#jaime/cersei

[thesaltofcarthage]

A card for very specific fandom niches

[jackoshadows]

Thinking of the parallels between Jaime/Brienne and Jon/Arya and the contrasts between Jaime/Cersei and Jon/Arya.

We start with the swords. I spy similarities in the writing where Jon gifts Arya a sword and Jaime does the same for Brienne.

First, it’s a gift.

“I have something for you to take with you, and it has to be packed very carefully.”  Her face lit up. “A present?” 

“You could call it that. Close the door.” - Jon, AGoT

“I have a gift for you.” He reached down under the Lord Commander’s chair and brought it out, wrapped in folds of crimson velvet. - Jaime, ASoS

Then there’s the unveiling.

By then Jon had pulled off the rags he’d wrapped it in. He held it out to her. Arya’s eyes went wide. Dark eyes, like his. “A sword,” she said in a small, hushed breath. The scabbard was soft grey leather, supple as sin. Jon drew out the blade slowly, so she could see the deep blue sheen of the steel. - Jon, AGoT

Brienne approached as if the bundle was like to bite her, reached out a huge freckled hand, and flipped back a fold of cloth. Rubies glimmered in the light. She picked the treasure up gingerly, curled her fingers around the leather grip, and slowly slid the sword free of its scabbard. Blood and black the ripples shone. A finger of reflected light ran red along the edge. “Is this Valyrian steel? I have never seen such colors.” - Jaime, ASoS

And then there’s the naming, where both Jon and Jaime name the sword, for Arya’s ‘love’ of sewing and Brienne finding Catelyn’s girls for the oaths promised.

“I almost forgot,” he told her. “All the best swords have names.” “Like Ice,” she said. She looked at the blade in her hand. “Does this have a name? Oh, tell me.” “Can’t you guess?” Jon teased. “Your very favorite thing.” Arya seemed puzzled at first. Then it came to her. She was that quick. They said it together: “Needle!” - Jon, AGoT

Before she could think to refuse, he went on. “A sword so fine must bear a name. It would please me if you would call this one Oathkeeper. ” - Jaime, ASoS

This then leads to the first instance of Jon/Arya (and Jaime/Brienne) being written as foils to Jaime/Cersei with Cersei’s anger at the difference between how she and Jaime were treated growing up as children.

"Yet even  so, when Jaime was given his first sword, there was none for me. 'What  do I get?' I remember asking. We were so much alike, I could never  understand why they treated us so differently. Jaime learned to fight  with sword and lance and mace, while I was taught to smile and sing and  please. He was heir to Casterly Rock, while I was to be sold to some  stranger like a horse, to be ridden whenever my new owner liked, beaten  whenever he liked, and cast aside in time for a younger filly. Jaime's  lot was to be glory and power, while mine was birth and moonblood."  - Cersei, AFfC 

And while Arya’s parents did treat her differently to her brothers, she did end up getting a sword because Jon Snow gifted her with one. Jon Snow who recognizes what it is that Arya is actually interested in, what it is that Arya wants, who understands the unfairness of the patriarchy where Arya is concerned and proceeds to try and fix in some small manner. 

And yet for as much as Jaime claims to love Cersei, giving up Casterly Rock and becoming a Kingsguard to be with her, he does not seem to either understand this side of her or acknowledge it any way. Given the constant reminders that Jaime and Cersei are very close to each other from birth, does Jaime even know of Cersei’s resentment and try to address it? Have conversations with her about it? Given what we know of pre - one hand Jaime and his initial interactions with Brienne, I doubt it. In fact Jaime is surprised at Brienne’s prowess and strength given that she’s a woman.

She is stronger than I am.The realization chilled him. Robert had been stronger than him, to be sure. The White Bull Gerold Hightower as well, in his heyday, and Ser Arthur Dayne. Amongst the living, Greatjon Umber was stronger, Strongboar of Crakehall most likely, both Cleganes for a certainty. The Mountain’s strength was like nothing human. It did not matter. With speed and skill, Jaime could beat them all. But this was a woman. A huge cow of a woman, to be sure, but even so … by rights, she should be the one wearing down. - Jaime, ASoS

And while Cersei resented that Jaime got Casterly Rock and the swords, there is understanding and empathy on both sides where Jon Snow and Arya Stark are concerned.

“Why aren’t you down in the yard?” Arya asked him. He gave her a half smile. “Bastards are not allowed to damage young princes,” he said. “Any bruises they take in the practice yard must come from trueborn swords.” “Oh.” Arya felt abashed. She should have realized. For the second time today, Arya reflected that life was not fair. - Arya, AGoT

Jaime only gets to this place of seeing Brienne as an equal in ASoS, after interacting with her, starting to respect her skill and accepting her as a fellow warrior and trusting in her to keep his oaths to Catelyn.

He swayed with the motion of his horse, wishing for a sword. Two swords would be even better. One for the wench and one for me. We’d die, but we’d take half of them down to hell with us. - Jaime, ASoS

With Jaime’s gradual change in feelings towards Cersei and Brienne, we get that final contrast between Jaime/Cersei and Jon/Arya - possibly also where Jaime/Cersei ends once and for all and where romantic Jon/Arya may start with a resurrected Jon reuniting with an older Arya. Yes, this is about the letters.

“Does my lord wish to answer?”

I love you. I love you. I love you. Come at once.

“No,” he said. “Put this in the fire.” - Jaime, AFfC

“What do you mean to do, crow?”

