#it was hard because I love him and geralt the same

[thedemonofcat]

I just realized that Geralt in fics being like, "Sorry I was an asshole. I know you can't forgive me, but what about *Ciri*?" is him babytrapping Jaskier.

“What about Ciri?”

Jaskier stared at him, mouth parting in disbelief.

“Are you seriously doing this right now?”

“She needs you,” Geralt said, voice low. “She’s got power. She’s stubborn. She sings your songs when she thinks no one’s listening.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m her father!”

“You're not,” Geralt said. “But she loves you like one. And… I think you love her back. Even if you don’t want to love me anymore.”

Jaskier stood up so fast the chair scraped back hard.

“This—this is manipulation, Geralt. You disappear for months, break my heart, and come crawling back not because you regret it, not because you want me, but because you want your child to have two parents?”

“No,” Geralt said quickly, standing too. “I came back because I regretted it the moment I left. I came back because I want you. But I brought Ciri because… I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

“You’re damn right I don’t,” Jaskier snapped. “You thought bringing the girl would be your golden ticket? What is this, babytrapping now?”

Geralt winced. “Not like that. Gods, not like that. I just… I thought if you couldn’t forgive me, maybe you’d still stay. For her. And then maybe—just maybe—you’d see I’m not the same man I was when I pushed you away.”

Jaskier’s face was unreadable.

Then, from the stairwell, a small voice called: “Jaskier?”

They both turned. Ciri stood in oversized sleep clothes, a book tucked under one arm.

“Can you sing me that song again?” she asked. “The one about the basilisk that wasn’t really a basilisk?”

Jaskier’s shoulders sank. His jaw clenched. He looked from her, to Geralt, then back again.

“…Yeah,” he said finally. “Yeah, I can

[shanastoryteller]

Happy Pride 🌈!!!

Jaskier or anything Hades, please?

a continuation of 1 2

Jaskier lies back in the bed of goose feathers, the brazier crackling merrily, the walls of the enchanted tent blocking out any other sound. "I really do love traveling with you."

Yennifer rolls over so she's partially splayed across his chest and he automatically raises a hand to press his fingers into each knob of her spine. "Because you value my company so terribly."

"I do value your company," he says, affecting a wounded tone of voice. "I would be partial to your sharp wit and talented tongue and scathing worldview even if you were not a sorceress or a beauty."

He means that sincerely, but he says it as if it's a joke. Yennefer hates sincerity. It makes her itch.

"Can you two shut up?" Geralt grumbles. "Some of us have work in the morning."

"Not everything is hitting the big scary monster really hard and really fast," Yennefer says dryly.

Jaskier hums in agreement. "Wining and dining the local count, and perhaps reporting him for corruption and maybe writing my brother about it, is an important intermediary step."

"It really isn't," Geralt sighs at the same as Yennefer says, "I still can't believe you're actually a noble. I thought you were joking."

He pouts, offended. Before he can launch into a speech about noble airs, Geralt says, "I thought he was lying too. It made the wedding a little awkward."

He thought their wedding was great fun, actually. He'd been very drunk for a lot of it and had made Geralt carry him.

"How'd your family react to you bringing home a witcher?" she asks.

"Well," he says, and almost lies, but Yennefer's a lot better at catching him at it than Geralt. "Not the strangest partner of mine they've met, to be honest. And they like Geralt far better than my sister's husband."

"Would I be the strangest partner of yours they've met?" Yennefer asks in interest.

Gods. They'd love Yennefer. "...Maybe? Certainly the most powerful."

Geralt clears his throat.

"That's just speculation and we're not counting it," Jaskier says firmly.

She frowns at him, turning her head just enough to glare at Geralt. "What are you talking about?"

"Interesting, isn't it," Geralt says blandly, "that Jaskier hasn't really aged since you've know him."

Yennefer starts studying his face with the intense sort of scrutiny that never leaves him sure if he's going to get dissected or laid. "It's my multi-step skincare routine."

[fandom-junk-drawer]

The Witcher Headcanon - Drunk: Bonus Scene - Part 1

"Maybe you should slow down with the drinking," Geralt suggested as he watched Jaskier from across their campfire.

The bard responded to this bit of unwelcome wisdom with an irritable snort. He was trying to get some work done on a song, but it was hard to hear the lyrics in his head when Geralt kept talking!

The ar**hole had been b*tching at him about him drinking every time they stopped in a town!

Jaskier shot Geralt an angry glare and snapped, "Ye aren't gettin' f***ed, so stop wiggling yer a**!"

Geralt blinked as his brain took a few seconds to tanslate the phrase from "Jaskier", to "Geralt".

"Mind your own f***ing business!"

Geralt frowned at the reaction. It wasn't like Jaskier at all. In fact, the bard had not been acting like himself for the past two weeks or so.

For starters, he seemed to be perpetually slightly drunk. Jaskier had been celebrating a little too liberally with his fans after his sets. He was doing round after round of drinks, and Geralt was having to carry him to their room.

When the subject was brought up, Jaskier brushed it off. "I'm just mingling with the people, Geralt! They love it! And besides, why can't I enjoy some of the finer, more fun things in life? Good booze is good booze!

Geralt had rumbled, "It's not fun when you drink so much you can't walk! Or when you're not even over the previous hangover before you're drinking again!"

"Oh, hush! You're making something out of nothing!"

"Yeah, nothing," Geralt responded sarcastically, "'Nothing' like when you almost got killed by Nekkers because you were 'just a LiTtLe BiT dRuNk!'?. Or how you almost got us arrested for public indecency at the inn in the last town because you started a fight with a man twice your size?"

"Oh, stop exaggerating! Bar fights aren't grounds for being charged with public indecency!"

"You were hanging bare a** naked off the guy's back, swearing like a sailor, while punching him in the back of the head AND trying to f**k him in the a** AT THE SAME TIME!"

Jaskier had the audacity to laugh. "That's utter bullsh*t!"

Geralt had growled, but held his tongue. He was going to have to try a different tactic.

He tried some good, old-fashioned Natural Consequences to get Jaskier to cut back on his binge drinking.

Dragging him out of bed at the a**crack of dawn.

Loud noises.

Dumping him in the water trough.

Bugs in his bed.

Slapping him awake.

Pranks

Having Valdo Marx sing him awake.

It only resulted in Geralt having to deal with Jaskier's irritating whining, and annoyingly p*ssy mood until they reached the next town.

Geralt swore that even three days after leaving the last town, the lingering stink of alcohol still clung to Jaskier.

When they reached Aldersberg, Geralt left Jaskier to negotiate their stay, and went to look for contracts, returning to the inn after finding only a few minor errands. The work had been easy, and the pay reasonable. It wasn't much, but it was more than what he'd expected.

By the time Geralt returned to the inn, it was late, and Jaskier had finished his set long ago. And the bard was drunk off his a**.

Geralt had unceremoniously dragged him off to their room. He was mildly surprised that the man didn't protest or struggle. Geralt began to feel a little uneasy. Jaskier wasn't humming, or singing, or even cussing at him. He was oddly quiet.

Geralt kicked their room door closed and dropped his armload of bard on the bed with a frown. He was about to say "Jaskier, we need to talk.", but he never got the chance.

His uneasiness turned to worry when he noticed that Jaskier appeared confused, but not in the normal way drunks were. This was different. He genuinely didn't look like he knew where he was. Geralt lit a few candles for better lighting, and brought Jaskier to the small table by the fireplace.

Hmm.

He could hear an irregularity in his heartbeat. It was too slow, even for a drunk.

Geralt leaned closer and pressed his nose to Jaskier's neck. His skin had an odd, sickly smell to it that Geralt recognized as the smell of a body metabolizing alcohol. But it also smelled off. There was something wrong with the scent.

Pushing up the sleeve of Jaskier's shirt, Geralt licked the skin of his forearm. He could definitely taste the alcohol and the 'wrongness'.

A sinking feeling settled in Geralt's gut. He'd seen this before.

F**K!

He grabbed his water skin from his pack. Geralt spent a long night of forcing water into Jaskier every half hour. There was a point where he thought he was going to lose him, and he did the only thing he could think of. He heavily diluted a bit of Golden Oriole and prayed to every god he knew that it wouldn't kill Jaskier....

[annmarcus63]

The first time Jaskier says it they're washing their clothes at a river. As always Jaskier is talking Geralt's brains out. The bard only says it to see if Geralt is paying attention “I love you.” As if one is commenting on the weather. The witcher, of course, is not listening. So Jaskier resorts to this strategy to know when it is convenient to be silent, when his witcher needs silence.  

"I love you. I love you and oh don't close my eyes to yours, my... sweet ? mmmh no, my dove... well your hair is white so...." but Geralt is lost in his thoughts even when he says he'll hear Jaskier's poetry, that ungrateful man! But Jaskier loves him all the same. 

He even whispers it in Geralt's arms, after a very satisfactory fuck "I love you" followed by the witcher's snores. Ugh! 

He even tries when Yennefer is there, flirting with Geralt with her indifference across the room. As always, Geralt's attention is on her, on her every move, and Jaskier is left like an idiot talking with Geralt, acting like he holds a small portion of him with the witch in the picture.

"I don't like it here, you know? That man, yes the one with the weird double chin, is looking at me like I'm a fine dessert, I sure am, but not for him. Only for you my dear, if you so want me. But no, oh no, you don't want me, at least not right now, you're not even here! You're there, yes! with your powerful, man-eater witch, she's a cannibal, dear, you should know that by now. But of course you don't care, you're not even listening! Why am I surprised? You'd not hear when I say that I love you, you bastard, or yes! there's a hole on your trousers right on your left cheek, we all can see everything, my darling, didn't take you for an exhibitionist” 

And then…

“I'm not, but this one was the only clean one.” Geralt says without taking his eyes from Yen. 

