Text | Morning of June 2nd

[rollstoseduce]

[Many of you have probably already seen certain fliers all over Johto and Kanto towns. If you haven't, don't worry! Here it is now, being posted on the network.]



[And right after it comes a text in a very fancy font.]

Happy birthday to me~

Such a day would require only the most diverting of celebrations, but alas! I've been incredibly busy with this project. However, do you understand what that means, my dear friends? This isn't a cancellation, but a mere postponement!

For a spring baby whose heart happens to belong to the coast like yours truly, the summer solstice is one of my favorite festivals! The juxtaposition of the best two seasons of the year! How could I say no to hosting a little show at such a meaningful event? And not just any show, oh no, it's a show for a good cause!

"Helping Hand" is an organization whose aim is to help victims of Team Rocket, be humans or Pokémon. As someone who had to watch his beloved and his protegee suffer at the hand of such despicable scoundrels, I want nothing more than to assist them - and so should you! Join us, I beg you!

Donate, if you please! It can be an egg. It can be an expensive item - or even a simple one, such as a Pokéball. It can be your time! Allow this humble bard to reward your help with a date! Wouldn't it be wonderful to support a good cause AND find love in the very same evening? A story to be told to future generations, I'd like to think!

The beaches of Cianwood City, June 21st, transportation provided by our delightful patrons, Riegfried and Soy. I will accept no excuses! Let's celebrate the summer solstice. Let's (belatedly) celebrate my birthday.

And most importantly, let's celebrate kindness.



((ooc: here is the IC announcement of the event! Sorry for the length, he's a wordy drama queen. Remember that interviews will be handwaved, but you can use this post for your character to ask questions or simply chat about the event in general! For the sake of my inbox, I'm going to ask you to stick to text tags, please, so I can tag more easily and quicker - don't wanna fall behind before I have to do all the event write-up, see? Jaskier is super extra and likes his font BUT if it's annoying for you let me know and I'll be glad to drop it for your tags.))

Comments

[machismost]

Dude don't thank me! I'm just stating a fact! No one but a real man runs in to put himself on the line for someone else, and it's just a bonus it was for your guy!

One of...? You can have more than one boyfriend?? That's just ok among men??

Oh. So you really loved Geralt for a while you didn't say anything to him or he was just not getting it when you said something to him?

[ But then, ouch, Jaskier is calling him out. ]

I had a date with Claudia and we just decided it wasn't like that! We're still friends though...

But now I'm kind of wondering if my feelings for my best friend is that way?

[rollstoseduce]

[Jaskier rarely runs in to put himself on the line, and he only did it this time because he trusts Geralt with his life. But why say so when Kirishima is getting this amazing mental image of him? Let's keep the dream intact, it's good for Jaskier's ego.]

Oh, it has nothing to do with gender, my friend. There are some realms out there, this one included, where people are accepting of the idea you can love more than one person and have a relationship with all of them at the same time. And I think that's beautiful.

[He's about to add more about how great he thinks the ideas of "polycules" and free love are, but he is a little worried about Geralt possibly seeing this and taking it as pressure, especially in this context of him telling someone about them. It's not that he wants another relationship, those are rare for him, but he'd be open to be- well, open, which Geralt knows. But he also meant it when he said he's 100% fine with being exclusive - his dear witcher is great at meeting his needs. It isn't like Jaskier to censor himself, in fact he would hate to be with someone that requires him to be less of himself. But if there's something he learned after the mess with Claude and his following conversations with Felix, Geralt, and Dimitri, is that he needs to find the middle point between changing who you are to please others and fair compromise.

Speaking of relationships though... ohohoho, what do we have here? Interesting.]

Yes, Claudia has told me about the result of your date. It's a bit sad to hear it didn't work out, but I'm also glad to hear you two realized it wouldn't work before it was too late and your friendship couldn't be salvaged. As for Geralt and I... it's complicated. I never told him directly before prom, I'm afraid. I did try to drop some hints to test the waters (I flirted with him when I met him!), which I'm sure many a person would think useless considering Geralt's socializing skills. There are a thousand other factors that made a possible confession a terrible idea, and it was right of me to wait. His feelings for me are a rather recent development.

And I see he isn't the only one with such a new development in the love area! Tell me everything, Kirishima! What's got you hesitating? Judging by your previous question, am I right to assume this is the first time you consider you may be attractive to another man?

[machismost]

[ Kirishima's still learning the basics of dating people, so it may be for the better for the moment that a pin is stuck in the polyamory lesson. Of course some day he may come back again just because Jaskier is a friend and he's interested in his life.

