#season 2 said yennskier rights

[bardcore-jaskier]

♡ My thoughts on Yennskier + headcanons ♡

(Edited post)

- What makes this whole thing so funny and exciting to me is that Yennefer used to think that Jaskier was just some annoying sing songy twit before. While Jaskier's dramatic arse used to consider Yennefer an enemy until she saved him from Rience XD XD XD

- I adored the everliving FUCK out of their scenes together in season 2! Their dynamic is so fucking good! AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!

- Yennskier, the ship we didn't know we needed, but definitely deserved! Their chemistry is so fucking perfect and their dynamic works so well!

- Personally I think that this ship is actually, currently, THE healthiest and most wholesome one of all my Jaskier ships! At least as of season 2! (Even if Geraskier remains as my OTP)

- In Oxenfurt, when Jaskier and Yennefer got to know eachother better without Geralt's presence to distract them both, ever since they saw the real, raw and vulnerable sides of eachother and became friends, I couldn't help but notice how absolutely toothrottingly perfect they are together!

- Legit, and I kid you not! I can't picture Yennefer and Jaskier having anything other than that deep kind of connection where you know that you are loved, appreciated and adored, despite all your flaws. The kind of love where you know you're not alone, that this person is your family and will always have your back no matter what.

- Yennefer, despite being one of the most powerful sorceresses on the entire continent, treats Jaskier as an equal by the time Ciri gets possessed. (Bro, like even Geralt doesn't do that! Jaskier is his friend, sure, but I've never seen Geralt treating him as an equal.)

- Yennefer and Jaskier have a mutual respect for eachother, they trust eachother, they enjoy eachother's company. All of those things are A CRUCIAL part of having a solid foundation to build a honest, sturdy, long-lasting and happy relationship upon.

- From compatibility POV, they work together a lot better than Geralt and Yennefer did. With Jaskier, there are no djinn related consent issues, there wouldn't be any communication issues and he would probably be a positive influence on Yennefer's mental health.

- Whereas her relationship with Geralt was quite frankly chaotic, explosive, sometimes even toxic. It was built upon a shaky foundation of lust, djinn magic and exchanged favors. Like c'mon, their time together as an on-and-off couple mostly consisted of having kinky unicorn sex, trauma dumping, dealing with magical, gorey and insanely dangerous situations, then talking about said situations until they have a fight! Leaving eachother every time in the end because they can't seem to make it work long-term. They're incompatible because in canon, the only thing that finally made them stick together for good, was an orphaned girl in need of protection. It's not right, kind of like parents who are postponing their divorce until their daughter grows up :/

- Jaskier on the other hand, despite his magic-less ordinary humanity has a hilariously witty, optimistic, stupidly brave, highly empathetic, loyal and supportive personality. Yennefer would have an understanding partner who loves her, cherishes her, acceptc her for who she is without judgement nor pity. A partner who would make it his life's mission to help her see the good things this world has to offer, to make her happy because she deserves it!

- Damn it all, they both have been through enough, they both deserve a break. They actually GET eachother. I can already feel a drabble forming in my brain, set a week or so after the whole Voleth Mier shebang, Jaskier is struggling with PTSD and nightmares about Rience, Yennefer is struggling with guilt and shame because she put Ciri in danger. So while Geralt is too busy with Ciri's training to be there for Jaskier and he feels too betrayed to be in Yennefer's company, neither Yen nor Jask have anyone to turn to in Kaer Morhen, except eachother. Three months confined to a witcher keep together? Now that is a LOT of time to spend with someone you can be openly vulnerable around, bond with, heal and share joy with, unexpectedly falling in love....

- Yennefer too is an extremely good match for Jaskier, it's almost uncanny how much she completes him! Jaskier would finally have an understanding and loving partner who truly saw him when others didn't bother. And Yennefer liked what she saw, the familiar face of a simple human bard who offered kindness and compassion to strangers even if it could kill him. She saw courage, honesty, forgiveness and so much good, a collection of rare qualities she had never thought could exist within one single person all at once. After Voleth Mier, all that goodness was given to her so freely, it is still being given to her everyday, so she knows a treasure when it looks her right in the eyes with such easy warmth. She would make it her life's mission to cling onto him with everything she's got, to love and cherish him the way he deserves, to protect the only person she deems worthy of holding her heart!

- They have a lot in common too. From both having a knack for fashion, both being mischievous little shits at heart and both having high standards when it comes to personal hygiene. To also having similar tastes in both alcohol, humor, luxury and entertainment.....if Yennefer's kinky orgy party and Jaskier's reputation as the biggest slut on the continent is anything to go by.

- Speaking of sex, both of them having a high libido and exceptional skills in bed aside, they're fucking GORGEOUS people! Why wouldn't they find eachother attractive?

- Yennefer is basically a Goddess, beauty personified! She is elegant and breathtaking, everyone knows it.

- However, since a majority of the Witcher fandom usually dismisses Jaskier in favor of simping for Geralt, I can, I must and I WILL gush about how pretty Jaskier is! Cuz clearly some of them bitches be blind, Yennefer is one lucky witch!

- Jaskier is like only 1,5 inches shorter than his grouchy snowman friend. Meaning he is tall as all hell and he definitely isn't lacking in the muscle department either, that bard is jacked yo. His voice is soothing and his vocabulary is extensive enough to make the most experienced of whores blush from pillow talk. He has VERY soft looking hair and he has one of the most angelic fucking faces I've ever seen. His eyes are the clearest shade of blue and his expressions + mannerisms are absolutely adorable! Ok, I'm done gushing, onto the next point....

- Unlike Jaskier, I don't think I have a dummy thick enough of a vocabulary to express how much dopamine Yennskier fanfics give me, more specifically when their husband and wife act from Oxenfurt becomes an inside joke for them, leaving the rest of Kaer Morhen's inhabitants confused as fuck.

- Geralt getting a bit jealous? His brothers wondering when that could have happened? Ciri feeling bamboozled as well?

