah. I’ve
 prodded something, haven’t I?”
“There is nothing between us to prod. There never was,” Jaskier insists. “Continue your game. I rather enjoy watching Geralt lose.”
-----
Or, Geralt had never called Jaskier a friend, not once in their twenty years traveling together. Now he returns to uproot Jaskier's life, Child Surprise in tow and mentions of an 'old friend' on his lips. It makes Jaskier want to scream.
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shy-urban-hobbit · 1 year ago
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Hiii can I get a 47. “Trust me.” from the Angst/fluff Prompt List with Aiden/Lambert? Ty! 💖
You most certainly can!!
47 - "Trust me" Lambert isn't used to being anyone's favourite and is, in true emotionally constipated Wolf style, super mature about it.
Lambert was never anyone’s favourite. Geralt was once again The Golden Boy thanks to his bard’s songs; Geralt himself had his sorceress who only had to click her fingers for him to come running and Lambert knew that Vesemir favoured Eskel, however much the old man tried to hide it. It was fine, honestly. If anything his life both before and after he was claimed by the Witchers had proven that being the centre of anyone’s attention only led to trouble and pain.
And then Aiden had happened. Aiden, who would give Lambert his full attention when he was speaking, no matter whether he was ranting about something inconsequential or telling a particularly funny anecdote. Aiden, who had surprised him with a bag of candied nuts and a casual “You said once that they were your favourites.” Just because ( fuck, even his brothers would forget that small fact and he’d grown up with them). Aiden, who would see to Lambert’s swords and armour if Lambert was ever too exhausted or too injured to do it himself (although to be fair, he’d returned the favour a few times with that one).
Aiden, who had thrown him for a loop by being the first person in his entire adult life who wanted to know about him. Not his ‘famous’ brother, not Lambert The Witcher, just... Lambert.
He found himself unexpectedly sympathising with Geralt about his bard as he waited for the other shoe to drop - no wonder Geralt was constantly trying to chase him away! How long before Aiden got bored, before he decided Lambert wasn’t actually worth knowing?
And so, he’d done what Vesemir had tried to encourage him to do since he was wet behind the ears – he’d taken a leaf out of his older brothers book.
At first Aiden was gracious enough to not push Lambert on his sudden, constant surliness, just reassuring him that he was there if Lambert ever decided to talk about whatever was bothering him. The Cat had been more persistent than Lambert had given him credit for (causing him to once again sympathise with Geralt about stubborn traveling companions), however, after weeks of this Aiden’s reassurance had finally turned to annoyance, which Lambert had latched onto like a leech and had resulted in a shouting match in the middle of the woods with language that would have gotten them thrown out of any respectable Inn. After several insults towards each others mothers and respective Schools, things finally came to a head.
“Just fuck off, Aiden!” Lambert yelled, jabbing a finger towards the surrounding trees.
“Oh believe me, I’ll be glad to see the back of you at this point but first you’re going to tell me what I did to piss you off!”
“Fucking nothing!”
“Then why are you-“ Aiden gave a frustrated, bordering on dangerous snarl before tackling Lambert to the ground and having him pinned and immobile before Lambert even knew what was happening (fucking underhanded Cat training), “I’m not going to keep going in God’s damned circles about this and I’m tired of you acting like someone’s pissed in your porridge. Talk to me, damnit.” Aiden growled, visibly forcing himself to take deep, calming breaths from where he was perched on top of Lambert.
“Just fuck off, Aiden.” Lambert repeated with far less bite, “You’re going to leave anyway so may as well do it now.”
Aiden blinked, “What – what ? Why would I leave?”
“Because people only ever want my brothers.”
“Lambert-“
“It’s fine.” Lambert bit out, “I’m used to it.”
“Lambert,” Aiden shifted slightly to allow Lambert to sit up if he chose to, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I couldn’t give two shits about your brothers. Frankly, I think Geralt could stand to be knocked down a peg or two. I much prefer you.”
“Why?”
“Because I like you.”
Aiden made it sound so simple...
“No, you don’t.”
“I’m not in the habit of traveling for weeks at a time with people I hate, Lambert. I want to be with you, I like being with you.”
Aiden stood, offering Lambert a hand, “Trust me.”
Lambert took hold and allowed Aiden to pull him up.
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ao3feed-witcher-podfic · 6 months ago
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by Anonymous
For all that destiny is a crock of horseshit, it's also extremely invested in making sure Geralt does things right the first time around. And if he can’t, well—it’ll make him try again until he does.
Or: most people would give anything for a second chance, if asked. Nobody asked Geralt, but he didn’t even want the first one.
Podfic of spit out all the lives it takes to make me by twelvemagpies.
Words: 12, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
Fandoms: WiedĆșmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, WiedĆșmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: M/M
Characters: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion, Eskel (The Witcher), Vesemir (The Witcher), Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Renfri (The Witcher)
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Additional Tags: Time Travel, Time Loop, well more like a time backstitch for all the sewing enthusiasts in the witcher fandom, Alternate Timelines, Worldbuilding, okay more like self-indulgent extrapolation of canon, Angst, Witcher Training (The Witcher), Trial Of The Grasses (The Witcher), Feelings Realization, Resolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, yeah really both i'm sorry y'all, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Canon Compliant, (if you look at the forest and not at the trees lmao), Emotionally Constipated Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Podfic, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming, Podfic Length: 45-60 Minutes
Listen on AO3
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jotiko · 2 years ago
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u know what
fuck tv show geralt
i want jaskier to hang out with dnd movie squad
imagine the chaos too bards will bring to the team
well ok, by 'fuck geralt' i mean he spends time with ciri and matures emotionally and realizes his mistakes and feelings
but by that time jaskier had already been adopted into a new family - they probably meet with doric first when they are both helping elves
and then he meets the rest of the squad and hits it off with them (edgin doesn't like him at first because jaskier has a complicated reputation* and edgin doesn't believe that a bard who regularly plays in courts is risking his life without ulterior motives)
jaskier never talks about geralt and whenever anyone asks him about the white wolf or just witchers in general he always jokes and changes topics
they figure out that whatever happened between them broke jaskier's heart and when they finally meet geralt they are all glaring daggers at him
*he is a well known bard, but also a witcher's bard; he is well loved by the nobles but is also notorious for flirting and sleeping around; he is one of the best professors in oxenfurt but most of the time he just seems loud and immature and seemingly can't take anything serious
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essskel · 2 years ago
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What are your feelings about game!Ciri as an adaptation of book!Ciri because while I don't dislike her character in the games, they definitely ignored most of the trauma congo line level whump she went through in the book saga and made her into "generic-macguffin-girl-who-just-wants-to-be-normal" and even her character personality seems less a lot more watered down to the tons of personality she had in the book, with a character so young, it ought to be easier to imagine she’s simply grown up since we saw her last, but so much of what’s changed about Ciri feels like a step back rather than forwards.
Sorry for the late response! Thanks for asking, and I think we’re in agreement. I enjoy her a lot in the game, I find her scenes engaging and emotional, I retroactively miss her in TW2, all that good stuff. But the influence of book lore and established character traits/arcs is
.. it’s hard to find.
I understand of course that CDPR was telling a different story, that there was a big time jump, and that the games take on a different tone - generally a lighter one - but I would have liked a more clear explanation for the off-screen character arc Ciri appears to have gone through, as well as a more complex characterization than we got.
Geralt has this in part from his extensive Game 1&2 amnesia plot. That’s a big deal, it changed who he is, affected his relationships, his motives, his characterization, ect, there is a justification for the changes and, to me anyway, they don’t end up reflecting an ignorance of book material, just a distant respect and inspiration. CDPR wanted to write their version of Geralt, but they had to push him there, and they did. Not saying game!geralt is ‘just as good’ that’s a different can of worms, but the structural work of a character translation was not neglected, and he's still an interesting and compelling character to watch.
Ciri I can’t really say the same for. She’s been on her own, been on the run from the wild hunt, but that’s normal for her, nothing new. We’ve seen her react to this situation, and it wasn’t with the happy-go-lucky attitude she suddenly gained. It's like you said, “Maturity?” Is that it? That's the best we can do?
And I guess... in vague defense, her final book scene with Galahad does seem to imply a more emotionally sound Ciri than we saw with Vysogota, for example. She rides off towards a future she’s ready for. Her book character arc does not end with succumbing to her trauma and loss, but learning to live with it (but it's not ...gone??) I don’t think CDPR is completely off base to then portray her as a more controlled, loose, healed version of the character we’re used to, especially a few years down the line. Fine, she grew up, whatever, I get it I guess.
But still, why water down her temper? Why hold back on her emotional response to seeing Geralt or Yen again? Why make her (second) confrontation with the lodge so deeply underwhelming? Why not get personal over her past with Eredin? Why not address her bisexuality apart from an optional dialogue choice, especially when it’s so highlighted in the books? Why did she need Geralt’s permission to trash Avallach’s lab? Why didn’t she have more questions or insight about Geralt’s resurrection? Was there really nothing deeper or uglier to be done with her updated relationship to Emyhr?? I have questions!!!
So you’re right, it ends up feeling shallow at the end of the day. I understand that she matured, and that the trauma she endured from the books has not won out over her enjoyment of life - I don’t TRULY mind this, I DO want to see her grow and reach a better place emotionally - but there are ways to ‘mature’ a character’s personality without sanding it flat.
