#c; brienne

[cashieart]

house of dragon really just has me missing my fav problematic family

[mawofmeraxes]

fuck you game of thrones writers. jaime’s character development meant that he NEVER would have left winterfell and abandoned Brienne. he loved her! and he knew exactly what kind of person Cersei was. also fuck you Jaime for making brienne cry our baby did not deserve that.

[brienneevenstar]

germ: *slaps roof of jb car* this bad boy can fit so many parallels to westerosi folklore and history in it

[call-2-arms]

@singxfus || moved from legacy

She does not respond, for the moment her head is upon her chest, sleep pulls her under.

It only holds her for a few hours, but when she does eventually stir, she feels a little better and carefully disentangles herself from Jaime’s arms, slowly so as not to wake him.

Rising from the bed, she wraps a robe about herself, moving to look out of the window. The moon hangs high in the sky now, illuminating the melting snow in the courtyard below. A glance to the left of the stables tells her the old maester is still awake, if the orange glow about his door is enough to go by.

She looks back at her sleeping husband, weighing her options. She could return to his arms, remain at his side. Or, she could visit the maester now, to put her racing mine at ease. She chooses the latter and instead moves to find her boots, slipping them on and leaving the room.

xXx

The vial presses into her palm and only then does she realise she is squeezing it and quickly loosens her grasp, for fear of shattering it. The maester had given it to her without question the moment he had diagnosed her condition. He knew she was in the Queensguard, knew she could not…

She only just makes it back to their chambers before the tears finally start to flow in a relentless torrent down pale cheeks. Gods, she cannot tell him…cannot tell the queen. She would be abandoned, cast out in an instant.

The hand that does not clutch the small vial of moon tea comes to rest upon the small swell of her belly, a swell she had noticed in the days past but tried to ignore. Her attention turns to the vial, studying it. She need only swallow it’s contents and Jaime would never have to know. And yet…she feels a strange bond with the life she now knows she is growing. She’d dreamed of being a mother so often…yet she had never expected it to become a reality.

Before she is aware of her actions, she has opened the vial and tipped the contents out of the open window. Then, she sets the empty bottle down upon the side table and crawls back beneath the furs, into Jaime’s arms.

Savouring whatever time she had left with her lion at her side.

Jaime did not stir. For the first time in his life, these last few months had been peaceful. The North did not agree with him (or maybe he didn't agree with the North). It was cold and bitter up here, and he missed the sun against his golden hair. But the South had too many poisonous memories that he did not want to return to. His brother was all he cared about, and the two of them wrote when they could. Jaime had gotten much better with his left hand, but the words still jumbled on the pages at times, and he was too proud to ask for help deciphering them at times.

When Brienne had moved, he remained deep in sleep, oblivious to her plight. Only when she returned to the bed had he mumbled something, heavy with sleep. When the morn came, he did not remember at all.

The following days, they had returned to their duties. Whilst married, they were still able to protect Queen Sansa, and Jaime often found himself looking to where he had once pushed Bran, or visiting the Godswoods. He did not believe in the old gods or the new, really... but perhaps he felt like he still owed the gods something.

But Brienne had become distant, and he was concerned that he had done something wrong. At first, he merely thought it was just duty calling, or she was having her moon blood. He could recall how Cersei would push him away during that time. But when it happened again, he could not help his temper from flaring.

"If there is something I've done wrong, then tell me," he said, it somewhere between a demand and a plea. "We came here together, and are husband and wife. Are you regretting that now?" It hurt his chest to even say that, but it merely came out without warning. He'd never been tactful with his words.

[closethedoorandcomehere]

Spoilers, profanity, Jaime x Brienne. Game of Thrones. A Song of Ice and Fire. ASoS Daenerys V

Close The Door And Come Here - ASoS Daenerys V

Dany's crew is at their peak as they take on Meereen and each other's treachery.