- It's all shits and giggles until somebody giggles and shits. It won't take long until their inside joke is no longer a joke. They already bicker like a married couple anyway XD

- I can not help but also headcanon Jaskier as not fully human. It would be sad if he up and died on his dear immortal wife. I don't necessarily picture him having chaos or other powers in this scenario, but when I do, I think that they would discover them together on accident.

[jaskierisbi]

[difeisheng]

Halfway through Season 2 now, and so far my only incentives I've found to continue are Yennefer, Jaskier, and in an unexpected turn of events, Cahir

[nicelytousled]

There's a lot I dislike about witcher season 2 but I want to ramble about the parts I did enjoy and by that I mean I'm gonna list all the yennskier moments:

the SMILE on Yen's face when she realises who's performing

"Bard." "Witch."

Hugging. They are h u g g i n g.

"I miss the days when my biggest problem was an ever-present sing-songy twit."

"I am not having this conversation unless I'm drinking."

Again the way Yen smiles at him she's so amused by him I love it

"My dear, generous lady."

That song could be about anyone. Mm. Anyone. Mm-hm. Anyone. Mm. Anyone. Mm.

"We're better off without him." "Yes."

"The man, the myth, the legend." Jaskier's tiny smile

Jaskier threatening Cahir with a bottle I love him he's absolutely useless

Yen rolling her eyes at him when he does that I'm gonna do what I do best bit

Yen resting her head against the wall and groaning when Jaskier starts having a go at the dock worker

Joey just looks at Anya so tenderly and like... same man same

"I'm scared too. I'm scared that one day the muses will stop speaking to me. Because who are we when we can no longer do the one thing we were put on this continent to do?"

Comparing the loss of her magic to his fear of losing his artistic edge is a big ol' chef's kiss from me we love to see it

"Chaos could never be done with the likes of you. Yennefer of Vengerberg. Of that much, I am certain. So, if it's all the same to you, goodbye, good luck, good riddance."

THE WAY HES ALMOST WHISPERING THIS DIALOGUE THOUGH it's so intimate...

That interview where Joey said Jaskier is in love with whoever is in front of him, this is that and it's GREAT

And it's all the starker in comparison to Geralt this season. It feels like you could knock on the side of Geralt's head and it would echo because of how hollow his character is.

When Yen goes to investigate who hurt Jaskier and Cahir pops up like YENNEFER WHAT ARE YOU D O I N G ???

"see if any little shit-birds under the name of Jaskier have been caged" yeah Yen get his ass

Loved watching Jaskier get tortured 10/10

Yen pretending to be his drunk wife is iconic she's so smart

"Uh... uh... This is- this is my wife. She has nothing to do with this."

Yen kissing the side of his head...

The way he yells please don't hurt her!

When Rience snaps his fingers in front of Yen's face to make fire and she blows so the alcohol on her breath makes a little flamethrower moment I YELLED love of my life did I say she's so smart? She's so smart

Yen bearing Jaskier's weight as they run away with his arm over her shoulder...

"You don't get to play damsel in distress. That's my job." and the way Yen slaps him playfully on the chest...

"Ohh! Oh, she's so scary."

He really is the epitome of my wife is a bitch and I like her so much.

Fucking...fucky...fuck.

The way he yells her name after she disappears...

Jaskier's tits have entered the chat.

Season 2 really said buff Jaskier rights. They had to give him that awful hair otherwise he would have been too powerful.

"She risked her life for me. I always knew there was some deeper feeling for me beneath all that rage and... hair. She's got a lot of hair, that woman."

The way she wakes him up like she slaps his hip and then grabs his face in her hands and says "I need you."

This moment is under ten seconds and she touches him on his thigh, his hip, his arm, his cheek, and runs her hand along his arm again as she walks away like HELLO?

yes I watched it a bunch of times in 0.5 speed leave me alone

"The last time I woke up next to you, you grabbed me by the balls and then blew up the building, so-" "Come on!" "Oh, for fucks sake."

"Golden Oriole." "Golden what? Areola? Pretty sure that's got something to do with nipples. But then again if it was up to me I'd make everything about nipples."

"Tell me what to do." Come on he's practically BEGGING you to peg him Yen.

"What are you gonna do?" "What witches do best. Make a potion." Jaskier's tiny smile again.

The way he throws that stupid stone up in the air and catches it before he leaves the laboratory like stop flirting we get it

"You're back. Are you alright?" again the way he speaks SO SOFTLY to her what the FUCK

and the way he rushes forward when it looks like she's about to stumble and holds her elbow...

The way Yen examines her wrists and Jaskier is like gently cupping the back of her hand in his palm and then she pulls away and they look at one another for a moment...

[inber]

A Cold Room

A/N: Yennskier drabble. Just a little softness between them in the wake of what happened after episode eight. Spoilers for season 2, warnings for mentions of self-harm. I haven’t written in awhile; forgive the rust! Around 1k.

Forgiveness, Yennefer thinks, is not something that is earned. It is something that is learned. As with everything in life, it is a continual choice.

How she chose to keep the marks across her wrists made in adolescence; not as self-flagellation, but as a reminder. Where she came from. Where she is now. Making the decision, every day, to forgive the child she was. To never apologise for wanting more, for being more.

But Cirilla deserved an apology. Geralt, too. When her words were not enough, she begged absolution in blood. She knows it as intrinsic truth that she'd do it again if she had to. Even unforgiven as she is.

She sits alone in a cold room in the maze of Kaer Morhen and touches the scars. They've healed over as if she'd never re-opened the ancient wounds. Flesh is easy to mend.

Geralt's words echo in the chamber of her mind, and she closes her eyes. It's okay, she thinks. I don't know if I forgive you, either. If she's honest, she took the shattered glass to her veins for Ciri alone.

That magnetic girl matters above all else.

“Aaand this one is taken, too. Is there a bloody room in this freezing stone-heap that isn't destroyed or covered in-- Yennefer?”