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bambirex · 1 year ago
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Maybe Loving Is Sharing: Chapter 9
Pairings: Geraskefer, Geraskier, Yenralt, Yennskier
Characters: Jaskier, Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, Triss Merigold, Vesemir, Lambert, Eskel, Coen
Additional tags: genderbending, alternate universe- modern setting, polyamory, matchmaking, pining, mutual pining, unrequited love, or is it?, friends to lovers, awkwardness, fem!Geralt, fem!Jaskier, bunch of helpless sapphics, everyone is confused, crushes, disability, emotionally constipated yennefer of vengerberg, oblivious geralt of rivia, oblivious yennefer of vengerberg, oblivious jaskier, everyone is fucking oblivious, insecurity, misunderstandings, lack of communication
Rating: mature
Full word count: 15,300 words
Chapter word count: 1,971 words
Chapters: 9/16
Summary: The plan is simple: help your best friend get together with the girl of her dreams. What could go wrong?
Well, when everyone is confused and pining but also very oblivious, pretty much everything.
Chapter summary: Jaskier and Geraldine have a conversation, which takes an unexpected turn. Yennefer attempts to move on.
Author's notes: Yeah I did not forget about this either! There's plenty more confusion and idiocy in store.
Read on Ao3
*
It was during her last class when Jaskier heard the familiar sound of Geraldine's motorbike outside. Jaskier peered out the window, and indeed, there she was, unmounting her bike. Jaskier swallowed heavily at the sight of Geraldine's leather pants pulling tight over her firm, shapely bum. Geraldine took off her helmet and shook out her unruly silver hair. Jaskier stared at her, transfixed.
"Miss Pankratz?"
Blinking rapidly, Jaskier returned from her Geraldine-induced bleary state and turned back to her students, who stared at her in confusion, clarinets still in hand.
"Ah, sorry," Jaskier mumbled. "Got a little distracted. Eh, we still have like ten minutes left, right? How about I let you go earlier today?"
Naturally, her students didn't seem to mind. Jaskier would have yelled at them to treat their instruments with a bit more respect instead of shoving them in their bags so carelessly any other time, but her brain was too occupied with Geraldine. Which was a problem, since she's just told herself she would stop looking at her that way- as something she could never be.
Geraldine waited until the last student left the classroom then stepped inside with a small, cautious smile. The sight of her shifting from one foot to the other, teeth pulling on her lower lip nervously reminded Jaskier so much of the day she came there to ask Jaskier to play matchmaker. Jaskier sighed at the memory.
"Hey," Geraldine greeted her softly. "You're done for today?"
"Yeah. Had to send them home a little earlier, you know how fidgety kids can get."
Geraldine hummed. She stared down at her shoes as she crossed her arms over her chest. The frown between her brows deepened. Jaskier resisted the urge to kiss it off her face.
"Is something wrong?" Jaskier asked softly. "Did you... speak to Yennefer?"
"Not much," Geraldine admitted. "She's being a little distant, again."
"I'm sorry about that."
"Look," Geraldine finally lifted her head to look into Jaskier's eyes, "can we talk?"
"This sounds alarming," Jaskier admitted with a chuckle. "Did someone actually die this time?"
"What?"
"Forget it," Jaskier waved a dismissive hand. "How about we meet up at my place? I don't feel like having a clearly distressing conversation in my classroom, again."
Geraldine nodded. She raised a helmet, and Jaskier couldn't help but grin when she realized it was the helmet that Geraldine always lent her when she whined to her about wanting to ride her motorcycle. It was pink with tiny kittens on it, and Geraldine bought it specifically for her.
"I was gonna take you, anyway," Geraldine told her. She reached for Jaskier's hand. When their fingers touched, Jaskier's heart jumped inside her chest, filled with unnecessary, stupid hope. Her cheeks felt warm as Geraldine led her outside by the hand.
Having to sit behind Geraldine on her bike and wrapping her arms around her firm middle certainly wasn't helping Jaskier on her mission of forgetting about her feelings for her friend. Yet, she couldn't resist putting her chin up on her shoulder as they rode away.
Once they were inside Jaskier's flat, Geraldine's nerves seemed to return. She sat stiffly on Jaskier's couch, fiddling with one of Jaskier's stuffed animals. She twisted the soft little turtle in her hands, her knees bouncing nervously all the while. Jaskier dreaded the talk that was ahead of them.
"What is it?" She asked as she sat next to Geraldine. "You're scaring me."
"I don't know how to tell you," Geraldine admitted. She petted the plush turtle's head with a sigh. "I wish I was like you."
"Like me?"
"More communicative. You always say what's on your mind."
"Not always," Jaskier whispered. If that were true, she would have confessed her feelings to Geraldine already, but she was too chickenshit to do that.
"Still. You're better at things like that than I am."
"It's okay, Geraldine. Take your time."
Geraldine took a deep breath. She only looked at Jaskier from the corner of her eye as she said, "I'm in love with Yennefer."
It wasn't a surprise, obviously. Geraldine has been head over heels for that woman since she's first laid eyes on her, but somehow, Jaskier's chest still tightened like someone just stepped on her ribcage. It was one thing to draw conclusions from looking at her behavior, and another one to actually hear the words leave her mouth. And while this was exactly why Jaskier decided she would try and accept her place as only a friend, it still broke her heart, just a little bit.
And as messed up as it was, she didn't only hate hearing this because this meant she officially lost Geraldine, but because she lost Yennefer, too.
She forced a smile onto her face as she patted Geraldine's knee.
"I know that, you big sap. And I'm pretty sure she feels the same way. Seems like my matchmaking is paying off, eh?"
She was utterly confused by the wounded look Geraldine gave her.
"I don't know," she said quietly, "I don't know if she feels the same. She's acting weird again. Like, since our last date. Or whatever it even was."
"Yeah, she has a tendency to do that. But, since you managed to say the magic words out loud to me, now you just have to say them to her as well, and I'm sure the ice will break."
"Maybe," Geraldine bit her lip. She looked at Jaskier, and was that a blush on her cheeks?
"My family said I should be more honest about my feelings. That communication is the key."
"Yeah, well, you're getting there," Jaskier smiled. "Look at you, Miss I never want a relationship. You're ready to marry Yennefer already!"
"This isn't just about Yennefer."
Jaskier raised an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean this isn't just about her?"
Geraldine was never quite good with eye contact - it was rare she held it up for more than a few seconds. But now, she looked deeply into Jaskier's eyes, so deeply in fact, that it suddenly felt like she was staring right into her soul. The air was heavy around them. Jaskier felt short of oxygen.
"I don't want to lose you," Geraldine told her, her voice honest, pained. "I wouldn't survive if I did."
"Hey," Jaskier said softly as she reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. "You could never lose me. Not in this lifetime, that's for sure."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Okay, now you're really scaring me," Jaskier admitted, her heart hammering inside her chest nervously. "Geraldine, please, tell me what's wrong."
Geraldine swallowed audibly. She stared at Jaskier again, before her eyes flickered to her lips - and stayed there. Jaskier was about to ask what was wrong, again, but she never had the chance as Geraldine moved towards her, and pressed her lips against Jaskier's.
For a second, Jaskier was certain she died and went to Heaven, or at least was experiencing a beautiful dream. Because this couldn't have been real, that Geraldine's slightly chapped but still so soft lips were on hers, that her strong hands where on her thighs. There was no way she tasted coffee on Geraldine's breath, and she felt her hair tickling her face.
The memories of that one kiss from all those years ago flooded Jaskier's brain. She never would have thought she would ever experience it again, that their sloppy, drunk make-out session would repeat itself. But here they were, kissing on her couch with Jaskier's stupid plush turtle trapped between them, and they were sober this time.
Jaskier's hands flew up to tangle in Geraldine's hair, pulling her closer, holding on desperately. She may have whimpered into the kiss when Geraldine gently squeezed her leg. This was everything Jaskier wanted, what she's been craving for years, and she got it. Her dream came true.
So why did she suddenly pull away then, breaking the kiss with a horrified gasp?
It was because that dreamy teenage-like crush was smothered by logic, at last. Because Jaskier did promise herself she would extract herself from the Geraldine-Yennefer equation, and now here she was, kissing Geraldine back. That kiss... as good as it was, it couldn't be real. Because Geraldine just confessed to her that she was in love with Yennefer, so the only reason she kissed Jaskier was because she was looking for a stand-in. Geraldine even said it herself that she wasn't sure of Yennefer's intentions since she was acting so distant again, so she must have kissed Jaskier because her highly-strung emotions made her react irrationally.
"This is a mistake," Jaskier whispered, her voice choked up as frustrated tears started welling in her eyes. "I should not come between you two."
"Jaskier," Geraldine's voice was full of pain, and if Jaskier dared to look into her eyes, she would have probably seen they were too. "I don't think you understand..."
"No, no, I understand just right," Jaskier sniffled. "You're not sure Yennefer feels the same way, so you need something to take your mind off of her."
"What? That's not why I..."
"We promised each other we wouldn't repeat last time," Jaskier continued quietly, "that kiss. It was good. And this was good, too, but... you and Yennefer, you belong together. I don't fit into that picture."
She stood abruptly from the couch, knocking the plush turtle off. It rolled on the floor, staring up at her with a grin that now seemed mocking. Jaskier suddenly wanted to kick it.
"Jaskier," Geraldine whispered, "please, I'm trying to..."
