#which i can't tell if just polite and nice or genuinely sweet and concerned or whatever

[thelostgirl21]

I've seen quite a few interpretations of "Extraordinary Things", only to realize that it kinda looks like a literal instruction manual from Jaskier to Radovid on how to effectively woo him!

I mean...

Keep your words on ice

Your gaze lights the fire

Please kindly shut up, because we're stuck in some kind of impossible situation you and I where I know you keep being pressured to lie to me, and that royally sucks (no pun intended)!

Instead of using words, I thus highly suggest you keep looking at me the way you've been doing, because it's working.

They say, "Keep on playing nice"

But I have no desire

Fuck Dijsktra and Philippa, that are trying to make us do their bidding and keep us docile and subservient (i.e. "play nice", "fall in line"...), so they can further their own political agenda! Screw them!

Why waste our words

When lips were made

for extraordinary things

Because I kinda wish we were kissing and using those mouths to bring each other pleasure, instead of being forced to play deceitful games against each other.

It's not a want, it's a need

It is paying no heed

to what others say to sing

I need to genuinely connect with you, and for us to be open and honest with each other. And the only way we'll be able to do that is if we stop listening to them and putting on a performance for them - singing only what they tell us to sing.

The greatest songs are made up

of unspoken words of love

So, perhaps we could listen to our hearts instead? Because although we don't or can't speak it - at least not in the open - I know there's some deep love and affection growing there.

Of them I have had enough

With you, I have enough

With you, I am enough

I am enough

We don't need to play games; not with each other. I've had enough of them. You make me feel like you'd be enough, and like I could be enough, if we could just stop pretending.

Drop the sweet disguise

Your heart's beating too loud

Look, it's painfully obvious that you like me, and that you're much smarter than you pretend to be... So, could you please just drop the "dumb Prince persona" when it's just us?

What I see underneath is far more interesting...

The fairy tales and little lies

can't drown out all the sound

Even with the ambiant noise created by all of your pretenses, and all the little tales you spin to keep your brother / his spymasters pleased, I can still hear the words you won't, or cannot, dare say; and the sound of that warm, loving heart beating underneath.

So take this heart

And break this heart

For extraordinary things

I know loving you will probably hurt me and break my heart - in one way or another - yet I still want you to have it; because of all the extraordinary things I might also gain in return. The heartbreak might be worth it.

It's not a want, it's a need

It is paying no heed

to what others say to sing

Bis

The greatest songs are made up

of unspoken words of love

Bis

Of them I have had enough

With you, I have enough

With you, I am enough

I am, I am enough

Bis

So, by singing the song back to Jaskier, Radovid was basically telling him "I want to be able to love you and be honest with you, too. No more pretense, no more disguises, and no more lies."

Which is probably why his subsequent moment of weakness - with Radovid going to see Ciri behind his back - hurt him so much.

I still think Jaskier's words went too far in the way he said them to Radovid, but I do get the hurt behind them.

I don't think Jaskier can feel safe yearning to be that emotionally unguarded and open with someone that can't take the same risk to fully be honest and vulnerable with him (on things that do concern and involve him, at least).

We all carry some violence in us, and it only makes Jaskier more human and beautiful, in a sense, that he was so harsh...

But rationally, Jaskier can't realistically expect Radovid to learn how to use his newly acquired "fins", and gracefully swim alongside his siren on his very first try to emancipate himself from his usually toxic and very emotionally dry environment.

Unlike Jaskier - that has people that love him and would be willing to risk their lives to keep him safe - Radovid has no one.

Even his brother - though he expressed a passing frustration for the possibility of him being dead in a ditch somewhere - wouldn't have set foot outside the castle to personally search for him.

And the happy reunion lasted but a second before Vizimir spotted his portrait and went "Oh my! Fine work! Don't I look good?"

Like... Kuddos for Vizimir for being willing to recognize his baby brother's unhappiness, basically going "Yeah, you're right, you've been pretty useless here haven't you?", and agreeing to let him go.

But JFC! His brother's relief was so short lived, and his idea of "offering comfort" is basically saying "Oh, don't worry, I'll hurt people in your name once I'm done admiring myself!"

And people are surprised Radovid would be willing to jump in a vast and unfamiliar sea to follow a siren that he all but just met, on the promise of a mere "maybe"...

Regardless, Radovid trusting Jaskier to understand him, and to genuinely care about his plight, takes a lot of courage. He has to believe, and trust, with all his heart, that his siren wouldn't just let him drown out there.