She's not startled, but she does glance up. Jaskier stands awkwardly in the doorway, doing something foolish and fidgety with his fingertips. Without her permission, she feels her lips curve into something of a smile.

“You can have it, bard. I just needed somewhere to think.”

“Oh. That's kind of what I was searching for. My room is too close to the others. I just, uh, well. Feels a bit...”

“Like you're not welcome?” Yennefer supplies.

“Like that, yes.” Jaskier returns her smile. Yennefer looks away. “Right, er, sorry. Don't worry, I'll keep looking.”

“No,” Yennefer says, “stay. It's alright.”

For a moment, Jaskier looks torn. She doesn't need to read his mind to guess at what he's thinking. He's seen her at her lowest; powerless, covered in shit, desperate. Now that chaos has returned to her, surely she'll default back to making his life miserable?

Maybe it's a surprise to both of them that she doesn't have any such inclinations. Instead, she shuffles over on the wooden crate she's been perching on. A wordless invitation.

“Okay.” Jaskier says, the casual lightness of his voice almost believable. “I found a bottle of Toussaint red that I'm fairly sure isn't corked. Didn't think to bring two glasses though. Or, uh, one.”

He produces said bottle from one of his jacket pockets, and she snorts. “Well, I've had worse in worse conditions.”

“I know,” Jaskier grins, “I was there.”

“So you were.”

With a bit of a struggle, Jaskier manages to open the beverage. Yen could have assisted him with a flick of her pinkie, but she doesn't feel like using her magic for such trivial tasks. Not just yet. And the look of pride on his face makes something turn pleasantly within her breast.

“You're not sleeping here, are you?” Jaskier asks, sitting down. He offers her the wine first.

Yennefer accepts it. “It'll do for now.”

Jaskier makes a noise of displeasure. “It's far too cold. There's a crack in the wall, see?” He points helpfully, as if the daylight shining through it doesn't make for a beacon. “You can have my room. I've found furs, and--”

“Thank you,” Yen says, turning the bottle in her hands, “but I'd rather not be near the main hall.”

“Feels... a bit like you're not welcome?”

“Mmm. Like that, yes.” Yennefer takes a sip. It's not awful.

“Yennefer,” Jaskier reaches over to take the wine from her. For a moment, their fingers graze, and suddenly she's on that boat bound for Cintra all over again, held captive by a pair of seafoam eyes. “You saved her. You saved all of us.”

She relinquishes her grasp quickly, letting her gaze drop to her lap. “We all played a part. I did what was necessary.”

“Doesn't mean it wasn't worthy, or--”

“Tell that to Geralt.” Yen interrupts, before laughing humorlessly. “He won't forgive me my transgressions. But what's worse...”

How did she get here? Sitting sequestered with Geralt's bard, in a purgatory that she created. Totally aware that she could free herself if she so wished – but that being around the others might make for a worse punishment.

“Yen?” Jaskier gently prompts. She looks at him again. He doesn't call her that. Distantly, she thinks she likes the way it sounds in his mouth.

“I don't forgive myself.” Yennefer admits. The darkest truth. “I thought I would die. I would have died, if that's what the price had been to pay. But it doesn't feel enough.”

Jaskier's jaw sets a little firmer. He's silent for a long moment, pulling a deep swallow of red from the bottle. Then he sets it between them.

“Do you want me to talk to Geralt?”

Sometimes she wonders if he truly is just a silly little human. A man with his songs and jigs, largely unremarkable save for the ludicrous fashion he chooses to wear. And yet, he reads her with ease these days.

“Absolutely not. No.” She says, quickly. “I'm—I don't know what to think of him anymore, Jaskier. I feel we are standing on opposite sides of a precipice.”

Jaskier takes up her hand. He does it without pretence, his calloused fingers woven warm with her own. Yennefer is shocked enough to simply let him. It feels strange; a juxtaposition of familiar and too intimate.

“I know.” He whispers. “You're not alone.”

She hears the fear in his voice. Wonders what it's like to be a mortal amongst mages and mutants. Jaskier squeezes her hand, and she thinks about what he's had to forgive himself for.

When she tilts her head and rests it on his shoulder, Jaskier tenses up. He doesn't push her away, though. And he doesn't let go of her hand.

[horsedadgeralt]

and what should be over is burrowed under my skin

Having fled from Kaer Morhen to the coast, Jaskier has built a new life for himself. One day, he gets an unexpected visitor.

@widevibratobitch asked for post season 2-Yennskier hurt/comfort + “pinky promise” — I hope you enjoy it <3 Also thank you to @witchersgoldenbard​ for letting me borrow your OC Ewa 💕

wc: 2.9k cw: mentions of torture, scarring tags: h/c, post season 2

Read it also on ao3!

There was a soft breeze in the air, and Jaskier was glad that he had put on the thicker shirt that day. It wasn't cold, but the wind combined with the sweat from working was enough to risk catching a cold, and the scratchy brown fabric would keep him warm.

A lifetime ago, a cold would have meant no voice. It would have meant no performances, no money, no food.

A lifetime ago, Jaskier wouldn’t have been seen dead wearing anything close to that shade of muddy brown, only dressing in frizzly, lacey chemises with colourful vests to match.

Now, a cold only meant slight discomfort for a few days, but still, Jaskier would much rather stay comfortable, even if it meant wearing the wearable version of a potato sack.

He kneeled down to inspect the fruits of his labour, and a smile spread across his lips.

The tomatoes were coming along nicely, slowly turning from green to red. Soon, he would be able to turn them into a delicious soup, something he had been looking forward to ever since he had first planted them.

All around him, nature was in bloom — the birds were singing and the sweet smell of flowers filled the air.

When he had first arrived, this piece of land had practically been dead, nothing but a few weeds growing in the soil.

It had taken weeks of work to turn it back into actual soil, and more often than not he had cursed himself for taking on such a project.