"Get over Yennefer, I know. But you don't have to. I'm sure she feels the same way. Go, tell her. It's time for you to be honest."
"Jaskier..."
"Actually," Jaskier bit down on her lip hard, trying to will the ugly sobs to stay inside, "can you leave now? I forgot I have this, uh, important stuff to do. I'll text you later."
She barely saw Geraldine leaving through the tears. She heard her muttering something under her breath, then the door closing.
Jaskier looked down on the plush turtle on the floor. Tears streamed down her face as she gave in to the urge and kicked it as hard as she could, sending it flying over to the other side of the room.
Then, she sat down on the floor and started sobbing harder than she's ever done before.
--
She was such a pretty girl, and very eager, too. Her name was Chiara, if Yennefer remembered right. She smelled like vanilla and her hair was soft beneath Yennefer's fingers. Her sighs against Yennefer's lips sounded so lovely.
Her body was gorgeous, too, and she looked so good crawling over her on the bed with that teasing smirk. It was even more perfect when she dipped between Yennefer's spread legs, at last.
She was also very good with her tongue.
Yet, it was somehow all wrong. When Yennefer looked down on Chiara moving between her legs, she imagined silver hair, then brown. She imagined Geraldine's soft grunts and Jaskier's needy whimpers. Somehow, that way, the whole experience was a lot better. Yennefer closed her eyes and let the fantasy take her away, into Geraldine and Jaskier's arms, where her heart kept pushing her to.
She swore under her breath, hands fisted in the sheets. Not from the pleasure like she hoped, but from the sheer irritation she felt.
Yennefer was a strong-willed woman. If she put her mind to something, she would go through with it, no matter what.
So why couldn't she forget about those two morons? Why did they consume her every thought, why didn't they let her move on?
She looked down on Chiara again, and sighed.
Maybe she didn't have the ability to move on, but she could at least try and pretend to.
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thelostgirl21 · 3 months ago
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I think that's why I'd get really upset if they suddenly had him turn power hungry / entitled / paranoid on the show...
Because Radovid loves in a profoundly healthy way, where he's not expecting Jaskier to drop the people he's already made a form of emotionally commitment to for him.
In a way, it's almost sad to call it "selfless", when it's actually the way love should be.
It's just not something you'd instinctively expect from someone in a position of privilege/power (though there are hints of Vizimir sort of infantilizing him, and controlling most aspects of his position, wealth, etc.).
And what I kind of love is that there's really a certain sense of innocence to it.
Like it doesn't even occur to Radovid that some people, when they claim to have 'fallen in love' with someone, might get possessive and upset if that person has no interest in socially isolating themselves from the rest of their friends and family to exclusively devote themselves to their newfound romantic partner for a while.
Jaskier comes fully equipped with a Witcher, a sorceress, an Elder Blood princess, a huge fan base, a lute-throwing lover, possibly various affairs... and Radovid seems fully willing to make space for all of that.
And I think he was so quick to offer to go with Jaskier in part because he didn't perceive that Jaskier was rejecting him, per se.
We, as the audience, know things that Jaskier doesn't.
All Jaskier knows is that Ciri snuck out while he was supposed to be watching over her.
By the time he comes across Radovid, Jaskier still has absolutely no idea what happened with her after that.
He doesn't know that Ciri then found Yennefer and Geralt.
He doesn't know that she sort of got back into "their custody" afterwards, and that he's technically no longer "responsible for what happens to her".
Jaskier's priority is finding out what happened to the young girl under his care, and making sure that his whole family is safe and/or able to care for her.
He's not "choosing his family over Radovid" so much as honoring the commitment he's made to them to watch over her.
In a context where Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri would all have safely been together, and not in need of potential immediate support, then Jaskier would have had the luxury of actually making a choice.
But under the circumstances, he's in no position to choose.
Technically, Radovid is headed towards a place where he's got "a whole army at his back" to keep him safe, whereas Jaskier's got absolutely no idea where Ciri, Yennefer and Geralt are, nor in how much danger they might be!
He can't follow Radovid to safety while abandoning those he loves not knowing what they are going through, and if they need his help.
Each time he refuses to go with Radovid or objects to Radovid coming with him, Jaskier does so clearly expressing that it's because he needs to find his family, and because he doesn't want to put Radovid himself in danger.
Not because he doesn't want to go with him or wouldn't go with him if the circumstances were different.
When you take a moment to think about it Jaskier is choosing Radovid and putting him first by valuing Radovid's life and safety above the help that he might be able to provide if he was to go with him.
But Radovid has a say in this as well, and can (or could, until his brother was murdered) afford to put Jaskier first in return, too.
Basically, I think Radovid has the emotional maturity and intelligence to understand that if an actual partnership with Jaskier is what pleases him, then it begins with a willingness to pool resources together to make each other stronger.
And that's what they are both doing in that scene.
Jaskier is offering to share with him his Sandpiper resources to help him get safely back home.
Radovid is offering to share his own financial resources to help Jaskier reunite with his family.
It's what two people in a healthy couple would normally do.
Radovid to Vizimir: I suck at court intrigues, being royal and all that; but boy have I just discovered I am solid husband material!
I think that's also why I'm cautiously hopeful that something will eventually happen where it'll become clear that Jaskier's own unique set of skills and resources could be better used helping Radovid with whatever challenge he'll be facing as King, than continuing to travel with Geralt and the Hansa.
And that it won't feel like he's "choosing Radovid over Ciri and his family", but more like an acknowledgement that Jaskier is simply going where he's most needed and most likely to be able to make a significant difference.
I'm not saying that Radovid is not selfless in his love... But more that it's healthy, reciprocal selflessness rather than a one sided, self-sacrificing selflessness.
He's investing himself in a relationship where all signs point to Jaskier being capable of that same selflessness for him as well.
There's a sense of balance, and strong interest in ensuring each other's well-being.
If you've got a healthy relationship kink Radskier is just pure porn to watch!
radovid's love for jaskier really is so selfless in a lot of ways, though. like, he asked jaskier to come back with him to redania and jaskier rejected him and chose his family over him and instead of being angry or hurt or jealous or reacting in any kind of negative way, radovid just immediately jumped on board and wanted to come with jaskier instead and was working out ways that he could help him. and he made that explicit to vizimir, too. like, he found his place and where he belongs with jaskier and he knows how much jaskier loves and cares about his family and he was completely willing to support him in that.
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ao3feed-witcher-dddne · 1 year ago
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by DreamStar37
Julian Alfred Pankratz is told that he will die on the day of his death and not a day sooner. He's told he will have not yet met his 24th birthday, that he'll be taken too soon, cut down in his prime on the first of November, 2035.
There's only one problem; today is November 1st... 1222.
Words: 13612, Chapters: 3/?, Language: English
Fandom: WiedĆșmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, The Witcher (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Categories: Gen
Characters: Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Jaskier | Dandelion's Siblings, Original Characters
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion
Additional Tags: Jaskier | Dandelion-centric, Immortal Jaskier | Dandelion, Cursed Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Hurt Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion Has ADHD, Jaskier | Dandelion Has a Past, Trans Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion born in Modern Times, Oblivious Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Emotionally Constipated Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Apologizes, Witchers Have Feelings (The Witcher), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travel, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Injury, Angst, Jaskier | Dandelion is Called Julian, i kill jaskier a lot, Jaskier | Dandelion Being an Idiot, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Gore, Not Canon Compliant, Sexual Content, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Implied/Referenced Suicide
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7wheat · 2 years ago
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Top 10 Couple Games for Romantic Play
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Video games have come a long way since their inception, and one of the most popular themes in gaming is the romantic relationship between characters. These couples often have to overcome obstacles, fight against evil forces, and navigate complex emotions to be together. Here are the top 10 couple games that you and your partner should try: The Last of Us:  This post-apocalyptic game follows the story of Joel, a smuggler, and Ellie, a teenage girl, as they travel across the United States to deliver a possible cure for a deadly virus. The game's narrative is emotionally charged, and the relationship between Joel and Ellie is one of the main driving forces of the story. Life is Strange:  This episodic game follows the adventures of Max, a high school senior who discovers she can rewind time, and her best friend Chloe, as they try to solve the mystery of a missing girl. The game's focus on time travel allows players to make choices that impact the story and the characters' relationships.
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Dragon Age:  Inquisition: This epic role-playing game allows players to create their own characters and choose from a variety of romantic options, including both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships. The game's emphasis on choice and consequence means that the player's decisions impact the story and the characters' relationships. Firewatch:  This immersive and atmospheric game follows the story of Henry, a fire lookout officer, and his supervisor Delilah, as they uncover a mystery in the Wyoming wilderness. The game's emphasis on character development and dialogue creates a deep and emotional relationship between the two characters. Stardew Valley:  This farming simulation game allows players to develop romantic relationships with NPCs, creating a relaxing and romantic gameplay experience. The game's emphasis on building relationships and community creates a sense of warmth and intimacy for players. Mass Effect 2:  This sci-fi epic follows the story of Commander Shepard and their crew as they save the galaxy from an alien threat. The game's romance options allow players to choose from a variety of characters, including both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships. The game's emphasis on choice and consequence means that the player's decisions impact the story and the characters' relationships. Horizon Zero Dawn:  This action-packed game features a strong and independent protagonist, Aloy, and her relationship with fellow tribesman Varl, amidst a backdrop of post-apocalyptic robot dinosaur battles. The game's focus on character development and storytelling creates a deep and emotional relationship between the two characters.
