#braime post in my notes

[tiktaalic]

Stupidest things people have got mad at me about on tumblr:

-when I said using he/him pronouns could be a weird lesbian. In reference to hypothetical people making assumptions about Brienne of tarth being a lesbian while she was dating JAIME LANNISTER. And people were like 🤨 wym weird lesbian it’s actually really normal and not even a little weird for a lesbian to use he/him what are you trying to imply by saying weird lesbians use he/him op I think you should re examine your language and biases. When. [points at cargo pants and mouths am he/him lesbian]

-when I said you can occasionally drink alcohol on the weekends and people were like fuck you and die and fuck this post it’s so irresponsible to blatantly promote alcoholism when it ruins lives and knowing an alcoholic has ruined my life and you’re telling people it’s OKAY and NORMAL to be an alcoholic. Again. Over. Sometimes you can drink a little on the weekend. And. [points to fridge and mouths am dead sober. And also have someone in my life who is an alcoholic]

-when I used the phrase the noticer n someone very obviously made a post in response without speaking to me about how Friendly Reminder you should be looking at slurs.com to keep up to date with dog whistles such as noticer so you don’t accidentally use them and then dozens of people. Who read that post and learned that for the first time. 5 minutes later reblogged my post + sent me asks that were like I learned this was a dog whistle today (MANY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS THAT THIS WAS KNOWLEDGE THEY HAD FOR LESS THAN 5 HOURS) but you should know better and fuck you and die if you don’t know better

-when I said smith college problems are when the minutia of queer white middle to upper class liberals in blue enclaves are presented as universal experiences and people were like. It’s so fucked up that you’re using this family who took smith to court for racism as an example of people who are experiencing problems that aren’t real and don’t matter and you’re minimizing that experience. NOT WHAT I SAID?

-when I said this supernatural fan fic is awesome it’s an incredibly accurate Dean. And someone was like. You’re wrong it’s not incredibly accurate because he’s gay not bi. I don’t like that fan fiction because he’s gay not bi and therefore it’s badly characterized. And I was like. Ok. I think that’s part of the good characterization and I also think it’s kind of silly to brush off characterization entirely based on the split hairs of orientation of a fake character. And I got called biphobic for a week.

[unknown-terrain]

Who do I have to sell my soul to to get a braime spinoff starring nikolaj and gwendoline? I know it would be a big hit for hbo like the richonne show is for amc

IKR? People loved seeing Gwen and Nik's chemistry on and offscreen. The fact they haven't been cast in something together is still crazy to think about.

Anything that would fix D&D's poor writing would be a monster success I'm sure! The fans would welcome it with open arms BUT reality is HBO would never allow a Game of Thrones spinoff or prequel that would undo Dumb and Dumber's hack job because they still stubbornly believe the huge fan backlash was due to the fans not wanting the show to end rather than the crap writing. So yeah a J/B spinoff where Larry comes back to life and turns into book Jaime and he and Bri have sexy adventures will never ever happen. HBO is so out of touch with their audience. Despite J/B's popularity, they always chose to showcase Twincest instead which bit them in the ass since J/C never became this profitable, fan beloved relationship Dumb and Dumber/HBO desperately wanted them to be.

I'm so happy "The Ones Who Live" is getting so much love all around! Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln were able to do the Richonne spinoff and be involved with the creative process because they had full support from AMC and The Walking Dead showrunners. AMC actually listened to their actors and the fanbase and now they have a record breaking hit! Take note HBO!

I don't think we'll ever see Gwen and Nik play J/B ever again. The best we could hope for is seeing them work together on a different project but who knows if that will ever happen...never say never though lol but still I'm just glad Gwen's post GOT career is doing great and I will never stop saying it lol.

[ladym-rules]

I posted 87 times in 2022

That's 9 more posts than 2021!

18 posts created (21%)

69 posts reblogged (79%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@jaimebrienneonline

@wackygoofball

@jaime-brienne-fic-exchange

@sdwolfpup

@forbiddenfantasies1

I tagged 86 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#jaime lannister - 55 posts

#jaime x brienne - 49 posts

#brienne of tarth - 43 posts

#braime - 41 posts

#fanart - 23 posts

#nikolaj coster waldau - 21 posts

#fanfic - 18 posts

#nikolaj coster-waldau - 11 posts

#gwendoline christie - 10 posts

#funkopop - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 41 characters

#too chicken to sign up but i hope you do!

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

See the full post

70 notes - Posted August 20, 2022

#4

Prize winning pumpkins! It was a good harvest, said Brienne.

72 notes - Posted October 14, 2022

#3

Beautiful art from @swordmaid arrived! Jaime and Brienne are quite pleased with their portrait.

InPrint

75 notes - Posted November 10, 2022

#2

Beautiful art from @illjustpretend arrived in the mail today! 💖 Jaime and Brienne 💖

Available on Redbubble

101 notes - Posted November 30, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

While I was in NYC, I saw this woman walking towards me down the sidewalk, wearing what looked like crop top scrubs. Double take! There were some people between us, and then we crossed paths at an intersection. I was disappointed to see that she was actually wearing sweatpants and a matching crop top, in the exact green color of typical medical scrubs. Obviously, that led to imagining Dr. Jaime Lannister, up to trouble in his crop top scrubs.

The story: The hospital fundraising team asks Dr. Lannister to come take a photo for the newsletter, and instead of a nice suit or white lab coat, he comes wearing . . . that. And well, they can't miss this opportunity, so they end up doing a calendar, which is, of course, the highest grossing fundraiser they've ever had.

Read more on AO3! What the Camera Sees

Illustrated by the wonderful @swordmaid​ /knifeears, who also gave us a glimpse of the photo shoot focus, after the cut.

See the full post

265 notes - Posted August 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[theothermaidoftarth]

I was tagged by @gwenllian-in-the-abbey. Please keep these writing tag games coming, they’re so fun! 

How many works do you have on AO3?