"That's not true, you have at least a spare pair of trousers. Wait... what?" Geralt huffs a laugh and the corner of his lips lifts in a mocking smile. So charming, the bastard. 

"Were you listening?" 

"I'm always listening, Jaskier." 

"Ha! that's not true, you see, I have a way of knowing..." 

"Yeah?" 

"Yes, but you wouldn't know it, because you don't always pay attention to me." concludes Jaskier like a petulant child. 

"This have anything to do with the last ten times you’ve said I love you to me at random times?" Jaskier's jaw drops like a fish out of water, panicking.   

"Did you listen all those times? Why didn't you say anything? you...you damn..." Geralt sighs and turns to the bard to cup his face in his hands, squeezing hard enough to crush the bard's cheeks. 

“Because I was looking for the right moment to say it back, but you're always ahead of me” Jaskier pouts and it's kinda cute. “Every. fucking. time”  Geralt growls after placing each one of the three kisses on the plump lips. 

"I love you, Jaskier" the bard huffs annoyed and frees his face form Gralt's grasp to say "yeah? well, I don't care, go to your witch, as you always does" 

"I love it when you get jealous” 

“What?!”

[olderthannetfic]

Just like a small question based on that one ask, but... might the lack of brown/black men in popular M/M ships have to do with people trying really hard not to be racist so they just... never feature black/brown men? Because I know several F/F ships with brown/black women, but I can't remember a single M/M or even M/F with a black/brown male love interest... well, maybe Link/Gan or Zelda/Gan? But besides that one... nothing rings a notable bell.

--

There are more than that, anon, even if there aren't a lot.

If we're talking about AO3, Link/Gan has 785 works. Finnpoe has 8,636. Sam/Bucky has 10,591. Do you just not watch live action media?

--

Part of it is "I don't know. I just don't find them hot for some reason..."-style racism. That can shift with time and exposure but there's no instant fix even if someone is interested in changing their own tastes.

Part of it is being instantly screamed at and held to higher standards. (And yes, no matter how much people want to whine and say this isn't true, it is true, and anyone who goes ahead and writes despite the haters will tell you so.)

Part of it is fear of messing up above and beyond fear of reactions. Personally, I think this is toxic white guilt-flavor time-wasting and it's better to try and fail than not try, but it's a massive factor in what some people choose to write.

A lot of it is simply the composition of the mega-franchises that tend to generate the ships with bajillions of works. If we're looking at AO3 circles, the biggest f/f ships are not that big. If you look at m/m ships of the same size, there are some with some guy who is not white and not a pale-skinned Asian.

Here's the AO3 f/f tag where you can directly see what's big in the sidebar.

Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor (20389)

Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan (15516)

Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s) (14062)

Clarke Griffin/Lexa (12661)

Minor or Background Relationship(s) (11492)

Adora/Catra (She-Ra) (10855)

Amity Blight/Luz Noceda (9751)

Sirius Black/Remus Lupin (7913)

Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long (7205)

Korra/Asami Sato (6866)

If we exclude nonspecific tags and misplaced dudes, we add:

Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer (6127)

Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler (6120)

Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught (5738)

Luz Noceda and Korra have darker skin. Lana Parrilla is Latina, but is Regina Mills? This isn't exactly some paradise for the diversity you're talking about.

Here's the M/M tag:

Castiel/Dean Winchester (107699)

Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski (68231)

Sherlock Holmes/John Watson (65757)

Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter (64761)

James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers (59546)

Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) (48169)

Minor or Background Relationship(s) (47119)

Steve Rogers/Tony Stark (43665)

Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson (41631)

Sirius Black/Remus Lupin (40374)

Let's exclude some things and see what we get as we head towards the 5-20k range.

Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku (38445)

Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V (36025)

Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn (35907)

Keith/Lance (Voltron) (31634)

Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester (30488)

Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood (29568)

Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin) (28959)

Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin (28191)

Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter (27775)

Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou (27193)

Well, we've got Lance. (*shudder*) He's one of the most distasteful and useless stock character types in episode one and is the reason I never bothered to touch Voltron again, but his fans are certainly loud enough about him being Latino.

Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov (26087)

Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs) (26058)

Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF) (21900)

Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson (21897)

Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) (21296)

Original Male Character/Original Male Character (21035)

Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion (20224)

James T. Kirk/Spock (18810)

Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru (18703)

Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin (18147)

Eddie Diaz is Latino.

Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel (17787)

Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager (16950)

Dan Howell/Phil Lester (16818)

Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier (16229)

Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet (16193)

Harry Potter/Severus Snape (15551)

Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich (15539)

Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki (14990)

Keith/Shiro (Voltron) (14816)

Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio (14780)

We've got the Taika Waititi thirsters in this cohort.

Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier (14413)

Rodney McKay/John Sheppard (14209)

Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto (13135)

Tartaglia | Childe/Zhongli (Genshin Impact) (13016)

Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know (12962)

Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto (12878)

Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic (12817)

Loki/Thor (Marvel) (12767)

Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren (12391)

Frank Iero/Gerard Way (12146)

Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams (12050)

Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou (12002)

Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga (11898)

Jeon Jungkook/Min Yoongi | Suga (11352)

Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin (11101)

Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith (11088)

Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones (11083)

Loki/Tony Stark (10699)

Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Misérables) (10523)

Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin (10415)

Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield (10312)

Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard (10211)

Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi (9950)

Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne (9944)

Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee (9763)

Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington (9686)

Getou Suguru/Gojo Satoru (9625)

Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol (9471)

Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski (9367)

Clint Barton/Phil Coulson (9359)

Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist (9347)

Nico di Angelo/Will Solace (9317)

Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji (9186)

Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan | Sean (8973)

Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg (8785)

Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo | Hawks (8710)

Alhaitham/Kaveh (Genshin Impact) (8657)

Peter Parker/Tony Stark (8607)

Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto (8588)

James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson (8522)

Only here are we finally getting down to the range where a lot of the big f/f ships on AO3 hang out, and here's Sam/Bucky, which is frankly not a small pairing at all unless you only mean in comparison to Stucky.

I'll stop there for m/m since these numbers are getting pretty distorted by me filtering out everything higher up, but you get the idea. Even that wretched Old Guard fandom couldn't completely kill off its ship, though then we get into how you're defining your terms and how much actual skin tone matters.

Here's f/m on AO3:

Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug (32122)

Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy (26417)

Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s) (23498)

Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren (23403)

Minor or Background Relationship(s) (18497)

James Potter/Lily Evans Potter (18142)

Kylo Ren/Rey (15915)

James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader (15200)

Pepper Potts/Tony Stark (14547)

Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley (13843)

Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin (13551)

Fox Mulder/Dana Scully (13145)

Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak (11318)

Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan (11031)

Castiel/Dean Winchester (10851)

Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth (9236)

Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski (9152)

Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson (9141)

Other Relationship Tags to Be Added (9108)

Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper (9046)

Bellamy Blake's actor is Filipino, isn't he? I remember race wank.

I don't see anything particularly significant until we get further down the listings, but there are definitely smaller fandoms like Leverage where everybody loves and ships the black guy.

I mean, yes, clearly, media does have a bias against darker skin, and the darker the skin, the bigger the bias. This bias may be exacerbated by fandom, but in a lot of cases, it just seems to be replicated at about the same level.

That pattern notwithstanding, it seems like you just haven't heard of a lot of ships.

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

Puppy Love Part 2

Masterlist

Starring: Dad!Syverson, Mike, guest appearance; August Walker

Summary: Sy really can't be all that bothered that Mike is dating August Walker's daughter...

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: Fluff

A/N: Thank you @deandoesthingstome and @itsrubberbisquit for suggesting I write Puppy love from Sy's perspective, so here it is! I whipped it up pretty quickly, and also there's not all that much to say. Because Sy is not only a man of few words, he's also... a boydad. Far fewer problems!

I had to name August's daughter, I couldn't get it done without a name without sounding incredibly awkward, sorry! Her name's Victoria now!

@geralts-yenn @deandoesthingstome @ellethespaceunicorn @sillyrabbit81 @littlefreya @mayloma @summersong69 @livisss @winter2112rose @changenameno @wa-ni (still not allowed to tag you, sorry :( )

“I’m going out!” Mike walked past you on the way to the door.

“Okay,” you replied, not taking your eyes off the game.

“James,” your wife hissed — at you, you knew, because despite having been given the same name as you, your son chose to use his middle name. “Where are you going?”

“I have a date?” he answered.

“Have fun,” you said, before catching an elbow to your upper arm from your wife. “What?”

“James William Syverson, a bit more of an interest in your son’s life wouldn’t kill you!” Oh, that. You were trying to watch the game for God’s sake!

“He turned eighteen a month ago, sugar. If he has a date, let him go on his date!”

“Who is this girl? And where are you taking her? When will you get back?” Your wife fired the questions at Mike in rapid succession, and he sighed.

“Victoria Walker. We’re going to see a movie, and I���ll be back after I drop her off,” he answered with an annoyed sigh. You didn’t blame him.

“Let him go,” you said quickly when you saw your wife was about to throw more questions his way.

“So, Walker didn’t kill you?” you said softly when you heard the front door close.

“Oh, you’re still up?” Mike asked. He was a few minutes late, but your wife was already asleep, so she didn’t need to know. “You, eh… You know Mr. Walker?”