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Portal 2:  This cooperative puzzle game requires players to work together to solve challenging puzzles and features a hilarious and endearing relationship between the two robots, Atlas, and P-Body. The game's emphasis on teamwork and problem-solving creates a sense of intimacy and cooperation for players. Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey: This historical RPG allows players to create their own characters and choose from a variety of romantic options, including both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships. The game's emphasis on choice and consequence means that the player's decisions impact the story and the characters' relationships. The Witcher 3 - Wild Hunt:  This open-world RPG features a mature and nuanced romance between Geralt and his love interest, with multiple romantic options and difficult choices to make. The game's emphasis on character development and storytelling creates a deep and emotional relationship between the player and the characters. See more about gaming here! Read the full article
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on-a-lucky-tide · 4 years ago
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Lambert gets dumped. It goes about as well as you’d expect

Geralt arrived at Flotsam in a bad mood. The last time he’d visited this cesspit of a town he’d saved Jaskier from hanging, almost been killed by Letho, watched an elven lieutenant die after being beaten to a pulp, oh the list just went on and on. So he wasn’t expecting his day to get much worse.
Oh how wrong he was.
The first sign of trouble was the crowd of bloodied militia standing around the outskirts of the town, nursing bloodied noses and bruised egos. Then, as he led Roach towards the centre of the town, he heard it.
Singing. Bad singing. Off key. Really, really loud.
“It's easy to say, but it's never the same! I guess I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain!”
Geralt tied Roach off to a hitching post near the tavern and elbowed his way through the small crowd still gathered around the fountain. On its highest level—dressed in red, silk panties and chemise, with matching feather boa and lipstick—stood Lambert. He held a glass bottle aloft, and paused in his braying to take long swigs from it.
“Now the day bleeds, into nightfall, and you're not here, to get me through it all!”
Geralt pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to the woman standing next to him. At least she looked amused rather than frightened. “How long’s he been up there?”
“An hour or so. The watchmen tried to get him down, but he used his Witcher sorcery to throw ‘em off.”
“I let my guard down, and then you pulled the rug, I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved!”
“He got this drunk in a couple of hours?”
She giggled. “Oh, no. He’s been drinkin’ and shaggin’ his way through the entire brothel,” she folded her arms, “they’re callin’ him Mr All Nighter. Not a single unsatisfied woman in that place.”
“I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to turn to, this all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you!”
“All ni—? How much money does he owe?” Geralt rubbed a hand across his forehead, doing a quick mental inventory of how many orens he had left over.
She whistled through her teeth. “Oh, more an’ he’s worth, I tell ya’ that much.”
“Now, I need somebody to know, somebody to heal, somebody to have, just to know how it feels, it's easy to say but it's never the same, I guess I kinda liked the way you helped me escape!”
“Fuck.” Geralt seethed, and then marched past her. “Lambert!”
The other Witcher swayed briefly, clearly shocked by Geralt’s appearance. He threw out a hand and grabbed the effigy on top of the fountain by the nethers. “Oh, shit, Geralt,” Lambert brandished his half empty bottle. “Welcome to Flotsam. It's a shithole. Ladies and gentlemen, my brother.”
“Get down, you’re an embarrassment,” Geralt gritted out.
“Oh, now you sound like Vesemir,” Lambert growled, and then hiccuped, followed by a loud belch. “I always thought the hair was probably hereditary. Sure he didn’t shag your mum?”
“You have three seconds before I drag you down,” Geralt dropped his eyes as the silk panties revealed a bit too much of Lambert’s endowment. “Your cock’s falling out,” he shrugged out of his cloak and offered it up, “put this on.”
“I really wouldn’t worry, half the town’s enjoyed it by this point,” Lambert slid a palm down his chest with a wink and then glanced over his shoulder when several young women giggled from their vantage point in an upstairs window. “But, you’re right. Red’s not really my colour anyway. This arrangement’s more
” he fluttered his fingers, “Eskel.”
Geralt tried really hard not to imagine Eskel in silk lingerie and a feather boa. He really did. Unfortunately there were no prizes for effort and the thought gallivanted merrily across his mind and settled down to stay at the back. Brilliant.
With an agonising lack of grace, Lambert fell down from the fountain and walked right by Geralt’s offered cloak. At this distance, Geralt could see the black kohl around Lambert’s eyes too and the floral scent of perfume wafted by in his wake. “Where’re you going?”
“To get another drink.”
Geralt moved quickly and grabbed Lambert’s shoulder. “You’ve had enough.”
In hindsight, probably a poor move; Lambert swung around and his elbow missed Geralt’s face by mere inches. “I will fucking decide when I’ve had enough. Now piss off, White Wolf. Go save a princess or fuck a—,” he trailed off, drowning the next word in alcohol, with a desolate look on his face.
Oh shit.
The song. The rampant sex. The alcohol. The lack of
 self-respect. Geralt sucked in a sharp breath. “She
 uh, she ended it, didn’t she?”
“Yes she fucking did!” Lambert roared, flinging his empty bottle at a nearby building. “She said she couldn’t deal with me anymore. That I’m too high maintenance. Can you fucking believe it? Me! High maintenance! FUCK!”
Had he been a lesser man, Geralt might’ve pointed out Lambert’s current ensemble, the fact that he’d apparently beaten up a small army and fucked his way through an even bigger one, but he decided to take the high road. On this one occasion. “That’s, uh, pretty shit, I’m sorry,” he murmured.
“Yeah, well, fuck her, fuck sorceresses, fuck—women, in fact, yeah, I’m gunna’ go and do more of that—,” he turned again, but this time he walked into a wall of angry looking watchmen. “Gents, I’m flattered, really. But I go for muscular, washed types
 stop pointing that thing, you’ll take someone’s fuckin’ eye out.” Lambert batted at the halberd waving in his face, hiccuped again, and then eyed the man with a crossbow.
Geralt stepped in, hands up. “Look, I’ll take care of it. Everything paid up. Fines included. Just leave him with me. If you put him in a cell, you’ll—you don’t want to do that.”
Clearly men of intelligence, the watchmen agreed to leave Lambert in Geralt’s custody, with a parting ‘we know where you’re staying’. The tavern Lambert had holed himself up in was a complete dump, but they were able to provide a bowl of warm water and a clean cloth when Geralt requested it.
In the privacy of the tiny room near the rafters of the building, Lambert’s bravado evaporated. He sunk onto the pallet with his face in his hands, the only sounds an occasional hiccup or shivering sigh.
“Head up.” Geralt knelt down at Lambert’s feet and took a handful of his hair to tug him upright.
“Well, fuck, if you’re offering Geralt, I won’t say no,” Lambert smirked with a flagrant gesture to his crotch, but the mirth didn’t reach his eyes. He sat perfectly still as Geralt wiped off the make up and revealed bruises underneath. The black and green on his hands wasn’t all dirt either, and Lambert pulled his palms out of Geralt’s grasp when he began to inspect them. “What’re you doing this far south anyway?”
“Just passing through. I hate this shithole. Bad memories.”
“Hmm.”
“There are—,” more fish in the sea, “you can—,” always find someone else, “she—,” wasn’t even that nice anyway. Each time Geralt tried to offer comfort, the words died in his throat.
“Fuck, don’t hurt yourself.” Lambert shook his head. “Look
 just do a runner. I’ll deal with this bullshit in the morning. They’ll probably just put me in the stocks for a few days and I’ll pretend I can’t just break out of ‘em.”
“What kinda’ brother would I be if I left you alone feeling like this?”
“An intelligent one,” Lambert replied blithely. “Fuck, let me get this shit off, I think the knickers are constricting my bollocks.”
Geralt moved aside so that Lambert could stumble from the bed and pull the underwear off. He swirled the feather boa theatrically before casting it across the back of the chair.
“Was she your first?”
“Second.” Lambert didn’t look up from his bags.
“Who was the—?” Geralt bit it off, but not quickly enough. He should’ve known. Should’ve thought. Now he’d just poured White Gull in a gaping wound.
“Aiden,” Lambert turned with his shirt in his hand, and tried for humour. “I really have the shittest lu—luck.” People thought that Witchers didn’t cry. No tear ducts, apparently. Geralt always asked them how they thought Witchers got by without being able to naturally clean or protect their eyes and left them to mull it over. Either way, they never did it in public. Reputation and all that. And Lambert was crushing it beneath anger and self-loathing.
Enough of that.
Geralt stepped forward and encircled him in a crushing hug. Partly through self-protection, and partly through a desire to show Lambert that there was someone—more than one, in fact—to hold him up when he couldn’t do it himself. “It’s alright, it’s—it will be.”
“I’m just—so fucking tired, Geralt,” Lambert husked, not bothering to fight him off. “So fucking tired.”
They stood in each other’s arms until the noise in the tavern died down, and then Geralt tugged Lambert over to the bed. The mattress was hard and the blankets scratchy, but it didn’t matter; Lambert curled to Geralt’s chest, “You know, I was perfectly fucking loveable before Vesemir brought me to Kaer Morhen.”
“You’ve said.”
“Now I’m just
 I’m just not. Never will be.”
Geralt held Lambert close. It was like looking into a mirror—a slightly cracked one, with a serious amount of weathering and an attitude problem to rival that of a striga’s—but a mirror nonetheless. It had taken years—years—of his loved ones telling him he was worth something—we love you, Geralt—until the diatribe of self-hate in his head faded. Lambert didn’t have a Jaskier, or a Yen, or a Triss, or a Ciri, or a Zoltan, or a Regis
 he had Eskel, Vesemir and Geralt.