3 works

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

56,829

3. What fandoms do you write for?

House of the Dragon/Fire and Blood/ASOIAF

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I only have 3 fics so far and from ascending to descending order, the kudos count is: Sorrow, The Favoured, and Song for Evermore

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

Yes. I like to engage with my readers, especially as I’m not writing niche areas so don’t get very many (the reason I dusted off this tumblr a couple months ago, in fact). So I like to show my appreciation of their appreciation

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

Sorrow, sort of. It’s just angsty all around (poor Baela)

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

It has to be a tie between The Favoured and Song for Evermore — they have the same ending in the sense that both sets of couple have gotten together and have the world ahead of them

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I haven’t on ao3 (ff.net though…)

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

Yes. Non-explicit (not too sure how to answer this one, haha, I’m not big into the smut scene generally #justacethings)

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

I haven’t on my ao3 (unless blending book! and show!canon could count)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Daeron “the Daring” Targaryen x Baela Targaryen — I’ve said it before on here but they are my reverse gender Braime! And (book!)Brienne x Jaime is hands down my top otp of all time, in any fandom

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

Not related to a published fic (yet). But an ASOIAF au where Brienne of Tarth was born into House Baratheon, canonical blonde looks and all. I’m a massive Brienne fan and I wanted to see what would happen if I took her and made her one of the foremost ladies in the realm, in the public eye even more than other noble ladies due to being the king’s sister after Robert’s Rebellion. And how I could do it while retaining as much of her canon personality as possible, and incorporating the inevitable butterfly effects of a blonde Baratheon girl born while Aerys was on the throne. Such fun. I have about a third of it written and sort of know how I want to finish it but I’ve stalled majorly on the middle parts of the story — the butterfly effects are quite something to wrangle through and make a reasonable, logical plot out of. As such it’s been sitting in my notes for about two years (long before HoTD aired which I mention as some people in-world in the fic believe Brienne is a bastard and she’s compared to the Strong boys — she’s one hundred percent trueborn but genetics just kinda let her down: she looks like a blend of various relatives, and does look like her parents but, aside from eye colour, build and height, the resemblance is subtle and overlooked by most). It was originally supposed to be a oneshot (story of my life). Something tells me I should just write and post that oneshot but I do like the expanded themes that I’m able to explore in a multi-chapter (which is why I have so many unposted, half-finished wip multi-chaps in general clogging up my notes, and why I mostly write and post oneshots). Right now I’m working on a long oneshot which follows the basic premise but takes one of the Brienne pairings from it in a different direction to the original. So an AU of an AU. (The pairing is Brienne x Willas Tyrell for anyone interested.)

16. What are your writing strengths?

My character work. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Being concise. I sometime ramble a little as I get into the character’s head too much and so it takes away from the plot sometimes, from the punch of the dialogue, so I’m trying to improve on that while still keeping the gist of what I want to convey

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

I do not usually (as I’m far from fluent in High Valyrian) but if I was writing from a real-world language, I would give context clues as to what was said nearby.  As a reader I’ve always found it confusing and immersion breaking to see untranslated dialogue in the body of the text, especially if there isn’t a translation provided in the endnotes. So I don’t like to do that myself since I like to write what I’d like to read.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

House of the Dragon (ff.net is a different story)

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Song for Evermore. I just wanted more show!Baela appreciation (and honestly more depth to her as a character since hotd so far is not it) and I was intrigued by how Daeron could be introduced and incorporated while keeping relatively to show!canon where he hasn’t even been mentioned once. I wondered why that was in-world, and how things would change if he had been introduced in s1 — the boy described as the gentlest of Viserys’ sons, the one who was charming and kind but not a leader and with a dash of darkness beneath the surface, pulled out when those he loves are in danger. What were the family dynamics at play around him, both in the Red Keep and Oldtown? How would his presence potentially change things? 

Add in my love of crack/rare pairs and my idea (and word count, haha) snowballed from there. I didn’t incorporate or fully develop every idea or headcanon I had as I’m saving that for other Baela fics, in particular another Baela/Daeron fic and I didn’t want to be too repetitive (though since they are in a hinge poly with Aemond in the other one, things are already quite different there, that’s for sure).

Tagging: @richardsthirdnipple @mejcinta @daylander1000

I’m not sure who else writes on ao3 who hasn’t been tagged already by another mutual (which happens so much with tag games, so I never know who to tag, haha) but whoever hasn’t been and wants to participate, feel free to tag me in your post! 

[bluntforceyearning]

I posted 1,324 times in 2022

That's 1,075 more posts than 2021!

22 posts created (2%)

1,302 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined

@purple-amaranthe

@widevibratobitch

@katstwistedmind

@tall-wolf-of-tarth

I tagged 480 of my posts in 2022

#asoiaf - 65 posts

#jaime x brienne - 62 posts

#jaime lannister - 57 posts

#persuasion - 54 posts

#brienne of tarth - 51 posts

#autumn my love - 39 posts

#braime - 32 posts

#the sandman - 18 posts

#ettore bastianini my love - 15 posts

#bridgerton - 14 posts

Longest Tag: 110 characters

#they might as well have claimed that fish swim in the desert or that clouds are consisted of marshmallow fluff

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

11 notes - Posted February 11, 2022

#4

The Sandman dropped on Netflix only yesterday, but I see the Corinthian has already gotten Babygirl-fied. The devil works hard, but the tumblrinas work fast!

11 notes - Posted August 6, 2022

#3

100 years from the birth of THE baritone that ruined me for all other baritones, operablr's favourite dude, tragic, divine, velvet-and-bronze-voiced, our beloved Ettore! Thank you for the music!

12 notes - Posted September 24, 2022

#2

Anyone who has ever read "Like water for chocolate" or watched the film (WATCH IT!), can agree that Mama Elena is a terror and deserves the worst. BUT! The guts it takes to aim your shotgun at a troop of guerrillas, when you're the head of a small group of women home alone in the middle of nowhere, and deliver this line

“I have a very good aim and a very bad temper, Captain. The next shot is for you, and I assure you that I can shoot you before they can kill me, so it would be best for us to respect each other. If we die, no one will miss me very much, but won’t the nation mourn your loss?”

I almost cheered!

18 notes - Posted March 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Guys, Persuasion was bad! The trailer doesn't even do it justice! Nothing prepares you for how CRIMINALLY bad it is!

In an almost 2-hour long film, they managed to rush through with indifference or skip entirely most plot points, so the unfortunate viewers could enjoy more of Anne babbling nonsensically while looking at the camera

They murdered the characters of the protagonists (the secondary characters and the interactions between them providing insight to the plot and social commentary are barely even there). Anne is "so altered, Austen should not have known her again" and Wentworth has all the charm, spark and personality of an an unsalted, boiled potato (apologies to the potatoes!)