“We went to college together. And I dated his wife in high school,” you said with a sigh.

“Okay. Cool,” he answered. “I’m off to bed.”

“Son, sit down,” you said.

“Yeah, ‘no means no’, condoms… Pretty sure we’ve had this chat six times since I turned fifteen or something.”

“Sit.” This kid.

He flopped down on the couch and rolled his eyes. “What?”

“Are you serious about this girl?” You asked, finally taking your eyes off the TV and looking at Mike. One look said it all. Poor fool.

He shrugged. “I like her. I really want to go out with her again.” He was fidgety — more so than he normally was.

“Then you listen to me, son,” you said in a serious tone. “Her father does not like me. If you don’t want to get banned from that house, you’re gonna have to be on your best behavior.”

“He’s mad because you dated Mrs. Walker in high school?” Mike asked.

“Eh… Might have been the fact that I made a pass on her when they were… I think they’d been together for about two years, I—”

“Dad!”

“Yeah, well… He married her, didn’t he? Water under the bridge, ‘s far as I’m concerned.” You shrugged. You didn’t see how it mattered now, after all these years, but god damn, August Walker held a grudge like you wouldn’t believe.

“Thanks for that,” Mike said with a grin.

“How was I supposed to know you’d go running around with his daughter twenty years later?” you huffed. “Like I said: Best behavior.”

“What do I do?”

“You do what any reasonable man does when his girl’s dad hates his guts,” you said plainly. “You impress her mother.”

“Going out!” Mike yelled before storming out the door, slamming it shut behind him so hard it startled your wife.

“Mike! Come back he—”

“Sugar, let him go,” you said as you took her into your arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “He’s in love.”

“You’re right, he’s not here. But I have an idea where he might be,” you said, gritting your teeth to prevent yourself from taking this anger out on Victoria’s mom. You gave her the address of the club your nephew Will worked at, and hung up the phone. You’d caught him there before — and you didn’t even want to think about the amount of times you hadn’t caught him there.

“This should be good,” your wife groaned as she quickly put on some clothes before rushing down the stairs.

You had trouble fighting back a smile as you watched Walker drag your kids out by the scruff of their necks, and it didn’t get any easier when he started laying into your son for… breaking the rules. Breaking the law.

“How’d you even swing this, James?” you asked when Walker finally let him go. He protested, correcting you on the name you’d used. The hell he was. “Not when I’m this goddamn mad at you it isn’t, son.”

“That’s a month for you, too, young man,” your wife said. Nothing to add to that. Except maybe…

“We might have to start that two weeks from now, so the two of you won’t be spending time together for the foreseeable future. Car. Now.”

“Mom, can you spare some flowers?” Mike was having dinner over at the Walkers’ tonight, and he was visibly nervous. As he should be. You remembered all the times you’d been quaking in your boots before stepping into a girlfriend’s house like it all happened yesterday.

Your wife rushed downstairs to the store, and Mike sat down on the couch next to you. “Is he ever going to stop hating me?” he asked softly, clearly worried. “I really like her. I… I think I want to ask her to prom. But what if he doesn’t let her go with me?”

“You’ll be fine, kid,” you reassured him. Walker had to have grown up in the meantime, right? “He married a reasonable woman.” That was all the comfort you could give him, unfortunately.

“Here,” your wife said as she came back upstairs with a beautiful bouquet. She was good at her job. Always had been. “Give these to her mother and thank her for the invitation. And give these to her.”

“He’s letting her go!” Mike yelled all of a sudden.

“Mike, put that phone away,” your wife snapped. This happened every single night. “Letting her go where?”

“Prom! We’re going to prom!” he cheered.

You exchanged looks with his mother. “You do realize she won’t just be going,” she said calmly, “but you’ll be taking her?”

As if the poor guy wasn’t nervous enough already. It didn’t seem like he’d thought this all the way through just yet. “Shit.”

“Language!” you said.

“Sorry. What do I do?”

“For starters, you pick her up on time. And clean that car,” you said in between bites.

“Bringing her mother more flowers couldn’t hurt,” your wife mused. Part of it was just that she liked making people bouquets. You chuckled softly as she continued: “And she’ll need a corsage. What color is her dress?”

“Eh, some kind of blue or green, I think?” Couldn’t blame him for that one.

“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, I’ll ask her mother!”

“Am I in trouble?” Mike asked when he came home late the day after prom.

“I’m actually surprised to see you here in one piece,” you said. Yeah, he was in trouble, alright? But you’d be lying if you said you weren’t also at least a little proud of him. He gave you the rundown of what had happened that night — no, not that part! — and you laughed. Walker, you son of a bitch.

“I was going to sneak back, I mean…”

“Be glad he saved you from that, I might’ve actually punched you,” you sneered. “Might not’ve been your first time, but it was hers, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, sir,” Mike said with a guilty look on his face.

“Planning on sneaking out on a girl after that. You should be ashamed of yourself. I know I didn’t teach you that!”

“I’m gonna ask her to marry me.” He sounded sure, but his voice was shaky, nonetheless.

“’Bout damn time,” you chuckled. They’d been together for over six years, she’d graduated college — him... Not so much, but he had a good job doing something with computers you didn’t understand jack shit about.

“That’s wonderful, Mike!” your wife cheered as she wrapped her arms around her son. Your son. Best not to think about how far he’d come. Would be enough to bring a man to tears. “Do you need nana’s ring?”

“Actually…”

“I reckon he hasn’t talked to Walker yet,” you said, fully under the impression that that was still somehow part of the plan, although…

“Vic would kill me, dad,” Mike scoffed. “But she told me about her grandmother’s ring… So, I’ll have to go pick that up from them at some point.”

“Better make it quick, son,” you laughed, “I can see your mother’s already busy planning the whole thing.”

“So,” he said as he looked at himself in the mirror one last time. It had only taken him about seven tries and a little bit of your help to get that damn tie straight. “Now that you can’t really tell me to not do anything stupid anymore, since that’ll be her job now… What are you going to tell me?”

“That I’m proud of you, kid.”

[selkiefinalist]

I mean if we're here talking about director's cut ask meme, will you do a director's cut for Made Up, a fic idea that I would lovingly tell you to give your brain a kiss about because it was so delightful and such a deeply specific Not an AU because obviously Josh has a secret cosplay tiktok that he does in his spare time. how was this idea born? did you always know it would be josh/dermy? what is your favorite bit from it?

- @patrichornkissed

i will attempt to do a director’s cut for made up, and i will also try to do a better job translating my thoughts into words than i normally do, just for you.

so. the cosplay tiktok concept originated from someone in my life who had a casual cosplay tiktok that ended up getting much more popular than they had expected, complete with creepy comments. i do not have the tikkytok, but i do live in a society, and so i have been exposed to it over the years. at the time of writing, the thing i was most familiar with was the dances, i guess, and i didn’t feel like putting in the work of doing more research. hence the dancing. 

it’s been a few years since writing, which makes it hard to remember the exact sequence of the rest of it falling into place. the witcher thing came from watching the witcher show, since i’ve never read the books or played the video games, but that decision was informed by the writing of the hot matt n.ieto (real eyes realize) mustache fic, where nate and dermy are arguing in mikko’s kitchen about the witcher while newy is having a complicated meltdown about both his status on the team and also how hot matt n.ieto is, because he can multitask. we should not have traded him. i knew i wanted to set made up kind of lightly in the same universe; not enough that they’d be dependent on each other, but at least related. 

based on that, i have to assume that i started with dermy (surprising no one, i miss him to this day) as the main character and stumbled into josh as the other half of that pairing by way of josh being able to actually pull off looking kind of like show-geralt. once he’s fully made up, you know. and the rest of it i got to make up! which was utterly delightful. i’m sure i experienced the throes of agony at least once or twice while writing, but otherwise it was so much fun. i like picking weird details to make characters seem more realistic (such as ej being really into love is blind in your selkie fic), and that trick of inserting the reader halfway into a shared habit/interest to establish the nature of the existing relationship, so my favorite part was probably the running gag about conspiracy theories? like i probably cry-laughed when i was searching for pasta-pun restaurant names and KNEW, 100% KNEW, that josh would order the pastafarian. 

my other favorite bit, which i am probably the only person who would ever notice, is that any time dermy talks about himself in terms of his qualities, he is always describing himself by what he isn’t. “kurtis is no kind of wise man,” “he’s no scientist,” “he’s not a superstitious guy at heart,” “he doesn’t [contain multitudes], he’s just got that one wolf,” etc. i enjoyed that immensely, it really helped me with his overall characterization, i think. and then for kind of an easter egg, i guess: as much as possible, when i’m remembering, i try to describe either a throw blanket or a pillow when i’m writing a fic that has a scene in someone’s home or office. i’m a really visual reader so details like that matter to me but i’ve done it so much over the course of writing that it’s just become an ongoing joke with myself. 

[dandelii0ns]

heyyyy geraskier nation how do we feel about. about them and “letter to an old poet” by boygenius because personally? personally? crash out every time actually

ive been mostly dragon age brainrotting/posting lately but ohhhh show geralt and jaskier you’re my favorite doomed yaoi

“I said I think that you're special

You told me once that I'm selfish.

And I kissed you hard in the dark

In the closet.”

Ohhh the things I think in my thinky brain. Like, obviously, first thing that comes to mind is the mountaintop squabble, yknow? A grieving, hurting bard, quietly asking Geralt if he wants to leave all of this behind, go to the coast for awhile, and then- ultimately getting so heavily shrugged off, despite years of being so horribly devoted to Geralt, just so the witcher can go fuck his wife and then have things go horribly wrong afterward. He says it, he shows it, Geralt is so special and Jaskier is- shoveling shit.