“I love you.” Geralt murmured. “Prickles and everything.”
“Oh fuck off. All that wine is making you soft,” Lambert said, with his words. But the arms that tightened, and the face that turned, and the heart that calmed; they all said something completely different. “Go to sleep before I puke.”
Geralt smiled. “Night, little wolf.”
Song is Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi.
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thelostgirl21 · 11 months ago
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Okay, so if I understand what you are saying correctly (also based on the other replies, that I can't answer in that section), had Netflix decided to make Jaskier and Geralt a romantic pairing in season 3, after having never planed to do so in season 1 and 2, it would still have been a cheap marketing ploy, and a way for them to avoid accusations of queerbaiting over the way they queer coded the relationship with no intention of making the relationship either queerplatonic or romantic in the first two seasons, correct?
Because that's exactly what I see as happening here.
I do not perceive season 3 as Netflix going "no homo, just bro!" with Geraskier.
I see season 3 as going "no homoromantic, but yes homoalterous and/or homoamorous!"
And, as far as my own reading goes, they behave more amorously in season 3 than they ever did in season 1 and 2, not less!
Jaskier risks death to go see Geralt when he's injured, he sings a song to enter Brokilon that is about a love that never dies (how's that for queer subtext?). Geralt reaches for Jaskier's hand for support when he sees him. Jaskier is willing to follow him to Hell and back on his journey to rescue Ciri.
Geralt nicknames Jaskier "Jask", tells him he doesn't want to put him in danger, and promises to come back for him. He doesn't hold back on being emotionally vulnerable and open around Jaskier, is careful to soothe his insecurities, relies on him as a true partner would when asking for his input, etc.
They've gotten so much better at communicating together, and are overall more loving as partners and travelling companions in season 3, IMHO.
There are plenty of very tender Geraskier moments in season 3. That's what I don't get in the whole argument, too. I think, if anything, it's even more amorous and queer coded than before, and it's a good thing, given that the relationship is now very much a queer one, as far as I'm concerned.
Sure, it wasn't "planned" queer, but I don't think a romantic resolution to the queerbaiting would have been any better or more satisfying than a queerplatonic one.
They make far healthier and realistic amorous partners now than they did back in season 1, when Geralt kept aggressively pushing Jaskier away and constantly mistreating him.
The relationship is just a more mature, stable, older, healthier, and reflects how actual partnerships should work, IMHO.
I've always read Geraskier as being either queerplatonic or romantic since season 1 anyway. And season 3 could continue to read as either, as far as I'm concerned. They just chose the more platonic route.
At least that's how I see it.
i meant to mention this back when season three first came out but uh. i forgor. but. I think the third season of The Witcher really demonstrates how the presence of queerness does not negate the presence of queerbaiting, and that it can in fact be used as a method of sidestepping allegations of queerbaiting.
Like I know I'm not the only one who noticed how aggressively they "no homo" backpedaled the dynamic between Jaskier and Geralt. They did it in a way that was really aggressive and jarring too, like even if you saw zero queercoding you could tell the relationship dynamic was altered in a weird way. There was just such an absolute lack of subtlety with their no-homo'ing? like iirc there's straight up a scene where Jaskier pretty much explicitly is like "i could never see you romantically <3 we r suuuuch bros <3 best buds !" which was such a weirdly transparent attempt at shutting down the previous dynamic established between them.
What's especially wild to me is that in that season they changed the dynamic between Geralt and Jaskier so much that there really wasn't much going on ship-wise between them anyway, regardless of that weirdly explicit declaration of platonic-ness. They didn't even need to do all that !!!!
This weirdly aggressive and sudden change in dynamic at the same time as making Jaskier canonically bi was such a transparent attempt at escaping the queerbaiting allegations lol. Like it was like "yeah we wanna shut this down hard but people will get mad so. here's a canon queer character" lmao
idk. i feel like this may be something that's getting phased out as a tactic to a degree -- or rather, shifting its exact methodology -- but "escaping queerbaiting allegations by introducing a canon queer character" is definitely an established thing i see pretty often. I also think the shift in tactic (from introducing a new side character for that purpose, to canonizing a main character's queerness) isn't actually better when the intent remains the same. Idk ! I'd just be a lot less critical of Jaskier being canonically queer if it weren't so clearly linked to an attempt to sidestep queerbaiting allegations.
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wanderingwolfwitcher · 2 years ago
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Lauren Hissrich doing damage control as her inept, collapsing show sinks around her translation: 
“It was ok to pervert and bastardize Eskel’s entire personality and characterization and kill him off solely to create cheap angst for Geralt and motivation he should already have to protect Ciri, because he’s only popular in the games and isn’t at all important in the books! It’s not like he’s kind to and supportive of Ciri, teaches her that frightening appearances can be deceiving, is respectful to Triss and maturely backs her up on supporting Ciri while the other Witchers are immature and cringing over her having a period, and is pretty much Geralt’s brother, who grew up alongside him and knows him best. It’s not like we could have added more to the story through that relationship dynamic and shown more insight into our normally emotionally distant and stoic protagonist that way with conversations and further flashbacks and quiet scenes between the two around Kaer Morhen, perhaps out hunting together. It was an honest mistake, I mean, it’s not as if I knew Eskel’s actual importance to the story and Geralt or anything!”
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“Don’t worry, we won’t do it again... mainly because we’ve already destroyed him and his potential completely, so we’ll instead continue to fuck up the series in no shortage of other creative ways. Be sure to keep tuning in, Witcher fans, you won’t be dissapointed!”
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yeraskier · 3 years ago
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7500 days of geralt (mature, 6.3k, a lot of angst with a happy ending)
Jaskier met Geralt when he was eighteen.
read on ao3
day 7214
“If life could give me one blessing, it would be to take you off my hands.”
Jaskier saw this day coming. Truthfully, he’s surprised it hadn’t come sooner.
A part of him wishes it had because maybe if it did, he wouldn’t feel like the ground beneath him was ready to open and swallow him whole.
Maybe walking down that mountain alone wouldn’t hurt so much. But it does.
It hurts more than anything ever has.
—-
day 1
Despite his fondness for romance, Jaskier never quite believed in love at first sight.
Until now.
The feeling that ran through him the second he laid eyes on the silver-haired stranger from across the tavern pales in comparison to what he feels now, watching the man up close as he blatantly refuses to meet Jaskier’s eye.
“I know who you are,” he says as goosebumps break through his skin.
The man doesn’t wait to find out if that’s true, already standing to leave before Jaskier has even had the chance to truly process the fact that he’s crossed paths with a witcher. The witcher.
That’s part of the reason he leaves right after Geralt does, running to catch up before he’s lost him for good. That and the fact that he may be sporting somewhat of a romantic intrigue for the man, but that’s neither here nor there.
All he knows is that Geralt smells of death and destiny, heroics and heartbreak, and he would follow him anywhere.
And that’s what Jaskier does.
—-
day 7262
“Where’s your witcher?”
Jaskier despises that question.
Your witcher.
The implication that Geralt was ever his is laughable. So that’s what he does, he laughs.
He laughs like a lunatic. He laughs long after the commoner has left him alone. He laughs even as the man behind the bar seems like he’s two seconds from kicking Jaskier out. He laughs even though he feels all the eyes in the pub on him.
He doesn’t care. He can take a dozen people thinking he belongs in an asylum. It’s better than being beaten half to death like he was the last time someone had asked the same question and he spit in their face.
And so, he continues to laugh. He laughs because if he doesn’t laugh, he’ll cry again, and Jaskier is so tired of crying.
Jaskier knows he’s allowed to cry, what with the entire fucking continent reminding him of the white-haired witcher no matter how fast or how hard he tries to run from it.
But crying is exhausting. He’s spent too long crying over that emotionally unavailable, God of a man— a man who was never his.
Oh how he wishes people would stop pretending Geralt of Rivia, the Great White Wolf, ever belonged to him.
—
day 7444
“Please, I don’t know anything!”
Rience tilts his head to the side disapprovingly, “now, now, now. The songs in your catalog would suggest otherwise.”
Jaskier tries to bargain, he tries to fight back— he goes through all the stages. It means nothing to Rience. He wants answers, and answers he will find.
The funniest part in all of this is that he won’t be finding any of those answers from Jaskier. The bard knows fuck-all about the witcher’s whereabouts, and the realization dawns over him that even if he did have a clue, he’d never say a word.
Here he sits, the taste of death on his tongue, and still, he’s ready and willing to protect the man who’s left wounds that will never be healed.
Jaskier met Geralt when he was eighteen. He walked up to him in that tavern in Posada, then followed him out of that same tavern.
He fell in love with him before he even really knew what love was, and he’s been paying for it every single day since.
—
day 45
Jaskier had spent eighteen years of his life hidden away in a palace. He didn’t know much about anything. He was educated, of course, he had to be to continue the noble family legacy, but he didn’t know much about life.
He’s been traveling with Geralt for three fortnights and he’s learned more about life in this time than he had learned in the eighteen years he spent in his luxurious home.
Jaskier expected the monster hunting and whatnot— Geralt never lets him come but he can usually get a six-word summary about the battles if he pesters the witcher long enough. What he didn’t expect is a glimpse into how cruel humanity could truly be.
