#I have a lot of feelings about Brienne okay

[llonelygoddess]

How they react to...you getting injured

A/N: I hope this doesn't sound redundant but here ya go :)

Romantic Pairings: Ned Stark, Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Sansa Stark, Margaery Tyrell, Theon Greyjoy, Khal Drogo, Brienne of Tarth, Missandei

Ned Stark: If you got injured it would most likely be from falling off your horse during a casual ride. As the doting husband he is he would be rushing to your side and calling maesters to check on you. With only a small bruise to show for you try to get back on the horse but Ned doesn't allow it. He doesn't mean to control you, he only wants to keep you safe from any more serious injuries that won't heal as easy as a bruise.

Robb Stark: With Robb, he normally has guards with you at all times because he worries for your safety. When one of them turns out to be a spy with intent to hurt you, Robb is livid. You were pushed and left with a few bruises but all he sees is red. Robb sentences the man to die and takes his head for it. He spends the rest of the day with you in bed, feeling guilty while he looks at your injuries. You'll definitely want to console him cause he will cry, especially thinking of what COULD have happened to you.

Jon Snow: He truly believes in your ability to take care of yourself, but when you get hurt during a fight he rushes to your side without second thought. You'll both have to fight your way out of the conflict but once you're safe he checks on your wounds. He asks for a maester to check them out to keep out infection and feels a little useless not being able to do anything himself. Jon makes it a point to joke about it to take away the serious energy going on and promises to always have your back.

Sansa Stark: Girly is straight up crying. Doesn't matter if it was just a little accident or you were roughed up by some thugs, younger Sansa is a crier. When she finds you she's holding onto you with strength you didn't know she had. Unlike older Sansa who would be ready to pass someone's death sentence, younger Sansa only cares about you feeling better. She does her best to make you a prayer wheel like her mother does for her.

Margaery Tyrell: She'd be a lot more calm than you'd think, at least around others. Once she sees you lying in bed with your leg elevated, she's questioning the hell out of you. What happened? Who was it? Do you need anything? Milk of the Poppy? It's almost entertaining to see how much she worries in contrast to her usual cool attitude. After you assure her that you're alright she's cuddling up in bed with you, probably to read something to you.

Theon Greyjoy: Pre!Reek Theon would instantly be at arms and ready to fight whoever touched you. He's possessive and the thought of ANYONE touching you pisses him off but especially if they meant to harm you. He wouldn't know how to express his worry for you so he'd just angrily stand by you as you recover. Post!Reek Theon is deeply insecure and guilty about you getting hurt. He still wants to fight whoever hurt you but he's more concerned with making sure you're okay.

Khal Drogo: *Activate instant death mode* I mean we saw what happened when Daenerys almost got poisoned, think about actually getting poisoned. Having to lay in bed for days while Drogo goes out in search for whoever did this to you. It doesn't matter why they did it or if you die or not, all that matters to him is giving them the most painful death possible. When he's done, he sits at your bedside knowing you are strong and capable of overcoming this.

Brienne of Tarth: It was only a training accident but your messed up ankle reminded Brienne how fragile you were. She was born and raised to endure the pain that came with being a knight/fighting, but you never asked for it. She'll feel upset at herself for not teaching you properly and it'll come off as anger towards you. Truly she doesn't mean it but if being hard on you will keep you safe next time then she knows what she has to do.

Missandei: Tearsss. She's crying before she even knows what happened to you. Stays by your bedside as you heal from a battle wound and takes responsibility for changing your dressings and cleaning the injury. Missandei knows that this is the life you've chosen to live, but sometimes she wishes she could take you away to her homeland safe from any harm.

[suckerforcate]

Hi!! I wanted to request something for Brienne. I was gonna try and write it since a friend and I have been talking about it, but I’m simply not as good as you 🥹

Basically a love triangle with reader, Brienne, and Jaime. Reader has feelings for Brienne but everyone has been pointing out how Jaime and Brienne would be a good couple so reader just distances themselves and Brienne notices, thinking that reader is done putting up with her and doesn’t really like her so she confronts them and leads to reader confessing and stuff. And Brienne confesses too.

Thanks!

You, not him

Pairing: Brienne of Tarth x Reader

Word Count: 1617

Warning: Angst, mention of vomiting,

A/n: I didn't want to make Reader too old, as I thought it would be quite unrealistic for her to still be unmarried then. Hence the age gap. Hope that is okay. I thought of Reader as beginning to mid twenty, as Brienne is about end of thiry. I really hope you like what I did with your request!! I really liked writing it.

When Brienne had come back, you had been so happy. You hadn't seen her for such a long time, and you really wanted to tell her everything that had happened. But when she had arrived she hadn't been alone. Jamie Lannister sat on a horse just behind her. You didn't like him, he always had this arrogant, smug look. Like he was better than all the rest. So your initial thought was that Brienne held him captive, but he walked around freely and Brienne held actual conversations with him.

It had been about two weeks since they had arrived, and you were fed up with the Kingslayer. It was enough. Honestly, since they arrived you couldn't talk to Brienne without him following her like a stray puppy. And even though he seemed to like her, way too much to your liking, he still made cruel jokes about her. Couldn't he decide if he liked her or not?!

At the beginning, you thought as long as it's one-sided it doesn't matter. But after a few more weeks you couldn't go anywhere without hearing people talk about the two of them.

"They make such a nice pair, don't they?"

"Oh yes, have you seen the way they look at each other?"

Others weren't so polite about it.

"Honestly, I think she just wants to fuck him. And he wouldn't be averse either, I think." They laughed dirty and left. You just stood there, tears in your eyes.

In the past week you hadn't talked so much with Brienne, because you had to help your mother a lot. You guessed that week was enough for their relationship to take a new turn.

Actually you had looked forward to this evening as Brienne wanted to teach you some sword-fighting. You thought you could finally spend some time together. Alone. Like you always used to. But considering the newest information, you really didn't feel like going.

Sitting on you bed that evening, all you could do was cry. You had always feared that she would come back one day. In love. With a partner. But the cruel reality of it hit you stronger than anticipated.

You felt so empty and yet so full of emotions. Full of sadness and rage.

Dinner hadn't been the best idea. You realised that as you felt it coming up again. Cowering over the toilet, still crying, you felt as pathetic as probably possible.

Why were you like this? All your friends always told you about how they fell in love with a cute, rich, honourable prince. How they had their happy life. The life that was promised to all of you, from childhood on.

But you? Of course, you had to be different. Falling in love with a woman about fifteen years older than you, way out of your reach and in love with someone else. Stupid you.

----------------

The next days to weeks you avoided Brienne. It hurt way too much and every time you saw her together with Jamie you felt tears prick in your eyes. In addition to that you thought if you avoided her maybe it would be easier for you to forget about her. You wanted to be happy for her so bad. But you just couldn't. Whatever you did, you cried yourself to sleep. Either because you missed her, because you had seen her with Jamie or because you had heard people talk about them again. Even your own mother talked about them, that definitely didn't make it easier at all.