Obviously, it's not Jaskier's fault that Radovid's situation is so awful, and that he's got nowhere else safe to go; nor is it his job to save him, either.

So, I do highly respect, and felt relieved, even, by Jaskier answering Radovid "maybe", immediately followed by "after I find Ciri", when Radovid expressed a wish to show him who he truly is.

He's putting up healthy boundaries, and setting realistic expectations. Jaskier knows how perilous trying to find and protect Ciri is going to be, and how far he's willing to go for those he loves.

By that point, I'm not even sure he's fully expecting to survive it. So, there's no point in him making any promise to Radovid that would only make him get even more heartbroken if he doesn't make it back to him.

That being said, I do believe that Jaskier would have been relieved to have Radovid come find him, and for them to face whatever is going to happen together.

But it has to be Radovid's choice to take those risks. It has to be something that he decides to do because he believes, in his heart, that it truly is what pleases him most.

Jaskier's simply being honest by telling him "I'm going to throw myself into the eye of the hurricane with Geralt to attempt to save Ciri, and I might not make it. If you come with me, you might not survive it, either. I'm not saying I don't want to give us a chance to really get to know each other and be together, but I can't make you - make us - my priority until I know my family is safe. Once we've found Ciri and the storm has calmed down, we'll see. Right now, she's what matters most. So, if you follow me, rescuing her is what we'll be doing, and I can't promise you anything else. I don't know what happens next."

Again, he makes that "maybe" truly worth fighting for, because a partner with a realistic approach to a relationship is extremely reassuring, and someone you can typically really rely on to actually attempt to build something real.

Still, to get back to the song, while I'm not claiming my interpretation of "Extraordinary Things" to be the right one, I can't help but be amused at the thought that it might really have been that straightforward of a song...

Here we are, looking for some deep meaning and symbolism through the lyrics, when Jaskier might really have just been saying:

"Look, I like you, I know you like me, I think we can both agree that Philippa and Dijkstra are complete sociopathic manipulative dicks, and having them set us up to play games against each other truly suck in a way that's far from enjoyable... So, how about we just stopped pretending to be anything we're not, and used our mouths for pleasure rather than lies and deceits?

Y/N?"

And Radovid chose to circle the "Y" by singing the song back, essentially telling him "I want that, too."

Seriously, I thought him having learned the song was a compliment, but that's literally a freaking conversation they are having between them.

Jaskier: Here's how I feel about our situation and how I propose we deal with it.

Radovid: I know, and I feel the same way.

But see, Radovid struggles with his playing, and think it's shit, because it's the first time he can safely be honest with someone.

And he doesn't have Jaskier's level of confidence or experience with being emotionally open and vulnerable with someone that loves him.

So yeah, Jaskier will have to be there to help him work on that, because Radovid has only started to learn playing that song.

They're able to freaking communicate through stares and lyrics. HOW?!?!?!

How do their brains even work?

It's freaking beautiful and I need more of whatever it is they have going on...

This is how they are going to stay under Philippa and Dijkstra's radar, and eventually turn the tables on them; secretly talking strategy right in the open, through song lyrics, without anyone catching onto it!

[gxcons]

yes this is my second night on here vague blogging about A Man bc dammit i may be 24 years old but this is my blog and i can do whatever tf i want

i also don’t feel like writing all this in the tags so. he didn’t respond to my text from yesterday whatever. lol today turns out i am actually sick w covid. so i decide a. bc of sorta close contact over the course of two days last week and b. so he wouldn’t text me asking when i’m returning to work - i double-texted (ugh) saying “tested positive, just an fyi” then put my phone on DND lmao

[hannie-dul-set]

saturday came rolling by quicker than you'd expected.

standing near the entrance of the rather expensive restaurant (you swore that even the plants by the door are worth more than everything you were wearing combined) you opened your phone, double checking to make sure you were at the right place that jaehyun's mother messaged you.

admittedly, it was a bit weird that you were hanging our with your new friend's mother whithout the knowledge of that said friend, but even if you wanted to back out, you couldn't because it would be rude to do so.

you returned your phone back into your white sling bag after confirming that this was indeed the place and made your way into the entrance, the restaurant's guard opening the door for you.

the moment you stepped in, you started to feel a bit self conscious. you were only wearing a simple navy blue wrap dress underneath a cream cardigan and a pair of sandals to match— deeming you absolutely out of place inside the fancy interior of the establishment.

to the eyes of the occupants of the restaurant, you probably looked like a lost puppy considering your attire and the fact that you had no idea where the hell mrs. jung was.