He knew people feared witchers, but he didn’t know the absolute misery they put them through.
Most nights, Geralt isn’t allowed the luxury of sleeping in an actual bed even if he has the coin. Geralt gets ran out of villages, he isn’t paid after completing contracts, he gets spoiled meat in his stew, he gets shit thrown at him— random stuff and actual shit. For a group of people who fear Geralt because of what he’s capable of, they truly don’t act like they value their lives much at all.
Geralt could simply kill them all, Jaskier suspects that most men would, but he takes the hatred in stride. He quiets Jaskier whenever the bard tries to defend him, he keeps walking whenever people spew ill words at him, he pretends like it doesn’t hurt when children run from him. It’s as if Geralt has come to accept that this is what his life is and that this is what it will always be.
Jaskier refuses to accept that.
He stays up night after night, quill dragging against parchment so fast he fears it may catch on fire, but he can’t stop. Not until he writes a ballad so great that what happened in Blaviken is never ever spoken of again.
Not until the butcher to be feared and hated becomes the greatest hero the continent has ever known, the White Wolf.
—
day 192
When Jaskier announced to his parents that he was leaving the palace to become a bard, his father had snarled that he always knew Jaskier was a disappointment, and his mother had said nothing at all. She didn’t need to, her eyes told him enough.
Jaskier thought that he’d never feel pain like that ever again. He was wrong.
The anger in Geralt’s eyes right now as he yanks himself away from Jaskier’s lips hurts more than anything in this world could have.
Jaskier had kissed him. Like a fucking moron, he kissed him, thinking that perhaps rejection early on wouldn’t be too bad.
He was wrong about that too.
“Don’t you ever fucking do that again,” Geralt snarls. He gives Jaskier one final glare, the harshest he’s ever given the bard, the kind of glare he gives to those who wish to harm him, and he walks away.
—
day 458
In a very Geralt-like fashion, it takes Jaskier nearly dying the second time they cross paths for him to admit to feeling anything for Jaskier other than annoyance.
“You’re a fucking menace,” Geralt hisses, “I told you to stay inside.”
“If I had, you’d be dead right now,” Jaskier points out to him, “you’re fucking welcome, by the way.”
Geralt looks like he wants to punch something. Not Jaskier, but something. He doesn’t. Instead, he kisses the bard.
It’s funny how one kiss can alter Jaskier’s entire perspective on the world.
That night, Geralt takes him apart and puts him back together until Jaskier can’t think of anything that doesn’t revolve around the witcher.
—
day 459
Geralt’s gone in the morning.
Jaskier is saddened to admit that he expected no different.
—
day 523
Not much changes after that.
Geralt is still quiet most of the time, Jaskier continues to talk the witcher’s ear off.
Geralt still fights monsters, Jaskier continues trying to write about it.
Geralt still pretends he’s the unfeeling being everyone makes him out to be, Jaskier continues to fall deeper in love with him every day.
Not much has changed.
Except for the fact that they fuck all the time now.
—
day 630
He’s just pulled another chunk of monster guts out of Geralt’s hair when the older man comments, “you never join me.”
“What?”
“In the bath,” he says, “you always sit on the outside washing me but you never come in.”
“That’s an interesting observation.”
“Wouldn’t things be easier if you were actually in the tub?” Geralt question.
Jaskier smirks. He leans in, allowing his lips to ghost over one of Geralt’s ears, “if you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask.”
The witcher’s head sags, pressing into the contact as a sigh escapes his lips. Jaskier nibbles at the lobe teasingly as his hands move from Geralt’s hair to his shoulders where they begin to knead at the muscles there. Geralt’s hair is still dirty and it’s rubbing against his cheek but the bard doesn’t care. This is worth it.
“Jaskier,” Geralt grunts.
“Yes?”
“Get naked.”
Jaskier tsks lightly, “not until you’re all cleaned up, darling.”
—
day 976
Toss a Coin to Your Witcher is what some may call an immediate success, in the sense that it becomes quite popular in a short amount of time.
People love the ballad, can’t stop singing it, but the impact Jaskier had sought is taking longer to achieve.
People still fear Geralt. People still treat him like shit.
It’ll change one day. He has to believe that. It’s either he holds onto that bit of hope or he faces the fact that the love of his life may never find true peace for as long as he roams this continent.
—-
day 1101
It’s one of those nights— one of those nights where Geralt is drained from the day, one of those nights that leaves him malleable to Jaskier’s care, Jaskier’s touch.
On nights like this, Jaskier can take his time washing the blood from Geralt’s body and he can take his time rubbing oil into Geralt’s skin, feeding off the witcher’s barely audible gasps like a starving man.
Geralt’s gentler on nights like these. Geralt presses into him slowly. Geralt paints his neck with bruises. Geralt kisses him as if he needs it as much as Jaskier does. Geralt holds him like he means something.
Geralt doesn’t stop holding him on nights like these, even after Jaskier has tapped out.
“Tell me something,” Jaskier whispers.
Perhaps I’m pushing my luck, he thinks as he watches his finger trace over the scar on Geralt’s chest. Whispering the words gave him an out. He doesn’t take it. “Tell me a story.”
Geralt grunts, but tightens the arm he has around Jaskier. “What do you want to hear?”
“A happy story, one from your childhood.”
He hears the witcher chuckle, “there aren’t many of those.”
“I know,” Jaskier says, “but there must be a few. Tell me one. Please?”
“Hm, well
”
And that’s how Jaskier learns of the time an eleven-year-old Geralt choreographed a play alongside a group of other young witchers, a play that brought tears to Vesemir’s eyes.
—
day 2333
Jaskier is twenty-four the first time he feels fear in Geralt’s presence.
The witcher has blood splattered on his face, blood smudged over his black clothes, blood on his knuckles— the blood of the three men who had just attempted to assault Jaskier, different kinds of monsters than the ones he’s used to fighting.
Jaskier knows he should feel grateful. A part of him is, but that part of him is silenced by the terror that comes from what he just witnessed.
And the terror is silenced by emotion far more powerful than any feeling.
Geralt stands a few feet away, chest rising and falling as he catches his breath. His eyes haven’t left Jaskier. He’s waiting for something, probably for Jaskier to run for the hills.
The bard’s feet begin moving before he decides to move them. The space between him and Geralt lessens as the seconds tick by, and then, he’s standing right before the man.
He doesn’t say anything— doesn’t know what to say— but he lifts a hand and lays it on Geralt.
First, over Geralt’s heart.
Then, on Geralt’s neck.
Then, on Geralt’s crimson-streaked cheeks.
He tilts his head forward slightly and rests his forehead against the witcher’s own and breathes.
He doesn’t know when he stopped, but he realizes at that moment that Geralt is the breath of fresh air he had been seeking when he left the room of his tavern to come out here. He realizes that this is it for him.
Jaskier is twenty-four when he realizes he’ll love this man forever.
—
day 2546
“I want you to
”
Jaskier stills.
Geralt, despite what one may believe, has never really struggled with asking for what he needs in bed. He’s always self-assured and fluid, always knows where he wants to be touched and how.
Tonight is different. Tonight, he bends his legs, knees pressed to his chest, and hugs them. Tonight, he doesn’t look Jaskier in the eye. Tonight, he seems
 small. Vulnerable.
“Hey,” Jaskier says. He lays a hand over one of Geralt’s, thankful that the man doesn’t pull away, and squeezes reassuringly. “You can ask me, whatever it is. I don’t think I’d ever be able to deny you a thing.”
Geralt meets his eye, at last. He pulls away, but only so he can readjust himself, lay his legs flat on the bed, and spread them.
He takes Jaskier’s hand in his again and drags their joined hands down his neck, then lower. Down his chest, then lower. Past his stomach, then lower. Over his cock. Lower.
And Jaskier gets it.
He takes his time opening Geralt up. Jaskier kisses him when he gasps and runs fingers through his hair when he gets tense. He fingers Geralt until the witcher comes and then fucks him properly until he comes again. The bedsheets are ripped to shreds by the time Geralt’s been worked to his third orgasm.
Afterwards, he asks, “have you ever done that before?”
Geralt is quiet for a few seconds and then, “once.”
Jaskier feels like there’s a story there. He doesn’t push.
—-
day 1354
“I think I’m in love with you.”
Jaskier doesn’t know why he says it, it’s not like it’ll get Geralt to stay. The witcher never does, why should this time be any different? Because Jaskier loves him? That would change nothing. And yet, naive as he is, he can’t help but hope.
Geralt doesn’t face him. Jaskier wants to pretend he’s just a coward, but he knows the truth. Geralt doesn’t care enough to grant him the small comfort of eye contact.
“You shouldn’t be.”
And Geralt leaves. He walks out of Jaskier’s life for what may be the hundredth time, taking the last of Jaskier’s hope with him.
—
day 3563
Geralt isn’t happy to see him, which is new.
It’s been years and every time they see each other, they fuck before greetings are even made. Today is different. Today Geralt is too busy searching for a djinn to care much about Jaskier’s presence at all.
They end up fighting. Jaskier ends up on the brink of death.
Pathetically enough, the first emotion that courses through him when he realizes he may die soon isn’t grief, but regret.
Regret that he may never get to tell Geralt he loves him again, regret that Geralt will never hear the certainty in his voice when he says it this time.
Yes, pathetic, indeed.
—
day 3567
“You slept with her.”