-----------------

You knew the avoiding part wouldn't work forever and sooner or later you needed to talk to her. But that day came sooner rather than later. And you definitely weren't prepared for it, you were far too in love with her.

For the first time in weeks you dared to go out, into the garden. The garden had always been the place where you and Brienne could talk for hours. So you should have known that you would meet her there.

You were reading a book when you felt someone standing next to you. You looked up, right into Brienne's eyes. Your body visible tensed and you directly looked away. Still Brienne sat down. You felt her leg touch yours as the bench wasn't very big.

"I can't shake the feeling, that you have been avoiding me, my lady. I had rather looked forward to our time together when I had come back. But it seems you haven't." You felt a wave if sadness rush over you. You had never wanted to hurt Brienne. But you could endure it, spending time with her.

You couldn't say anything, your mouth opened a few times but no words came out. For Brienne that was a clear answer.

"I thought so. I understand if you don't want to spend time with me. I had always feared that one day you would see me for what I really am. That you would see me the way the rest sees me. I assume you are just too polite to tell me. But I think this is answer enough. Still I want to say, I enjoyed the time we had together and if you ever change your mind, I will be there." She wanted to stand up and leave. You panicked, you still hadn't said a word, but you didn't want her to leave thinking what she just said was the truth. You grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She turned her head, and you hoped she knew you well enough to understand the look in your eyes. She did. She sat down again.

Still holding her wrist you saw tears fall down on your skirt and looking at Brienne's dry face, you realised they were yours. Brienne saw them too. She pulled you into her side and let you cry, not questioning you, not judging you.

Ad you felt your tears dry you pulled back and turned around, so you could look her in the eyes.

"Please, Brienne never think that what you said is true. That's not the reason I'm avoiding you." She smiled at you relief washing over her face.

"But, what's the reason then? Please tell me, my lady. You can talk to me." You knew that. In fact, you had always talked to her, when you had problems. For the last years she had always been there, and you felt a whole in your life where she used to be. You needed her. And in that moment you decided that even if it hurts you, you need to be with her. You would be strong. Because not having her at all was just worse.

"I don't know how to tell you. I really wanted to be happy for you. It's hard, I can't bear seeing you together. But I will learn to, I will be strong for the both of us. Because I need you in my life. Even if it's just as a friend." With that you looked at her and all you saw was... confusion. Pure and utter confusion.

"I'm sorry, my lady. But I really don't understand what you are talking about."

"I'm talking about you and Jamie. And that I love you. I have loved you since I first laid my eyes on you and not being able to ever have you breaks my heart. But it's okay, if you're happy. Which it seems you are." At that Brienne laughed. She really laughed, how could she. What you had just told her wasn't funny. Still she laughed, a real and deep laugh. A relieved laugh. She had really been concerned and was happy that the "problem" was something so stupid.

"Oh, (Y/n), love. Jamie and I are not involved. Absolutely not. He's just following me around like a chicken. It's quite annoying actually. I can't believe you thought that. I was desperately trying to leave him and spend my time with you. But you avoided me, so I was stuck with him." Your eyes widened.

"But everyone was talking about you two. I- even my mother."

"Since when is the castle-gossip something you believe in?" She was right. You had always been the one to not believe it and to question every rumour you heard.

"I'm so stupid. Honestly I can't believe myself." You laughed, happy for the first time in weeks. But as you looked at Brienne you saw concern, no insecurity? You stopped laughing.

"What's wrong?" You took her hands in your and gently stroked over the back of them up to her pulse point.

"Did you mean it? What you said, that you love me?"

You warmly smiled at her.

"Of course I did, what do you think why I was so upset about you and Jamie. I was jealous and scared that I'd lose you.

"You will never lose me. For I love you too, (Y/n) (y/l/n)." You smiled at her and cupped her face in your hands. She blushed under your touch but still leaned down to catch your lips in a kiss.

It was gentle and careful and first. You assumed it was not just your first but also her first kiss. But that carefulness was overcome fast, when she grabbed your hips and pulled you onto her lap. You threw your legs around her and your hands travelled to her neck and up into her hair. She pulled you even closer at that and let out a slight moan. You thought it was cute, but she stopped in her tracks and blushed. She hid her red face in the crook of your neck out of embarrassment as you laughed at her shyness and stroked over her hair. Everything was alright now. You were happy again.

[aria-ashryver]

Welcome To The Jungle | Choices MC Colony | Episode #4

Dorian: so, just to recap: a nearby settlement hired a PI to investigate whether a neighbouring faction of theirs were actually cannibals -- turns out they are, and now that PI is running for her life and needs our help? Rin: That's pretty much what I picked up over the comms, yeah Marianna: Seven pirate raiders from the Venom Chokers Daenarya: Oh, hey I know those guys! Yeeeeah, yeah they'll eat you. Brienne: Some of them also spit fire. Luca: Sorry-- they spit what, now? Anitha: We're helping her, right? Dorian: …Us versus seven angry, fire-spitting, cannibal raiders? Oliver: Yes, we are helping. Dorian: Yeah, totally! Nothing about that sentence is terrifying! Luca: snorts Rin: …chicken. Dorian: I'm not scared. Marianna: Yes, you are. Dorian: Shush.

Aaaahhhhh oh god everything is fine aaahhh

Good news! Carina is safe and (mostly) well! And since we did such an excellent job on the rescue mission (and were sooooo brave and not at all terrified) she's decided to join us for good.

Welcome to the Jungle, @stars-are-within-me's Carina 💖👋 Lovely to have you aboard

[LINK] - Episode 3.5 (ask) - a little overview of the base so far!

Okay, welcome to Episode #4, folks. Its been an exciting few weeks of raids, illnesses, and wild animal attacks, so I think our MCs are due a nice period of calm to relax, take stock, build up our base, and enjoy the bonds of friendship.

ok so we took stock, the stocks aren't great.

Turns out doubling your colony size overnight really hits you in the food department! Who knew. Fortunately, we do have some folks who know a thing or two about crops and gardening, so we've now got two thriving farms, as well as some chickens (Wilbur and Clementine) and our new cow (Tallulah) who we traded some nomads for.

omg the baby chicks are sleeping in the hay that's so cute 😭

(also, something weird happened and all of our crops were turned into strawberries for like a week before I noticed? We had to replant everything lmao. Idk who was behind that one)

Its been nice to just see folks bonding and chatting about stuff while they work too 😊 At the moment, Evie and Luca are the OG colony besties - Evie helps Luca with their building projects quite a bit, so they have lots of time for Top Notch banter. Clearly.

Luca: *ADHD-fuelled rambling* Evie: yeah, i like this one he's weird

Some of the other colonists are finding comfort in each other in this harsh and unforgiving jungle too 👀 A few situationships have started to crop up here and there?? (and I find it utterly hilarious that once again, its mostly the Blades MCs who are Blades MC-ing)

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want to change/update any of these settings (bc I'm limiting things like lovers and marriage, etc at the moment), just let me know! [Here is a link] to current sprite stats!

Luca and Oliver have both been flirting a lot lately, so I feel like they might the next two to become a thing lol.