It’s such an easy connection to make, but also, Jaskier dragging Geralt to the ceremony in the first place- while he claims it’s for protection, and it mostly was, I’m sure, but also.. What if it was also just.. an attempt to let Geralt come into his world? Jaskier trying to let his favorite witcher stay in a warm bed with warm food and let him get off the road and instead protect his small fry from a court, yknow?

I also personally think that around this time might’ve also been when they first started messing around, if you believe they messed around at all before the heartbreak that is the mountain. Kissing him hard, in the dark, in the closet,, the bard lying with a witcher he knows doesn’t adore him the same way he adores him, but still doing it. Hard, and in the dark, and.. probably in a bedroll.

“You said my music is mellow

Maybe I'm just exhausted.

You think you're a good person

Because you won't punch me in the stomach.

And I love you

I don't know why

I just do.”

Obviously telling someone that their singing is like ordering a fillingless pie isn’t the same as telling them their music is mellow, but my point still stands. Geralt thinks he’s a good person- because there’s no lesser or greater evil, Geralt’s a good person, he’s great, evil is evil and he’s not subscribing to that bullshit, thanks. (I know it’s more Nuanced than that, especially in the books, but sadly we’re dealing with the absolute.. thing Geralt is in the show, adored or not)

Geralt did in fact punch Jaskier in the stomach. This is Jaskier consuming massive amounts of copium (/j) and definitely not also a throwback to the Renfri debacle and how he got the title “Butcher of Blaviken” which Jaskier oh so kindly called him before getting punched in the gut. I do also think that in this context that just meaning “because you won’t physically mistreat/neglect me” could be.. really interesting, especially under the lens of this being a slightly newer affair.

At the start of their friendship Geralt most likely did neglect/hurt Jaskier, but less in an evil “he likes kicking sad wet bards” way and in a “he wants this weird fucking bard who doesn’t really seem to respect his space and desires to fuck off, and also doesn’t really know how to deal with companionship/non-witchers” way. Think.. giving Jaskier the wrong herbs for certain aches, not noticing his boots giving out after not letting him ride their horse, shit like that.

Things he learned and then remedied, perhaps in excess, but things that definitely stick around- and Jaskier loves him, anyways, even if this all hurts. Even if this entire song is this aching, sensitive thing.

“But you're not special, you're evil

You don't get to tell me to calm down

You make me feel like an equal

But I'm better than you

And you should know that by now.”

This song? It feels like a more genuine, heart wrenching Burn, Butcher, Burn. Something not born out of righteous anger, but something much worse. Geralt isn’t special, he’s evil. He’s not choosing the lesser or the greater evil, he’s- just as bad, for simply refusing that moral decision and then.. taking it out on everyone else, on some level.

Also just Jaskier trying to lash out in the same way he did in the canon break up song, yknow? Just trying to hurt, get a reaction, because at this point anything is better than several years of this bullshit- so, Geralt isn’t special. He’s evil. If the fucker ever returns, he better not try and get him to simmer his damn emotions because they’re fair and righteous and- ohhh, I have so many feelings about this.

Especially with the idea of like.. Jaskier having never really shared this song, or if he did, it never really got as popular. It’s a tad too relatable, a tad too quiet, a soft little thing that hurts too much. Burn, Butcher, Burn has something in it that’ll help it spread like fucking wildfire, whereas this- well. Imagine how Jaskier feels when he’s hugged, when he’s taken from the cell after experiencing hell itself for the witcher he- calling back to previous lyrics- he still loves, and he doesn’t know why.

He’s better than him. He is, and he knows this now, standing in that damn cell, helping Geralt despite it all, he’s fucking better than anyone ever, actually, fuck you. But there was a time where he felt equal to someone he looked up to, someone he knew he could trust- he was a run-away Viscount’s son, a barely-legal bard in a poor bar when he met Geralt. There’s no fucking way that man ever felt equal to anyone ever, and yet- Geralt managed, with their time together, and now.. well, Jaskier’s always seen with some damn liquor, torture hardly acknowledged, trying to help get elves to safety and now a princess he blames himself for, trying to fucking- help the woman that had a hand in that damned night. He’s a better man than even he knew, and Geralt should know that by now- and I think Geralt does.

Geralt’s known since he went down that damn mountain all by himself, but now? While he gets to hold Jaskier in that cell, he knows Jaskier is better than he is. And maybe that’s one of the reasons why he’s so distant despite everything, that lack of closeness during those episodes were him trying to give Jaskier space. He just went through hell for him and Ciri, the two having not seen each other in years because Geralt had his head too far up his ass and Vesemir never taught him how to deal with feelings like that, dammit, or any at all. He wants to make things better, make it up to him, but.. oh, he just went through so damn much, and Geralt likes distance, so he gave the bard distance- not cold, uncaring distance, but distance all the same. The kind that comes with trusting him with his child, in the keep, with everything, with his need for help. He puts himself back in Jaskier’s hands, even if the bard doesn’t realize it fully.

“When you fell down the stairs

It looked like it hurt and I wasn't sorry.

I shoulda left you right there

With your hostages, my heart and my car keys.

You don't know me.”

An ever changing song, something private and close- little additions, as Jaskier grows and hurts and aches something awful. Still bitter, still hurting, feelings left unresolved- but still helping, anyways. He’s not sorry. Or, really, He- is, but not really for Geralt, but for everyone, as a whole. The dead witchers, those who are alive, the princess, hell- even Yennefer, all those damn hostages, victims of a destiny Geralt had claimed all on his own, it wasn’t fucking- Jaskier who made him claim the Law of Suprise, dammit. He’s tired of taking on that burden, and yet he always has. Not anymore, yet still, he helps.

Of course he does. He still tries to help, with a hurt hand and a stronger dependence on alcohol, suddenly and horribly uprooted and rehomed, most likely unwelcome back in Oxenfurt since he was Jail-broke. He’s not this sniveling, high brow cunt like everyone seemed to think- he’s still a bit of a damn coward, and he’s clumsy and completely out of it, but he’s not an idiot. He’s a spy of sorts, a smuggler of elves, he went to university for fucks sake- no one in that damn keep knows him, not even Geralt, and yet, he helps anyways.

“I wanna be happy

I'm ready

To walk into my room without looking for you.

I'll go up to the top of our building

And remember my dog when I see the full moon.”

I haven’t. Watched S3 yet, sadly, but I do kind of like to think about Radovid and like.. what little I know about the season here. He seems a lot more comfortable with himself, his queer identity, I’m fairly sure Geralt owns up to more of what happened, the whole gay arc with him and Radovid- Jaskier wants to be happy, and he’s ready to move on, but,,

I don’t think he can. Not permanently. He can sleep with Kings or whatever as much as he’d like, but at the end of the day, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri are all right there. He’ll never not look around and find them, and it’s not- a bad thing, it’s just.. incredibly sobering to think about, I’m sure.

It’s a little demeaning I know, lol, but I also like to think about if the two do end up lasting a little longer or like Jaskier ends up with anyone who isn’t Geralt, that while maybe he doesn’t actually visit the mountain again,, he goes to top of it anyways. He thinks about his dog, or really, his wolf. His witcher. And he always will, even with the most mundane things- such as full moons.

[grandwitchbird]

I touched on some thoughts on adaptation especially re: Nilfgaard and the political plot in the Witcher games previously. Mostly that was so I could tackle the convergent narrative that emerges across the games as a mirror or homage to the novels. To do that I have to talk about romance choices in Witcher 3. And to do that I have to talk about Triss. Buckle up.

TW: discussion of SA, nongraphic but frank

The first game specifically created some significant problems for 2-3. And no matter how I turn the issues around in my head, it really comes down to Triss. The amnesia plot is a silly contrivance, but so was Yennefer’s prison stint in the novels. If the contrivance does the job and gets a character where they need to be or out of the way for good enough reasons, we roll with it. The first game over-all has some interesting ~stuff~ happening as an rpg, but I’ve realized I mentally have it categorized as a Witcher-flavored rpg that mostly the next two games have to account for, for better or worse. It gets at some of the short stories’ charms but misses the weight of the novels. Intentionally I think. I guess we’ll see if that changes with the remake. Still, we can think of this as the kind of awkward prelude, a dip into the world in the same way the stories provide snippets of Geralt’s life before Ciri’s story really kicks off in the novels.

The second game is a bridge between this kind of standalone homage to the stories and the 3rd game’s homage and epilogue to the novels. It suffers for it. And Triss is right in the middle of that.

The Triss Problem

Triss Merigold, Yennefer’s best friend, sometime-mentor to Ciri, friend to Witchers, Geralt’s rapist. That’s the woman the first game decided could be sacrificed on the altar of characterization so Geralt could have a random red-headed love interest.

In the novels, Triss is a young sorceress with a complex about her friend Yennefer. She’s a coward. She’s sweet. She’s manipulative. She’s deeply insecure. Shes very into Witchers. She’s also a powerful mage and a pretty solid teacher and support to her Witcher friends and Ciri. Her arc in the books sees her facing herself and eventually growing a spine.

Along the way, however, she essentially magic-roofies Geralt when he’s in an off-again phase with Yennefer. He represses so hard he’s kind of just weird around Triss forever. Nobody else knows. We know why these two don’t address it. Triss is a coward and Geralt is king of repressing. It’s horrible. It’s also notably nongraphic and well-written, centered entirely on the abuse of power and trust and what that does to Geralt.