Anne and Wentworth are worse than exes, they're BUDDIES! They're not only on speaking terms, they talk about their past, their feelings, their appreciation for each other, their hopes and dreams, how they wish the best for each other and I couldn't get through these scenes. It was painful to watch!

They annihilated the chemistry between them. It's a story where silence speaks the loudest and it's a character on its own. You remove the plot, you remove the silence, you remove the characters and there's nothing there anymore. There was NO CHEMISTRY AT ALL ! It was the dullest, most flavourless, pointless to watch pairing! To do that to Persuasion out of all Austen books (the most tension-filled, blue balls-inducing, physical of them), takes a special kind of talent!

The letter (and I'll leave it at that)

The liberties taken to make the film more "modern" or relatable. Aaaaah…….. rubbing temples. I can't decide if it's worse or equally bad as having Anne throw at us butchered lines from the book at irrelevant times, to soften the blow to the book fans. It wasn't "refreshingly relatable and modern" (I suppose that's what they were going for). It was so bad it couldn't work in either Regency or a modern setting or any other timeline, to be honest. It can BARELY serve as a parody of Persuasion!

It's not an accidental failure. It's not a hit-and-miss (by a few million light years!). It's so fucking bad, it can only be on purpose. Did somebody bet the creators they couldn't make the most cursed Austen adaptation of all times? That would make sense! How else could one explain this PLOTLESS, FLEABAGED, QUIRKY-FIED, BLAND AS ROOM TEMPERATURE WATER AND SUBTLE AS WRECKING BALL, PARODY OF PERSUASION?

I wish I could take back those 3 hours of my life (that's how long it took me to watch, as I had to pause every other scene, yell "what the hell? what the fuck? what is this? what the fuck am i watching", take deep breaths, rub my temples, pour more wine and press play).

If you haven't watched it, I envy you. If you did, let us pray for lobotomies!

23 notes - Posted July 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[wackygoofball]

I posted 6,078 times in 2022

That's 232 more posts than 2021!

36 posts created (1%)

6,042 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@nb-peace

@jaimebrienneonline

@akasanata

@it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined

@renee561

I tagged 91 of my posts in 2022

#jb week 2022 - 22 posts

#jaime/brienne - 21 posts

#brienne/jaime - 21 posts

#jaime x brienne - 21 posts

#brienne of tarth - 21 posts

#braime - 21 posts

#jb week - 21 posts

#jaime x brienne week 2022 - 21 posts

#brienne x jaime - 21 posts

#lannistarth - 21 posts

Longest Tag: 90 characters

#i usually speak english instead of my native language to cover that up none too gracefully

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

JB Week 2022 - Elements - Day 1 - Water

24 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

#4

assembling IKEA chairs gone rogue I guess

25 notes - Posted May 14, 2022

#3

JB Week 2022 - Elements - Day 7 - Fire

29 notes - Posted October 9, 2022

#2

JB Week 2022 - Elements - Day 7 - Fire

29 notes - Posted October 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Visually, this felt like a sad ballad about a guy who didn't make it in the tryouts for his school's baseball team.

96 notes - Posted May 14, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[heffrondriving]

my dumb ass keeps on making new random btr stuff (gifs, vids, edits, memes, fics, art, text sh!tposts, etc.) on a rapid adhd ultra-hyperfixation scale and then not posting any of them bc i keep getting scared i'm gonna annoy everyone by unnecessarily flooding the big time rush tag.......no joke i'm literally 11 away from 2,000 drafts pray for me pls ;-;

[warmspice]

On one hand u get anxiety from responding too late and on the other hand u get anxiety from not responding at all

[seriouslyobsessed]

Fanfiction Recommendations

A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones

Braime

•in the dark, I thought I saw you By angel_deux

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32953927

When Jaime tries to leave King's Landing after the sept explosion, Cersei stops him, and throws him into the dungeons.

Brienne tries to rescue him.

She fails.

•I know who you are now By angel_deux

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32954932

Brienne takes this opportunity to stare at him. Jaime. Not her Jaime. Jaime as she’s only ever imagined him. Young, with dashing golden curls, not a hint of gray. His lips are a bit poutier than she’s ever seen them. His skin is a bit more golden, more like how it was when she first met him. He has grown more pale, recently, since they have been up north."

Brienne wakes up one morning when she and Jaime are on patrol, and the Jaime who greets her is not her Jaime at all.

•Practically Purrfect By everydayescapeartist

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32976631

Brienne Tarth runs the local humane society and she already loves her job, but not as much as she's about to.

Jaime Lannister is just looking for a fun summer activity he can share with his nephew Tommen, but he'll get a lot more out of it than he's expecting.

•And Then There Was You By EryiScrye (SomberSecrets)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21903925/chapters/52280824

Jaime slammed down a stack of old books on the table. He had gotten zero sleep last night between his research and taking pages upon pages of notes, “Cat, who was she?”

“Who?” Catelyn asked innocently, clearly delighted at his stressed appearance.

“You know who I’m talking about!” Jaime growled as he parsed his giant stack of books out into neat piles and placed the appropriate set of printed notes he had taken last night on top of each pile.

“You mean that ugly ogre? The one who doesn’t know what she’s talking about?”

Jaime instantly coloured, his heart sinking in his chest, but still he charged full speed ahead, “Who’s post-doc is she? Because if she’s with Barristan Selmy, then I need to convince Arthur to steal her.”

Catelyn smiled around her coffee cup and took a sip while keying in a couple more words into her own grant application, “She’s not a post-doc Jaime.”

“PhD?”

Catelyn laughed and met his eyes, “No. Brienne’s an undergrad, second year. I met her last year when she took my Women in War class. You were outsmarted by and then subsequently bullied a teenager, Jaime.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

•I'm A Believer By theworldunseen

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20716883/chapters/49215071

“I have a brother, Ser Jaime Lannister, who is trapped in a tower in the westerlands. If you go and save him and bring him back to us, I’ll knight you. But not a moment before.”

She wanted to tell Princess Cersei that she’d already done one impossible task — she’d won her first melee, which included the best knights in the realm, and surely she was the first woman to win a tournament — so couldn’t she just be a knight now?

Instead Brienne of Tarth said, “I’ll do it.”

A Shrek-inspired fairy tale AU

•Doesn't Mean Anything By WackyGoofball

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6600244/chapters/15099451

Jaime asks his best friend to help him out to defuse some crazy rumors about his relationship status.