But every time he was about to give up, throw away the shovel and the seeds and leave this piece of earth to lay barren, he reminded himself of why he had come here in the first place: to heal.

He had arrived after weeks of marching, always on foot and barely getting by, using his reputation more than once to get a free meal or bed.

It was shameful, but just this once he had had to put himself first, to ignore the voice in his head that constantly told him to turn around, to find his way back up the snowy mountain, back to—

No, that was then. A different time. A different him.

Now, he was someone. A poet, maybe. A bard, certainly not. Not without his lute, not with his right hand aching every time he so much as moved a finger.

He needed something to occupy his mind, a reason to keep pushing forward, a reason to not look back.

And so when he had finally arrived at the coast, the sea dark and mercilessly crashing against the shore, it had taken him but a few days to find a small abandoned house not far from the village.

A bit of asking around revealed that it had once belonged to an old lady who passed away a few years ago, and no relative had claimed it since.

"It is going to need some fixing up, but it's yours if you want it," the alderman had said, and Jaskier had all but jumped at the opportunity.

It was in rough shape — the roof had a few holes in it and the windows weren't closing properly, but for Jaskier, it had been love at first sight.

There was only one room, but it was big enough to comfortably fit a bed, desk, wardrobe and small kitchen area. No one had dared enter it since its former inhabitant had died, and so Jaskier was left with more pots and pans than he could ever possibly need.

"I won't rest until I have you looking your best."

It felt a bit stupid, talking to a house. But there was no one there to judge, and for the first time in a long time, Jaskier felt free.

Both the roof and the windows were an easy fix, especially because the townspeople were more than willing to assist Jaskier with supplies and a few additional pairs of hands. Before he knew it, the renovations were finished, and the house was starting to look like a real home again.

"I don't know how to pay you, my financial situation isn't exactly the best—" he had begun, but he couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Nonsense," Ewa, the closest thing he had to a neighbour, had answered. "In this village, everyone helps everyone, no questions asked. We take care of each other, Julek, and that includes you!"

That was that, and soon she became a regular visitor, watching Jaskier as he worked in the garden and giving him advice on which seeds to plant when to make sure they would be ripe when the season was right.

It was a peculiar friendship between the two of them, but Jaskier was all the more thankful to not be completely alone, voluntary as his exile had been. He needed the solitude more than anything, yes, but at the end of the day he was human, and sometimes that simply meant needing someone to talk to.

Somehow, Ewa always knew what was needed — a reassuring pat on the back, a shoulder to cry on or a stern talking to. Usually, though, she just listened. Listened to Jaskier mutter as he pulled out weed after weed out of the ground, listened as he hummed a soft melody but never asking him to sing for her.

He was thankful because even though he had never told Ewa exactly what made him come all the way out here, she knew there was more to him than he would admit.

Today, though, he was alone in the garden. He took in a deep breath before continuing to work his way through the rows of vegetables, plucking dead leaves here and there wherever needed. Everything was looking the way it was supposed to, and he felt accomplished at the sight in front of him.

He had created this. He had planted the seeds, kept the first buds safe from hungry deer and snails and worms. He had nourished the ground, carrying bucket after bucket of freshwater to keep the soil hydrated when no rain would fall.

This was his. It belonged to him, his little safe haven at the coast, just where he had always wanted to end up.

Exactly like this.

Nothing like this.

In a different lifetime, he would have shared this with somebody. In a different lifetime, he never would have come here in the first place.

There was another gush of wind rustling the leaves of the trees surrounding the garden. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and Jaskier was once again left alone in silence, the only noise the bird's chirping and his breath.

That, and someone desperately trying to be as quiet as possible.

He chuckled.

"You can come out, I know that you're there."

He heard a sigh from behind the trees and then someone was approaching him, their steps quick and light even on the slightly muddy ground.

When he stood up and turned around, Yennefer almost bumped into his chest.

"Bard."

"Witch."

They both smiled before Yennefer pulled him into a hug, though Jaskier was careful not to touch her coat with his fingers, the tips stained dark with soil.

When she pulled away, he quickly wiped them clean on his pants as best as he could, the dirt barely visible on the dark fabric anyway.

She looked well, her face full and almost no dark circles underneath her eyes. Her sickly thinness was also gone, a healthy colour to her skin and curves to show that she was well-nourished.

She looked absolutely beautiful, and Jaskier felt his stomach flutter at the realization.

"How did you know I was here?" Yennefer broke the silence, her head cocked slightly to one side.

Jaskier started walking towards the house and gestured for her to follow him, stopping when they had reached the small bench next to the front door.

Usually, this was Ewa's spot when she visited him, but today he asked Yennefer to sit with him, their thighs almost touching as he looked back out into the garden.

"I always know when you're here," he answered, and even though he couldn't see Yennefer's face, he could picture the surprised look on her face.

"You are sneaky, I will give you that, timing your portals with the wind — I still don't know how you do that — but, call it human intuition, I can feel your presence when you arrive. It's like something in the air shifts, and I can sense that someone is watching me."

Yennefer shifted in her seat, crossing one leg over the other before speaking up.

"Why didn't you say something before?"

Jaskier paused for a moment, thinking about her question.

"I don't know," he finally answered. "I don't know why I decided to say something today, either. It just felt right. Besides, it has been far too long since we last spoke, and I just needed to know how you have been doing."

He turned his head to look at her, a smile on his lips.

"From what I can tell, you are doing well. I'm glad, I hope the same can be said for Ciri."

"I am," she said. "We are," she added, but it's what she didn't say out loud that hung heavy in the air between them.

 We. Me, Ciri and—

They were doing well. That was all that mattered.

"Give the princess my best wishes when you see her again, will you?" Jaskier asked, and Yennefer nodded in response.

Neither of them made a move to mention the Endrega in the room. Jaskier was thankful for it.

"So," Yennefer began, "how are you doing then? The garden and the house look great, my compliments."

Jaskier ran a hand through his hair, not worrying about getting it dirty. Another thing he had stopped caring about.

