IC Inbox

[vrdantwind]

"Hey, this is Claude! Pretty sure I'm doing this correctly. You can leave me a message here, and I'll get to it as soon as I can. Talk to you soon~."

Comments

[vrdantwind]

Damn. I hoped your world might be closer to my homeland's culture than Fodlan's, but I guess not!

But really, it is just a cultural difference thing. That's not unusual where I'm from. I'm what's unusual where I'm from. It might've been a little on the extreme side, but only because being half-Fodlan was going to mean double the challenges for me. Not every warrior back home has to be ready and able to take on any and every warrior of our people, because not every one of those warriors is going to hate him and be personally after him. I kind of did need to be ready for that sort of thing, though. And let's just say that the people who hated me back home weren't necessarily interested in playing fair, either. Like, you know, waiting for a kid to grow up before you try to kill him.

If tying a kid to a horse helps toughen him up in case a full-grown man decides to suddenly come at him with a blade the next week, it makes more sense to go to those kinds of extremes.

Although...I won't deny it might also have been to wear me out so I couldn't get in any more mischief for the day. Wouldn't be unlike my parents to kill two birds with one stone. And I was wild. Maybe I've been understating just how much.

tw for discussion of child abuse

[rollstoseduce]

[The reply takes a while to arrive. Jaskier doesn't appreciate the way Claude is so dismissive about the subject, as if it wasn't a big deal... it reminds him a bit of Geralt and how he instantly accepts mutants shall be hated, his "witcher logic" as Jaskier likes to call it. And making that comparison in his head is what pushes him to re-read Claude's text.

Right. This isn't Claude's fault. Like the witchers, he was taught this is what he should endure merely for being who he is. Fuck.]

Corporal punishment towards children isn't unheard of in my world. There definitely are parents that feel entitled to educate their offspring that way. It worries me, however, how easily you accept it.

There is a fine line between training and torture, my friend. You shouldn't endure such treatment because of who you are. I assure you princes also grow up with the threat of assassination over their shoulders yet they aren't tied to horses.

[vrdantwind]

Hah! Well, I assume princes usually aren't treated like that. [Except in Almyra, where Claude can confirm they definitely are.]

Anyway...I would never say other kids deserve to be treated like that, or that it's a good practice. But it's not entirely unusual where I'm from, so I don't hold it against my parents for doing something that's considered kind of normal. I especially don't hold it against them because I feel like the results justified what I went through to reach them, if that makes sense.

I don't know for sure that everything I went through to toughen me up as a kid is why I'm standing here now; maybe I would have made it anyway. But I do know that I am standing here now, and that something - or multiple somethings - worked to get me here. I could wonder if I could get the same outcome with a different recipe, but - well, why? I can't go back and have things un-happen to me, even if I could narrow down what I needed and what I didn't. So instead, I'd rather assume that everything I've been through - even getting dragged by a horse - played a part in making sure I survived the challenges a lot of those hardships were meant to prepare me for.

I didn't mean to upset you, though. Maybe we should talk about something else...?

[rollstoseduce]

[There's something to be said about that little speech - very eloquent, probably quite sincere by Claude's standards, and... not completely wrong, to be honest. The past is in the past and we can't change it, better concentrate on the future is not a bad take to have - in fact it's pretty good. But Jaskier is afraid that agreeing with it may encourage the rest of his stupid logic. He could clarify how much he agrees with and how much he doesn't, but that would need a long ass rant, and Claude is right, he's upset with his own memories of physical punishment and--

And now he's trying to change the subject. Gosh, another thing in common with Geralt. Jaskier feels like screaming, but after thinking a bit about it, he realizes he has no choice but to give in. Claude is still keeping some political distance when it comes to certain subjects, and even if he wasn't, Jaskier knows how much it sucks to be poked over and over about the subject of shitty raising, so it must be ten times worse for Claude. Poking more now would be counterproductive.]

Don't think for a second that I believe you want to change the subject for me and not yourself. But you've helped me with my shopping and stroked my ego just right, so I'll let it pass today.

[He's still doing some shopping, so he sends a new picture: this time of the candy aisle at the market.]

Have you tried this "chocolate" yet? I had some on a pastry and it was like kissing a goddess.

[vrdantwind]

It really is for you, whether you believe it or not. I'm not upset by this subject, but you obviously are. I mean, I guess it's selfishly motivated in that I don't want you to be upset, and that's a personal desire without taking what you might want into account...? But that's kind of circuitous thinking.

Still, if you're accepting the subject change for my sake, I'm grateful.

And I have had chocolate! It's definitely delicious. Personally, though, I enjoy sweets a decent amount, but I'm a bit more moderate about them than some people I know. A friend of mine would have lived on cake if she could've arranged it, but I prefer some variety.

[rollstoseduce]

I'm a lover of sweet delicacies myself, but I do not think I could live on cake! Variety is indeed the spice of life. And these chocolates have plenty of it! What do you think a "sriracha chocolate bar" is like? Here is another one that says "ramen noodle bar"! I don't understand what half of these labels are trying to tell me.

[vrdantwind]

Hmm...I mean, I feel like it should be our duty to sample these things. Not so much out of a love of chocolate, but a love of culture! Exploring all kinds of new cuisines and expanding our horizons in the process~

But sadly, experimentation has to take a back seat to practicality. I don't have the coffers of a noble here, and I've been feeling the pinch. And I'm sure you're not made of money yourself. So I guess we can't just sample everything we're curious about, as tempting as it is...

[rollstoseduce]

Experimenting and trying new things is my bread and butter, but you're correct, my dear new friend! I sadly don't have the coin to try them all just yet. How about we each choose one? I shall go for mint, because that's a name I recognize, so my curiosity has been piqued! What could come out from the combination of a pair of such opposite flavors~? Tell me your choice and I shall report the results of this experiment later!

[vrdantwind]

Well, I'll go for that sriracha one, because it's a name I don't recognize. When the stakes are this low, why not make the blindest gamble possible, right? Although I guess if you're eating both, the consequences are on you...hopefully it's a good one, though.

1/2

[rollstoseduce]

Sriracha shall be then~! I'll report the results of this experiment in a moment.

2/2

[rollstoseduce]

[Fifteen minutes later...]

I hate you.

[vrdantwind]

[Okay, Claude shouldn't, but he can't help laughing a bit at that contextless response.]

I take it my choice wasn't good, huh?

[rollstoseduce]

This little piece of hell is spicier than peppers themselves!

[vrdantwind]

Spicy? Spicy chocolate? Interesting. I wish I'd been there to try it myself; I actually love spice.

I guess it was an appropriate choice...for me, that is. As something for me to eat, and not you. Sorry! But it's not like I had any idea! Sriracha's not a spice I've ever heard of...

[Which is because it's a spice blend, not a spice in itself, but Claude will learn that later.]

[rollstoseduce]

I am not *against* spice, but this is too much for me. I'd say I could save it for you, but it's already been opened and bitten, and I don't know when we'll get to meet. Bollocks, I hate throwing food away.

I must say, however - impressive on your part to find your beloved spice even in a picture.