Chaos ensues.

As always.

•Kiss Cam By SeeThemFlying

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34659883#main

Jaime and his girlfriend Cersei go to see a football game.

There's a kiss cam.

Jaime doesn't kiss Cersei.

•and you’ve whispered what I’m worth By angel_deux

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18977761/chapters/45061606

Mad Max: Fury Road AU. After losing his hand as punishment for killing the Mad King, Jaime is demoted to Imperator: a glorified driver for Queen Cersei. He's out on a gas run when his rig is hijacked by a woman who claims she's rescuing a bunch of beautiful noble girls from Cersei's clutches.

•The Hardest of Hearts By LSquared80

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21062876/chapters/50106101

Brienne is Renly's campaign manager and Jaime is on Tywin's payroll as both men run for president. Brienne and Jaime dislike one another, unaware they are falling in love with each other via a dating app as they cross paths on the campaign trail.

•A Starry Eyed Song By Bellatrix_Wannabe_89

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32951596/chapters/81781753

The wedding between His Grace Robert of the House Baratheon, the first of his name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm and Brienne of Tarth, last surviving daughter of the Evenstar, caused something of a stir among the Highlords…

[tiktaalic]

hwy i gotta say that i really love your occasional braime post bc theyre really everything to me. like got crashed and burned long ago. but i still think abt them ever since i watched the series for the first time like three years ago. i dont have the slightest inclination to do a got rewatch but i do comeback to their scenes together every year or so bc its that good. tbh i knew the series as a whole was going downhill fast but it didn’t really set in until 8x04 when they undo all of jaime’s character development in 10 seconds and as a byproduct affirm brienne’s insecurities and fear about her worth and capability of being loved, romantically or otherwise. anyway your last post reminded me of them and to me, they are together always.

theyve got me down so bad ive rewatched the supercut twice in two weeks i have notes in my notes app about a primer ive been going back into the wasteland (ao3 tag) (astolat works)

[dreadwulf]

I posted 616 times in 2021

146 posts created (24%)

470 posts reblogged (76%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 3.2 posts.

I added 108 tags in 2021

#anonymous - 35 posts

#away queue - 12 posts

#wip meme - 10 posts

#braime - 9 posts

#jaime x brienne - 9 posts

#dreadwulf fic - 8 posts

#queueueue - 7 posts

#and you will know them by the trail of dead - 7 posts

#queueueueue - 6 posts

#jaime lannister - 5 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#and i think it has to be stoneheart or sansa because he has to be confronted not only with his own sins but with the crimes of his family

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

1. It Was There That I Saw You

He hears it over the radio that first time. 

“The Blue Angel is down.”

One of those crummy broadcasting setups that still run out of universities sometimes. Ancient amateur stations he picks up on the road while trying to plot out a route to the family compound around the Others. They announce sightings sometimes, rather like weather reports, or traffic updates. Undead on Highway 11, detour recommended.

The roads are clear that evening, and the drive is as quiet and peaceful as a biodiesel vehicle can manage, except for the news on the radio.

"The Blue Angel is down, and our world grows a little bit colder and darker," the radio man says.

Jaime switches off the receiver. He shakes his head slightly as he drives the ungainly armored car along the winding road, peering into the dusk without headlights. The radio man doesn’t know the Blue Angel. He’s some punk kid, was probably at uni when the Others first attacked and hasn’t ventured outside since. That’s who still broadcasts these days, old student outfits barricaded inside their campuses. This kid doesn’t know the Blue Angel’s name, probably doesn’t even know she's a woman. He will pay him no mind.

But he leaves the radio off for the rest of the journey.

[read more]

66 notes • Posted 2021-09-13 23:55:36 GMT

#4

I have long wondered why there are so many lgbt j/b shippers - who are not usually so prominent for a straight ship - and particularly lgbt fans of Jaime. I mean, how could a queer person relate to the narrative of a character trying to break free of the relationship he was essentially born into and cant seem to detach from even though it isnt remotely a good fit for him and is absolutely slowly killing him, in order to be with a wonderful person who is nonetheless reviled by society for gender nonconformance and who he has been taught never to consider as a romantic possibility. I mean...

97 notes • Posted 2021-02-28 00:50:00 GMT

#3

‘Jaime in fic as kind but not nice‘ yeah, I get the vibes that he is not always pleasant to be around, often hurts people’s feelings without thinking, and forming long-lasting friendships would be hard for him since a lot of people might balk at his attitude and perceived callousness while there’s a chance that those who don’t mind it are just jerks and bullies who don’t understand his kindness. Once you get past that, you couldn’t ask for a more loyal and empathic friend.

I mean, “nice” is an empty signifier in a lot of ways. What does it mean exactly? Isn’t it something you say about someone when you can’t think of a more positive descriptor? She’s a nice girl. He’s very.... nice. What are you saying? They’re polite? They’re well behaved? They say all the right things? Isn’t the whole point of Brienne’s attraction to Jaime that he’s NOT full of empty niceties, so she can believe he is sincere in his actions? 

There’s a reason “Nice Guy” became derogatory; there’s something transactional about nice. It’s conforming to expectations and expecting to get something in return. It’s adhering to the social order and happily profiting from it because it’s tilted to your favor. It’s empty chivalry. The Kingsguard knights Jaime served with under Aerys were Nice. The Citadel is full of Nice people. Lord Tarly is probably Nice, if you aren’t Brienne or Sam.

Renly was Nice to Brienne, when he actually held her in contempt. But Jaime was kind. Renly gave her a rainbow cloak because he thought it was funny, but Jaime gave her a quest and the tools she needed to do it. He was rude as hell the whole time, but he stuck his neck out for her multiple times. 

That’s kind of his M.O. really. He’s gonna be snarky and contemptuous about it the entire time, but Jaime looks out for people - and like you said, he is incredibly loyal. (Loyal past the point of sense, you might say.) 

Unfortunately he’s in a family that sees kindness as weakness, which is part of why he hides it so carefully. 

119 notes • Posted 2021-02-28 23:00:11 GMT

#2

Did you know there is a zoo that named its two leopard brothers Jaime and Tyrion?

This is EXCELLENT information and thank you for sharing it. Here are the leopards from the Columbus Zoo. 

137 notes • Posted 2021-03-01 01:04:35 GMT

#1

The other thing people tend to forget is that A Feast For Crows is named primarily for Jaime chapters.