[laiqualaurelote]

One of the reasons I’ve had so much fun with maybe everything that dies someday comes back is that I’ve been trying to write a zombie apocalypse AU since I was fifteen - attempted it in at least five fandoms - and this is the first time I’ve actually come close to pulling it off! and in The English, a fandom I never expected. (I’m not counting my Kingdom fic, because zombies are just canon there.) It did get me thinking about my other favourite zombie apocalypse AUs out there (no Marvel Zombies for me thank you) and so I made a list:

Better Natures by etirabys (Daredevil | Frank/Karen | E | 37,582 words)

This happens to be both my favourite zombie apocalypse AU and favourite Kastle fic out there. When a zombie outbreak spreads in New York, Frank asks Karen to come with him. They both turn out to be incredibly good at surviving the apocalypse. Not just about the zombies but also the rebuilding and sustaining of community in the aftermath - also, just, fake-married couple with electric chemistry, we love to see it.

for the darkness, she will come by angel_deux (Game Of Thrones | Jaime/Brienne | T | 23,057 words)

Technically GOT already has zombies in it but this is a modern Walking Dead-esque AU in which Brienne is similarly tasked to transport Jaime so he can be exchanged for Sansa and Arya and the four of them end up travelling together. Jaime loses his hand because it got bitten by a zombie and Brienne has to cut it off.

Many Forms of Resistance by amalnahurriyeh (Sociology RPF | Gen | T  | 2,323 words)

When their conference is crashed by zombies, C. Wright Mills and Michel Foucault end up on a cross-country motorcycle road trip from New York to Berkeley. Mills rides, Foucault shoots. In between they argue about the theoretical outlook of the zombie apocalypse. “But this story you tell, Wright, it is totalizing, no? Is not the zombie an act of resistance against the anomie you describe? For the zombie is himself a proactive being, who goes out, joins collectively with others, and seeks to capture what he does not have - that is, the brain.” I hope this author got their PhD. 

in famine, in feast by bysine (GOT7 RPF | Jaebeom/Jinyoung | T | 38,362 words)

Full disclosure: bysine is my old zombie AU writing buddy (she came up with the Pulser technology that I’m using in maybe everything that dies someday comes back) so naturally I’d rec anything by her, but. This is a spectacular AU based on the period zombie K-drama Kingdom, in which Jinyoung is the exiled crown prince and Jaebeom his mysterious bodyguard and they must both thwart the zombie threat as well as court intrigue. I don’t even know anything about GOT7 but I loved this fic - think Regency vibes but it’s set in the Joseon era and also there are zombies.

[falllpoutboy]

never forget when i had an anon try to cancel for me being a jaime/ jb stan specifically because the character took part in incest 😭

[unknown-terrain]

Congrats to show!Jaime for finally making it to #1 on a popular media list! 😂 Good to see that heading onto the 5th anniversary of the disastrous S8, Jaime's forced Twincest ending is still truly hated by the masses and that Dumb and Dumber's dream of J/C becoming the "true love" story the audience would grow to love be completely shattered over and over. Anybody with a functioning brain could have told them Twincest was never going to be loved. GRRM himself told them that through asoiaf and making Jaime/Brienne his Beauty and the Beast story but of course D&D never understood the books and thought they could do better. Anyways it's always nice to see D&D get hate for ruining Jaime lmao.

[horizon-verizon]

Master Post of Anti-Criston Cole-ism

He was Never Raped or SA-ed

A) [HotD] HotD's Episode 4, from the Actor and Writers

i)

🔗LINK to Entertainment Weekly Article that Describes Frankel & Writers Making this Scene Consensual Sex Scenes where Criston "Chooses" to Forget his Vows

Neither of these reveal that either the actor nor the writers or directors wrote the sex scene to be something Criston was afraid of or didn't want. The way it's talked about, with people "discovering" each other and themselves shows consent and enjoyment. Frankel wanted to play out his fear of Criston's own desire to break his own vows and facing the guilt of that; Rhaenyra never pressured him into anything.

REMINDER: He's still not "commonborn" nor Dornish, since:

he has a last name, which peasants don't have AND his father/house is House Cole, stewards of the Dondarrions...the Tyrells at one point were stewards to House Gardner in the Reach & they were still nobles of that time, stewards don't mean full fledged "servants"

Blackhaven is in the Stormland part of the Dornish Marches, not the Dornish part of the Dornish Marches...Samwell Tarly's family's castle is in the foothill of a part of the Dornish Marches, ....Barristan Selmy's family's castle, Harvest Hill, is based in the Dornish Marches in Stormlander territory, so is Barristan Selmy Dornish? Cole is a Stormlander!