Luca: Great party, Oliver! Just what we needed after getting attacked by cannibals. That was crazy, right? Oliver: Yeah, that raid was a nail-biter. Ha, good thing no one else got bitten though. Luca: …You could bite me. Oliver: … Luca: If you want. You seem broad-minded. Oliver: ...what? Luca: what?

Speaking of biting people (apt segue is apt); a group of vampires have asked if they could host a coven meeting at Cedar Station! (They'll pay us with books!! Fuck yeahhhh books!)

Ricky, stop interrupting the coven meeting. Read the room. It's full of purple smoke and spooky spectral demon eyes.

One of them liked Cedar Station so much, she decided to stay! Cameron? Sergio? No, we used aliases. It's Jiahao. Yes, my cape is amazing.

Welcome to the Jungle, @choicesmc's Jia!! ✨ (I've never had a vampire colonist before, I'm hyped)

Ooh, and right on the heels of this! A roaming caravan of hunters and traders passed by the colony (and enjoyed the seaside for a little bit lol) -- and one of the guards who had been helping herd and protect their animals decided to stick around too!

Welcome to the Jungle, @dutifullynuttywitch's Autumn!! *wipes tear* our lil family keeps growing 🥹

I'm so glad this has just been a period of relaxing and making new friends. I'm really enjoying this calm. Surely nothing bad will happen, right?

Surely nothing bad will--

Surely nothing--

*grits teeth* Surely nothing bad will--

SEVENTEEN MAN-EATING MONKEYS???????

Guys please not now, do you not see us hiding from the swarm of angry monkeys??? 😭😭😭

ok no, we can always make time for humanitarian aid. We were sooo brave and fought off enough monkeys so Marianna and Oliver could sneak away and donate money to *checks notes*: Norma Rubivine the child brawler who is very good at mining despite being only 7 years old because she is a Dirtmole.

(me, crying: Norma come back and hhelp me w the monkeys. Please. Norma.)

Surely nothing bad will hap--

Surely nothing-- AGAIN with the insects???

(*through tears*) Surely nothing bad will--

Aaahhhh ow ow ow almost everyone is downed we have run out of hospital beds aahhhh

So uhhh. Let me end this episode by saying: Dorians arm got cut off by raiders and he almost bled to death and I felt really bad so I made him mayor.

🎉🎊🎉

Thank you once again for letting me borrow your darlings @dr-colossal-pita @choicesmc @rosesnink @stars-are-within-me @lover-also-fighter-also @cadybear420 @storyofmychoices @dutifullynuttywitch ✨✨✨

[melrosing]

This is in response to both the asoiaf fans weirdness about ugliness and attractiveness

and

The posts about brienne

So that's why it's an ask and not a reblog

Okay so I literally don't care about Rhea Royce at all. She's a side character who personally means nothing to me. But SO many fanfiction and posts immediately after season 1 were just. So fucking weird about her. "She isn't even ugly so killing her was fucked up" ...... Do you hear yourself. Look at the words you just typed. And also saw a lot of times where people excused daemon's actions towards her by pointing out she was ugly. It was just like. What. Her attractiveness does not matter??? It was so fucked up. I guess being ugly is a killable offense now. (Yes even the people who said she was attractive, this is about you)

nah it's so pathetic lol, i think something about stan fandom unleashes a childish instinct in a lot of people. it's like they missed out on getting to be the mean kids in primary school and now are trying it on in adulthood w fictional characters and actors.

and besides that - i think it goes without saying that there's a powerful bias towards attractive people in every walk of life, if you're beautiful you're going to be treated like a higher class citizen and if you're not, you're going to be placed at several disadvantages, depending on just how far you diverge from societal conventions. and I think few people are willing to reckon with that fact head on for fear of where they might fall within that spectrum.

but performing as arbiter for where others fall on that spectrum gives some a sense of empowerment, like identifying ugliness protects them from it. which is really fucking sad lol. but lbr prejudice against folk based on how they look is so fucking real. 'unattractive' isn't a class of being so it's difficult to meaningfully discuss the collective experience, and the result is that people still feel comfortable leaning into those prejudices and performing them for clout.

and obviously noone's worse for declaring those prejudices than children, but they at least have the excuse of age. don't know what the excuse is for a bunch of twenty-something twitter stans

[phneltwrites]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to other writers. Spread the self-love~ 🫶🏻

💚

it's tempting to pick the long fics because they took the most work and have the most Stuff in them (themes, narrative experimentation, whatever) so i want to think a little more widely about the stuff i've written.

Bad Thing Twice (Not Me, Todd/Black). Ohh I love Not Me so much. What a fantastic show about a group of people taking down the biggest billionaire in Thailand. The main romance is great, the gang is fantastic, it's beautiful to watch... and then right at the end the most perfect best friends to enemies ship appears. otp of two guys who keep trying to kill each other over ideological differences but can't because they love each other so much. So then I wrote 64k to take that friends to enemies and add on a ...to lovers. One of my faves because I got to get into some themes that I love, like how and when to compromise, what to do when the love is real but the situation is hard. Also because I don't see anything glamorous or admirable in being rich and I wanted to wallow a bit in how much money fucks things up.

Say All That You're Feeling (MDZS, wlw wangxian). lesbians!! Genuinely the process for writing this was just coming up with a big list of all the things that I thought would be hot. lwj woodworking. wwx making leather bracelets and then playing with the leather bracelet on lwj's wrist. But then ALSO this fic is about comphet. Stage 2 comphet. Stage 1 is 'is it possible to like girls???' Stage 2 is learning to be ok with experiencing attraction. It's scary to be horny! It's vulnerable. And there's so much baggage around unwanted attraction and being predatory but like. it's beautiful and fun. We all know a useless lesbian who is like 'idk if that was a date or just friends' and I'm always like WELL did YOU say if it was one or the other?? and they never do. Useless. But also we've all been there so this is like, a fond and generous read on that situation (i hope)

Retrieved from Impossibility (Leverage, Eliot/Parker/Hardison). Possibly the most Me fic I've ever written. Android Eliot desperately clinging to his humanity, Parker's fierce sense of what's okay and not, and Hardison being so smart and caring and also into robots. I love books about cognition and humanity and agency and I also am very weak to a trope about heisting a person so they can be free, so.

Falling Til Four in the Morning (MDZS, wangxian). I sure do love a hyperspecific AU. Like this, technically, is a coffee shop AU, however it's set in the 90s and wwx aspires to dotcom and lwj works in radio. I researched so much for this fic and nothing makes me feel better than people in the comments say it captured the vibe of the era. In case anyone reading this has read that fic and wondered: wwx disassociated himself from the Jiangs because he was doing AIDS activism and it was communicated to him that he was shaming them.

Standing in Sharpening Wind (Game of Thrones, Jon/Tormund). A fave cause I think the setting comes through clearly, which is always something I'm working on. I feel cold in the spaces in the sentences. I can't believe I never had any fic writing inclination for this show until the end of S8 pissed me off SO bad. Not even the point of this fic but Brienne/Sansa forever I can't believe that show fucked me so bad. uhh anyway yeah north of the wall vibes, some culture clash stuff, Tormund pining like an idiot, lots of fun for me to write

[atopvisenyashill]

9, 12, and 25?