Jaime I : On the morning after the battle, the crows had feasted on victors and vanquished alike, as once they had feasted on Rhaegar Targaryen after the Trident.

Jaime II : The crows will feast upon us all if you go on this way, sweet sister. "Cersei, listen to yourself. You are seeing dwarfs in every shadow and making foes of friends. Uncle Kevan is not your enemy. I am not your enemy."

Jaime V: Nowhere. The Bloody Mummers stripped his corpse and left his flesh to feast the carrion crows. 

But the quote that is vital to the book’s title, in my opinion, is this one:

Jaime I: Every crow in the Seven Kingdoms should pay homage to you, Father. From Castamere to the Blackwater, you fed them well.

Throughout the book Jaime is leaving King’s Landing and riding around the Riverlands, witnessing the damage that has been done to the realm. Accurately, he places some of the blame on his father, thinking about how he had turned The Mountain loose on the Riverlands and the carnage that ensued. He doesn’t directly think about the Red Wedding, but it must be in the back of his mind - it has been a disquieting topic for him ever since he got the news of it, at Brienne’s side, and witnessed her grief. 

It’s rather like he couldn’t bring himself to criticize the man while he was alive, but kept turning his face away and resisting him in smaller ways (becoming a knight, joining the Kingsguard, not marrying and continuing the Lannister name). We know from the chapter where he stands vigil over Tywin’s body that his feelings about his father are... complicated. In many ways, I think that chapter is the most critical in the whole series for understanding Jaime. He is literally forced to look directly at his father for the first time, and finds him a rotting, ghastly horror. He can’t deny that anymore. He couldn’t ignore the Red Wedding when Brienne was grieving for Catelyn right beside him, and he can’t ignore the destruction in Westeros anymore as he travels through the Riverlands. He’s engaging with it directly, witnessing the sorry state of the commonfolk and the bandits who roam the countryside, and he knows, deep down, his house is to blame.

(It’s a short jog from there to the ways that HE is to blame, but he’s not there quite yet.)              

Anyway, at the same time he’s thinking about what his own role is going to be, now that he’s not a great swordsman anymore, and not shackled to Cersei. He tries out Tywin-like tactics at Riverrun and it doesn’t feel good. With the next lord he meets he is reasonable and merciful and enjoys that transaction much more. He took a small caravan of young boys hostage, as is politically expedient, but doesn’t treat them like prisoners at all and basically lets them run around playing like they’re at summer camp. He’s testing himself, trying out different ways to be a Lord and a general that won’t make him like his father.

It was important to show this evolution in real time, rather than time-skip Jaime to a few years later. I think the change in him would be fairly unbelieveable if it happened all at once, but because it’s slow, it ends up invisible for a lot of readers. But remember, the volume of ASOIAF that is named for Jaime is the one about the devastating aftermath of war and its effects on the commonfolk, and not the ones about political machinations (AGOT) or warfare directly (ACOK and ASOS). His role in the story is going to be very different from what readers assume. 

152 notes • Posted 2021-02-09 14:49:49 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[thestory812]

I posted 763 times in 2021

105 posts created (14%)

658 posts reblogged (86%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 6.3 posts.

I added 537 tags in 2021

#jaime x brienne - 133 posts

#braime - 119 posts

#brienne of tarth - 106 posts

#jaime lannister - 76 posts

#mulder and scully - 28 posts

#anti got - 20 posts

#game of thrones - 18 posts

#asoiaf - 15 posts

#dana scully - 11 posts

#rumbelle - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 70 characters

#stop trying to take away beauty and the beast from jaime xbrienne 2021

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

“It’s exciting for me to see Rick and Joel getting a lot of love as people see this movie because he is one of the few characters in the movie that has good intentions and seeing that play I think we sort of fall in love with him. He’s not as holy or innocent as Ratcatcher 2 is but he’s even more admirable than that because he’s kept on to his beliefs, despite being through a lot with those beliefs.”

-James Gunn, director of the Suicide Squad

159 notes • Posted 2021-08-26 13:26:09 GMT

#4

210 notes • Posted 2021-07-09 14:49:49 GMT

#3

October is the official month of resentment of what Fox did to the characters of Abbie Mills, Ichabod Crane, their relationship, and of course their treatment of Nicole Beharie. 🎃

306 notes • Posted 2021-10-03 13:37:14 GMT

#2

316 notes • Posted 2021-05-31 13:43:13 GMT

#1

“Jaime and Brienne is my all time favorite relationship in Game of Thrones. It's the ultimate love story to me, I find it quite beautiful.”

748 notes • Posted 2021-02-14 22:50:59 GMT

That this beautiful quote is my number one and 3 of these posts involve Ichabbie content is ❤️

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[letoatreides]

CONTENT CREATOR YEAR IN REVIEW 2020

once again I have let these kinda stack up, so I’ve been tagged by @lyrasbelacqua @marwankenzari @stormbreaker @kamalaskhans and probably more I just don’t wanna keep scrolling lmao 

first creation and most recent creation of 2020

so I just started using photoshop this year so my first creation this year was also my first creation ever and it was this very crappy Brienne of Tarth set. Most recent was a Birds of Prey edit I did for the creatorhub secret santa event. 

one of your favorite creations from 2020

that’s so hard uhhhh I really like the old guard + love languages set i did! oh and this set, tony stark + aliases 

a creation you’re really proud of

I talk about this set a lot, but marvel + favorite quote 

a new style you tried this year and a gifset that uses it

every style considering this is my first year giffing lmao, but i tried blending scenes which was new! like this one I did for Iroh and this one for nicky and joe 

your favorite coloring

my talents....are not.....coloring lmao but the colors in this avatar set popped for me and I vibe with it. and this star wars set which remains the only good coloring I’ve done on purpose to date. 

a creation that took you forever

another secret santa set I did, this time for Lyra. BUT IT WAS WORTH IT CAUSE WE ARE IN LOVE

your creation from 2020 that received the most notes

the scene of Ahsoka revealing baby grogu’s name 🥺🥺🥺🥺 

a creation you think deserved more notes

this one for Salim and the Jinn maybe? I usually forget about the note count after it’s posted or it’s reblogged by my friends

a creation with a favorite scene/quote

the old guard with some mackelmore lyrics ! this set kinda slaps and if it had shown up in the tags that would have been GREAT. also another old guard set (nicky joe again cause i do be loving them) 

a new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it

I started watching anime again this year and started @dailyanime which has been so amazing and I’ve made some fun edits for my hero academia and haikyuu!! 