The Triss we leave behind in the novels would never repeat that choice, I think. Or any choice like it. She went and she changed on her own for her own reasons. The Triss we encounter in the second game is very much doing a retread of her novel arc. But now it’s worse because she’s literally used Geralt’s amnesia to act out her fantasy of supplanting Yen, everything is reasonably graphic, and everything after does kind of stem from the abuse of power.

In a way, I think this is the game owning the mistake while trying not to punish non-reader players for it. No matter what the player does, these two split. Geralt will go after Yennefer. Things will be weird in the 3rd game. Geralt gets back in character and being in character for him means repressing and being weird around Triss. He can’t blame her. She’s his friend. It’s painful to watch. Time is a circle I guess.

Yennefer of Vengerberg

Part elven, invisibly disabled, over a century old, absolute menace of a woman. Yennefer is mean. She’s petty. She scares the hell out of Geralt’s friends. She’s the best friend anyone could ever ask for and also intimidating as hell. She causes problems wherever she goes. This is not an rpg love interest. She is the only woman for Geralt though. And it’s obvious. The 3rd game can’t and doesn’t avoid the obvious ‘canon’ nature of this relationship. It does try to counterweight canon a bit for RP by resetting the sense of conflict and how other characters react to the relationships.

In 2, Dandelion’s narration characterizes the relationship with Yennefer as “toxic.” This goes along with the overall reset and retread the games are doing for characterization beats. In the books, we were well past this version of Dandelion. We see the same thing play out in 3 where everyone and their uncle has to weigh in on how hard Yen is to deal with and how nice Triss is. This is probably handled as well as possible. Eskel’s exasperation with the dynamic, where Geralt can actually clarify and push back, is reasonable. Vesemir is likewise just kind of put off by Yen, which is fair enough. And you essentially have to ignore Yen’s quest entirely or actively treat it as purely a gameplay mechanic to break the romance off at all. The question isn’t whether Geralt and Yen are together, it’s whether or not they can move forward. This is contrasted to all of the pressures towards Triss coming from her own desperate manipulations and people who don’t understand anything about the history the two share.

Time is a Circle:

Recreating the Convergent Narrative

At the end of 2, we find out that Yen is essentially a prisoner again (hello Vilgefortz lol) and we set out to find her. This is where W3 opens more or less. We’re tracking a Yen who has since written to Geralt and is on the run. We don’t yet know from what. She, of course, finds us instead. And we find out that Ciri is back and on the run herself. Now we’re really doing a speed run of the novels. How many times can this family separate and miss and lose each other before they find each other again. Yennefer is off to Skellige (again) and Geralt is doing a (one man this time) road trip and playing detective. Ciri is being the protagonist of a much crazier mythic story, with space elves once again causing her all kinds of problems and a tyrant trying to claim her power for himself. Time is truly a circle.

Somehow, the games have pulled all of this together in 3 via rp options for Geralt. You can play as book!Geralt and stay on theme. This will ultimately lead to the Witcher ending where Ciri takes over as not just protagonist of her own story but as the Witcher herself. This closes out the convergent narrative the game has been recreating and sets them up to carve out their own stories in future. Or you can deny your role. You can rp a random-rpg!Witcher hero and lose Ciri forever, one way or another.

All that said. The Triss Problem(tm) is a problem. It’s the biggest, most glaring flaw in the series to this day, and we’d probably all be better off if that had really been some random redhead in the first game. 3 gets some serious credit here for Geralt just being generally weird around her again, but the rp demands to counterweight the pull of canon with Yen have done nothing but confuse non-readers and frustrate readers. Narrative conveniences are fine. The Hunt becoming a plot device works to pull the mythic layer of storytelling back in, and it gives everything a solid motivation. Regis being back just stretches the lore a bit and serves a great story. The political plots can be a bit of a sticking point but flesh out the game world. We can even forgive amnesia. But The Triss Problem(tm) is forever.

Honestly, as a reader, I kind of respect the skill involved in reworking the arcs and the commitment to not just cutting Triss out after the first game. I also appreciate the effort made to bring these characters back to essentially their book-selves and to give game-Geralt a final hurrah without just wiping the slate. It shows a certain amount of integrity in the writers room that I think we’ve since seen confirmed with the additions to Cyberpunk 2077, where they committed fully to the night city experience and doubled down on it in phantom liberty.

[starfirewildheart]

The Wolf and the Flame

Summary:

sex, first time, tender, loving, hot, sex, be warned.

Chapter 10

Geralt and Naurel made their way back to the keep stopping along the way to kiss and tease each other. Once inside he took her hand and was about to start up the stairs when Vesemir put his hand on his chest stopping him. “You need to talk to Eskel, wolf, and work out the problem. I don’t know why the tension is there but it will only fester if it’s not addressed.”

Geralt did not want to have this conversation right now but respected Vesemir enough to listen. “I will try again but he…” Vesemir cut him off, holding a finger up in warning.

“I will tell you just like I told him. I am giving you one more chance to fix this yourselves but one more fight and I will bend you over the table in the dining hall and tan your hides just like when you were kids.”

Geralt could feel the heat in his face as a stunned embarrassment washed over him momentarily but he quickly composed himself. “I will try, I promise.”

Vesemir put a hand on Geralt’s should and smiled as he glanced at Naurel, whose hand was still clasped in Geralt’s then looked back at his charge. “You can do it later. Go,” he nodded his head to the stairs laughing when the two took off like teenagers.

Naurel was laughing by the time Geralt pulled her into his room only stopping when he kissed her. He pulled her cloak off and tossed it aside and did the same with his own without breaking the kiss. They swayed together like they were dancing until his hips came to rest against his small dresser. He sat back against the top of it and pulled her between his thighs as he reached for the buttons on her shirt. Her heartbeat was faster than a hummingbird and he could feel her trembling so he pulled back to look down at her. “Are you ok? We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

She shook her head but couldn’t look him in the eye. She was scared and didn’t know if she could tell him because she felt so stupid. “I want to, believe me. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”

He pondered her words and how they didn’t mesh with her actions and came to a conclusion. “You’re afraid I will hurt you. Of course, it makes sense because I’m a witcher and I’m strong but I promise I will be easy with you. I will watch my strength when I hold you and..”

“Geralt, no.” She stepped back between his thighs and cupped his face in her hands. “I’m not afraid of you. I know that you would never hurt me and I trust you completely.”

The fact that she said those words with such surety made his heart quiver. “Then what's wrong?”

“I.. you…” she really wanted the floor to open up and swallow her right now.

“You can tell me anything, my love.”

“You’ve been with Yennefer and Triss and I’m sure a lot of others.”

“That was in the past. I love you and only you,” he reassured her.

She reached out and gripped in carefully, looking up at him through her lashes when he gasped. His eyes were lidded and glazed with desire and it spurred her on. Her experimental stroke was gentle and guarded not wanting to hurt him but he had other ideas. His large hand closed over hers adjusting the grip of her hand to a much firmer hold than she thought he’d like then he guided both their hands up and down the hard shaft. The veins below the skin felt like small ridges to her palm and on each downstroke, the wet, pink tip peeked out of the top. Something in her just had to know how it tasted so she gave the tip a small kitten lick. The moan he let out sounded heavenly and she wanted to hear it more.

Geralt forced himself to stay as still as a statue while she explored his body. He didn’t want to scare her and was trying to be patient and give her time to learn him. That was a task that was getting harder and harder by the second, literally. When he felt her tongue against his head he couldn’t hold back the moan and he nearly lost it when she looked up at him from between his legs. It was a sight he’d never get enough of. He had to grip the edge of the dresser when her mouth closed over him and she started sucking. Her tongue curled around his girth and sent a chill up his spine and a flame in his belly as she started moving her head. When she gently cupped his balls and rolled them in her hand he heard the wood of the dresser creek from his grip. “Fuck!”

Naurel continued sucking him getting brave enough to go deeper and deeper until she gagged herself. Making yourself puke on your lover was not in her planes so she adjust her depth and was quite enjoying her task. It wasn’t until she heard the wood of the dresser almost splinter that she paused and looked up at him, cock still in her mouth, in question.

“Fuck,” he moaned again at the sight and grabbed a handful of her hair in his right hand to anchor himself. “Don’t stop,” he urged. He was so worked up from all the sexual tension all this time that he was so close that he knew it would be better to go ahead and cum than he could take his time with her. His witcher libido never failed him. He’d be hard again in no time. It took all his strength not to give in and just fuck her mouth but it wasn’t long until he felt the coil in his belly and his balls start to tighten. Giving a gentle tug on her hair he panted, “going to cum” in warning. She didn’t stop and that was somehow even hotter. One last suck and he was shooting his seed in her mouth was a loud moan.

Naurel swallowed the bitter seed and continued sucking spurred on by the sounds he was making but they suddenly started to sound more pained than pleasurable so she let him slip from her mouth. The sight she was greeted with was the hottest thing she’d ever seen in her life and made her moan. Geralt, panting and boneless looking more relaxed than she’d ever seen anyone was a Geralt she needed more of. Getting to her feet she pulled him into a hug kissing his neck lazily while he recovered. It only took a few minutes before his grip on her tightened and he stood, spinning them so that she was now sitting on the dresser.