9. worst part of canon

okay let me dig into the dothraki thing - what annoys me the most is that he compares the dothraki to is ~great plains horse riding tribes~ but there is NOTHING of them culturally in the dothraki or even in their setting!! the apache comanche navajo and other plains nations have such a rich history and i get george probably didn’t have access to that sort of information in the 90s but god he doesn’t even try!! i don’t know a lot about mongolian history but i would hazard a guess that the dothraki bear no resemblance to the actual khans that existed in the mongolian empire. there’s like an attempt to characterize dorne. there’s not even a tiny attempt to flesh out the dothraki or the lhazareen as cultures.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

okay i think this series has been around long enough that there’s not really unpopular characters bc everyone has their own mini fandom. i think you can find like a good hundred stans of every character in the series atp and i think that’s a fun change from when i first entered the fandom and people would make metas with lines like “sansa the bitch in the north begging for scraps” and this got reblogged by ~serious people~ in this fandom without comment. i think the fandom blowing up in size made some things worse, bc sometimes the h particles in this fandom go crazyyyyy but i also do like that when i say “i think sansa and theon are gonna be in love” while at work, i get taken seriously now.

that said, obviously it’s joffrey. idk what it is about this kid that makes people unable to see his complexity, despite his death being seen through the eyes of arguably his two biggest victims in tyrion & sansa, and both of them only feel grief and anguish at his death! he was born into an awful situation and it turned him into an awful person and he is dead before he’s had two decades of life.

i think cersei also gets this treatment, this refusal to engage with her complexity, which is why you get so many people who will call her ~jaime’s abuser~ when it’s just so much more complicated than that, or the guys on reddit who think robert should have beat her more. i think they both make people uncomfortable bc a lot of people know if they were in that situation, they’d absolutely crack up under the pressure too. they would not stay good people and they don’t wanna think about it so joff & cersei must simply be born evil! i feel like in the Fandom Right Now, they’re the two that really get that the most in several places and i think it’s crazy, cersei should be winning “best character in all of history” awards man!!!!

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

don’t love the idea that brienne shouldn’t fuck jaime bc shes ~too good for him, i think this is flying too close to madonna whore stuff and the jaime/brienne/cersei triangle is RIFE with this it’s like catnip for people, and this is bc jaime himself idealizes both women as madonnas and whores BUT for brienne it’s like. her story is about learning she’s allowed to be a woman in however way she wants to be, and she can be a knight and also crave sex and romance, she’s not a freak in a dress for desiring fine things like any other woman of her station. finding a sexual and romantic partner who looks at her and feels LUST and feels LOVE is imo a very important part of her character arc and i think the idea that she has to settle for someone like connington is crazy and also like, mean 😭😭 it just forces her back into that mold of the madonna to cersei’s whore and i don’t like it!!

[a-libra-writes]

hey!! if you’re up for it, I would like to request headcanons for how the asoiaf characters would react to girlfriend/wife!reader being insecure about her looks :) it would be great if you would add jon as well as whoever you want!!

Gonna do a shortie for this one!

Oberyn, Margaery, Sansa and Jorah are arguably the most understanding in this regard. They care about you deeply and find you wonderful as you are, but! They still understand how insecurities can come up and make you feel terrible. They're excellent at emphasizing, holding your hand and giving you wonderful words of encouragement. Oberyn and Margaery are extra affectionate about it - lots of kisses for their lovely lady! This group doesn't want to let you out of their arms until you're smiling and feeling better again.

Edmure, Arianne, Ned, Brandon, Asha and Jon are a little surprised to learn you feel insecure about your appearance. You're just so wonderful and perfect in their eyes already - and you still feel this way? Edmure and Jon aren't sure what to do other than just give you plenty of love and reassurances, because you really are just the best to them! Arianne and Brandon would be the type to give you lots of kisses and spice to help you feel better (okay, Oberyn would do that too, but after he gave you encouragement). Asha definitely isn't sentimental about it; but she still puts an arm around you and listens to your worries.

Tyrion, Brienne, Brynden and Sandor are also blindsided by this, and they aren't sure how to encourage you that doesn't also include putting themselves down. In Brynden's case it's more lighthearted - he is "just an old man". Tyrion would arguably be the most heartfelt, and wouldn't let you be until he really felt he reassured you. Sandor is terribly uncomfortable; shuffling and unsure what to say - I mean, he finds you lovely, but - can he actually say that? Brienne, meanwhile, will absolutely say that (while also doing the same awkward shuffle).

Tywin, Roose, Stannis, Victarion and Jaime are also in the "unsure how to react at first" camp, but they quickly recover with a simple solution - buy you nice things. Okay, in Stannis' case he feels bad for not having the right words, so he gets things (not just clothes or jewelry) that he knows you enjoy. He's not one who thinks about physical appearances. Victarion doesn't get it at all and he's more than happy to fuck you until you feel better (sigh), but figures maybe you'd like something pretty before that? Stolen, of course. Roose and Tywin aren't the most sympathetic, esp since they're clearly attracted to you, so maybe buying you nice things would help you feel better. Jaime's actually more understanding than he lets on; but he's not the most ... sensitive about it. Especially before he's captured.

[sdwolfpup]

I think a lot about "morally gray Brienne" and what George's intention is with her arc, about the fandom's tendency to believe that what she has to learn is what they think Jaime will teach her, which is that she's going to have to compromise her morals and become less "pure" because that's the way the world works. That he's going to make her more cynical as a sign of growth.

I've never liked that possibility, myself. But I've never been able to actively articulate what it is I do hope Brienne learns; how I hope she'll change in George's arc without losing her innate hope and belief.

I realized today while scrolling my dash that this tumblr post is what I do actually want her growth to be. That Jaime will tell her the equivalent of this, from that post (bolded parts from the post, but relevant):

There’s something bad about everything if you dig deep enough. As long as we live in flawed human societies we’ve got to make the best of what they offer us. If you have the choice and means, please, do support those who do good, but also, don’t beat yourself up over not living up to an unattainable ideal.

No one can. You’ll just make yourself so miserable, you either burn up and stop fighting entirely or you’ll make yourself a non-productive, depressed heap just out of a bleeding heart left unchecked. You can’t make a change to this world if you refuse to engage in it.

I don't think Brienne refuses to engage in their world right now, but I do see her -- especially after whatever happens with Lady Stoneheart -- potentially shutting down because of the horror of what she feels she's forced to do, the fact that sometimes there is no good option; that sometimes the good option is doing what it takes to keep yourself going and that's okay.

I think Jaime's power is that he understands that deeply, he's just gotten so sunk in the choices he's made in multiple bad situations that he thinks there's never a good choice, and I think that's where they can meet in the middle and help each other become the best versions of themselves: she can give him the hope to fight and he can give her the strength to.

[agentrouka-blog]

My favourite thing when anons want to stir trouble is that like, inevitably they have consistent misspelling habits which mean you know exactly who it is sending repeat asks. So unself-aware.