"I'm doing well, all things considered. The people are lovely and I love living so close to the sea. It is very peaceful."

Whenever things became too much, he would wander out there, no matter the time of day or the weather, just to be able to feel the sand in between his toes and the water hitting his skin.

Nothing else was able to ground him like that, remind him of what was really important and just how small and insignificant certain things were.

"I'm glad. How is your lute holding up, though? I can't imagine this to be a good environment for an instrument like that, with the humidity and all."

At that, Jaskier looked down at where his hands were resting on his thighs. Even the dirt still sticking to his skin wasn't able to hide the scarring on his right hand, his thumb and index finger bumpy and red.

It had taken him weeks to be able to somewhat comfortably hold a quill., only trying to do so when moving his fingers didn’t make him cry out in pain anymore.

He hadn't dared find out if he still had the strength and dexterity to pluck the strings of a lute. Not that it mattered, though, he wouldn't have been able to afford a new one either way.

"No lute," he answered, his tongue suddenly feeling dry and making it difficult to speak. "I've been writing, though. Filled several journals since I've arrived here."

"How wonderful! Are you going to publish them?"

Yennefer sounded earnest, but the question felt like a dagger through the heart.

"No, I—" he hesitated. "I've learned my lesson with that."

His voice had turned bitter, and he only noticed that he had clenched his hands into fists when he felt Yennefer's soft fingers gently prying them back open.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I shouldn't have brought it up."

She was still holding his hands, drawing random patterns on his palms with her thumb. It was mesmerizing to watch, and a small part of Jaskier hoped that she would never stop doing it.

"You couldn't have known."

Yennefer squeezed his fingers lightly before changing the topic.

"If you want, I can help you with the scars. I imagine that they are quite painful, and whilst I won't be able to have your hands looking as they once did, it would certainly be an improvement."

Jaskier swallowed and thought about her offer.

How often had he laid awake in night, pain radiating through his hand and up his arm, wishing for an opportunity like this?

How often had he cried himself back to sleep, hoping that the pain would go away if only he wanted it badly enough?

Eventually, it had gotten less, no longer keeping him up at night and turning into a manageable throbbing during the day.

It was always there though, an ever-present reminder of just how far he had been willing to go for—

"Maybe," he interrupted his own line of thought. He pulled his hands out of Yennefer's grip and tucked them underneath his legs, effectively sitting on them. Out of sight, out of mind.

"Maybe?" she asked, the disbelief visible on her face.

"Yes, maybe," Jaskier repeated himself. "For now, I think I still need them."

There wasn’t any practical reason to keep them. Jaskier knew that logically — in fact, they were more of a hindrance than anything else, making even the most basic task such as closing the buttons on his shirt unnecessarily difficult.

And yet, he needed them. Because as much as working on the house and garden had distracted him, Jaskier was still far from done with healing.

He still flinched every time he had to throw a log into the fire in order not to freeze to death at night, keeping as far away from the flames as possible.

And if at first, the pain had caused him to lose sleep, now it was the nightmares making him afraid to close his eyes.

Because once he did, he could hear it all. The snap of Rience's fingers. His own scream, eventually blending into the Witchers' screams he had watched die at Kaer Morhen. He was completely helpless, paralyzed back then and now. Nothing more than a bard. Now, he wasn't even that.

Getting rid of the scars would mean running away from it all, and he had done enough of that by coming here.

This was something he had to face head-on, however long it may take.

And just as the pain in his hand had turned into a mere throbbing, Jaskier knew that eventually, his nightmares would go away. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week. Maybe in a few years.

Then, and only then, could he accept Yennefer's offer.

Her hand on his cheek pulled him back into the moment. The flutter in his stomach turned into butterflies as he fought the urge to lean into the touch, to be closer, to feel more.

As if she had been able to read his thoughts, Yennefer pressed her hand to his skin, using her thumb to continue drawing the same patterns she had created on his hands just moments earlier.

She smiled at him, a slight blush on her cheeks, and his hand searched for hers, the one still sitting in her lap, interlacing their fingers.

He didn't question why he did it. He didn't question why it felt so right, why his heart was beating so hard that he feared it might jump out of his chest.

Maybe it was because he hadn't been this close to anyone in such a long time. Maybe it was because of the way Yennefer was looking at him right now, still smiling and a stubborn curl hanging into her face.

Maybe.

But none of that mattered, not right now. Jaskier simply enjoyed the moment while it lasted, trying to capture it in his mind as best as possible.

Part of him wished that he had his notebook with him, giving him the chance to create a simple sketch of her. Part of him was thankful that it was just them, no distractions, no one to watch, no one to share this with but her.

He didn't know for how long they were sitting there like that, just watching and holding each other. Eventually, though, Yennefer pulled away, and the loss of physical contact felt cold on his skin.

"I'm sorry, but I have to get back." Where to, she didn't say. Jaskier didn't have to ask to understand.

In one fluid motion, she got up from the bank, running her hands across her body to smoothen any wrinkles that might have appeared in her clothing. Once she was satisfied, she turned around to look at him once more, opening her arms. He took the invitation without hesitation, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her close.

Just for a moment, he buried his face in her neck, taking in the smell of lilac and elderberry that told him that yes, this was the second time he was hugging Yennefer of Vengerberg today.

How he had missed her.

When they broke apart for good, he asked:

"Would you like to stay for dinner next time? Maybe the tomatoes will be ripe by then, and I make a mean soup."

"I would love that, yes."

"Promise?"

He watched as she waved her hand in a circular motion, summoning a portal behind her. Before she stepped into it though, her hand touched his one last time.

"Pinky promise," she answered, interlacing their pinkies for one second and stepping into the portal the next, gone in the blink of an eye.

For a moment, he stood there, staring into the empty space. He could still smell her. He could still feel her, his skin tingling where their hands had touched.

The throbbing was gone.