a creation you made that breaks your heart

so many cause my forte is sadness 

chadwick’s birthday set

the death of philip schuyler

tony and rhodey + I lost a friend

din saying goodbye to his son one and two

a ‘simple’ creation that you really love

all of my stuff could be considered simple lmao so this scene of Din revealing his face cause Pedro stole an emmy with like .2 seconds of facial expressions 

a creation that was inspired by another one

I don’t think I’ve ever done a set like that tbh

a favorite creation created by someone else

legitimately every set @scinnlaece has made ever. also this braime set from sharon @bartonclinton 

some of your favorite content creators from the year

so freaking many, the talent here is unreal! @timothyolyphant @kamalaskhans @scinnlaece @marwankenzari @momentofmemory @anakin-skywalker @lyrasbelacqua @rafaelsilva @keanurevees @rafaelsilva @stormbreaker @katsukes​ and so many more!!! everyone who joined @dailyanime​ and @pochollywood​ also are so beyond talented I do not deserve them!

and for good measure, another a couple more creations of yours that you love

fruits basket

Brienne in Game of Thrones

Judas and the Black Mesiah

ANOTHER Nicky Joe set 

aren’t you a damsel in distress?

tagging: anyone who sees this and hasn’t been tagged yet! happy new year kiddos 

[a-shakespearean-in-paris]

I know it's not just DA but istg out of all the fandoms I've been in DA is like so prone to really black and white extreme thinking. Like you can't be neutral on certain characters or topics, you seldom find nuanced takes on various things and so on and it's kinda exhausting. I remember when DA2 came out it was like YOU CAN LIKE FENRIS OR ANDERS NOT BOTH and yeah do I even need to touch on Cullen?

Boy howdy, do I agree. 

Since branching off to other fandoms the general air of the DA fandom at large (not my friends and mutuals and certainly not everyone involved in DA, but I learned very early on in my tumblr blog life not to blindly follow everyone who posts DA) truly has a different air than other fandoms I’ve tapped into that oftentimes veers into black and white thinking.

I’m part of the subset of Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire fandom that loves Jaime and Brienne, and the utter chillness of that fandom astounds me compared to DA. Maybe it’s because the books/show are meant to be more morally dubious (but then again so is DA in certain respects, so IDK) Maybe it’s because we all hate season 8 and we’re waiting on George to release the next book (of course we’re in a long hiatus here in DA too) so again, I have no idea. In Jaime/Brienne fandom subset I have seen exactly (1) fandom discourse and it was all about the ethics of referring to their ship name as Braime. That is so small and ridiculous compared to what I’ve seen in the DA fandom over the past few years I can’t make this up. Heck, there are posts on this very site with thousands of notes that talk about the extreme opinions of the Dragon Age fandom according to tumblr at large. We are so notorious tumblr clowns on us.

It’s true though, I feel like this is a fandom of extreme opinions, and you get pigeonhold depending on your choices made. In a damn RPG. With Cullen, either you love him because he’s hot and purposefully ignore his flaws or you see through Bioware’s “bad” writing and know he sucks, and the nuance of his character growth (which is subtle but there if you pay attention) is lost. while I wasn’t there for Da2’s heyday I totally believe that it was either Fenris or Anders and you couldn’t like both at the same time. Hey guys, I know in game they aren’t fans of each other but Hawke can be friends with both. Does Hawke have to pick one or the other or…?

All this to say many of my favorite characters frustrate me. heck Cullen has flaws (My OCs have flaws too) and I don’t shy away from them. I love Morrigan but she’s problematic in many respects. I love Fenris but I don’t like the way he treats Merrill. I love Dragon Age but dang does it have some stumbles in some places. Do my feelings of kinship toward DA and the characters outweigh the negatives? I think so. I can critique what I like. On the same token, I can also point out the positives in things I don’t like. 

Overall, in media criticism, especially in fandom, I find a prevalence of black and white, unnuanced views completely unhelpful and kind of backward. 

[catherineflowers29]

Fic Writer Interview

Tagged by @kurikaesu-haru - thank you!

Name: Cathy

Fandoms: Currently only Jaime and Brienne, though I used to write a lot of Star Trek Voyager about 20 years ago.

Where you post: Just Ao3. I used to have a website and Yahoo Group for the Voyager stuff.

Most popular one-shot: By hits, that would be The Red Trailer of Feels, a smutty modern AU translation of the season 6 red tent scene. 

Most popular multi-chapter: By hits again, that would be Battleborn, which is a soft Braime-centric version of season 8, that was so far from the reality it’s ridiculous. On a humorous note, I saw someone on Tumblr saying they couldn’t recommend this fic as it was written in a style they didn’t think many people would like. This still kind of bugs me as I just don’t understand what they meant ... it’s third person present tense? I don’t think I did anything weird with it? Did I? DID I??? ARRRGGGHHH.

Fic you were nervous to post: Brienne Without Jaime, and reader, I wasn’t wrong.

How do you choose your titles?: Sometimes they come easy, sometimes I am utterly lost. It varies wildly.

Do you outline? I write about a third of each chapter and then I make notes on the remainder, but just structural stuff. Which I often deviate from. Other than that, it’s allllll in my head, baby.

Complete: GoT: 27. Voyager: 38.

Do you take prompts?: I do from fic exchanges but no one has ever prompted me elsewhere so I can’t give a definitive answer. I’m definitely open to the idea though, so HMU if you have an idea.

In-progress: Chapter 3 of The Best of Both Worlds, which should be done at the weekend hopefully, and the final instalment of Lions of the Rock is still to come. 

I’m going to tag @ohcaptaintarthister @im-auntie-social @seethemflying @it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined @meriwynlee @seleya and @notjanebond

[sapphires-and-gold-fics]

Sense & Sensibility Braime AU Update!

Forget Me, Not

Chapter 15

They were three days on their journey, and Sansa’s behavior as they traveled was less than desirable, speaking up only to remark on any particularly pretty prospect they might pass, her thoughts flying ahead of their little caravan. Brienne, therefore, was forced to assign herself the post of civility, engaging Ser Brynden, talking with him of the sights, and laughing at his stories. Gradually Brienne lost her initial discomfort, but she remained guarded, allowing the Blackfish to regale a captive audience without expectation of her own performance.