Marchers hate Dornish people more than other nonDornish Westerosi do...Criston said his dad was a steward of the nonDornish Dondarrions...HotD has never shown us whether either of his parents are Dornish by origin so what proof do we have he is Dornish even in the show?!!! And we see no discrimination (hint or overt) the court has against Cole...

lets' say that Cole was Dornish...the Velaryons are black and realisitically, even rich Black people do not manage to avoid subtle racial discrimination (there's a black woman on TikTok from a wealthy family that talks about it, idk her name)...so if Criston faces racism and the Velaryons don't either the writers are incompetent or don't know racism

Not only is this a misreading of what the Dornish Marches are on the HotD writers'/producers' part, it's a misreading or understanding of race either in medieval times or the modern day, AND people have tried to use a supposed racial disparity b/t Rhaenyra (Valyrian-Targ princess) to argue that Cole (the racially-inferior) felt racial pressure as well to comply to sleep with her and avoid censure or punishment if she blabs...as if his race would give him the right to sleep with a teen girl who some have argued was also very drunk here-- even if Criston was Dornish!

ii) [HotD] HotD's Episode 4, from the actual Episode

People don't know what SA or rape actually looks like...can we just, please?...

B) "If the Roles were Reversed" [HotD AND the Original Story]

i)

Rhaenyra didn't "make" him do anything b/c she doesn't have the ability to take on that new level of risk. So much protest using the "if the genders were reversed", and yet no acknowledgment or breakdown of what their respective unique positions are.

A male heir =/= a female heir in terms of power and privilege, gender really matters even here, as every source on the matter--whether HotD or the original story--has made every single minute to point out and emphasize...the only reason we are even talking about the Dance is that it was a group of people arguing that no woman should go before a man inn any line of succession which comes from the belief that women are inherently insufficient military leaders. And female chastity is a whole concept in of itself where the woman/girl must be sexually "pure" as to ensure that a man's and his family's lineage remains "proven" to be inherited by someone blood-connected to them. To preserve that wealth and privilege. etc., within that family. Female chastity - female "obedience" or submission to male supremacy.

Women could never be knights so they can never be Kingsguard.

Brienne is not a knight...yet[?], and she exists YEARS after the Dance; even if there were female monarchs before, check out real history for how medieval people regarded female rulers if they didn't happen to be very "good" ones...I mean just check out Juana I of Castile!

We can never equalize these situations in matter of gender because this society structures on the inequality of its genders.

A World of Ice and Fire shows us glaring examples of women over men being brutally sidelined or physically attacked to make way for male leaders or candidates (Shiera Blackwood, Agnes Blackwood, that unnamed Lannister woman who had to marry a non-Lannister man so he could take her name just so he could lead the Lannister house instead of her, Argella Durrandon, Marla Sunderland); Fire and Blood has a bunch of girls raped, mutilated, SA-ed or sexually manipulated so the men can inch their way towards power or to just feel in control (Cassandra Baratheon, Lucinda Penrose, those Tumbleton 8-year-olds, the septas, etc.).

Making as if sexual violence against men or just general violence against men is treated the same, as frequent, and socially justified as violence against women and girls both in real life and in the ASoIaF/HotD/GoT universes is disingenuous. As long as we live in a society where enough people think a woman's body is never totally her own, it never will be.

ii) Let's play with this "Reversal" Anyway:

a) We already see Rhaenyra-Criston in the version of her approaching him...

In F&B, we already have one verison of what happened b/t them in Mushroom telling us of a situation of Rhaenyra approaching Criston and Criston denying her, with no material consequences for him...and he freely decides to hate and try to destroy her anyway ("A Question of Succession"):

Even IF Rhaenyra approached Criston and in this way, she does not go to Viserys to ruin Cole or do anything else to him. She sleeps with Harwin instead. And why doesn't she go to Viserys to fuck Criston's life up? Bc he has been her trusted guard for ages, but also because of what I say below in section b) below and i) above.

Reminder, Viserys in both the show and book forces Rhaenyra to marry Laenor, and book!her explicitly is rumored to say she wanted Daemon. She faces censure or punishment, not Cole.

Show!Rhaenyra has also been "friends"/friendly with Cole for years; what reason do we have to expect or fear that she'd complain to Viserys? How much does Criston really expect Rhaenyra does, since he's the said friend in her "confidence"?

b) Occam's razor

Since women cannot be Kingsguard in Westeros, the female-Cole would either be a lower-ranked noble woman or she would be like Jonquil Darke, the female sworn-shield of Alysanne Targaryen (who still wasn't part of the Kingsguard). JD was also a Darkling bastard.

It's so very unlikely that even if female-Cole become the guard to young/older male-Rhaenyra.

That's inconceivable to these people. Why would the probably already-sword trained male-Rhaenyra need a personal female-guardsman when they'd have an actual Kingsguard knight (still all male) as the male-Rhaenyra's guard before a female warrior is ever considered? This is the mindest of these royals and nobles, btw.