 I want my bride back … I want my bride back … I want my bride back …

“I think we had best change the plan,” Jon Snow said. - Jon, ADwD

Keep in mind that by laws and oaths sworn, as a sworn brother of the Kingsguard, Jaime can and most probably should defend the queen in a trial by combat and still Jaime refuses to help. Meanwhile, Jon Snow is prohibited by laws and sworn oaths to step in and help Arya and yet he decides to endanger the neutrality of the NW by going to war with Ramsay Bolton.

Jaime is as done with Cersei as Cersei was done with Jaime when he returned without a hand. Meanwhile Jon Snow is just getting started, breaking his sacrosanct NW oaths and rallying an army of Wildlings to go attack the Warden of the North for Arya.

And following through on here, I think there will be a very different reaction from Arya to a scarred Jon Snow - and yes, depending on how Jon is resurrected he may have a lot of scars or never healing injuries like Ladystoneheart and Beric Dondarrion - compared to Cersei’s revulsion at Jaime’s stump. Their bond and love for each other goes deeper than the lust and infatuation based on beauty and looks between Jaime and Cersei.

So yes, I think Braime makes for some nice parallels with Jonrya, while Jaime/Cersei work as foils to Jon/Arya.

[lemonhemlock]

Ur favourite ships in Asoiaf?

no other ship in the main series has had the same hold on me like jaime/cersei. sorry to bran but as soon as i saw jaime push him from that window with mine own two eyes i thought 'oh, so we're really doing this' and hopped on the train

i also like the jonsa subtext in the show

[faintingheroine]

I think the Jaime/Heathcliff comparisons have less to do with their actual character and more with their romantic relationships with Cersei/Catherine.

Yes I agree. And I do see it in that sense. Still I think the parallels with Littlefinger are stronger.

We did discuss this with you before on my side blog. I do agree that there is a similarity with Jaime/Cersei, but I find these similarities less specific than the ones with Littlefinger. But you are free to make your case. You were going to make a post about this and I would like to read it.

[landing-amongst-the-planets]

Can anyone gimme any Jaime/Cersei discord server links, I wanna join ‘em all :3

[visenya-targarye]

it's always a lannister beefing with a child

(honorable mention)

[kudriaken]

House Lannister. My fanart series for the Great Houses from the ASOIAF. I wanted to make this for the longest time.

[francy-sketches]

cringe ass family ❤

[greenbloods]

honestly hilarious that the lannister siblings are all history freaks in different direction. cersei rolls her eyes that jaime doesn't know what the second blackfyre rebellion was about while he rattles off the tale of ser luthor pisseryon of daeron i's kingsguard, who served for all of seven moons before he died shitting himself en route to dorne. meanwhile tyrion's sitting in the corner reading maester leomore's neo-myrxist critique of archmaester hargreave's account of the Storming of the Dragonpit (The Warrior Himself: Examining the Dying of the Dragons in the Light of the Seven) and not paying attention to it one bit because he’s moping about how everyone in kings landing hates him, the imp, because he’s ugly and rich, and not because he’s a feudal overlord who is fundamentally detached from the immediate concerns of his starving subjects

[wodania]

the twins lannister

[knightsickness]

‘if joanna had lived the lannisters would have been normal/nicer’ WRONG i think she would have married cersei off as geographically far away as possible and then started doing some the lion in winter shit with jaime. she refuses to acknowledge tyrion because in surviving his birth she’s gone from a victim of tywin’s imp to his mother an accomplice there must have been something wrong with her to birth him like that. do not fall into the all dead mothers were really soft and niceys fallacy

[ilynpilled]

lannister sibs

[norringtondeservestheworld]

can't believe it's canon that in the last season Jaime was chilling with his brother then Brienne entered and Jaime jumped on his feet murmuring my lady like a Jane Austen's hero and Tyrion was like damn bro, someone is smitten, isn't it?

[tangerine-brooks]

sansa antis are so funny to me because like. we have a book full of character that straight up commited war crimes. we have a guy who tried to murder a 7 y.o. twice. we have a rich guy who kills a sex worker for testifying against him. we have a girl who tries to kill her brother for being disabled. we have a guy who straight up kills and tortures people as a form of entertainment. we have a guy who strikes his wife. we have tywin fucking lannister. we have a guy who repeatedly rapes his childbride. we have a guy who sold people to slavery. we have a guy who kills his own brother and also burns people alive. we have a guy who likes murdering people. the list is endless. but noooo, the character you hate the most is this 11 y.o. girl, who is mean to her sister and isn't just smart enough to understand political schemes and manipulation tactics. a terrible, vile creature.

[mormontdacey]

oh to be tywin lannister in agot…

your son and presumed heir what’s-his-name has been kidnapped and is still at large. last you heard he was in the vale maybe? but you haven’t checked and you’re not planning to

this is low priority because your daughter (derogatory) has launched a coup to kill her drunk husband the king and seize power. she accidentally gets a two-for-one deal when her impulsive and suspiciously blond son has the second most powerful man in the country killed for shits and giggles on the steps of the westerosi vatican. now your house is fighting a five-front war.

your favorite child—who is both the best swordsman in the realm and a national disgrace—is leading your far superior armies but he’s getting his ass kicked by a high school freshman and his pet dog, so you’ve got no choice but to head to the riverlands to clean up the mess. but zero worries because nothing EVER goes wrong in the riverlands!!!!

[duckytree]

a lot of problems would’ve been avoided if cps existed in the got verse