"miss, can i help you?"

your search was interrupted by one of the waiters, you assumed.

"oh, um, i'm looking for mrs. jung..?"

were you supposed to say that? at that point you didn't even care— you just wanted this whole lunch thing over and done with.

"ah, then you must be y/n l/n, correct?" you were slightly confused, but you nodded anyway.

"follow me, miss."

and so you did, carefully treading along the restaurant floor. you were afraid if you even breathe in the wrong direction, you'd end up breaking one of the many expensive decorations littered all around the place.

the waiter lead you to a secluded part of the restaurant. sunlight was beaming into the large arch windows that were adorning the walls and there were only three tables set up, all of which were unoccupied save for the one at the very end.

as you moved further inside, the two people that were sitting at the last table had noticed you and the waiter walking in. their heads turned towards your direction and you stopped in your tracks.

one of them was mrs. jung, obviously, but the other one you weren't quite expecting.

"miss y/n?"

"jaehyun?"

amidst your shock, the waiter had already left, leaving the three of you alone. your eyes were frozen stuck on jaehyun dozens of question marks floating around his head.

you were confused, but then you remembered that this was her son, of course he'd be here. but couldn't she at least have told you?

"y/n, dear, it's good that you've finally joined us! i was worried that you wouldn't come."

jaehyun was the first to snap back into reality. he diverted his attention from you to his mother.

"mother," you couldn't pinpoint the exact emotion he was carrying in his voice. "care to explain why miss y/n is here?"

"i invited her, of course," mrs. jung seemed to be completely unbothered by not so pleasant demeanor that her son was baring.

"sorry, i can just leave if you'd like," the atmosphere was unbearably uncomfortable and you'd much rather just leave if you could. you gave them a small bow before turning your heels, hand clutching your bag as you were about to leave.

"no, it's alright—" the screeching of a chair was heard and you felt a hand grab onto your arm, preventing you from moving forward. you turned around and you were met with a rather frantic looking jaehyun. "you can stay."

eyes wide from the sudden close proximity, your gaze moved back and forth from jaehyun's very very close face to his hand that was holding onto you— you could feel the heat slowly rising to your cheeks.

jaehyun must've noticed the situation that you two were in and he let go of you hurriedly, a coughing out a small sorry in the process. from the corner of your eye you could see his mother looking at the both of you with an amusement in her face. mostly because of his son's absolutely uncharacteristic behavior but you weren't aware of that.

"i apologize if my words sounded rude," jaehyun started, finally managing to get himself back together. "it wasn't my intention to send you away— i was just surprised to see you again."

"no it's okay," you gave him a smile of assurance and he visibly relaxed.

you nearly forgot that his mother was actually here (not to mention she was the one who invited you) until you heard her speak up.

"maybe i'm the one who should be leaving?" she teased, jaehyun giving her a disapproving look.

"you're staying. i believe you still have some explaining to do, mother."

much to your surprise, lunch went a lot better that you'd expected, especially taking into account the prior events that took place. mrs. jung eventually told jaehyun everything— the fact that she contacted you last time as well as her reasonings. jaehyun wasn't really upset that his mother was trying to set you two up, he was absolutely flustered to the highest point— cheeks flaring and avoiding eye contact from you as much as possible, you couldn't help but laugh at him, furthering his embarrassment.

"i apologize for my mother's behavior," he tells you (although, his eyes were looking everywhere else except for you).

the evident unease that was present earlier was replaced with comfortable air to which you were surprised, but nevertheless you were thankful. the conversation went on until the topic eventually landed on you.

"y/n," jaehyun's mom started, taking a sip from her peach-colored drink before continuing. "i realized i never got to ask your age."

"ah, i'm turning twenty-one this year," you replied, earning a hum from the older woman.

jaehyun places down his fork, diverting his attention towards you instead. "you must be in school then. do you mind me asking what your major is?"

"oh, no i'm not, actually,"

you continued to eat your food (you asked jaehyun what it was called but it your ears failed to understand the rich language) while the two of your companions promptly stopped, expecting you to continue. the sudden attention directed on you was a bit discomforting, so you placed your utensils down and wiped your lips with the napkin available.

"i can't really afford college so i'm still trying to save."

"what about your parents?" jaehyun asked, concern lacing his voice. "shouldn't they be the one's supporting you?"

"they sort of abandoned me after i graduated high school," you reply, staring at the untouched drink in front of you. "so i had to do things on my own from there."

you didn't really have a problem talking about your situation— you'd always been one to believe that all things happen for a reason, so you don't hold anything against your parents. you were never one to dwell on things; you'd rather choose to just keep on moving forward no matter how many setbacks you encounter. but of course, even though you had moved, emotions from the past sometimes resurface.