As they passed through the city gates at midday on the third day, Brienne’s discomfort seeped in again, as if the shadow of some great winged beast of ages past had cast a shadow on her view. Though it was unlikely that they would run in the same circles, she was at this moment closer to Lord Lannister, Jaime’s father, than she had ever imagined she would find herself. She prayed that there would be no reason for their paths to cross, for her knowledge of the man’s misdeeds threatened to sabotage her self-control.

Ser Brynden’s townhouse was handsomely fitted up, and the ladies were immediately put in possession of a very comfortable apartment. As supper would be some hours off and Ser Brynden had almost immediately on their arrival stepped away on business, Brienne determined to employ the interval in writing to Catelyn. In a few moments, Sansa also sat down and began writing. “I was writing home already, Sansa,” said Brienne, “I can defer my letter a day or two if you would prefer to write to mother first.”

“I am not going to write to my mother,” replied Sansa hastily, as if wishing to avoid any farther inquiry. Brienne said no more; it immediately struck her that her sister must then be writing to Ramsay, and just as quickly concluded that they must therefore be engaged. This quick conviction, though not entirely satisfactory to Brienne, gave her the little pleasure of Sansa’s certainty. Sansa was finished in a very few minutes; in length, it could be no more than a note. Then she was up and ringing for the footman immediately.

Sansa’s eagerness to be gone from Riverrun had assured Brienne of Ramsay’s being in town and therefore confirmed to her her sister’s knowledge of his whereabouts. Brienne had been resolved not only to mind Mr. Snow’s attentions and ascertain his motives, but to allow for the possibility, though unlikely, that she had misunderstood his character before, and to allow him more credit. If however, she could determine that his motives with regard to her sister were less than sanguine, she would not hesitate to confront him and open Sansa’s eyes; otherwise, she must then learn to avoid every selfish comparison and banish every regret which might lessen her satisfaction in Sansa’s happiness. Yet now Brienne found herself confronted with a hesitation in herself which would inhibit her ability to meet her sister’s pleasure for the rest of the day, and doubted her ability to be even-minded toward the man.

The tea-things were brought in sometime after Sansa had already been disappointed more than once by a knock at a neighboring door, or a carriage that neglected to pause before theirs. Just as Brienne sat back with her cup a loud knock finally resounded unmistakably at Ser Brynden’s threshold. Brienne felt secure of it announcing Mr. Snow’s approach, and Sansa started toward the door as if in synchrony with Brienne’s thoughts, seemingly ready to throw herself into his arms, when Colonel Casterly appeared.

It was too great a shock for the girl to bear with calmness, and she left the room abruptly. Brienne was momentarily disappointed for her sister, and then for Tyrion when she saw that Sansa’s reaction to his arrival had not gone unnoticed. “Is your sister ill?” said he. Brienne answered in some mildly affected distress that she was, talking of the length of their journey, and every thing to which she could decently ascribe her sister’s rudeness.

He heard her with the most earnest attention, and then recollected his manners and began speaking directly of his pleasure at seeing them in King’s Landing, making the customary inquiries about the friends they’d left behind. She offered him refreshment which he accepted, seeming pleased to return to their friendly custom of former times. He had been in King’s Landing almost ever since quitting Riverrun. “I have been once or twice in the Vale for the few days on business, but it has never been in my power to return to Riverrun,” he had intimated.

Thinking of Jaime’s visit to the Arryns, Brienne wondered suddenly if he was acquainted with Tyrion. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak much of the Vale, Tyrion. Do you spend time there often?”

Tyrion began his reply when there was a commotion in the hall and the Blackfish appeared in the open doorway of the room. “Colonel!” cried he with great liberality, his usual noisy cheeriness perhaps a little more pronounced following his social club visit, “I am monstrous glad to see you. I could not come before, beg your pardon, you know one always has a world of little things to do after one has been away. But pray, how came you to conjure that I should be in town today?”

“Ah,” Tyrion set down his cup, “as I was about to enlighten Miss Stark, I had the pleasure of hearing it a Mr. Arryn’s where I have been dining.”

Of course, Tyrion would know the Arryns through Lord Edmure, Brienne thought, and given Jaime’s proximity to that family perhaps they were acquainted. But Brienne would not have an opportunity to raise the subject today.

“Oh, and how is my daughter looking then? Well rounded, no doubt?” This, with a twinkle in his eye.

Tyrion smiled politely, “Everyone appears to be in excellent health, Ser.”

“Aye, to be sure. I thought as much. Well, Colonel, I’ve brought two of the Miss Starks to town with me - the other is somewhere - but tell me where have you been since we parted? It was a shame you could not stay through the season.”

Tyrion’s eyes ticked toward Brienne who colored slightly, embarrassed by Ser Brynden’s insistence on laying out personal business in company. But Tyrion collected himself quickly, “I’m afraid there’s been much for me to attend to and,” reaching for his hat and rising with a grateful nod toward his interim hostess, “I’m afraid I must return to it but I promise you Ser not to be a stranger to this house or to your guests while you are here.”

“Capital!” cried the Blackfish with a satisfied grin. Tyrion took his apologetic leave of Brienne and then allowed Ser Brynden to escort him to the door.

For not the first time that day, Brienne felt she had been left with more questions than answers.

Sansa rose the next morning with recovered spirits and happy looks. They had not finished breakfast before Lysa Arryn arrived, so delighted to see them all. She proposed that the ladies accompany her to some shops where she had business that morning. Sansa, though declining at first, was finally persuaded by Brienne to go, being reminded that they had never been to town, and should take the opportunity to see it.

When they returned in the noon hour, no Ramsay nor any other visitor of interest had called. “How very odd,” Sansa said in a low and disappointed voice, as she turned her eyes back to the view of the street.

How odd indeed, Brienne repeated within herself, regarding her sister with uneasiness. A physical foe would be no trouble for Brienne But Ramsay’s invisible presence was pulling at Sansa’s heart in a way for which Brienne could not conjure an effective weapon.

The following morning found Sansa in spirits again, happy in the mildness of the weather and still happier in her expectation of a frost. The cooler weather is bad for man’s sport, thought Brienne, perhaps Ramsay has been in the country and Sansa is imagining that the chill will draw him back to town.