“You are amazing.” He grinned as he pressed his forehead to hers before kissing down her cheek and whispering, “My turn.” He kissed every inch of her skin as he bared it before standing back and admiring her for a moment. He held his hand out to her helping her down and then carrying her over to the bed. Once he laid her on the soft blanket he lowered himself over her. Kissing down her body he laved each breast sucking and teasing her nipples until she was breathless. He loved the way her body arched as he continued moving lower pressing kisses everywhere. Taking his hand he repositioned her legs so that they were spread and kissed the inside of each thigh,

Naurel had a sudden realization of what he was about to do and she quickly snapped her knees together causing him to move his head out of the way. “Umm, what are you doing?”

He grinned, “experiencing. Relax love,” he soothed and pushed at her legs again,

“Umm experiencing with your mouth,,,there?”

“Yes, if you will relax long enough. You’ll love it, I promise.”

“But umm…” she blushed wildly and gestured with her hands. “It’s umm all…”

“Wet?” He laughed when she blushed even redder. “I intend to keep it that way from now on. Wet and slick with your desire for me, ready to take me whenever the mood strikes,” he rumbled before delving between her legs and lapping at her folds.

She wanted to argue, to push his head away but his tongue was doing things that made her buck up against his face instead. His low humm of approval vibrated against that same spot and she couldn’t stop the moan that slipped out. Her legs seemed to have spread wider and lifted up of their own accord and Geralt took it as a good sign because soon she felt his blunt fingers joining his tongue. When the first finger slid into her it set off a sensation she’d never felt before. Everything seemed to drive her need to be filled, to get more touch, pressure, anything! She was a writhing mess by the time he had worked her up to three fingers and that burning coil of pleasure low in her body was taking on an entirely new feeling. It was like waves against the beach sending shock aftershock of pleasure through her as her body spasmed. “Geralt!”

By the time she clenched around him and coated his fingers in her release he was hard and dripping again as he pressed himself against the blanket for some friction. Once he’d coaxed her through her first orgasm he climbed back up her body. “I love it when you say my name like that.”

“That was…” she was breathless.

“Nothing yet,” he smirked and rubbed his hard cock between her wet pussy. “You ready love?”

“Please,” she rasped.

The slide in was wonderful. Sensations were on overdrive and she was so tight against him that he had to stop a few times so he wouldn’t cum. He kept kissing her and using his other hand to tease her nipples as he pressed forward but by the time he was fully seated the moaned gasps had turned into whimpers. “Shh love, that’s it. You’re taking it so good for me, So fucking tight around me,” he moaned as he reached between them and thumbed her clit.

It was a painful sting deep inside her as Geralt continued to fill her beyond capacity. She could feel him touching things deep inside her that nothing or no one had ever explored before and she wanted more but it hurt enough that she didn’t know if she could. By the time she felt his balls touch below where he filled her she was softly punching at his shoulder almost ready to tell him to stop but then he touched her clit again and it caused her hips to buck. The sensation was one she needed more of so she bit her lip and took a deep breath. “Geralt, please.”

“Please what, love?”

Her eyes flew open and the raw, powerful look in his eyes told her he was barely hanging on as well. “Please, fuck me.”

He growled and pulled her right leg over his hip so that she opened up more then pulled his hips back slowly before pushing forward again. Her moans urged him on but when her hips started raising to meet his Geralt knew he was about to cum. Wanting to be sure she came with him he reached between them and started rubbing circles over that bundle of nerves. She was so far gone that it only took a few times before she was cumming again soaking his cock with her release. Her body squeezed him impossibly tight and shuddered around him and with a few stuttered thrusts he came deep inside her as he bit the junction between her neck and shoulder with a growl. They stayed wrapped up together, kissing as they came down from their highs before he carefully pulled out and laid down next to her. He pulled her so that she was pressed to his side with her head resting on his chest. “Did I hurt you?”

“Never,” she panted as she looked up at him. “I love you Geralt.”

“I love you too, kitten,” he beamed.

“We are going to do this lots,” she informed him.

“Humm,” he smiled as his eyes got heavy.

Wolf and flame tag list

@kneelforloki

@shellyshellshell

@warriormirkwood

@mollymal

@secretdreamlandmentality

@salvawhxres

@dizzybee03

[astxroiid]

being married to jaskier // headcanon -- from this request

navigation

❥ first things first: the proposal.

it was more beautiful and well thought out than you thought possible. -- he’d rather excitedly led you out to the forest and into a field. -- light from the candles he’d placed on stumps danced across the grass, though the light from the full moon would’ve sufficed. -- Jaskier had flowers placed in a circle around a large blanket on the ground and a basket full of foods set atop the blanket and beside and ornate bottle of wine. -- you both ate and drank first, though you had no idea what was coming. -- he spoke of old times and adventures you’d went on together, you admired his charm. -- when he took a knee, you were shocked enough that you dropped your bread on the blanket.

❥ his speech was heartfelt and absolutely beautiful. -- naturally after you said yes you kissed him which turned to something heated as you made love on the forest floor.

❥ he’s a sucker for clichés, so he definitely carries you through the door much to your dismay.

“Jask! Put me down! M’not a child!” -- “But, my love, it’s tradition.”

❥ he’s an absolute gentleman.

massaging you after hard days and bringing you a drink while he does. -- some mornings he brings you breakfast in bed and some days you do the same for him.

❥ it’s a cohesive and fair relationship and the best one you’ve ever been in.

❥ he’s an absolute sweetheart when you’re sick

“are you sure you’re okay, darling? I can get you more soup or a warm towel or—” -- “—Jask. Honey, I’m okay. I promise, I won’t die.”

❥ begging you for a child.

"But imagine a mini us? They'd be adora-" -- "that sounds like a nightmare, jask. Not right now." -- secretly your pregnant.

❥ your house is amazing.

you have infinite time to decorate and design. -- candles everywhere, cozy furniture strategically placed. -- the fireplace almost always burning because jaskier had to choose a cold place to live. -- it's fine though, you enjoy the cold (most of the time).

❥ having geralt over all the time.

you've trained him to take his muddy shoes off before coming inside, but figuring out what to do with his blood soaked clothes is another thing. -- he always compliments your home. -- geralt is the sweetest to you. -- "jaskier, your wife looks especially lovely this evening, wouldn't you say?" -- "i would say she looks especially wonderful every day." -- there's a designated room in the back for geralt to crash in, and a designated box for all the clothes he brings in covered in gods-know what liquid. -- it's Jaskier's job to wash them. -- "why must i?" -- "because. He's your best friend, and you get to clean up behind him." You smile.

❥ having a small farm with plenty of sources for food.

you gave each of the hens nature-themed names. -- the two cows got named daisy and dandy. -- your favorite group to harvest will always be the strawberries, stealing some to eat in the moment being a habit by now.

❥ jaskier got a dog to heard the sheep.

he named him Bailey and taught him how to sit, lay, and shake within the first 2 weeks. -- he cuddles up to the two of you at night, keeping you both warm. -- his best friend is a brown sheep named Jack. "Jaskier, your dog just farted." You say, half asleep in the dark of the bedroom. -- "no, love, that was me." He says apologetically.

❥ going on vacations and making geralt take care of the house and animals for you.

"And where is the dog's bed?" geralt asks, begrudgingly. -- "oh he sleeps in the bed with us usually." Jaskier quips. -- "great." -- and even though geralt seems displeased with Bailey, everytime you leave and come back home you find the two cuddled up together in bed. Fast asleep.

❥ vacations to the beach every summer.

there's a little hut jaskier build a couple years back that you share, usually opting to sleep under the stars anyway. -- swimming together every single day your out there. -- catching and cooking seafood. -- always bringing home extras for Bailey and geralt. -- you collect a sea shell each year you go, making a memorial wall for all the trips.

❥ the love songs jaskier writes during married life are some of the best in his career.

every new song gets massive cheers and applause from any crowd in a tavern that hears it. -- of course every song is about you. How you'll they not be? -- Jaskier hasn't wrote a sad song since the day he said his vows.

❥ he's a total bed hog.

jaskier and Bailey both, though mainly Jaskier takes up almost the entirety of the bed, tangling himself in the blankets. -- and yet, he feels bad every morning he wakes up and sees you on the edge of the bed, curled in a ball. -- you never mind, staying asleep for all of it.

❥ and somehow, the most obnoxious man you ever met became the best man you'll ever know.

omfg I'm so sorry that took me so long to write for you, love! that writers block came from nowhere jfc.

[http-piloaf]

For the character ask game:

Eskel for witcherverse, and Rhaenyra Targaryen for hotd?

Thank you so much for the ask! And sorry for how long this turned out to be lol

Eskel

How I feel about this character

I really like him, I've always felt that Eskel is the responsible one of the witchers of Kaer Morhen - he's the version of Geralt that doesn't get involved with politics, sorceresses and destiny, and instead was a normal witcher (not that Eskel doesn't have adventures!). I think that, unlike Geralt and Lambert, Eskel is the only one who would still be a witcher if he had a choice, despite how hard that life is.

I like how despite being the most physically intimidating, he's probably the most compassionate of the witchers. My favorite Eskel moment is in the books, when Ciri gets scared by his face and describes him as looking almost non-human, but with a smile he calmed her and made her feel safe.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Tbh I headcannon to Eskel as aromantic, sleeping with women on the path but never with the intention of settling down or starting anything serious.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I love his friendship with the Kaer Morons - the drunken scene in the Witcher 3 is one of my favorites in the franchise - and he feels like the older brother of the trio. I like how he knows and avoids talking about the things that upset Lambert, and how he speaks his honest mind to Geralt - no insults or shame.