And again, Jonquil was the protector of Alysanne, not Jaehaerys. But Jaehaerys did use Jonquil to stop Saera from running away, and this proves that Jonquil's "final boss" is and always has been Jaehaerys, aka, the Monarch, not the person she was protecting. If a male-Rhaenyra approached a female-Cole (but not a bastard) who was a sort of Jonquil Darke person, even with that female-Cole being well-versed in swordsmanship or anything physical to defend herself, the social consequences of that woman sleeping with a royal man while not being married to him is still as real and worse for her than for him. She'd be less willing to fully engage with him and dread the consequences of his growing angry with her.

What if female-Cole was just a regular noblewoman, either ranked high from a prestigious family/Great House (Starks, Martell, Hightowers, Lannisters, Manderlys] or from a lower ranked or not-as-prestigious and influential family (Tarlys, Selmys, Boltons, Wyls)? And male-Rhaenyra took a liking to female-Cole but didn't want to or expect to marry them?

Because female-Cole is a female noble and had grown up knowing that women & girls are socially condemned for actually practicing sexual autonomy, they'd be much more cautious and vulnerable to censure in either scenario:

If the female-Cole was from a more prestigious or "Great" House, male-Rhaenyra wouldn't as likely approach them unless they thought they'd be good for marriage because that house is powerful and important enough to put some pressure on them IF they ever found out. An affair is very possible, and depending on female-Cole's age and assessment of her own abilities and worth growing up female, we don't know whether they'd be willing to pursue a true consensual affair with male-Rhaenyra without there being a hope or guarantee for marriage. Because, like Lysa Tully, they still run the risk of tainting their family/house' image and face punishment or abuse from their own family if such affairs were made public. (If I have to explain Lysa Tully to people, they either forgot what happens b/t her & Petar Baelish or never read the bks, and if the latter they should not speak on anything to do with any character in things like this that requires lore knowledge AND some objectivity. Or they don't see what happened to her as "a big deal"...) Still, there is room for her to not want the attention because women are not a monolith of the exact same personalities or circumstances for us to believe every single woman would go for a real affair regardless of there being a desire or expectation of marriage. Thus what I describe below for lower ranked women/girls still counts. If anything, the stakes can be said to be higher because her family's prestige or power is so high that they could also take the path of blaming her. Therefore, a woman/girl of this group could still feel cornered.

If female-Cole came from a lower/less prestigious house, male-Rhaenyra is more interested & likelier of pursuing an affair or making female-Cole their paramour/mistress. Same situation, but the girl has even less reason to believe that there would be a marriage bc her house' rank/prestige/powers are so low for a possible marriage to the future King. She'd have to be either be mentally incapacitated (Priscella Hogg), under another immense pressure, or very young to believe that. So in this case, there is a stronger likelihood that if she sleeps with male-Rhaenyra, it's because she was cornered or felt she couldn't avoid him and had no assurances to avoid him later on. Or that he'd later feel slighted and begin rumors of her in court and her reputation gets ruined either way.

in either case, because male-Rhaenyra is a man while female-Cole isn't and men are far more likely to use physical force to intimidate or push a woman down then the reverse; men on average feel entitled to women's bodies' and attention, what more a royal prince like Aegon & Aemond? (I didn't use these examples by accident: that 12 yr old "paramour" Septon Eustace informs us and Alys Rivers)

And male-Rhaenyra would be the heir, still. There would be no doubt against male-Rhaenyra because she'd be male, male leaders are credited their deserving to rule armies by being male. His path to ascension is clearer than what real-Rhaenyra currently and will have to face. Male-Rhaenyra has no reason to even be all that secretive with female-Cole if he did intend on making her his paramour & he thought he'd get away with just making her his paramour...which is most likely a woman in a much lower "rank" or of a family with much lower powers than some others. Yes, Viserys would say that he is acting "unseemly", he could be called stupid or reckless, and some lords and ladies would think he's acting too licentuously...but no one would begrudge or hate male-Rhaenyra long for extramaritally/premaritally sleeping with a woman of any origin as to say they were a "whore" or try to use this as their primary reason be shouldn't be the next King. The "new" greens don't as much shit to stand on. They'd look silly(ier) for actually using this as a reason to say he shouldn't be King.

Female-Cole has little to no leverage against a male-Rhaenyra in the specific moment of a sexual cornering bc there is simply more risk for her than for him based on their respective genders AND ranking. We can't separate the two, they will inform the other.

