#then he deflects with the joke when geralt does apologize because well. that apology did absolutely Nothing for him

[yeraskier]

i think it’s interesting seeing the way jaskier’s emotions contrast in the episode where he and geralt reunite, and how quickly they shift as well

when he first saw geralt, it was anger but also relief. he wanted geralt to listen but he definitely didnt want him to just fuck off. he wanted geralt there with him, but he wanted to set some boundaries and finally get a chance to speak the words that have been sitting on his tongue for months. and then that relief kicked in, relief that geralt was here, actively seeking him out after actively pushing him away. its not the way jaskier wanted it to happen, he wouldve preferred actually getting to say what he wanted to say but geralt is telling him that he needs him and even after all that’s happened, jaskier cant force himself to turn away.

and then we jump to the river scene where he’s his usual talkative self, hes excited and sort of bossing geralt around. it feels just like s1 all over again. at that point it probably just hit him like finally, geralt’s back. he’s here. and that’s what jaskier has wanted since the mountain. he just wanted geralt back, he wanted geralt to want him back. and now there they are two buddies back together, having a nice little chat, and everything is alright again. right?

i think he was still okay when they encountered geralt’s friends, but somewhere along the way, somewhere from that interaction to them heading back on the path, everything just came crashing down.

jaskier was clearly sad during that trip, but more than that, i think he was disappointed too. i think a lot of his feelings from the moment he saw geralt again up to that point, were centered around geralt, but what jaskier was feeling during the walk was all about him. i feel like maybe, he was disappointed in himself. sure, he was happy to help geralt and always would be, but maybe it was him realizing that hes got the short end of the stick. the way he said “but that’s what friends do, they come back” read to me as you treated me like absolute shit and i deserve better i think but i care about you so i’ll always be there for you because im a good friend.

burn butcher burn was a very clear fuck you to geralt, one that made you think that he’d be a lot more intense and maybe have geralt grovel a little if they ever met again. but no, thats not who jaskier is with geralt. thats possibly who he wanted to be, at least for a moment, at least long enough to see that geralt really cared, but it just isnt. and i think that hit him.

and then there was this needling that nothing has been resolved. not a issue between them has been resolved and while things are seemingly back to normal, jaskier sees that they arent the same at all. he realizes that things wont be until he gets to actually speak to geralt. if he ever gets to actually speak to geralt, because as he just broadcasted, he may not be as capable of that as he originally thought. maybe even then, if he does speak, they wont be the same. they cant be because geralt broke his trust, and it hurts not knowing whether or not thats something that he’ll ever be able to give again.

so basically jaskiers watching the most important relationship in his life crumble all over again. and it sucks for him.