Anyway, I do think there is a balanced path between the text and what the author says. GRRM's comments about Sansa are about as light as they could come. I love when people want to ungenerously frame the debate as if she's tantamount to Tyrian or Daenerys, come on. Girl took a steak knife to see a drunken knight in the godswood. The most harm she's going to inflict is driving Jon crazy with the incest. I'm trying to be lighthearted here.

Anyway, Rouka, what's your opinion on author vs. text? How much is too much, relying on the former? On the other hand, with the Daenerys is a tragic hero fandom, there's a lot of outright twisting of the text. Does relying on the author's comments provide some clarity or just make the conversation harder, since one would want to reason based on the text? Thank you for your time and your graceful handling of us terrible anons 🥰

(The posts referenced: one and two)

(I'm chronically bad at recognizing these individuall spelling patterns. Unless they make it obvious, every anon is a newborn dawn to me.)

Hello and thank you!

For me, the actual text of the books should always be central when it comes to actually analyzing the books. (You know. Obviously.) Interviews can be nice, but should be absolutely optional to any of it. If you NEED an interview to support your position, you're not analyzing the text.

Perhaps I am biased because I can't be bothered to follow GRRM interviews, let alone dig up ancient ones - unless I am feeling especially motivated.

But also, most of the time we don't have a lot of good context for GRRM's quotes. How exactly a question was phrased, what direction the conversation went before it, how distracted or rushed was GRRM when answering, how likely is it he actually managed to get across exactly what he meant, and how easily can it get twisted around? Who edited and published it? Worse, did it go through a translation process?

Take the "Aragorn's Tax Policy" quote that still has people frothing at the mouth. People hear him mention Tolkien and lose all sense of nuance. No, he's not describing how his endgame king will be elected on his tax plan. He's giving context for parts of ADWD. That's it. Still people wail about what an evil hypocrite GRRM supposedly is because Bran was crowned king in the show without a single published treatise on his taxation policy.

Same with some commentary on the show, specifically Dany with Drogo. I've had people in my Inbox arguing for Rhaegar/Lyanna because GRRM is obviously okay with adult men preying on teenaged girls based on that interview. Which... you know, actually read Dany's chapters? Please?

The books, on the other hand, were not blathered out in a hurry. They are not a commentary on a text, they are the text. A labor of many hours of writing, editing, rewriting and more editing. They are complete and fully intentional in their form. They are the message.

So, while I admire how someone who knows what they are doing is able to create a brilliant body of supporting evidence on book content by compiling quotes in a meaningful way, often with good sources and context - looking at you here, @kellyvela - these lovely metas should never be considered necessary to understanding the text, and they should certainly neither replace nor supercede it. They augment the experience of it.

Knowing GRRM approved on the Meereenese Blot essays is nice.

But you don't need to know them, nor what GRRM thinks of them, in order to arrive at the same conclusion.

Knowing GRRM agrees with the statement that "Brienne is Sansa with a sword" is nice.

But you need never have heard of that quote in order to understand the similarities between these two idealistic, dutiful female characters.

He called Tyrion a villain, which is nice.

But you can arrive at that same conclusion by reading the books.

On the other hand, you can take one quote about the Key Five Characters from a decades-old outline that deviates from established plot in multiple significant instances, and then try and justify dismissing the importance of other characters. You just need to ignore the published text in order to do it!

So I just can't take that anon seriously when they gesture wildly at some quote about Sansa while ignoring the way it's entirely contradicted by the actual body of the text.

And if some members of the fandom have a habit of very selectively reading the text then this makes their analysis suspect, so what's really the point of arguing with someone who isn't really interested in analysis in the first place?

If "she burned a slave alive" or "she is ordering her servant to please her sexually" or "she condons torture even while she knows its useless" or "she ordered the murder of children" isn't going to convince them, an interview snippet isn't going to do it, either.

[ilynpilled]

Is there any hint Jaime could possibly have dyslexia or a learning disability in books? I think I've heard that it wasn't, but idk it feels like that's a detail from the show that did well portraying Jaime. Idk maybe it's my learning disability ass but I loved that!! But I also just love looking at Jaimes insecurities. It could be another detail that kept him relying on masking/being ultra warrior bc he probably doesn't think of himself as very smart.

yeah the insecurity regarding his intelligence, especially in terms of book smarts, is present in the books too. he really admires the quality in tyrion, and emulates it, often successfully too [saving brienne from rape, achieving things like manipulating shagwell without the methods he previously relied on (force, or even status at some point doesnt work so he has to really think outside of the box, like again, sapphires), tyrion rescue mission, the riverlands .] he can also be very perceptive. he is pretty good at noticing weak points. he hones in on cat’s relationship with jon, he does the same with brienne, looking out for and noticing all of her insecurities in response to her dehumanizing him, and the same happens with loras & kind of using his relationship with renly to prevent the bloodshed in the yard. he is actually just a good mediator in general. that makes so much sense to me bc of his role in his family. he is the only member that everyone likes, while every other party would love to tear each other to shreds, so his specific role in an abusive household is very clear. anyway, jaime’s most severe insecurity is being viewed as a monster. for this reason, he seeks out that *thing* in everyone else so he is not as vulnerable. he can be very good at reading certain people, this is also why his perspective is so popular among readers imo. like he also has an air of tyrion to him, he can also provide a new, and often clearer, vision of certain characters because of his personality & experience (like his argument with brienne regarding robert). this is also just funny when he has such major blindspots regarding other things (romanticization of cersei and sometimes the old kg, though he goes back and forth w this). i think post aerys, jaime really did resolve to not really make decisions anymore and not being someone with responsibility (he was never that interested in power, even before that, but i think he was not that opposed to responsibility, he was ready to be the heir, he did want to be a kg and a good knight), instead, he dissociated and lived pretty much on autopilot. even when he was a commander he was reckless enough to always be on the frontlines and was okay with dying (see the whispering wood). he was impatient and very impulsive because he dreads facing “knots and tangles” (like the horrid moral knot that the aerys situation was, and its devastating consequences) so instead of even trying to think about them he wants to just make them disappear and cut through them. until he cant. for multiple reasons, external and internal. until he has to sit down and untangle them. and he proves himself capable. i liked the learning disability aspect that he was given in the show, it is a nice dimension, and i think he has attributes that i really relate to as well (like how he can fixate and excel in one thing & put all his focus on it, how he keeps saying “oh tyrion would talk so much about history here haha nerd” and then proceeds to spend 2 pages infodumping loras with kg lore, or that one scene where he gets distracted counting coins lol), but i think a lot of it already makes sense without that being actually canon, idk like i wouldnt actually diagnose him (he has no trouble reading from what we have seen) but i am not about to come for anybody’s headcanons

[buttercuparry]

I wonder if those who outrage against "masculinized" female characters ever stop to consider that the more our society is progressing, we are moving further away from the concept of gender roles. And that what you are into and what you do is actually a personal quirk and not something that classifies you.

I mean the manliest heterosexual cis man to have ever manned can find embroidery soothing. Like his love language can be gifting his friends pretty embroidered things. It is not a question of his capacity to be "feminine"...it is a question of talent and passion.