Jaskier smiled.

tagging @natilieal @herostag @luteandsword @clarebear66 ✨

[spaceshipkat]

hhhhh i've been struggling to write all day bc i can't stop Thinking About That Show so i think i need to just ramble a bit again if i hope to get any actual work done so! most of these revolve around Jaskier, but he's pretty much the only character i watched season 2 for (though i did start to watch it for Yen, too, bc she's so much better without Geralt my god) but anyway here we go. spoilers abound, and i'll probably add more as they come to me/as i rewatch the season.

in short: respect the bard for fuck's sake. click the read more for the very, very long (sorry) version that isn't just about the bard.

Geralt felt cardboard as fuck and like he's frozen in time and it's just really, really weird??? i liked him but i didn’t, bc there was no natural emotional growth for him that we got to see happen: not with Ciri (who he jumps from Avoiding Forever to She Is My Daughter really, really quickly, and as someone who is literally writing a story wherein a character doesn't want anyone to rely on him but ends up accidentally adopting a kid, i know how careful that plot progression has to be and how delicately you need to handle it); not with Yennefer, and not with Jaskier. we get more time spent on relationship growth bw Geralt and Nivellen the rapist, for fuck's sake, than we do with any of the characters who are supposed to have a greater impact on Geralt as a character.

there is more relationship growth bw Yennefer and Jaskier in season 2 than there is between Yennefer and Geralt in both seasons 1 and 2. i'm not sure i ship yennskier (idk, have to think on it; right now, i just am in love with their friendship. they, more than anything, need a real, genuine friendship than they do a romance) but if we're supposed to believe that yenralt is endgame (and to be clear, i don't ship yenralt, but it's gonna be endgame bc it's endgame in the books, so) we need more than the gross humping sex scenes in season 1 and the kiss/brief conversation in season 2.

Geralt has a lot of nerve to get pissed at Yennefer but act like he's done nothing wrong. don't get me wrong: it was very, very, very wrong of Yennefer to decide to trade Ciri for her magic and her quickly backtracking doesn't fix it, but i can tell we're just gonna have the djinn wish get blown aside as no big deal in the later seasons bc now it's going to be entirely about Yennefer earning back Geralt's trust rather than Geralt owning up to his shit and making amends.

and speaking of which, can we stop making Jaskier the Punching Bard for a single fucking second? (do the writers have Jaskier's face on a literal punching bag so, when they're not sure what to do next in the plot, they glance at the punching bag and go "OH YEAH WE CAN KICK HIM WHILE HE'S DOWN"?) why are so many of his emotional beats immediately tossed aside without any real weight or time in favor of him cracking another joke? Jaskier's big speech to Geralt being cut off bc Geralt needs his help? Geralt's apology coming from on the back of a horse so he doesn't even have to look at Jaskier while he says he's sorry (and doesn't actually retract what he said! or say "you didn't deserve it"! or say "it was wrong of me to say this"! all he does is say he's sorry! and that's it! FUCK!) only for Jaskier to instantly--literally instantly, there isn't a single second of pause--make a joke. and sure we can say that Jaskier is doing this bc emotions can be really difficult, and he might not be sure how to react, but it's not played as such.

Jaskier! Is! Literally! Tortured! For! Geralt! and it clearly goes on for quite some time bc, when the scene resumes, Rience is there saying "maybe i need to change my methods" so clearly enough time has passed for Rience to realize that beating Jaskier up isn't going to cut it, and it took Yennefer quite some time to figure out where to go to find him (Yennefer waiting for the ship to sail while watching over his broken lute, Yennefer finding the sex worker to pay to ask for information, the sex worker going to inquire about Jaskier at any prisons, Yennefer waiting for the sex worker to return with the information, Yennefer finding Jaskier and formulating a plan to get him out of there--that's a lot of time!! also, it’s nighttime when he’s captured and daytime when Yen finds him) and we're not going to have him mention that to Geralt at all? i thought it was really telling that they had cleaned Jaskier's face up of blood and bruises for when Geralt returns, so Geralt doesn't see him post-torture and it can therefore just be swept under the rug.

and for that matter, where is Jaskier's aftermath of the torture? a fair amount of time passes bw him getting tortured and Geralt finding him in prison, as he's not in episode 6 at all, but that amount of time would not be enough for anyone to overcome literal torture so as to just brush it off, even given what we know of Jaskier's history with spywork. (spies are trained to withstand torture etc etc, but that doesn't mean a spy isn't going to be seriously traumatized after they're tortured. that's not how torture works. that's not how training works. that's not how people's mental health and sense of well-being works.) when we see Jaskier in the prison cell, he's singing, his hands are fine after literally being burned, he's not horribly distraught about his lute being destroyed, he can taunt the guards. the most emotion we get from him (and this is absolutely no fault of Joey Batey's; he's a masterclass in acting and micro-expressions and i wish he could have a more respectful writing team) in the post-torture world is the raspy "fuck it" before he hugs Geralt and the way he can't quite look at Geralt the entire time they're in the prison cell apart from when he's yelling at him.

and look, look, i know Jaskier isn't one of the main characters, i know the entire series is the Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer Story, i know that's why Geralt says that he and Yen and Ciri are the ones up against the world at the very end of the season, i know that. but as a writer, if you're gonna include side characters who are very important to the plot, as Jaskier clearly is, and the characters, as Jaskier definitely is, you need to actually fucking respect them. the writers have said that they're giving Yennefer and Jaskier more plot bc they don't really show up in the books as much as Geralt and Ciri, so why can't some of that time exist to actually treat a character with a modicum of respect? we had an entire episode dedicated to Nivellen, a rapist, and a plot that doesn't really have much impact on the season as a whole, but we can't spare some of that time to giving Jaskier even a second more of proof that the people he risks his life for, over and over again, care about him?