It would be quite cold at Winterfell now, her thoughts continued, wondering if the chill was a portent of that family’s arrival as well, for Robert and Cersei had never yet spent a winter in the North. She allowed herself to wonder briefly where Jaime might find himself given the season and then granted herself a momentary remembrance of being alone in the stables with him, the warmth of his hands on hers, and the warmth of his words.

Colonel Casterly, who had a general invitation to the house, was with them for tea almost every day; he came, it seemed, mostly to talk with Brienne, who often derived more satisfaction from conversing with him than from any other daily occurrence. Tyrion was kind and interested in what she had to say in a way that no one, save for Jaime Lannister and perhaps Eliza Blackwood, a pairing she chose not to think of too often. She herself was not overly solicitous of Eliza’s company, as it made thoughts of Jaime difficult, but Tyrion’s company she enjoyed immensely. She took great pains to engage with him without pity, despite his sometimes-concerned and earnest glances toward her sister.

A little more than a week after their arrival it finally became certain that Ramsay Snow had also arrived. His card was on the table when they came in from the morning’s drive. “Gods be good!” cried Sansa, “he has been here while we were out.” Brienne, glad at least to at last see some real happiness manifested in her sister’s countenance, and assured at least of Ramsay’s proximity, now ventured to reassure her sister that he would come again. But Sansa quickly quit the room with the precious card. How addictive it was to engage in the possibility of hope.

Sansa insisted on being left behind the next morning, anxious not to miss him again, which in turn made Brienne anxious about a possible reprisal of their last encounter at Riverrun, which had left her sister in tears. Brienne was unsettled through the whole of the morning, but when she and Mrs. Arryn came back to the house, but a glance at her sister was enough to inform her that no second visit and no reprisal had taken place.

When the letters were brought in after dinner, Sansa nearly knocked the footman over looking for one with her name on it. “You expect a letter then?” asked Brienne, no longer able to be silent. “Yes, a little -- not much.”

Brienne sighed, frustrated. “You have no confidence in me, Sansa.”

“No, Brienne.” And scoffed, “This reproach from you -- who have confidence in no one!”

“Me!” returned Brienne in some confusion, “indeed, Sansa, I have nothing to tell.” Save for other people’s secrets, she thought.

“Nor I,” answered Sansa with energy, her cheeks almost as red as her hair, “Our situations then are alike. We have neither of us anything to tell; you, because you communicate nothing, and I, because I conceal nothing.”

Again she watched as her sister quit the room, distressed by this charge of reserve in herself, and still lost as to how yet press for greater openness in Sansa. She thought of writing to Catelyn right away, but remembered at once where the root of Sansa’s sensibilities lay, and told herself she would wait until tomorrow when she hoped she might be able to present for her mother a more even representation of what had passed, and not draw concern from the Riverlands.

About the middle of the following day, Ser Brynden went out by himself on business and Brienne began her letter directly while Sansa, too restless for employment, walked from one window to the next, finally seating herself by the fire in melancholy meditation of the foot traffic below.

Brienne was earnest but sensible in her application to their mother, suggesting that Catelyn write to Sansa alone and demand an account of her real situation with respect to Mr. Snow. Her letter was all but finished when a knock at the door announced a visitor, and Colonel Casterly was announced. Sansa, who had seen him from the window, and who now hated company of any kind that arrived in any shape other than the one she sought, left the room before he entered it.

Tyrion looked graver than usual. He seemed pleased to find only Miss Stark present as if relieved not to encounter either the Blackfish or Sansa directly. After a pause of several minutes, their silence was broken by his asking her in a voice of some agitation when he was to congratulate her on the acquisition of a brother? Brienne was not prepared for such a question, and having no ready answer, was obliged to ask what he meant? He tried to smile as he replied, “Your sister’s engagement to Mr. Snow is very generally known.” The other man’s name sounded painful for him to speak.

“It cannot be generally known,” returned Brienne, “for her own family does not know it. Tyrion,” she said familiarly, “who has told you such a thing?” He looked surprised. “I beg your pardon, I am afraid my inquiry has been impertinent. Their correspondence and impending nuptials are universally talked of.”

Brienne felt her blood begin to boil, a thin sheen of sweat gathering at the back of her neck. “Who is saying such things?”

Tyrion cleared his throat and looked up at Brienne, his parallel embarrassment and pity evident. “Many, Miss Stark. By some with whom you are most intimate -- Ser Brynden and his daughter Mrs. Arryn, and Mrs. Blackwood… and others with whom you do not claim an acquaintance.”

Brienne was stunned. Of course, the Blackfish in his folly would make mention of his suspicions to the family, but to who else? Who else was in his company at the club? Tyrion interrupted her thoughts. “I might not have believed it except when I arrived the servant happened to be carrying a letter addressed to Mr. Snow in a lady’s hand, and so I was convinced before I could even ask the question of you.”

Brienne stood as if to follow Sansa’s footsteps from the room, but stopped herself. Why hadn’t she put an end to this business sooner? Leaned into her suspicions? Tyrion addressing her from her elbow drew her from her thoughts, her name in his mouth almost sounding like her memory of another. “Miss Stark… Brienne… is everything finally settled? Is it impossible to--” he stopped himself. “I have no right and no chance of succeeding do I, Brienne?” He looked away, not waiting for an answer, and moved to collect his hat and umbrella from beside the sofa. “I believe I have been wrong in saying so much, but I hardly know what to do, and on your prudence, I have the strongest dependence and trust. Tell met hat it is all resolved and that this secrecy is all that remains.”

Tyrion’s words and desperation seemed to avow to herself a love for her sister, and this affected Brienne very much. As she was at least convinced of Sansa’s affection for Ramsay and could leave no hope of the Colonel’s success, despite her own desire for her young sister’s betterment, she thought it most prudent and kind to acknowledge that, while she had been informed of the terms of the attachment by neither party, she had no doubt of their mutual affection, and confessed that she was unsurprised by their correspondence.

Tyrion listened to her silently and, once she had composed herself and returned to her seat, he bowed his head and spoke: “To your sister, Miss Stark, I wish all imaginable happiness; to Mr. Snow, that he may endeavor to deserve her.”

With that he took his leave, abandoning Brienne to her thoughts. She derived no comfort from this conversation, nothing to lessen the unease in her mind. She set her cup down and stretched her fingers, her palm itching for the weight of a blade, that she might take this matter in hand herself, the best way she knew how.