Cole-Cole has more social leverage than a woman actually corned by a male higher-ranking noble/royal bc Rhaenyra-Rhaenyra's reputation can be ruined a lot easier than a male heir's. In any iteration, female-Cole rather than Cole-Cole has more risk & pressures in because women are given less grace in events where it's known they extramaritally/premaritally sleep with a man. Because she's already side-eyed or doubted to be a capable leader or worthy, censures against her lack of practicing female obedience and chastity would make her seem less deserving of the throne and give her enemies more fuel to fire their own agenda.

Again, this hierarchical feudal society is built on making gender, class, etc. essential differences that grant individuals privileges over others.

Finally, Criston Cole, his relationship with Rhaenyra, AND their sex /how it happened cannot be compared to a modern-day boss-employee-relationship/sexual harassment sort of sex-reversed MeToo! situation. Viserys is, as many have said on both camps, Criston's real and unequivocal "boss". Really, this whole argument then diminishes what actual SA is and the MeToo! movement's focus on holding mainly male professional superiors accountable for willfully using their positions to assault those under them.

The writers trying to make Rhaenyra the one in with more psychological control over Criston when canonically there' isn't much evidence to support that is very suspicious.

Reasons to Hate Cole

A) Show/House of the Dragon

i)

Let's really think about Criston's suggestion to run away and marry.

The guy said this in episode 5 of season 1:

I've soiled my white cloak. And it's the only thing I have to my fսck¡ng name! I thought if we were married, I might be able to restore it.

Criston's logic reveals he's more concerned about retaining his own sense and perception of his honor and not "honor" in general bc running away to elope would bring great disgrace to both his and Rhaenyra’s families & houses. Not just Rhaenyra herself. If it is Rhaenyra's "duty" to marry Laenor, she would be breaking her vows to become Queen. If she runs away, she arguably broke her vows to "protect" the realm from the Others as by her and Viserys' conversation about Aegon's prophecy. Cole may not have heard this from Rhaenyra, but he didn't want to hear anything from her because all he wanted was for her to go along with what he wanted, not to actually listen to her any misgivings she may have had.

He looked at marriage as a way to "bring back" a sense of honor for himself. Vows hold "sacred" honor. Criston is trying to distance himself from the very idea of freely and willfully “soiling” his cloak by trying to "replace" his brken vows with new marriage vows.

Remeber, he consented to sex with Rhaenyra, so it was his willful decision to sleep with her and "soil" his own "cloak". The writers and the actor, again, both work in the understanding that Cole "chooses to lie with Rhaenyra" [top of this post].

Criston absolutely knows that she can't marry him in the usual, open way and still retain her position as heir or even as part of the royal family. He's asking her to abandon her entire family...let that sink in. It shows a gender disparity that does not justify "if the roles were reversed". Lower-ranked-Female-Cole would never and could never hope to convince the male-Rhaenyra to run away with her and start an entirely new life, abandon both of their families (for marriage specifically) bc he doesn't have to in order to marry her. He may lose some people's respect if he marries her, but the consequences for him versus a female heir are not the same. A female heir would have to run away & not be among other Westerosi nobles, become a peasant, etc. to marry someone like Cole. *EDIT (3/17/24)* Example: Prince Duncan and Jenny of Oldstones. *END OF EDIT*

He was attracted to her, but his main motivation was to escape the shame of his soiled cloak and soiled honor. That his honor is actually a lie, a made-up thing in itself. That he, himself, soiled it and thus he, himself, has made himself a liar.

ii)

He has been living in court being Rhaenyra’s personal guard for years. Some of us thought that he should have known that nobles largely do not follow the same rules that excuse their positions through rumors. That they withhold and lie to protect themselves. (And generally, humans are wont to try to bend their own rules to satisfy their own desires.) 

And so we think that he should have done the same--patiently withhold information and observe what happens so he could adapt to it--while Alicent was getting to ask if Rhaenyra had slept with Daemon, and not if he slept with her.

It may not be faithful to one's vows, but if he actually knew what kind of person Rhaenyra was--that she would never run away with him (as he should after so many years of being with her and thus I think he did know but asked anyway, this he never really cared about her but himself)--then he should have never brought up the suggestion of running away or thought she'd ever marry him. What exactly did he think would happen for him after sleeping w/her? And as I argued, he had much more choice than some may think and took advantage of it. As nobles often do.