And good point, this is still a public line, isn't it? Has Jaskier learned there are ways to private these things outside of direct message? Kirishima definitely knows how, but realizing he should...?

Ok. Yep. The moment Kirishima reads Claudia has already dished to Jaskier about what happened, there's a squirmy little feeling in him that's anxious and embarrassed all over again and he finally checks the filter. Time to turn THAT on!

At least it sounds like what Claudia said to Jaskier is on the same page as what they agreed and what little he's said himself. He would have hated to know she was telling him one thing and then ranting to someone else. It's still a little embarrassing, though. ]

I'm glad too. She's really awesome!

Well it's really interesting with what you've said... He hasn't shown any signs he's attracted to me at all. But he's like Geralt because he's just really actually terrible with people!

And it's the first time I've thought about another guy like this. I know I have really strong feelings for him for sure but it's different from what I felt when I wanted to date Claudia?

I'm hesitating because I don't want to mess up our friendship. It's everything to me outside of my Pokemon right now. I don't think I'd be half the man I am if it wasn't for him! Before I got here but especially now it's coming up to a year of being in this place together! If I try something and make it awkward I risk losing him and I don't think I can handle that...

[rollstoseduce]

[Jaskier knows about the private filter, he just happens to have a big mouth and forgets to use it. He's thankful to see Kirishima does turn it on, though, because it seems he'll have to keep on sharing his own experience with romance as guidance, so it's good to have it private if the conversation gets too intimate.]

Oh, so this is about your tsundere friend!

[Sorry, Kirishima, but Jaskier talked to Ochako and they agreed on the one perfect word to define Bakugou.]

Many a thing you've mentioned are part of what went through my mind all those twenty years as well. I didn't think Geralt was attracted to me, I didn't want to make things awkward with the most important person in my life. I didn't want to lose the best thing that's ever happened to me.

So don't feel bad for hesitating, my friend. It's only natural, and it shows you care deeply about your relationship with him. You want to protect it from everything, even from your own decisions.

But let's take this one step at a time, shall we~? In what ways is it different from your wishes to date Claudia?

1/2

[machismost]

[ Kirishima chokes on his tongue. ]

Who taught you that word???

[ It's inexplicably a Japanese term and also Jaskier is an old man?? At least compared to him. ]

2/2

[machismost]

But yeah I saw a lot of what you said in me too. You're saying a lot of what I feel.

I don't know. It's just different. I really admired them both but for different reasons. I guess... when I wanted to date Claudia I wanted to get to know her better? And also kiss her... But I know Bakugou really well. We've lived together for a while now. I just wonder what kissing would be like?

Man I feel really stupid saying it like this. I don't feel like I'm expressing myself well at all!

[rollstoseduce]

I'm a bard. It's my duty to keep updating my vocabulary as I travel. Language is always evolving!

[That's a very fancy way to say "a Pokémon taught us during a flirting game".]

Feelings are difficult to express, Kirishima. Especially when it comes to romance. Love is like a pear! We know it's sweet and it has a distinct shape, but can you define the shape of a pear?

Let's play a little game, Kirishima. I want you to close your eyes and picture your life in this realm two years from now. Imagine yourself in your favorite place in the world, sharing a special moment with someone that cannot be missing in your future. That someone comes to sit next to you and slowly slides their hand into yours, grasps your fingers and gives them a squeeze.

Does that person have a face? Does your heart crave for this little daydream to become real?

[machismost]

[ Kirishima's a moron but even he can see that's a dodge of a question when it comes to 'tsundere'. ]

I mean a pear is fat on the bottom and little at the top right?

Wow... Yeah. Yeah all around.

[ It's... Bakugou, the boy he's always admired, the boy who has lived with him for a year now through the good and the bad in this place. Even in their world, they grasped hands at a crucial moment and Kirishima can't help reflecting back on that. It helps Jaskier didn't mention 'kiss' or anything else like that. It's easy, in this moment, to think about himself holding onto Bakugou... and imagining the blonde giving him a squeeze in return. Regardless of what this torrent of a crush says, he needs the guy in his life. ]

But what if I lose them saying what I feel?

[rollstoseduce]

[It was supposed to be rhetorical... but alright, let's play.]

Indeed it is. And what do we call that? Pear-shaped. We cannot define it on its own. It simply is, and we know it when we see it. Or feel it, in this case.

Take it easy. It's hard, I know! Trust me, I must be the person that knows best how difficult it can be. Talk to him and see where his heart stands. Casually! Bring up the subject of dating and crushes, find out if he likes anyone. You've said you're his best friend, then it should be easy for you to read between the lines, to understand if he's hiding something from you if he dodges the question. Your heart will know when it's the right time to confess.