I think when fandom characterizes Arya as this masculine coded violent girl- they just can't fathom that a young girl can ever have any other interests than those who came before her. But if it is all about aesthetics, how come Arya cooing over babies, her collecting flowers, her scrubbing floors, prepping meals etc are not considered part of it?

Here is the thing though, gushing over babies is not something that's limited to the female. Samwell ( I know I use him as an example a lot) sang lullabies to his baby brother. He loved this particular nightly ritual till his father thought it "soft" and put an end to it. Soothing babies is not being soft, it's providing them with the emotional care they need. And the only reason it seemed freakish to Randyll Tarly is because this care was being provided by his son. And that's bullshit.

I also think the matter of this supposed criticism resides in part with stereotypes of sexuality. I mean the most tradfem of the characters is headcanoned to have one hundred and one children. While a mother who lost her son in womb is deemed to forever remain infertile. Like I know Dany was cursed by Mirri Maz Duur but this is a fantasy series! Anything can happen. And even if one claims this to be a personal view on the text, linking infertility to her supposed madness is not it.

I feel like there was this checklist going on where they have stuff like: do male characters lust after these women, do these characters dress up prettily, are they attracted to men- if so then they are the definition of feminine. When unfortunately Dany passed all of these ( even the one with many gross male characters almost wanting to prey on her)- they went with the infertility- madness thing.

They can't do this with Brienne because I think Grrm has made it impossible to do so with her. She actively tried to participate in the role subscribed to her but was made fun of by those around her. So she took to knighthood. It has been abundantly made clear that she loved Renly and there is this weird push and pull between her and Jaime. And it's weird how much the scale of femininity lies not with the characters, but in the kind of association this character has with a man. And Jaime is one of the most "desireable" man of Asoiaf. Brienne not being in the way of the one who they think is embodiment of the feminine helps too I guess.

I think this is what stumps them about Arya. It doesn't matter how much she says: the woman is important too. How much she whines when people call her a boy. To them it is all about aesthetics. They go: is she wearing pretty dresses? And they answer is: her dresses are muddy because she runs around in it just as a child would do. They go: okay does she like wearing them- the answer is she never complained before. Only perhaps during her whole riverland arc because she thinks it is impractical. And to them these immediately translate into- but! But!! Sansa was said to be a lady at three. She never thought to go against that which was prescribed to her!! Demureness and subservience is what is feminine!! And also dresses, songs, dancing, embroidery are absolutely hated by Arya because these represent traditional femininity and she has internalized misogyny so she would rather fence and horse ride and wear pants as they symbolize her affinity to the masculine.

They are so so obsessed with a particular kind of beauty and if it is all soft and demure. And of course how it appeals to the male gaze ( all those edits about how beautifully sansa suffers) . Arya is targeted because she in the text is set up against someone who can be whitewashed into their idea of the feminine. Which is why there is this repeated conjecture and criticism of fancasts because how can Arya look like that ? She is afterall called horsefaced (doesn't matter if it's done by bullies) and there is nothing feminine about her ( she is too rebellious)!

This again brings in the case of Lyanna. Right now the fandom is fawning over Elia but there was a time when the most common theory was Arya inherited Lyanna's willfulness while Sansa has her aunt's beauty and femininity. Even now in bits and pieces I get to see this take because how can someone fight over one who looks like Arya.

And what does Arya look like? A pre-pubescent child. Because she is one. And with all the trying to stay alive while disguised as a boy: yeah I think personal grooming wasn't the first thing that was on her mind back then. But all these somehow reinforces her masculinity. Her having no option and turning up to the HoBaW and having to play by their rules somehow does the same. And I think last of all this is what forms the crux of it.

Arya's storyline is her own. She hasn't yet been to a place where her themes can get intertwined with a male character. Up until now her story provides a commentary that is purely her own, independent of any man. And I say this because I know how GoT was written, I see what is happening with Rhaenyra and Alicent in HoTD. I feel like in asoiaf fandom the trend is that themes discussed about women characters often end up being more about their male ship partners. Or they are completely removed from any significant action- and moved as passive pieces across the storyboard in a way that would best glorify or vilify a man.

So here is a female character who is on a journey that is solely her own. It cannot be twisted into anything relating to any man. And I think this at a subconscious level feels peculiar to them. Which is why show!Arya got butchered because to D&d Arya's rebellion got translated into " I want to be one of the boys".

And I think this is why there is also this urge to headcanon her as someone who won't be interested in romance. They don't see her admiring Gendry when he is working, the sensuality of her interaction with Jaqen in the bath house ( i know it's creepy. Grrm at times makes me want to side eye him), that Jon literally compares Ygritte to Arya. Romance to them looks unnatural on anyone who is not playing by "norms".

[acertifiedmoron]

you're doing that thing jonsas also do where you conflate 'i do not like this ship, the idea of these characters fucking does not spark joy' with 'i am blind and unappreciative to any dynamic at all between these characters'. (obvious caveat is obvious but a

is this about that sansan post.... it was about their canonical dynamic, those angrily opposed to sansan were obviously implying there is no textual basis for anyone's interest in it beyond general moral depravity(!) and most of them were also j onsa shippers who think there's a possibility of their ship going canon, hence the tag ("#i just think it's funny to ignore all that and then turn around and ship J ONSA"). now that you have context ->

yea okay, statistically speaking, there is at least one fic out there which manages to write j onsa in a way i will find compelling, but that's true for all ships. i'm allowed to have a general opinion on a ship based on the fact that i neither like the popular interpretation of their dynamic nor do i care about them in a shipping context because those two don't have enough (any!) interactions or thematic overlap. and the defining thing about sansa's chapters for me is the examination of the lie of chivalry, that the role of the perfect lady waiting for her true knight is simply another form of entrapment. it is no coincidence that the two men who offer her even a little bit of compassion (it's not enough) in king's landing are tyrion and sandor, characters who will never be proclaimed as heroes under the chivalric paradigm because of their disablity, and in sandor's case, the disfigurement. because in the songs all knights are able bodied and handsome and all maidens are dutiful and fair. they are the 'beasts' to her beauty and the beastliness is their ableist rejection by society, a rejection which has fostered feelings of cynicism and nihilism in them. sandor's monstrosity also manifests outwards, he doesn't recognise the value of kindness. he must mock and torment sansa, which is his way of educating her, because he was never subjected to kindness. not until sansa.

sansa dreams of a fair knight within the constraints of the chivalric paradigm, but she's beginning to see through that lie. true knighthood in these books will not arrive in the form of an aemon the dragonknight (who was too wrapped up in his vows to protect naerys from their brother), but the earnest belief that despite the unjust structures of the world, we have a responsibility to make the hard choices to one day fulfill the dream of a better future. i expect she will find a true knight in the form of an unconventional hero such as brienne (or sandor, after his moral transformation), but they won't play the role of shining knight to her docile, helpless maiden either. she will have a measure of self-reliance first. anyway those were a lot of words to say that i don't like this framing of jon as her handsome true knight (he is a knight, but not necessarily sansa's) who swoops in to rescue her in winds, and i think it plays into ideas her chapters are deconstructing.