I also like how he gets along with Triss, as both are caring and concerned for others - I'd like to see that friendship explored more. I also think that he would get along very well with Regis, and that they could have very interesting conversations, since in my opinion Eskel wouldn't be ashamed to talk about himself (unlike Geralt who usually gets uncomfortable in that kind of conversations).

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don't have any unpopular opinions about him. I hate his fate in the Netflix show - not only does his death bother me, but his entire characterization - but I don't think that's controversial lol.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wish he had his own pre-Kaer Morhen side quest in the Witcher 3 (in the same way that Lambert had his with Aiden's death and Jad Karadin) - and that his past had been explored more (although I haven't played Witcher 1 yet, there might be more Eskel content in there that I don't know about!), especially his relationship with his mother and how he became a Witcher, since I remember a small dialogue with him in the Forktail mission where he said all he remembered about her was a song she used to sing to him.

Rhaenyra Targaryen

How I feel about this character

She's in my top 5 characters from hotd (with Alicent, Otto and Criston and Helaena)! At first I thought she would just be Daenerys 2.0, but she's grown up a lot for me throughout the show. I love the way she is trying to stop the war, I feel that she unlike others is not blinded by her power or ambition and this allows her to anticipate how deadly the war will be, which leads her to make increasingly desperate attempts (and to a certain degree a bit absurd, like infiltrating Kings Landing). I feel that in the last episode, when she sent Rhaena to the Vale, it's because Rhaenyra realized that she and her family will 100% not survive the war, and that's why she sends the children with her - in a way Rhaenyra trying to talk to Alicent might be because she knows that this is the last chance to stop their own deaths.

I think the only reason she wanted to be heir was to have her father's aproval and validation - amd that's also why she isn't focused on having power, but rather on uniting the realm and preventing war, like Viserys wanted according to the prophecy. When Rhaenyra talked with Alicent in the most recent episode, she was so heartbroken at the possibility of her father abandoning her at the last minute.

I have so much more to say about her but this is too long already!

All the people I ship romantically with this characte

I think the entire war would be over if she and Alicent ran away to Essos together on Syrax to live in a farm and pick oranges for the rest of their lives. I also really enjoyed her relationship with Harwin Strong, they looked really happy and she deserved to have a husband who not only appreciates her but respects her as a queen (unlike Daemon!).

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I loved her friendship with Laenor, even though he failed to fulfill all of his royal duties, she never blamed or insulted him, and I'm so glad she gave him a happy ending with his boyfriend (even though they killed a random guard lol). Outside of canon, I'd love to see her interact with Daenerys - I feel this would help prevent the entire catastrophe that happened at the end of GoT, as Rhaenyra would help Dany stop seeing the people of King's Landing as enemies, and see why people supported Cersei and not her, the same way Rhaenyra tried to reason with the Greens (thanks to Rhaenys' advice), and how she empathized with Helaena and Alicent after Blood and Cheese.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Although I love her patience and empathy, I feel that she lacks badass moments where she shows that she's a strong queen - I feel like she should inspire both compassion and respect/fear, since I think she's falling into the same mistakes of her father by not taking action. The end of s1 left me wanting to see her violent and rageful side, but she has yet to seek revenge for her son or usurpation.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wish everyone would resolve their differences and become friends and go on a family vacation :)

Jokes aside, I wish we would have seen her interact more with Alicent's children, especially Aegon before he seized the crown. I think it would have more impact to see how their family relationship was before, and then see how drastically it would change with the war.

[veryace-ficrecs]

Hey! Could you do another daemon rec list? Your other list got me in the mood

Absolutly! d=====(￣▽￣*)b

More Daemon Fic Recs

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

Star Trek

Ni'Var by WerewolvesAreReal - Rated G

Humans have daemons. Vulcans have katras. Spock, born of both, has neither. Which he's fine with. Really. Meanwhile, James Kirk is a little curious about this whole daemon business, because how the hell can he have two souls - ?

a resilient touch by kurgaya - Rated T

Jim’s daemon used to be a wolf and Leonard’s not sure how he feels about that. Used to be. [STID Missing Scenes - Jim sleeps. Leonard worries. Someone unexpected talks some sense into them both].

Daredevil

Down to the Bone by SpiritsFlame - Rated G

Everyone always wants to know why his daemon isn't a bat. As though being blind is all that there is to him, the center point of his character.

Spiderman

of things unknown (but longed for still) by aloneintherain - Rated T

Peter Parker can’t walk around with the same daemon as Spider-Man. But she’s going to settle one day, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

The Witcher

Two Halves of a Whole by penguistifical - Rated G

Geralt doesn’t take much notice at first when the small brown bird alights on his table.

one for sorrow by Emamel - Rated T

There were other rumours, older and more persistent, that Jaskier hadn't been able to make a dent in. Witchers don't have souls. Witchers are no better than beasts. How could they be civilised, intelligent, compassionate, human, when they don't even have daemons. What was Jaskier supposed to do about that?

interconnected strand to strand by Hirikka - Rated G

Turns out Jaskier isn't the first person who loves Geralt to be driven away by the witcher. After The Mountain, Jaskier is found by Geralt's daemon. They adopt each other.

The Adventure Zone

a thousand points of no return by anonymousAlchemist - Rated T

Since wizard's daemons often settle as birds and urban legend says that elves are separated from their daemons, no one looks too closely at the fact that Taako and Lup are both single entities, missing the other halves of their hearts. They walk like people, they talk like people, and if they're hard to read because their daemons aren't fluffing up their feathers or swatting playfully with their paws, well, elves are notoriously enigmatic anyway. This lasts until their first death. All deaths on the Starblaster are strange. When Magnus first died on the animal planet, I'morko followed right after, both of their bodies dissipating into golden sparks, a strange inversion of the natural order. The pattern holds. Year after year, person and daemon alike dissipate into a fine mist of dust, knit together by the bond engine in the new plane. During their fifteenth year, Taako is shot through the heart with a well-aimed magic missile. Lup screams and casts one last firebolt, spell-sculpting around their bodies, before unspooling into a fine golden sand.

Yuri on Ice

hollow ground by Piyo13 - Rated T

There's no rules regarding where a daemon has to be in relation to their skater, only that they aren't allowed on the ice. This has always seemed a little unfair to Yuuri. After all, he loves skating like he loves his own soul; why can't he have both?

Batman

I know you won't leave by Speechless_since_1998 - Rated G

Jason was thirteen, adopted for over a year, and he was at his first gala. He expected the rich snobs who looked down on him, judging his daemon. What he didn't expect was to find a child hiding as his daemon took shape. Nor that Ace would adopt him.

everything you lose is a step you take by oceanofchaos - Rated T

“Tim,” she says, hesitant in a way that she never is, not when it’s just the two of them, “About settling.” Thirteen is hardly unreasonable to be unsettled, but rare given their night activities, and Tim’s been thinking hard about what Hestia will choose. “I don’t think I want to settle,” she says quietly, interrupting his train of thought, “Maybe not ever.” “Okay,” replies Tim, stroking a careful finger over her soft brown snout, “Not if you don’t want to.” ------------ Dæmon AU, the life and times of Tim Drake and his dæmon Hestia, before, during, and after Robin.

Fullmetal Alchemist

the lives of wild animals by ohmytheon - Rated G

military - but what people don't realize is that his daemon is just as wild as Mustang's in the end.

In the Shape of a Soul by redketchup - Rated T

Ed says, “Stupid Colonel Bastard.” “Brother, what are you thinking?” Alphonse asks evenly, which is his way of saying, Please, for the love of god, brother, the colonel is not responsible for every terrible thing, but hey, it ends up Alphonse is still loyal to his big brother, because he also adds, “I’m surprised he didn’t make an effort to call us. It sounds like something we could help with. Maybe the first lieutenant has been out recently.” Which conveys how little faith Alphonse actually has in Mustang when he acts outside Riza Hawkeye’s influence.

East City has a new string of murders and, much to a young alchemist's annoyance, his superior officer insists that the Fullmetal Alchemist's expertise is not needed. This leads to more trouble than anyone would expect.

talents of the souls by ohmytheon - Rated G

Edward's hand shakes as he draws the soul bonding transmutation circle on the inside of the armor. Alethea has to hold his arm up to keep him steady. “I won’t let you take them!” Ed screams. “Take my arm, take my heart, take my soul!” Alethea cries out as she buries her face into his stomach. He can’t feel her. He almost gets sick. Oh, god, why can’t he feel her? (Or, Fullmetal Alchemist with daemons, focusing on Edward, Alphonse, and human transmutation. Companion piece to "rummaging in our souls", which focuses on Roy and Riza.)

[fandom-junk-drawer]

The Witcher Headcanon (Modern AU) - Food

Witchers were known for being tough. For being able to survive conditions a normal human would not be able to. Witchers were stronger, more resilient, resistant to disease, and able to heal faster than humans.

Their bodies were altered to survive on little food, water, and sleep, and to be able to metabolize the poisons they drank to fight. It was very hard to poison a Witcher. They were made to keep going.

Geralt was no exception. When he was on the Path, he could drive for days without proper sleep (sometimes no sleep), and he would only stop for food when he absolutely had to.

Before he started living with Yennefer and Jaskier, it was just him, alone, so he didn't really worry too much about eating and sleeping regularly. He could eat what he wanted, when he wanted, which, admittently was usually a sandwich or microwave item from a gas station. And only when he had enough money after buying fuel.