Yennefer is excluded from that criticism, however. of everyone Jaskier interacts with in the show (even the fucking barmaid! we hear her complaining about Jaskier too! for fuck's sake!), Yennefer shows him the most love, the most respect, the most friendship, over and over again: she hugs him the instant it's safe to come out of hiding in the tavern; she trusts him with the huge secret that she's lost her magic; she risks her life and gives up a guarantee of safety in Cintra to save him after he's been captured and tortured even though she doesn't have her magic anymore and consistently feels very weak without it; after the final battle and she, Geralt, and Ciri return from the wild hunt world, she goes to Jaskier before anyone else for support, both figurative and literal; in Kaer Morhen, she asks him for help bc it's clear she actually values his intelligence and abilities and doesn't ever treat him with the same joking derision and cool indifference everyone else does.

speaking of which, i love Lambert and i know how Lambert behaves to most everyone in general, and if he had been the only one to shove Jaskier aside and say "no" when Jaskier announces they're all a big happy family and introduces himself, i'd have been fine with it! bc that's just who Lambert is, as evidenced time and again throughout the season, with him being an ass to various people and then quickly saying "i didn't mean it like that" or "it was a joke" or whatever. but Lambert is simply the last person in a long line of characters to do this to Jaskier: the dwarves, Ciri, even Geralt to a certain degree--though i did, admittedly, love when Geralt said that he missed Jaskier, too, and that it wasn't said in the tone of voice of "yeah yeah i missed you too" with an eyeroll, as it could have been played.

Jaskier is maybe being written as queer but not explicitly so, or with the purpose of Actually Giving Us Rep, but with enough plausible deniability to skate by. i'm sure some straight people will not see it (or will willingly not see it), but as someone who is queer as fuck i can't not see it, especially bc i know what it's like when showrunners want queer points without doing any of the work to make the queer well-written/respectful (looking at you, spn. you were a crash course for this). there's this common practice in fiction to write an artist and make them the gay character: to use Netflix examples, it happens in the first season of that Medici show and it happens in Bridgerton, and it appears to be happening in the Witcher now, too (and i'm sure it happens in more than just these three Netflix shows). it makes sense, in a way, i suppose, for the artist to always be the gay character (hell i'm queer and a writer, and most of the writers i'm friends with are queer in some way), but the fact remains that it's a trope commonly utilized by people wanting to throw in a little queer so they can get a few points from queer viewers and tout their stuff as diverse without actually doing any of the work. and it's happening here again with Jaskier: him adding that he, an artist, will be lumped in with those deemed the other; the Taylor Swift breakup song that is Burn Butcher Burn; the fact he admits that he's broken-hearted over Geralt; that Yennefer doesn't even need to pause for a second to understand it's Geralt he's singing about even though she wasn't there to see how Geralt treated Jaskier at the end of season 1; the fact we're seeing him write himself into the same camp as Yennefer when he sings about Geralt again and again (i've had his songs on repeat since they came out. the lyrics are crystal clear); the team-up of Geralt's ex and Geralt's ex and Yennfer's ex and Yennefer's ex.

okay god i need to stop. at least i do feel better now that i've gotten a lot of this down, so maybe now i can finally settle down to keep working on my response to the cool concept but terrible execution that is the Witcher on Netflix, where i treat my characters with respect--even the side ones.

[witchersgoldenbard]

season 2 ruined geraskier for me.

now, that's a pretty loaded statement, i know, but i just realised how i can explain that weird heavy feeling that's been weighing on my chest every time i think about geralt and jaskier since watching season 2. don't get me wrong, i still love my boys to death and i will continue to write stories with them, i still have so many ideas. but before that can happen, i need to ramble and vent a little bit.

during and after season 1, geraskier was my comfort ship. the grumpy one and the sunshine one, one with heavy trauma and the other with enough blank space to serve wonderfully as a projection screen. there was so much between them in little glances and touches and smiles, and also of course in the witcher source material. there was endless room for fluff and angst and hurt/comfort, and it was always so natural. the mountain break-up scene as classic fix-it point, cakes upon cakes only served to revolve around that. there was so much room for everything that could possibly come afterwards, it was beautiful. there was no doubt at all that geraskier would be a lasting ship, a big one, one of the biggest of tumblr.

and then? then season 2 happened. and i only just figured out what bothered me. there was no closure. for anyone. all that pain and trauma i mentioned, situations where both got hurt, and nobody got the chance to properly apologise, or demand an apology. they never, not once, got to talk it out. not even with glances and a fond but exasperated smile that would tell us everything could be okay. nothing. instead, what we got was geralt apologising to jaskier while sitting on a horse, not even properly looking at him, not even on eye level. that is horrible grounds for an apology. and jaskier? he brought back the most traumatising moniker of geralt's and made it famous again, called him "butcher" because he had a broken heart. all of that could possibly be excused but-- oh wait. there was none. no apology, nothing real on either part.

we were left like them: just hanging in the air, somehow, wrongfooted, hooked but unsatisfied. we were given scraps and pieces while they weren't given time to talk and heal.

and you know what that means? it means that it's us, the fanfic writers, who have to fix this all. we cannot possibly write post-season 2 fluff without going through the emotionally heavy and draining parts of reasoning and apologising and talking first. we cannot really write an au without first having to fix whatever the fuck season 2 did. it means that i, as a person who first and foremost used to write geraskier, now find yennskier more appealing simply because it isn't so draining. it means that i get weirdly sad and heavy every time i so much as think about geraskier, because, as a friend said: i hate that i have to write geraskier fluff either in modern au or during season 1.

it's no coincidence that most of the post-s2 geraskier tag is hundreds of versions of geralt apologising, or jaskier apologising (though the first one is far more prominent, and that's another thing i am very very tired of, because it's not just geralt who needs to apologise!). there's just so much trauma in these two that there'll be 200 fics set immediately after that final battle, and all of them will be different and have different angles, because there's still so much left for them to process, it almost makes me angry.

but i'm not angry. i'm just sad and exhausted and i miss my boys. and maybe that's just me, maybe other people don't have problems writing geraskier right now, but i am very drained that in order to make them happy, i have to make them heal first. because the professional writers who were supposed to do that, didn't. and now i can't have my comfort ship anymore, because everything is too heavy.

and that is how season two ruined geraskier for me.