"i'm so sorry to hear that, sweetie," mrs. jung tried to sympathize with you. "i hope you're not too uncomfortable talking about this."

"no, it's okay, i've moved on," you pressed your lips together into a smile. "and although i'm not exactly in the best place financially, i'm pretty happy with my life right now. the experiences i've gathered and all of the wonderful people i've met— i'm very thankful for all of that."

after your mini speech, you looked over to jaehyun, who was looking at you with an expression that you weren't able to pinpoint.

"you really are an amazing person, miss y/n."

the words that left jaehyun's lips left you stunned, unable to think of a response. he might've said this to you through chat but this time he was looking at you— looking at you so so intently that you lost your entire train of thought.

"oh— um, thanks," you managed to sputter out before going back to your food.

"you know, dear, i'd be more than willing to help you with your financial situation right now," jaehyun's mother says and you politely decline.

"no, no, it's okay! i've saved up quite a bit already, and on top of my many part time jobs, my art has been doing pretty well recently," you explain. "i don't think it would be right for me to take money from you."

mrs. jung thinks momentarily before speaking up. "art? are you an artist, y/n?"

"i remember her mentioning it to me at one point," jaehyun joins in the conversation.

"well... i'm not exactly well known but i do a bit of freelance work here and there," you meekly mumbled. "i also do commissions."

until now, you couldn't tell what exactly was going on in jaehyun's head, but mrs. jung seems to be elated from your words.

"that sounds wonderful, dear!" jaehyun's mother beamed. "if you aren't too busy, i'd like to commission you, as well."

"really?"

you perked up from hearing her suggestion. you still had a few paintings lined up to be finished, but you'd be a fool to pass up on this opportunity.

"i still have some things to work on," you began. "but if you could wait until those are finished, then i see no problem!"

"there's no rush, dear! work on it as you see fit— we can discuss the details privately in a later time."

"alright, thank you so much, mrs. jung! i'll be sure not to disappoint you."

the day went on and the lunch you spent with the two jung's was over. after bidding then goodbye and thanking them for the nice meal, jaehyun had insistently offered to drive you home, but you politely declined, saying that you can just take the bus instead.

sitting on one of the benches at the bus stop, you pulled out your ear buds, deciding to listen to music as you waited. today wasn't as bad as you expected. jungwoo and haechan were wrong about mrs. jung— she may be a bit excessive and a bit too evasive regarding her son's affairs, she seemed like a genuine and sweet lady, none the less.

amidst your thoughts, you felt someone sitting beside you so you instinctively scooted away. you heard a cough from the said person, so you looked over to them. surprised, you pulled your ear buds away.

"jaehyun?"

"miss y/n," he looked at you. "i would like to formally apologize for my mother's behavior— she tends to cross boundaries without meaning to, i hope you don't take anything against her."

to be honest, you never expected jaehyun to run after you. it appears that the tables have turned seeing that he looks extremely out of place in his expensive looking coat inside the vicinity of the run-down bus stop. jaehyun still looked a bit embarrassed talking about it seeing that his face was painted a light dust of pink, causing a mirthful laugh to bubble in your throat.

"it's okay," you smiled at him in assurance. "i was definitely caught off guard, but i can see that your mother doesn't have any ill intentions."

jaehyun let out a sigh, visibly easing up upon your response.

"thank you for understanding," he gave a you smile and you were taken aback— jung jaehyun smiled at you for the first time that day and holy shit he has dimples.

before you can conjure up a response, the bus came into view and you stood up in haste, moving closer into the street. as the vehicle neared, you looked behind to see that jaehyun was now on his feet but he was yet to leave. the both of you made eye contact and you grinned at him.

"i'll be going now, jaehyun. thank you for today!"

his expression mirrored yours, hands snugly tucked into the pockets of his coat.

"likewise, miss y/n."

you curtly nodded before finally entering the bus. as you sat down, you looked outside the window only to see jaehyun still in the same position as before but he had his phone in his hand, fingers tapping away at the screen. he noticed you looking at him, giving you a small wave before walking away.

your phone buzzed from inside your back and you quickly took it out. a laugh escaped your lips and a wide smile blossomed into your face.

gold painted canvas

the classic rich boy and poor girl love story but with less prejudice and more happiness

13 // safe ride home

a/n: written part!! :D pls enjoy hehet <3

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