And yet, he decides that Rhaenyra is responsible for what he freely chose for himself AND what he could have easily avoided as a man/Kingsguard and her being female. And he does so so he can avoid accountability. Rhaenyra is much less likely to be able to & doesn't want to, once again, "make" him do anything with her. And Rhaenyra does not control Criston Cole's conscience nor his penis nor his reasoning.

Occam's razor again.

iii)

He decides to take it out on the Velaryon boys, as clued by what happens in the training yard of episode 6. It's obvious he refuses to treat them similarly to the green princes and train them at the same level. He's also much more physically rough with Jace than with either green boy. Finally he presses for Aegon to get more violent than necessary against Jace, clearly taking pleasure in vicarious revenge against Rhaenyra.

He's a loser who uses children's pain to inflict his own frustrations. And no, "illegitimate" children are not less human than "trueborn" ones.

B) Fire and Blood (The Original Story)

These are the versions of what happens b/t them, Septon Eustace's vs Mushroom's ("A Question of Succession"):

Really, alinahams already tackled this HERE, so check them out.

Excerpt:

In both versions, Criston is never involved with Rhaenyra in any way. Both versions take care to mention how it was all about Rhaenyra's choices about her life and body that bothered Criston and made him hate her. It's never about Criston being used and discarded. That is what makes Criston an Incel and a villain. Rhaenyra never did anything wrong to him. She didn't do anything to deserve his life long hatred and betrayal. It was his own twisted madonna/whore complex that ruined his friendship with Rhaenyra.

Criston decides to make it his life mission to destroy Rhaenyra because he couldn't handle her making her own decisions, bc honestly even if she (a 16-17 yr old) had decided to try to seduce him as Viserra did with Baelon...did Baelon hold it against Viserra or say that she was a whore or try to condemn her or get back at her for daring to "disturb" him in his grief over his dead wife, their sister, Alyssa?

Even with Baelon being a prince to Criston's Kingsguard, we see that both Viserra & Rhaenyra were desperate to have some sense of control over their own bodies through sex--and for Viserra through a marriage to a more powerful man--because it is through sex and marriage that their entire autonomy is being taken away or suppressed. And some in this fandom have argued that Viserra was bad or amoral for trying to seduce Baelon in his grief, and some have even said she was trying to take advantage of him! But does Baelon think this way or try to "avenge" himself on her? No.

Why try to ruin her and her kids' entire lives? Once more, Rhaenyra, even in Mushroom's version, does not ever complain to Viserys or try to ruin Criston. So....

[sare11aa11eras]

George R R Martin has failed to establish any female warriors in/from Dorne (it should be noted that Nymeria of Ny Sar was a leader/general, not a soldier) apart from the Sand Snakes (whose Dad is actual royalty) so *IF* he wants to make Dorne this actual feminist safe haven with women warriors and stuff he’s got to a) explain why Brienne didn’t have dreams of going to Dorne where she’d be accepted and b) make Allyria Dayne the Sword of the Morning c) give Myriah Martell a female personal bodyguard, a la Jonquil Darke, who tags along from Dorne and at some point beats Daemon Blackfyre/Aegor River’s ass in this essay I will

[brienneevenstar]

twincesters want the wuthering heights/borgias type of romance but jaime and cersei are not devoted enough to each other i fear

[swordmaid]

in the post canon jb ai I’ve been consumed with for the past few days I am thinking hyle is still alive and I think he deserves to witness these shenanigans and I also like the idea that he’s grown fond of brienne in his own way and he’s formed a reluctant camaraderie/loyalty to jaime (maybe he ends up saving him in the long night at some point bc jayle is real to me too) so now he’s watching these two being fools about each other and watching jaime woo her is physically painful PERSONALLY he would not have done it like that and hyle is so much better and has more rizz than he’ll ever have so he laughs at his attempts. then when brienne is starting to get into her head enough that hyle notices he’s like 👀 actually you know what maybe I’ll help out so in the end when they do end up together he can gloat that he’s the reason why they’re together. so, he gets pod and maybe peck and maybe pia and they try to set up little moments for jb and it’s this whole other C plot happening in the background bc they can’t stand to watch jaime, the golden lion of the lannisters, fail miserably in wooing his lady wife bc she can’t take a fucking hint

[closethedoorandcomehere]

Spoilers, profanity, Jaime x Brienne. Game of Thrones. A Song of Ice and Fire. ASoS Daenerys VI

Close The Door And Come Here - ASoS Daenerys VI

Dany's conquered yet another city state, but it's very much two steps forward, three steps back for her as she deals with the fallout and Jorah's crappy YouTube apology. Hell has frozen over and we find that we're the Dany Defense Squad now.