But then he met Jaskier, and things changed. He aquired an old van so Jaskier wouldn't have to sleep in the dirt on the side of the road, or crammed in the small truck Geralt had been driving. He had to stop more often so Jaskier could eat, or get a decent amount of sleep.

Geralt was a little annoyed at first. He wasn't used to stopping so often. He was a 'We aren't stopping until we get there' kind of guy, but now he had a fragile human to keep alive, so he grudgingly started making regular stops so Jaskier could get something to eat.

Gas stations became unacceptable food sources after a janky sandwich left Jaskier violently ill. Jaskier convinced Geralt (between bouts of vomiting) that eating (real, safe food) regularly was a good thing. Just because he could survive on little food (or suspicious gas station food), didn't mean it was a healthy thing to do.

"Why shouldn't Witchers eat well, Geralt? Why shouldn't they get a decent amount of sleep and take care of themselves?"

"Hm,"

"Because they're Witchers? That's a sh*t argument, Geralt."

"You keep your swords in excellent shape. You make sure they are clean, sharp, and in good repair. You should do the same for your body."

"Hmm."

Geralt thought about it, and admitted to himself that Jaskier was correct. Some of his contracts would not have been nearly as hard if he had been well rested and had been eating better.

He started making sure that he and Jaskier ate regular meals. If it was a quick stop, he made sure it was food from a deli, or other reputable place with actual sanitary food handling standards.

Although sometimes all they could get was questionable gas station food.

Jaskier *holding up two sandwiches*: "Geralt, would you like explosive diarrhea or projectile vomiting?"

Geralt: " I'll take the projectile vomiting."

And then he met Yennefer, and they decided to move in with Jaskier at his house in Oxenfurt.

At first Geralt stuck to his old habits of eating only when he was really hungry and he absolutely had to eat.

He started keeping a small hoard of food in his room. He couldn't really explain why. It was mostly bags of beef jerky, crisps, and granola bars. There were also a few honey buns sprinkled in.

He got over it after Yennefer caught him trying to replenish his hoard.

"Are you actually hoarding food? Like a f***ing hamster?"

"We have food, Geralt! And don't think I haven't noticed you not eating properly!"

"Well, maybe if you would f***ing eat with us three times a day you wouldn't be hungry."

You're supposed to eat three meals every day, you plank! And eat real food, not this junk!"

"You aren't on the Path, and even when you are, you don't have to worry about money for food, so you don't have to starve yourself."

You can keep your snack hoard, but you're going to join Jaskier and I for every meal, or there will be consequences. Do you hear me, Geralt? Consequences!"

"And give me one of those honey buns, I love those things."

Thus, after a brief adjustment period, Geralt got used to the idea of eating regularly. It was odd, sitting down to three full meals every day. He had been so used to being hungry all the time, that it was strange to...not be.

After a few months of eating well, Geralt noticed that his hair and skin looked better too. And then he noticed something else.

He was stood in front of the mirror in his room, studying his reflection. He turned this way and that, and looked at how his usually very well-defined muscles where kind of...soft looking.

Geralt had been concerned and mentioned it to Yennefer. The witch had rolled her eyes and told him he was being silly.

"You aren't supposed to look like a shrink wrapped string of footballs, Geralt. Normal people have a layer of fat under their skin that is supposed to be there!"

"Hm!"

"A Dad Bod? That's not a Dad Bod! And even if it was, so what? What's wrong with a Dad Bod?"

"Hmmm!"

"Oh, for f**k's sake! You aren't overweight, you muppet! You finally don't look like a starving wolf! Good gods, those don't even count as love handles!"

"Hm..."

"Stop being ridiculous! You aren't supposed to look like you've been vacuum sealed. That's just an unhealthy body standard pushed by idiots and morons."

Geralt wasn't terribly convinced at first, but he eventually realized that Yennefer was right. He decided he liked this new body. He noticed that he had more energy, fighting monsters was easier, he was recovering from toxicity more quickly, and he just overall felt so much better.

He did end up with a Dad Bod after putting on some extra weight over the winter when there was nothing much to do but sit around or go to friends and family for holiday celebrations with lots of food.

Geralt got to experience his first food coma that winter. They had gone to Madeleine's house for the winter solstice. She and Yennefer had made lots of food. Geralt had passed out on Madeleine's couch, with crumbs on his shirt front, gravy on his cheek, and his belt and the button on his pants undone to make room for his overly full belly.

More than a few comemorative photos had been taken while he'd slept.

He was self-concious after gaining the extra weight, but Yennefer and Jaskier never made fun of him, or made any derogatory comments. They never commented at all about his love handles, or the extra padding on his belly, which was kind of starting to loom over his waistband. In fact, they seemed to like this 'squishy' Geralt.

They were constanly huggng him, or snuggling up with him on the couch while they watched the telly. Sometimes they even made him lay on the floor and used him as their personal heated cushion.

There was just something comfortable and nice about a soft, warm Witcher belly! It was better than any old pillow or couch cushion.

Sometimes they even fought over who was going to get first pick of what part of him they were going to cuddle.

"You got to put your head on his pillowy boobs last time, Yen!"

"Yeah, well you got to sleep with your face in his tiddies for months!"

"That doesn't count, Yennefer! I was dealing with a traumatic event! I couldn't even enjoy it! And they weren't even this cushy!"

"Tough sh*t, f**kwit, it still counts!"

"It does not, you a**waffle!"

Geralt ended the argument by grabbing both of them and smashing their faces into his tits. The surprised yelps quickly turned into muffled giggles.

When the weather warmed up, turning back into Spring, Geralt spent a little time off the Path, getting himself back into shape. He set up a little workout area outside in the backyard, and put it to good use every day, unknowingly giving their elderly neighbor lady a nice little show.

[wiltking]

geralt: you shouldn't let them see you.

iorveth: i know. to them, a good elf is a dead elf.

geralt: it's not because you're an elf, it's because you're iorveth.

i have to talk about this interaction too because aside from geralt voicing his concerns over iorveth's safety, he goes out of his way to point out that iorveth isn't just any elf. he's special, and his name means something. not only to his elves, but to his enemies too. which says something about iorveth's opinion of himself as well, as haughty as he likes to act i wonder if he genuinely doesn't see himself as being above any other elf, despite how hard he's fought to become such a notorious and feared name.

and then the followup:

iorveth: i'll try to enter the city through the caves. i'd advise you to do the same.

iorveth: there are many ways to enter Loc Muinne, my friend.

first - iorveth advises geralt to come with him through the caves, for geralt's safety. i mean i know they care about each other at this point but it's nice to hear them both voicing that care - as well as iorveth outright calling geralt his friend (while looking away, too!! where's that notorious confidence now?)

for a guy who expresses confusion when geralt talks about kisses being the symbol for love and perdition (a lot to unpack there, too), he sure is good at showing an honest interest in geralt's wellbeing, and caring about his opinions of iorveth. as well as showing his gratitude when geralt chooses to come with him, despite how capable he is fending for himself on his own:

[magdelanesingerin]

“Jaskier,” Geralt says, “you don’t have to lie.” His voice is smoother now, a bit higher. It’s easier to hear the desperation hidden under the gruffness.

“Of course I love you, you absolute horse’s ass," Jaskier shrills. "You’re my best friend! I’ve known you for decades. You’ve saved my life several times over, and I’ve saved you from a life of loneliness and silent misery.”

Geralt’s face softens in relief as he smirks, the familiar expression made new.

“Honestly. Just because you’ve traded in for a new face for some godsforsaken reason, I’m suddenly supposed to despise you?” Jaskier scoffs loudly and pushes past Geralt along the path. The Witcher is quite a bit taller than Jaskier now, which seems utterly unnecessary and may take some getting used to. Jaskier walks away, and after a moment he can hear Geralt’s near-silent tread over the packed dirt and rocks as the Witcher follows after him.

“Ridiculous,” he splutters to himself, then turns around to walk backward and continues talking animatedly. “It’s not even that unusual, really, you're not special. As a matter of fact, I know a woman in Novigrad—fabulously wealthy, a widow to three different rich husbands who all died mysteriously, wonderful taste in music—at any rate, she pays a mage to glamour her a new face every five years! You have to be very careful any time you attend one of her parties. You have to know what the hostess looks like this season lest you inadvertently insult her!"

A root catches his heel and Jaskier nearly tumbles over backward, but saves it after some flailing. Geralt snorts a laugh. His face is younger-looking, fewer sharp angles and hard edges. The overall effect is that he looks much less grim and aloof, though he still retains the same brilliant golden intensity to his gaze. Jaskier is nearly too distracted by the surprising openness of his amusement and the fond smile that seems to seep through his usual hard glower to yell at him.

Nearly.

“Ohhhh you! You saw that coming, and you didn’t do a thing to warn me. Bastard,” he accuses with a pointed finger and a hiss.

He’s still walking backward though, and this time when he trips he can’t stop his backward fall—Geralt can, of course. His sudden descent to the ground is arrested by a broad, strong hand wrapping around his bicep and hauling him back to his feet.

That unnerving speed and strength are the same too, as it turns out, though contained in a rangier frame.

Geralt steadies him with an arched eyebrow and laughs. Laughs out loud, like it’s a perfectly normal thing and not a sound so beautifully shocking that Jaskier flaps his mouth pointlessly until Geralt has moved past him on the path, and the bard has to scramble to catch up.

“Well, I can’t change it back, so you’re stuck with me looking like this from now on. Glad to hear it won’t be too upsetting for your delicate sensibilities,” Geralt says over his shoulder, still chuckling. “Come on, we have a lot of ground to cover before nightfall, bard.”