and these are just my thoughts on the ship (in a canonical setting, people can do whatever they want in their AUs), i don't have a problem with anyone shipping any characters. also my fav ship for jon is jonsam greatest jon ship of all time jon and satin don't have what they have. okay that's it 👍

[yourlocaldisneyvillain]

20 Author Questions

thanks to @statelysapphicfor the tag!!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

28!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

162,944

3. What fandoms do you write for?

it's that sweet gwendoline chistie brain rot for me :))

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

push me gently (into love) -> (nsfw) -> two chapter Larissa x reader story in which reader is an art teacher at Nevermore. fluffy, cozy, and sweet, featuring easily skippable smut. rom-com vibes.

when the last restraint is gone -> (ongoing) (nsfw) -> an intense victorian romance between Jane Murdstone and her lady's maid, Laura. sort of in the style of Sarah Waters's historical romance novels. heavily influenced by Vita and Virginia's love letters. featuring a lot of sensually read victorian poetry and dirty, delicious smut.

danger level - one (nsfw) -> filthy smut featuring the good ol' sex pollen trope. Phasma x fem!stormtrooper!reader. hot and a bit silly. straightforward and simple porn lol.

particular (nsfw) -> Larissa Weems x (adult) Wednesday Addams, aka the fic that got me cancelled. ongoing, but written. still in the process of posting it. rom-com with dark humour and some more mature themes, but still relatively light. sort of a coming-of-age story.

so very chivalrous (and so completely oblivious) -> Brienne x princess!reader. very fluffy. Brienne is very good with a sword, but a bit oblivious in the matters of love. featuring good ol' lesbian yearning.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i try my best to! i feel like i either wanna rant abt my blorbos and my thought process or i want to be polite. someone took the time to write a comment, and i feel like that warrants a thank you!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

hmmmmm. perhaps the sad ending option for my ruin tastes so sweet (almost as sweet as your lips) -- it's a choose your own adventure story!

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

it would have to be either so very chivalrous (and so completely oblivious) or push me gently (into love) which now that i think about have a lot of kudos and comments and hits, so i guess ppl love happy endings hahah

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i'm the queen of controversy apparently, and i was cancelled! but the fic itself didn't get as much hate as ppl didn't even wanna read it lol, i personally got hate mail. so fics? i suppose not. but there is still time, who knows what else i'll post (i know, and ppl will likely have opinions about it)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i very much do lol. the real hot kind :)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i've written exactly one! larissa x phasma bc. reasons. it's smut. chrome and lipstick

11. Have you ever had a fiction stolen?

not to my knowledge! but ppl have heavily copied my work :)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

not to my knowledge!

13. Have you ever co-writtten a fic before?

tried to, but the person in question sorta ghosted me lol

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

ughhhhh idk man. i guess the one i spent the longest being obsessed with is malora. i have a dark past lol.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i hope to finish them all Eventually lol but idk, we shall see!

16. What are your writing strengths?

characterisation, point blank haha. i have a sense of rhythm that i sometimes put to good use.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

uhhh i tend to be vague abt things i am bored with while i write, and plot driven things aren't my forte. i can get very dash and comma happy lol. sometimes i tend to Fixate on a word or a phrase and i'm like okay gurl let it go lol, you've used this too many times. i am not very meticulous and i hate doing outlines and i feel like Sometimes it Shows. i feel like sometimes you can tell english is not my native language no matter how hard i try.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

speak the language at least somewhat, please. otherwise it's really hard for it to land well. personally, i feel very lukewarm about it

19. First fandom you wrote for?

uhhhhh. i honestly don't remember. supergirl perhaps?? or ouat.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

our little dance and particular :)

tagging: @the-frankenman-writes @dianneking @zephyr-is-tired @alder-saan @notinmyvocab @theflashesoflove

[melrosing]

What were your thoughts on jaime when you first started the series? I know for a lot of people, me included, he comes off as a major asshole in agot. And then that all changes in asos. I watched the show first and I still didn’t like the book version of him until his cat chapters in acok and then his in asos.

Well I was a show watcher first (I caught up just before S4 started airing) and in the show I can’t lie he didn’t make a huge impression for me lol. I think he just lacked much gravity onscreen, and D&D low-key spoiled the whole Kingslayer reveal by having Jaime reveal to Robert halfway through S1 that Aerys died crying ‘burn them all’. So by that point you already know what Jaime’s big secret is and that he’ll basically tell anyone who’ll listen lmao, and then there’s the random cousin killing and blah blah blah idk he didn’t seem that grey, just a villain who’d at one point done the only reasonable thing left to do (murder Aerys). By the time I got to the Jaime & Brienne roadtrip I was intrigued, like ok did I miss something is there more to this guy?? but then season 4 wheels around and all momentum is quickly lost in Jaime’s arc.

Then when S4 was over I read the books…. and I remember enjoying all the extra detail but if I’m honest I was studying for my English lit degree at the time and I was constantly having to switch to the dozens of course texts and in the end I think it took me my full three years to read asoiaf lmao and I was so distracted by student life that most of it went over my head lol and I was barely engaging w any kind of fandom at the time so. I just forgot about em

Then. Jaime finally leaves KL in the show and something awakened in me like ‘wait hang on is this arc finally moving again?’ I’d seen around S3 that his story COULD go somewhere interesting but ultimately I’d zoned out because for years the show had sapped all the promise from it. But stupidly I was now thinking hang on they’re finally gonna do something w this character, the promising arc they cut off years ago was moving again!! And suddenly I was excited about Jaime Lannister!!!

Aaaaand then show Jaime falls flat on his fucking face and I thought okay where the fuck did I get the feeling this story was going somewhere bc in hindsight the show has failed him at every turn. Then I reread the books and realised OH I remember THIS is Jaime. and now here I am I guess but basically yeah no I don’t recall any particular first impressions just a… series of impressions

[effemar]

do you have any asoiaf or jaimebrienne fics you'd reccomend?

You're trying to make my day I see!!! You bet I do!!!

All the fics I'm recommending here are under either the 'ASOIAF' or 'ASOIAF and related fandoms' fandom tag, because I usually dodge show fic (with a few very special exceptions). I do, in fact, read a lot of jaimebrienne, but I have a few here that I really like that are focused on other things. I usually avoid modern AU, though I read it sometimes if the premise intrigues me.