[dapandapod]

yes its still me, maybe yennskier for "swaying side to side whilst hugging"?

31. swaying side to side whilst hugging

Absolutely my sweet!! I was having a little too much fun with this one and yes I am thinking of his outfit from the season 2 trailer as I describe him in this one.... ooops...

Anyway, please enjoy, and thank you Dalring @kuripon who did a Beta read on this and made it make sense xD i really should try to write before midnight...

Send me a hug prompt?

On Ao3 Hug collection here

Yennefer is looking out over the market, feeling incredibly bored.

She is back to being the small town's local witch and problem solver, and today they are throwing a summer celebration. Jugglers, bards, and strumpets are milling around with the normal folk, performing and luring them into whatever trade they offer. It is…nice, she supposes. A lot freer than the celebrations at court, without all the stiff politics and groping behind the curtain.

Meaning, here all the groping happens in alleyways and the politics by the beer kegs.

There are couples dancing in the square, a merry jig being played by some enthusiastic bards with a flute, drum and a lute.

Not on her life will she join them. Nothing short of a curse will put her on the dance floor.

Said curse suddenly appears in her line of sight.

A mop of brown hair, cornflower blue eyes, and a frankly ridiculous hat, approaches her. A flicker of joy sparks inside her, but she betrays nothing, her face neutral except for a raised eyebrow.

“Yennefer, my sweet, my lady raven, mistress of my dreams, you look as terrifying as always,” Jaskier says, approaching her with his arms wide. Does he expect a hug? She hopes not, he really should know better by now.

But expect a hug he does, not giving her any room to protest. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her close, and she can’t help but smile.

“Julian, where did you find that awful hat?”

Jaskier just laughs, holding her tightly, swaying slightly from side to side.

“I’ve missed you too, witch. Melitele, it’s been so long!”

Alright, fine, it has been long. The bard can get a hug. She lets her hand slide against his sides and as a reward, Jaskier holds her even closer.

It feels... nice. It has actually been a while since she let herself be held just because she wants it. How he always makes her feel safe and welcome is a mystery to her.

The swaying doesn’t stop though. And it is suspiciously well timed with the beat of the bard’s drum.

“Jaskier. You are not making me dance.”

“You are right, I’m not.”

“Stop swaying me.”

“I’m merely holding you, swaying is a side effect of my joy.”

“I’m not dancing.”

“Neither am I,” Jaskier chuckles, but one of his hands finds hers and grabs it, and suddenly she is pulled out amongst the other couples. She laughs loudly, throwing her head back and pinches Jaskier’s side as he leads her through the steps.

“What do you call this then? Your cape is swirling more than my skirts.”

“I’m calling it enthusiastic hugging, I think. But you don’t hug either, so you find something else to call it.”

“You are making me dance, you scoundrel,” she accuses, but somehow today's celebration is suddenly a little less boring.

“I like it when you call me that.” Jaskier winks and leans in conspiratorially. “Do it again.”

“Scoundrel,” she says and his eyes twinkle with mirth.

Alright, he is charming. A curse most charming, convincing her feet to follow the beat, his arms wrapped securely around her, making feel as if she is enveloped in joy.

Maybe this celebration isn’t so boring, after all.

[jaskierisbi]

okay but songfic for liability (lorde) with jaskier feeling useless in a keep full of strong witchers and sorceresses and whatever the fuck ciri is

he’s just a bard totally not human either but that’s another post, an artist, using sarcasm and humor to get by in a world of danger and death

LIKE GUYS

They say, "You're a little much for me || You're a liability || You're a little much for me" || So they pull back, make other plans || I understand, I'm a liability

The truth is I am a toy that people enjoy || 'Til all of the tricks don't work anymore || And then they are bored of me

like, not to mention how fucked up his mental state is right now???

like he goes from singing all too well (jaskier’s version) to helping his ex-nemesis-new-best-friend escape the country to being tortured for information about his ex best friend (the man that he loved for over 20 years) to being saved by yen, to trying to save her, to being imprisoned, to seeing geralt again, to seeing yen almost sacrifice ciri, to seeing geralt hold his sword at yen’s throat, to (finally) going to kaer morhen, to witnessing a shit ton of witchers be killed, to seeing yen slit her wrists, to her geralt and ciri disappearing ALL WITHIN A FEW DAYS

we literally saw him sleeping with a bottle of alcohol when yen came into his room. he’s obviously Not Okay

and now he’s an outsider in this cold and unfamiliar place. geralt and yen are with ciri, the witchers have each other, so where does he fit in? why is he there?

maybe he tries to leave in the cover of night (because apparently kaer morhen is a lot easier to access than literally ALL OF US thought???), or maybe he stays and is subdued and muted because he’s afraid of being a bother or being kicked out. maybe he keeps to himself, pulls into himself.

he’s always been a little too much for everyone. people always liked him until they didn’t. yes, geralt apologized, and he does get why his friend lashed out, but that doesn’t take the hurt away. that the man he loved considered his best friend for over twenty years was tired of him too

he doesn’t want to be thrown aside again. he doesn’t think he can survive it. he knows what he is: weak, silly, useless. a liability. but he’s weak and wanting, and yearns for a place somewhere in this makeshift family

anyways then yen notices it and there’s softness there because she knows what it’s like to feel like the weak and useless one and they’re something now, and she wants to comfort him because she cares about him and he cares about her

geralt doesn’t notice, but he does notice when yen and jaskier become a Unit. when they talk softly and share touches and give each other meaningful looks. (the cognitive dissonance of seeing them be enemies to whatever this is is VERY real)

idk how it ends, probably with an ot3 and plenty of comfort for the hurt

…anyways now I kinda want to write this 👀👀👀

[jaskierisbi]

look all I’m saying is that a geraskefer songvid of taylor’s don’t blame me would fucking slap