[jaimexbrienne-fic-finder]

Warmth

It's really cold where I am, so I am re-reading and collecting stories that make me feel warm. This is not a tangiable theme, just ~vibes, so it might not feel the same for everyone! But all of them are nice and with a happy ending!

This is Halloween by captainellie

Halloween definition: Surprisingly, how two roommates plus two kids become a family.

Marry Me, Because I Want to Date You by elizadunc (Ladybugbear2)

Jaime's been proposing to Brienne since college. Brienne has been taking it as a joke since college.

It started with a dare by WauryD

It’s easy to make someone angry. It’s harder to deal with the fallout of making them smile.

A weird dream makes Brienne question things.

The Shooting Party by sea_spirit

Scotland, 1921. When Brienne finds out her father is bringing an unwelcome guest from her past to join a shooting party at Winterfell, Sansa suggests that she ask her friend Lord Jaime Lannister for his assistance.

An Afternoon at Aerys Ancient Baths by hillaryschu

Brienne accidentally takes Jaime somewhere super sexy for his birthday and they realize it's actually what they both want. A trip to a modern bathhouse.

Found Wanting by dreadwulf

Brienne is still convinced that the entire affair is a joke on her. Surely there is a real bride somewhere in the castle, who will be brought out once the crowd has had a good laugh at the cow in a satin gown. When she said as much to her intended, he said it was surely a joke on them both. Let them laugh, he said. What’s funnier is that Queen Daenerys made the match in the first place – she must have thought them intolerable to one another. The Beauty and the Kingslayer. Surely Brienne could see the humor in it?

pillow talk by djelibeybi

There are still a lot of things Brienne is afraid to say, but she's trying to be brave.

give it a chance Serries by sameboots

In which Jaime is an important person, Brienne is his P.A., Jaime is hard to deal with, and Brienne is very patient.

--

“Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”

“That’s not why I hate you.” Brienne turns around with the tux in hand to find Jaime looking at her like a kicked puppy. “What?”

“You hate me?”

Jaime actually sounds wounded. Brienne pinches the bridge of her nose.

Let's go our separate ways in the night (But know that you're flying home to me) by ImberReader

The first time Jaime kisses her hand she thinks it's part of his promise that they will meet again. And while she's not technically wrong, it takes two more kisses for her to realizes it's so much more than that.

Madness by RoseHeart

Brienne brings Jaime to the Quiet Isle after Pennytree and tries to save everyone, but no one expected what would happen when Jaime tries to save her.

Ring Them Bells by kirazi

His mouth is set in an unhappy line, and she knows he hears it as a sentence she’s passing on him, a just punishment for his crimes. Good, she thinks, yes. I sentence you to live. Live, and find a way to come to terms with it. Live, and never make me watch you ride to your own grave again.

(Jaime rings the bells, and from there, the future unfolds differently. A story about two tired knights on a slow boat to Tarth, working things out.)

The Alcove by RoseHeart

A one shot inspired by the lovely art by jokertookmypicture.

Jaime and Brienne have survived war and winter. But now they must try to find their new lives amidst something they have never truly experienced before: peace.

Head, Hand, Heart by ddagent

When Jaime slays King Aerys, there is no one to take his place. Ned, fearing a Lannister rise to power, suggests his father’s ward, Brienne of Tarth, take the throne. She reluctantly agrees, and finds an ally in Ser Jaime. His loyalty is given by asking just one question: why.

As the Maid of Tarth becomes Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, the Kingslayer becomes Hand to the Queen. And, the longer they spend together, possibly more…

maybe, perhaps, almost by lionoflannistarth (eldritch_beau)

“You haven’t visited the Maester yet, have you?” Brienne asks.

“Oh come now,” Jaime just shrugs, looking up at her with a boyish grin, “you’ve seen me worse.”

Her blue eyes are shining, brimming with life and for a second he feels a mad abandon. She is alive. So is he.

He should just fucking kiss her.

I'm dying to be born again by angel_deux

After the wars are done, Daenerys is queen of the six kingdoms. Jon and Sansa Stark rule the north. And Jaime serves as a hostage in Kings Landing to ensure his brother's good behavior. When Tyrion schemes to see Jaime married off and removed from the city, Jaime is allowed to choose his wife.