The words have been sitting on his chest for days, and they’ve been set free at last. Geralt’s silence almost makes him wish he hadn’t said anything at all. Almost.
“I saw you two,” Jaskier continues, forcing himself to not break eye contact despite the heat in Geralt’s gaze making him want to squirm on his log, “I saw through the window. You two fucked.” It comes out harsher than he intended it, but Geralt sits, unmoving, unaffected.
“Yes,” Geralt says at last. Simple as that.
“Okay,” he responds. Simple as that.
“Does it bother you?” As if you care.
“No,” he lies. Geralt looks at him like he didn’t even have to listen closely to his heart to tell it was a lie.
“Jask.”
“It didn’t,” he says again, willing his heart to not skip a beat. It does. Fuck.
Geralt sighs. “I didn’t realize we were
”
“Were what?”
“Working under such
 confinements.”
Jaskier scoffs, “you can fuck who you want, Geralt.”
He hasn’t slept with anyone else since they’ve started this
 arrangement. But that’s not something he’ll ever admit, especially not now.
“It bothers you.”
“It doesn’t.”
Jaskier doesn’t want to fight, not now, but if Geralt keeps pushing they will fight. Fuck.
“She saved your life,” Geralt tells him.
“So you fucked her out of gratitude?”
“No, I fucked her because I wanted to.”
Gods.
“You’re a prick,” Jaskier hisses before standing to walk away.
He doesn’t know where he’s going but being hidden miles away in a dark forest is far better than being around Geralt right now, he knows that for sure.
Geralt finds him an hour later, or maybe it’s only been ten minutes, who knows really.
But he finds Jaskier and stands there gazing at him and says, “Jask,” in that way that makes Jaskier’s knees buckle and the next thing he knows, he’s being fucked up against a tree.
Figures.
—
day 3903
Jaskier has never seen Geralt smile before, not really, not before tonight.
Usually, it’s a small lift of the corner of his lips, which can be seen as anything. Tonight, the witcher smiles and it’s unmistakable.
It’s big and it’s bright and it’s beaming and it’s because of Jaskier. It’s directed at Jaskier.
They’re at a celebration that is held in Geralt’s name, to honor him for saving the kingdom. Geralt didn’t want to come but Jaskier forced him out the door, and now here they stand, surrounded by people toasting to the White Wolf for his bravery.
Geralt holds Jaskier’s face in his hands and his eyes shine brighter than his smile.
“Thank you,” Geralt says to him, and then he kisses Jaskier, right there in a room full of people.
—-
day 4266
Jaskier’s sick.
He’s supposed to be seeing Geralt again after three months apart and he’s fucking sick. Melitele has always enjoyed games but this proves that her cruelty has no bounds.
He thinks he can power through it or just pretend that he isn’t sick. Geralt can’t get sick, so if he acts fine, the witcher probably won’t notice.
Thing is, Jaskier is not fine, and it is very, very obvious.
Geralt eyes him slowly, tilting his head to the side as he observes the bard. “You look like shit.”
Jaskier glares. “Be still my beating heart.”
“Looks like your heart is three seconds away from doing just that.”
Why is he in love with this man?
“You’re an arse,” Jaskier quips, not a smidge of indignation in his tone.
Geralt shrugs.
He parts his lips to curse the witcher’s name and finds himself hacking up a lung instead. Geralt’s by his side in seconds, running a hand up and down Jaskier’s back as he holds the bard upward.
And that’s how what was supposed to be a week’s worth of marathon sex turns into Geralt taking care of a sick Jaskier.
Geralt holds a tissue to his nose for him to blow when it gets stuffy. Geralt piles heaps of blankets over his form. Geralt brings him warm stew and even warmer milk. Geralt gives him warm sponge baths. Geralt stays by his side the entire time, nursing Jaskier back to health.
Then, he remembers, this is why he’s in love with this man.
—
day 4342
They’re fighting over her. Again.
The fight didn’t start because of her, but it’s ending with her name being shouted back and forth between the two of them. Jaskier has lost count of how many times this has happened, but this time is so much worse than all those that came before.
Because this time, Geralt is visibly angry. This time, his hands are clenched into fists where they hang by his hips, and Jaskier notices. And Jaskier is angry, too.
Maybe that’s why when Geralt bellows about how insufferable he is, his response is, “what are you going to do, Geralt? Are you going to hit me again?”
Geralt flinches.
It’s a low blow, he knows that. It didn’t stop him from saying it. It doesn't make him take it back.
Even as the air seems to vanish from the room, making Jaskier think that perhaps he’s suffocating, he doesn’t take it back. Even as Geralt looks at him like he wishes they never met, he doesn’t take it back. Even as Geralt turns to walk away, he doesn’t take it back.
He may never return, Jaskier thinks. He doesn’t take it back.
—
day 4345
Geralt does. Return, that is.
He doesn’t even give Jaskier the chance to apologize, not verbally. They resolve things the way they always do: sex.
Jaskier thinks that maybe he’s a bit obsessed with Geralt’s cock. There’s truly no other explanation for the way he acts around this man— the way he acts because of this man. Sex this phenomenal would be enough to drive anyone mad.
—
day 4385
On Jaskier’s thirtieth birthday, he realizes that Geralt may love him. Maybe the witcher isn’t in love with him, but there must be some form of love there.
One doesn’t simply spend a shitton of coin renting out the most expensive room in a high-class inn for someone they don’t love, right?
One doesn’t get someone they don’t love their favorite flowers, right? Flowers that they’ve only mentioned once in the past, years ago— one doesn’t just magically remember something like that if they don’t feel love for the recipient of said flowers, right?
One doesn’t hold Jaskier the way Geralt does during and after three rounds of sex that night if they don’t love another, right?
One doesn’t look at someone the way Geralt does while he’s laid out on the bed and Jaskier is soothing his muscles in a warm bath if they don’t feel love for that person, right?
Right?
—
day 4403
They meet Yennefer on the path again, and Jaskier accepts that there’s no way Geralt loves him.
One doesn’t treat someone they love this way.
—
day 4856
It takes them crossing paths with Yennefer six times in total before Jaskier decides to sleep with someone who isn’t Geralt.
It isn’t all that fun the first time. So he does it again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
He does it so much he’s beginning to fear he’s slept with more people than the number of years Geralt has lived on this continent.
Jaskier doesn’t really get much out of it. He orgasms, which is fun. He makes people feel good, even better. But none of them are Geralt.
Still, he continues. If only to see the tension around Geralt’s eyes whenever he comes back reeking of someone else.
If only so he can laugh like an absolute maniac while Geralt fucks the name of the barmaid he just had sex with right from his brain.
He doesn’t recognize himself anymore. It scares him.
—
day 5919
“He never stays with me either, you know,” Yennefer informs him on a night where they’re drunk and acting civilized because they’re too tired to hate each other.
Jaskier laughs against the rim of the bottle of Yennefer’s incredibly expensive wine. “That’s our Geralt, fuck you into a parallel universe and then leave before you can even thank him for it.”
Yennefer scoffs. “I’ll have you know that I do most of the fucking.”
So does Jaskier these days, but he’ll never tell her that.
“That doesn’t surprise me at all.”
He entertains the idea of having sex with her that night, just to see what’s so special— maybe try to understand why Geralt will always choose her in the end. He thinks that Yennefer might actually go for it.
There’s a flash in her eyes that burns brighter than the fire before them. That flash confirms his theory.
He doesn’t have sex with her. Geralt would probably forgive him, he knows, but he’d never forgive himself.
—
day 1620
Jaskier wakes up with Geralt’s head on his chest. He thinks that he’s probably still dreaming, so he pinches himself. Hard.
No. Not dreaming.
In his mind, he gets up from the bed and dances, dancing about the room with absolutely no rhythm, but not caring because he’s too fucking ecstastic to care.
In reality, he tightens the arm he has around Geralt and then stays still, too scared that if he moves, he may lose this moment forever.
—
day 7450
“I need your help.”
And there it is. The words he’s defenseless against.
Jaskier promised himself not too long ago that he’d never follow Geralt anywhere ever again.
He refuses to break that promise. So, when he leaves the cell with the witcher, they’re walking side by side.
—
day 7258
“Stop, just stop,” Jaskier groans.
The woman’s mouth slips off his cock as he sits up on the bed, adjusting himself so he’s leaning back against the headboard.
“This doesn’t happen to me,” he says more to himself than the stranger from downstairs.
“Apparently it does,” the woman mutters as she side-eyes him looking utterly unimpressed.
Jaskier would glare if it weren’t for the fact that she’s right. This is the fourth time he’s tried to have sex this week and each time has been just as unforgiving as the last.
He knows why, of course. What other reason could there be?
He hasn’t seen Geralt in over a month and the witcher is still screwing him over. Classic.
—
day 2931
“Don’t stop, don’t stop,” Jaskier gasps.
He didn’t even need to. Geralt shows no signs of stopping any time soon. Jaskier will tire soon, he knows this. He’s been holding out for too long, his body needs release. It’s fine because even when he finally meets that release, he will let Geralt go on.
Geralt needs this. He supposes any man would after saving someone and declaring the law of surprise just to find out that surprise is an unborn child.
Geralt needs this, so Jaskier will give it to him.
After, when the bedsheets have been drowned in sweat and half of the bed has been left lopsided because part of the frame broke, Jaskier turns to him and asks, “what will you do?”