From This Day Until the End of My Days -- JB fic of all time. Funny story: before I ever read or got into ASOIAF, I used to follow swordmaid (I think this is still their url?) here on tumblr because I liked their art, so I saw a lot of JB posting before I was even familiar with the characters. There's a specific line from this fic that they posted because it was so insanity inducing, and I was so shaken by it that I copy pasted it and kept it in my notes app to look at it when I wanted to drive myself crazy. I didn't even read the fic it was from because I knew nothing about the characters, but even then it had such an effect on me that I kept it on my phone at all times. I'm not going to tell you what the line is, because believe me, you will know it when you see it. Anyway. This should be required reading for everyone who enjoys JB even a little. "What does this fic feel like?" uhhhhh not everything feels like something else hope this helps <3

Deliverance -- Heed warnings on this. Melisandre my forever girl... I love when women are trapped in their bodies. I love when women give and give and give and it's not enough. I love when women are damned, condemned by their own minds, their own hearts. I love when women lie and kill and destroy themselves in the pursuit of something and never, ever get it. I love when women are scared. I love when women are scared and then angry and then scared again. I love when women bleed poison. I love when women no longer feel pain. I love when women kill other women. I love when women are red, and terrible, and red. I love when women are eaten alive by god. Melisandre needs to leave Stannis and get with a real man like me I'D burn as many children as she wanted...

The Rancher and the Mail Order Bride -- Modern AUs are over from now on we're putting ASOIAF characters in 1800's fantasy Australia. Jaime and Brienne should NOT have twitter accounts but you know what they should have? Cowboy hats. Jaime's here because he killed a king and then got caught fucking his sister in short order, and promptly got sent to fantasy Australia as a convict. Brienne's here because she responded to an ad seeking a wife and traveled to fantasy Australia in hopes of gaining a home and a living, but the guy didn't want to marry her and now she's stuck here. It's like Little House on the Prairie if Little House on the Prairie was about the importance of accepting help from others and becoming a participant in your own life. Also includes Classic Jaime One-Liner Moment 'didn't you commit incest with your own sister?' / 'okay well obviously it wouldn't be incest if it was someone ELSE'S sister' which I did think was funny I won't lie to you.

be yourself my ally -- I believe in the power of yuri to change the world and I think Sansa and Dany should be in love and play in the snow and hold hands and giggle together and I'm glad the person who wrote this understands my vision. They are so #feminism. I like this fic for a lot of reasons number one being that it's ASOIAF fic and not GOT fic (hard to find in the Daensa tag) and number two is that it gets the appeal of Daensa on a fundamental level... it's about the broken trust, the longing for home, the reclamation of girlhood.... it UNDERSTANDS.... Anyway. I love Sansa's characterization here and I think it's cute that her internal narration spends time lovingly describing all of Dany's outfits. There's a fun unintentional(?) Rhaenicent reference that I thought was sweet and weirdly fitting in context. It's not very clear on the actual events that transpire that make it so the setting can exist, but I like what they do clarify: Sansa killed Petyr confirmed!!!! WHOOPEE!!!!

witness to the arc towards the sun -- If I remember correctly this is technically 5+1 fic so it has separate little interactions. Some explicit some not? I think? Fav is the one where Jaime and Brienne are hanging out in the Eyrie and Jaime tells her about he and Cersei going down to see the lions under Casterly Rock. Scene for insane people. Should lions long for such things... when I tell you it lives in my head rent free... Both of the moments that affected me the most in this fic are Jaime childhood memories actually -- there's another bit later where he remembers going swimming with Cersei and Tyrion that makes me want to set myself on fire. Second fav interaction is probably the one where Brienne defends Jaime's character and he breaks out in sincerity hives. God i know that guy ugly sobs listening to ASMR affirmation videos... you tell Jaime Lannister he's a good person and he starts stress vomiting. Brienne also gets to have a matching honorable death crisis which I enjoyed. They have both a picnic and also an incident of traumatic wound care so it basically runs the full gamut 10/10 highly recommend.

Like Snufkin and Little My (we'll get around wherever) -- This one might be hit or miss -- its a bit niche but I love it so w/e it's going on here. I think part of why I like it so much is because there's a tendency to make modern AU characters have an almost crushing awareness of sociopolitical minutiae when I know in my heart that Ned Stark thinks gay people should keep it to themselves, Sansa posts awareness infographics on her instagram story without reading them, and Robb thought lesbian was a swear word until 15. This fic understands that. This fic knows that Arya deserves to be a nonbinary anarchist who sends people anon hate on tumblr, and Sansa deserves to follow influencer makeup tutorials and put "LGBTQIA+ ally :)" in her bio despite being a lesbian. And they deserve to be siblings who love each other and also kick each other in the shins. I believe this to the bottom of my soul.

And off they went, from here to there -- I don't have anything for this one I genuinely just love seeing people happy. I think Jaime and Brienne deserve to dance and be obnoxious and also not die.

Okay that's it. I have more that I like but they're embarrassing to recommend so I'll stop there. I also left off some HOTD fic I like, bc I was unsure whether you meant pure ASOIAF or if you'd allow derivatives, but know that there is a vast and beautiful wealth of Rhaenicant content in the world that you should read. Peace and love, may your ao3 scrolling be free of obscure kink fic ✌️

[gellavonhamster]

asoiaf for the ship thing too?

oh you're not going to like my answers judging by your answers, lol

otp: I'm not really passionate about any ASOIAF ship at the moment, and I don't think I was back when reading the books and watching the show either (which was quite a long time ago, I'm really racking my brain here), but there used to be some ships I found interesting - Sansa/Margaery, despite the latter kind of (if I remember correctly) manipulating the former (but then again, who in King's Landing wasn't manipulating someone else), and Sandor/Sansa - no actual relationship, no getting together when she's older or anything, just two people romanticizing/fixating on the interactions they had to the point of persuading themselves it was something more (like when Sansa ended up believing he kissed her while he actually didn't). I found that fascinating. Also, Jaime/Brienne has always made a lot of sense to me, their relationship seems like an important thing for the development of both characters.

favourite canon pairing: I remember really liking Jon/Ygritte when reading the books/watching the show and crying when she died (must've been the only time I cried while reading ASOIAF). I also remember liking to imagine how the arranged marriage of Alys Karstark and Sigorn might turn out to be actually okay based on what little of them we saw in the books. Oh, and Sam/Gilly, they're cute.

worst pairing ever: honestly, at this point I do not have ASOIAF on my mind enough to actively dislike any ship. I've heard that show!Jon/Daenerys turned out to be a disaster, but I had long stopped watching the show by that point, so I don't really have an informed opinion on that.

guilty pleasure pairing: don't have any in the sense of feeling bad for shipping it, but perhaps Davos/Stannis fits the bill a little bit - while there's certainly a lot to be said regarding their relationship in canon/in the platonic sense, in the romantic sense I don't really take it seriously, but still kind of enjoy it for shits and giggles. Literally the only ASOIAF fic I've read that has stayed with me enough to revisit it years later is an extremely funny retelling of the classic Soviet comedy Office Romance (1977) with Stavos as the main couple

a pairing you want to see more: perhaps Sigorn/Alys as well? In general, it's not the ships I want to see more of - just give me the damn next book and let me find out what happens to all these characters.

that pairing everyone likes but you’re like “lol no”: Rhaegar/Lyanna, I guess. It had an objectively big and important impact on the plot, but the relationship itself isn't interesting to me. I'm not sure the "everyone likes" part is still applicable, but I remember it being quite a popular ship in the past.  

favorite non-romantic pair: Sansa and Arya (as well as all Stark kids with each other in general), Jon and Sam, Jaime and Tyrion, the Sand Snakes and Arianne