He should be happier that the woman he loves is quick to accept his proposal. Except maybe it's too quick. And she just says, "all right". And she calls it sensible.

aka Jaime and Brienne get married to keep the friendship alive, and Jaime pines for his literal wife.

Maiden, Monster, Knight by PrioritiesSorted

The tale was told throughout the Seven Kingdoms: the tale of a mother’s mad grief, the tale of the maiden in the tower, the tale of the dragon who guarded her. A dragon who had once been a girl.

The Unicorn Incident by sdwolfpup

Catelyn needs a unicorn horn. Jaime knows where one is. Brienne is the only virgin she trusts to go with him. Time for a sexually awkward two-person road trip!

cold by djelibeybi

The world is ending soon, she thought. That’s enough to make any man act strangely.

Go On by sdwolfpup

The entirely soft tale of Brienne-with-the-fish and Jaime-with-the-bar, the cheating ex-boyfriend that inadvertently brings them together, and the supportive and exasperated support systems in their lives that help them see that even after heartbreak, life goes on.

Something Real by francoeurs

In which Jaime has a nightmare and overreacts just a bit.

[atopvisenyashill]

I swear if I see one more mind numbing stan post about 'active' and 'passive' women in asoiaf fandom I am going to scream. Like all the 'active' favorites *cough SIs coughs* only get that privilege through the indulgence of a powerful male relative (See Arya or Lyanna learning swordplay) or straight having access to a deus ex machina (see Rhaenyra or Dany), but without one or the other the patriarchy still catches you (see Helaena or any of Jaehaerys's daughters) or it kills you (see every violent death by childbirth like Alyssa, Aemma, or Lyanna).

FRIEND. YES. MY GOD. ITS THE DUMBEST SHIT.

For one thing, a character can fall from active to passive or move from passive to active on the flip of a dime. Lyanna goes from being an active participant in her life to dying alone in a tower of sepsis. Cersei goes from actively politicking in King's Landing and being one of the faces of the War of Five Kings to beaten down and passively accepting what's happening to her (...for now) after her walk of atonement. Arya sends quite a bit of her time at Harrenhal very passive, simply trying to live from day to day before taking action to get herself, Gendry, and Hot Pie out of Harrenhal. Sometimes, a woman is simply put in a dangerous situation where the best thing for her to do is essentially play dead - if she's not actively and literally dying, that is.

Beyond that, the definitions people have of "active" and "passive" is like, just the dumbest shit imaginable. Helaena is often called a "passive" character despite having a relatively active role in keeping King's Landing calm and under control while Aegon is king until B&C, where she becomes quite passive due to, you know, extreme trauma. Sansa is seen as "passive" despite taking an active role in her own escape from King's Landing, from plotting with Dontos to making an alliance with the Tyrells. She is "actively" trying to sabatoge Littlefinger and Joffrey by undercutting their comments, saving people they don't want saved, and drawing attention to herself and her identity but none of that is seen as active because [incomprehensible gibberish]. Similarly, Rhaenyra is seen as an "active" character despite her "active" actions being...really similar to both Cersei and Sansa ie being in charge of "passive" activities like ruling on the Small Council, sending messages instead of fighting herself, planning her own escape, fighting for her own ability to marry who she chooses, etc. Like, people will look at Rhaenyra fighting against her marriage to Laenor and call that "active" but when Sansa refuses to kneel for Tyrion that's "passive" because...*cue fandom wank* Rhaenyra never not once fights in the books nor do we see her actually physically fighting in the show yet she's an active character while other women who rely on playing politics over commanding armies are considered "passive."

It's just the dumbest sort of discourse that is applied in the most lopsided, clearly angling to keep fandom wank going instead of actually engaging with the text imaginable. I am once again directing people to Brienne and Catelyn and asking why only certain types of power are celebrated, why only certain actions are considered "active", and why only certain types of women's stories are allowed to be told, in a series teaming with all sorts of varied women's stories.

"Brienne, I have taken many wellborn ladies into my service over the years, but never one like you. I am no battle commander.” “No, but you have courage. Not battle courage perhaps but … I don’t know … a kind of woman’s courage."

"Fighting is better than this waiting," Brienne said. "You don't feel so helpless when you fight. You have a sword and a horse, sometimes an axe. When you're armored it's hard for anyone to hurt you. "Knights die in battle," Catelyn reminded her. Brienne looked at her with those blue and beautiful eyes. "As ladies die in childbed. No one sings songs about them."