#yennaskier

Jaskier:

... and here I am, picturing them in a full polyromantic and polyamorous relationship together, having each developed their shared as well as unique connections with each other, raising and protecting Ciri together, each bringing in their own unique set of skills to share with the girl.

That's not to say that the polyromantic/polyamorous relationships where there's a "middle", and two of the three partners aren't really into each other romantically and/or sexually, are wrong or not valid.

On the contrary.

But after what I've seen in Season 2, I can fully imagine Jaskier and Yennefer being involved together directly, without needing Geralt to maintain the interest and connection in their relationship alive.

After all, it's been rather well established that this version of Jaskier is drawn to strong and autonomous people in general, and that he genuinely falls in love with virtually everyone he meets, rather than seek to "trick them" into having sex with him under potentially false pretenses.

His antagonism towards Yennefer came largely, in my personal belief, from his very first significant memory of her.

Waking up to find Yennefer half naked by the foot of his bed - threatening him to get what she wants through sheer power and superior strength - literally assaulting him by grabbing him by the balls - after ordering him to "do some scales for her" to test his voice, is bound to start any potential relationship on the wrong foot.

Not to mention that singing is intimately tied to Jaskier's identity and self-esteem. So, making him sing under duress (rather than because he wishes to express himself, and willingly share that part of himself with others) and grabbing his genitals like that, made him perceive her as a threatening predator / monster.

Hostility comes generally from fear.

And he doesn't even try to hide that he doesn't trust her, and wishes Geralt would keep his distances from her because she is a terrifying witch.

He even watched her openly manipulate that knight for her own gain on the dragon hunt - her interest in him entirely devoid of any sincerity or emotional connection.

"Sometimes, the best thing a flower can do for us is die", she was taught.

Then suddenly, she comes to him humbled, without magic, on the run, among those persecuted for having eleven blood, and - though still very capable and potentially scary in her own way - no longer acting predatory towards him.

They are HUGGING!!!

She is now a prey needing his help and protection; and asking him for it, rather than trying to take it by force from him.

It does not make their prior encounter okay per say... But like Batey said, Jaskier is both an absolute genius and a total idiot.

I think he did get a sense that, when they first met, she was hungry and desperate to fill a certain void within herself; and that there was a more complex, deeper story beneath her behavior and who she was that he knew very little about.

Jaskier can now afford to look at her and truly listen without fear, as she shows vulnerability and respect for who he is and what matters to him as well.

She's even the one implying that there's more to him than "being a bard", and that he'd find a new purpose if he could no longer sing or write songs.

She's grown, he's grown, they have a deep mutual understanding of loss, and feeling unwanted...

They do not need Geralt in the middle to relate to each other, care about each other, and even grow to love each other.

And yeah, I think that Jaskier's teasing is also a way for him to move past the primal fear she once inspired him, come to term with those feelings, and move past them.

He seems to be a big believer in second (third, fourth...) chances, and leaving room for people to learn from past mistakes and misbehaviors, and grow.

So yes, she did overstep important boundaries and terrified him at first... But now he's learned that she's also able of risking her own life for those she cares about, and she came back to save him despite no longer having her magic, thus putting herself in significant danger.

If that had been the version of Yennefer he'd first encountered, Jaskier would likely have tried saving her from the djinn himself.

Geralt saw the cracks through her façade because she never was a predator to him.

The hunger she felt and void she was trying to fill? He understood where it came from, and saw a kindred spirit in her.

The initial connections may have been Geralt <--> Jaskier, and Geralt <--> Yennefer...

But Season 2 evened the power dynamic between them to offer us Yennefer <--> Jaskier; and it was beautiful, and phenomenal, and felt very genuine and organic...

Writer's block really does hit at the most unexpected times, but here I am again, back on my bullshit

Only immortal-esque creatures consistently have soul marks (vampires, witchers, and mages, oh my).

Some humans can have soul marks too but it is mistakenly believed that humans can only be bound to mages, so it can be seen as a great honor for one to show up when you become of age, depending on where you're from that is.

Because of the mutagens Witchers also have soul marks, oftentimes having multiple since they are mostly bound to regular humans, only meeting the others after the previous one has long passed until they either meet a soulmate that either doesn't die or until they themselves die.

It is extremely rare to meet two soulmates in the same lifetime.