Geralt’s eyes remain glued to the ceiling when he says, “nothing.”
“What do you mean nothing?”
“I mean,” Geralt begins with a new tightness in his tone, “that child already has two parents who will love them unconditionally. They do not need me.”
“Geralt, the child is as much yours as it is Princess Pavetta and Duny’s.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should.”
“That child will be far better off without me.”
“I don’t believe that,” Jaskier says fiercely.
Geralt says nothing in return.
—
day 7462
Ciri is a lot like Geralt. She’s fierce, loyal, determined, and jumps into danger like nothing can kill her.
But, she’s talkative and she warms up to Jaskier quicker than Geralt did. They’ve become friends— best friends, as Ciri may tell anyone else.
She braids his hair and puts flowers in them.
He teaches her how to make a pie using the meager ingredients available at Kaer Morhen and the dessert is a success amongst all the witchers and mages.
She teaches him all she knows about how to fight and then begs Lambert to teach Jaskier more because she doesn’t know everything. Lambert does so, despite himself. He does it because Ciri wants him to. Ciri tends to have that effect.
Jaskier sings her to sleep most nights, or tells her stories he’s heard or experienced. Sometimes she corrects him, sometimes she shares her own stories.
They tell each other a lot. There are some things he feels that they’d tell to no one else but each other.
Ciri feels like family. It’s a dangerous thought to have.
—
day 7313
Jaskier is thirty-eight, sobbing into his jug of wine while sitting on the bed of the overpriced room he’s rented when he realizes he needs to get his shit together.
He hasn’t been cutting his hair or shaving, he’s been wearing far more cotton than silk, he lashes out at anyone who even glances in his direction. All he can do these days is drink and wallow.
Wake up. Have ale for breakfast. Go outside and wander the streets to make others feel as miserable as he does. Find himself at a bar to have wine for lunch with a side of bread. Dance even when there’s no music playing. Fall asleep after chugging a bottle of mead before bed. Repeat.
It’s pathetic. He’s pathetic.
He can’t be this person anymore. Jaskier refuses to be this person.
And so, he does the one thing he was born to do. He searches through his pack for the book that’s been left untouched for months and pulls out a quill, ready to do the one thing he was born to do.
He writes.
—-
day 7390
Burn, Butcher, Burn becomes a continent-wide success.
Jaskier hopes Geralt has heard it. He hopes the ballad follows him wherever he goes.
Jaskier hopes that it hurts him.
—
day 7461
“I heard your song.”
Shit.
Jaskier knew there was no way Geralt hadn’t heard it by now, but he had hoped that it was something they simply wouldn’t speak of— especially not when they’ve been sitting here in silence in Kaer Morhen’s surprisingly information-packed library for over an hour. The continued silence would’ve been nice.
“Yeah?” Jaskier breathes, dipping his tongue out of his mouth to lick at his dry lips, “what did you think? Three words or less.”
The reference to their past has done nothing to lighten the mood. Geralt’s features are serious when Jaskier finally looks at him, his eyes seem sad.
“It hurt me.”
Jaskier swallows. “I see.”
This is what he wanted, isn’t it? He wanted this. Why does the victory make him ache the way that it does?
“But I hurt you, too,” says Geralt, “I guess now we’re even.”
He doesn’t mean to laugh, but he can’t help it. It’s a funny thought. They’re even. As if. He knows not even Geralt believes that, knows that it was said to lighten the mood.
“Yeah,” Jaskier says between a chuckle, “I guess we are.”
—
day 7468
Jaskier’s quite surprised by how simple things are. Some days, he and Geralt barely speak a word to each other, and others, they have full conversations— Geralt’s actually capable of holding a conversation now, Jaskier never thought he’d see the day.
It’s not like things are easy, they’re just
 simple. Tame. Less intense. It’s a relief. Jaskier doesn’t think he’d be able to survive their reunion any other way.
They haven’t had sex, they haven’t even acknowledged that they used to have sex, but there’s that tension in the room every time they’re together that says neither of them has forgotten.
It’s better this way, without the sex. It gives them the chance to navigate whatever it is they’re trying to create with a clear head. Well, sort of, since Jaskier’s mind is still clouded by how much he loves the man, but the absence of physical touch does make it better.
Jaskier never thought he’d enjoy not having sex but for once in his life, he does. He’s grateful for it.
—
day 7473
They never talk about it.
The first time Rience’s name was spoken in the keep, it was from neither Jaskier nor Geralt.
Gwain got all of two sentences in before Geralt stormed out of the room, stormed out of the keep, and didn’t return for hours.
“If they ever cross paths again, that firefucker is going to be a very sorry man,” CoĂ«n had murmured from beside Jaskier as they watched Geralt slice into anything his swords could find.
It’s probably true, but Jaskier tries not to think too much about it.
He doesn’t need to because Rience’s name is never brought up again.
—
day 7478
“He’s in love with you, you know.”
Jaskier looks up at Yennefer.
She’s watching him, but it isn’t in the way she watches everyone else like they’re being tested. No, this look is too
 soft to be that. It’s too open. It’s as if the words have been sitting on her tongue for days, weeks, maybe, and she finally unburdened herself of them. Jaskier understands that completely.
Still, it’s a ridiculous thing to say. Jaskier spent two decades of his life wishing for that to be true. It wasn’t back then, it isn’t now, it never will be.
And so, all he can do is offer her a sad smile. “No, he isn’t.”
—
day 7479
Jaskier doesn’t fuck Lambert out of spite.
He fucks Lambert because he hasn’t been fucked in weeks.
He fucks Lambert because Lambert’s hot and his body always feels nice against Jaskier’s during training.
He fucks Lambert because he needs his brain to stop repeating He’s in love with you, you know, over and over again like a broken record.
Still, the words play in his mind. It’s all he can hear. He’s crying when he comes and he convinces Lambert that it’s because the orgasm feels so good, which is partly true.
Lambert is a great fuck, but Lambert isn’t Geralt.
He can’t look Geralt in the eyes the next morning, but he feels the witcher’s eyes following him all day.
—
day 6238
“I’m in love with you, Geralt,” Jaskier tells him one night after their breaths have evened out, “and I think it’s beginning to consume me.”
A hand falls over the one he has rested on the bed.
“Then I guess we’re in trouble,” Geralt whispers into the darkness of the room. Jaskier hears it loud and clear.
That, they are.
—
day 7500
They’re in Geralt’s room, leaning over a map of the Nilfgaardian Empire. Geralt is saying something. Jaskier isn’t really sure what it’s about if he’s being honest. For the first time since they’ve met, he’s tuned the witcher out completely. He doesn’t mean to, but it’s hard to focus when he has this nagging in his mind.
He’s in love with you, you know.
He’s in love with you, you know.
He’s in love with you, you know.
Fucking Yennefer.
They’ve been slowly but surely trying to reach a stable point in their friendship again and now that’s all been fucked straight to hell. Though, Jaskier supposes that nothing about them was ever stable, anyway.
If this is going to be fucked, it may as well be on his terms this time.
“Yennefer tells me you’re in love with me,” he says, just to say it. Jaskier hasn’t repeated the words since they were spoken to him. It’s only fitting that the first time he does, it’s to Geralt.
Geralt stops moving. “Hm.”
“Is it true?”
“Yes.”
Jaskier expects that confirmation to make him feel too many things at once. It’s all he’s been wanting to hear for over half his life, he’s wanted it more than he’s ever wanted anything, and now here it is.
Geralt of Rivia telling Jaskier that he loves him, at last.
He should feel so much, but he doesn’t.
There’s a certain stillness in him now, one he hasn’t been able to reach since the day he first met Geralt. He feels
 peaceful. His mind is quiet, his heart keeps its pace.
He expected to feel too much, but he doesn’t.
Perhaps it’s because a part of him always knew.
Jaskier grins. “Well, I guess we’re in trouble then.”
“I guess we are,” Geralt says. Something in his voice suggests that he doesn't mind that one bit.
—
day 2547
Jaskier wakes up alone.
He had been foolish enough to believe that the way Geralt had opened up to him last night may have changed a thing. As if Geralt trusting Jaskier enough to let the bard fuck him would mean that he wouldn’t run away in the middle of the night.
Gods, he’s a fool.
He’s a fool for believing that anything would be different. He’s even more of a fool for crying over it.
—
day 7501
Jaskier’s eyes flutter open to a streak of light peeking out from behind closed curtains. The events of the day before come rushing back to him and his body goes stiff.
He’s afraid to look behind him, afraid to break the spell, but the sooner he does, the sooner he can face whatever is to come.
Jaskier turns.
Geralt’s eyes are already open and focused on him.
“Good morning,” he says.
“Hi,” Jaskier responds, cheeks quickly beginning to ache from how wide his grin is.
Silence stretches over them, and in this time, they both turn their bodies towards each other completely and Geralt reaches out to take his hand. They didn’t have sex last night, and Jaskier half expected them to immediately go at it the moment they woke up. He’s okay with this, though, more than okay. Geralt seems to be okay with it, too.
“Tell me again,” Jaskier whispers.
Geralt smiles at him disarmingly and doesn’t hesitate for a moment, “I love you.”
He kisses the witcher. His witcher.
—
Jaskier met Geralt when he was eighteen. He walked up to him in that tavern in Posada, then followed him out of that same tavern.
He fell in love with him before he even really knew what love was, and if he were ever granted the chance to change anything about their history, he wouldn’t take it.
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