#brary downton abbey

[things-keeping-me-up-at-night]

Just wanted to say I fully agree with your take on Mary/Tom from Downton Abbey. Felt like the show totally lost the plot around both characters after Matthew and Sybil died and one of the few good things that gave Mary in particular any growth was her relationship with Tom. Honestly wish they'd gone there

Absolutely! Julian Fellowes even said he considered putting them together later on in the show, so it makes sense how romantically charged the tension between them feels during that part of the show.

They share a genuine connection and motivation for the future, they are each other’s allies, they truly trust each other, and, again, have great chemistry, all of which wasn’t the case with their respective love interests by the end. It would have been a more powerful statement at the end of the show too; that someone neither of them would have related to (or even necessarily respected) at the beginning of the show would end up becoming the person they want to spend their life with.

(I also think Mary’s guilt over her feelings for him would have made a much more believable motivation for her behaviour in season 6 than her poorly written and executed relationship with Henry and it would explain why Tom was so adamant about getting them together as well- for the same reason. I know many fans would not have agreed with that, which is why I honestly thought they would both end up alone and just running Downton together as family in the show, but that didn’t happen either. That big “aha” moment they were building up to being that, despite nothing pointing to that, Mary actually did want to be with Henry (again, one of the “least” of her love interests) just felt disappointing to me considering all the directions they could have gone with this.

Considering one of the main reasons I kept watching the show at that point was their relationship (as friends, family or romantic partners), I haven’t really rewatched that part of the show which makes it a lot easier to convince myself that the show actually did go there in the end lol

Anyway, it was really nice to see someone else share that opinion, so thank you!

[things-keeping-me-up-at-night]

A MILLION TIMES YES to Jess/Jules and Tom/Mary, I just pretend both of these are canon (and it’s not that hard based on the source material tbh).

Honestly the main thing I dislike about the Downtown Abbey ending and the movies is both of their mediocre (at best) and rushed romances. I don’t like Henry at all and don’t particularly care for Lucy either, and I honestly would have preferred for both of them to remain single to these romances, but as much as I loved him and Sybil and her and Matthew, I found myself rooting for them to get together so hard by the end, they were such a great team and had a amazing chemistry.

I also putting the two of them together would have provided a better opportunity for the show to show Mary grow as a person instead of basically having her be the same as she was in S1 for the sake of drama and forcing her into a relationship she clearly didn’t want.

As for Jess and Jules, yeah, it is so obvious that these two are the real romance of the movie, I will never understand why they decided against it.

What are your top 5 non canon ships?

Hi anon! This is a great question

Buffy/Faith. You know I had to rewrite this list because I hadn't included Buffy/Faith as in my head I treat them as canon. This is probably the ship I go hardest for. They just really hit so many right notes for me.

Rachel/Quinn. Listen. These two had a chokehold on me when I was very very young and watched Glee. We all have a past and some of us genuinely got into Glee. They had so much subtext and chemistry. I still think of them fondly sometimes, even if I try and black out all things Glee from my brain.

Wednesday/Enid. I just really love this dynamic and while they aren't canon (yet), I'm excited to see where their relationship goes even if it stays platonic. They've also really reignited my love for writing as they're just a blast to write for.

Jess/Jules. Bend it Like Beckham. The fact that this was literally meant to be the story still breaks my heart to this day. As a kid I was obsessed with this movie and I just really wish we could all go back in time and remake this the way it was intended to be.

Tom/Mary on Downton Abbey. This one is very out there and I'm probably completely alone in this opinion. But Downton Abbey is a comfort show to me despite how it really peaked in s3 and then had many ups and downs. Tom and Mary had chemistry and would have been a fun way to shake everything up sometime in s5.

[byeletty]

um. I'm on 402 and Violet asking Tom to be Mary's "instructor" about the estate could have been excellent grounds for widows to fall in love and then I wouldn't have to deal with G*llingham? AM I BECOMING A LATE SEASONS BRARY SHIPPER ON MY 17TH VIEWING OF THIS PROGRAM?? stay tuned 🙃

[sorrel-scribbles]

I'm watching Downton Abbey with my mother, and today we watched 5x3. When Tom says if "If you love me you'll support me" in that scene near the end where they're talking about their love lives, I made a joke about that being a weird love confession and my mother, who doesn't like romance novels/movies etc and definitely has no idea what shipping is, turned to me very earnestly and said "really, those two should have ended up together instead."

So I think that's as close as I'll ever get to having my mom's blessing to write TomxMary fanfiction 🎉.

[gaitwae]

Suddenly hit with Brary like WOAH

Having a romance between a widows and a widower where the audience knows the former spouses and LOVES them, and is familiar with the former marriages would have been so interesting! To see them get into those first relationships, and then to LOSE them, and to see how this new relationship plays out would have been insane.

And in the case of Mary and Tom, it would have been this really subtle thing- they wouldn't have realized they loved each other until the last few episodes??

And for Mary to be afraid of driving when Tom was a chauffer---- for them to be looking at these other people when what they needed was each other----

Normalcy is for the unimaginative

i literally forth at the mouth remembering that you're left convinced Tom is going to step in last minute and it never happens.

[angelswing236]

"It's been a long time."

Fictober 24 challenge

Fandom: Downton Abbey

Fanfiction

‘You’re back for good then?’ Mary asked, settling on the sofa beside an exhausted-looking Tom.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I am.’

‘Good. I’m glad,’ she replied, feeling uncharacteristically tongue-tied.

‘I’m glad you're glad,’ he said, an amused smile playing on his lips.

‘And you?’

‘And me, what?’ he asked, too tired to parse through her meaning.

‘Are you glad you’re back?’

He cocked his head, puzzled by the question. ‘Of course, I am. I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t want to.’

Mary nodded, her lips pursing as she thought about what to say next. ‘I was just wondering…’

‘What?’

‘Why have you come back?’

He gave a small shrug. ‘I think I realised that Downton is home now.’

‘But that’s not how you felt before you went away. Isn’t that why you went away? Because Downton didn’t feel like home to you?’ she pressed, not satisfied with his answer.

‘I suppose sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until you haven’t got it anymore,’ he said, looking awkwardly away, peering into the glass he held in his hand.

Mary stared at him, her heartbeat picking up a little, a rogue voice in her brain asking if it was just Downton he was talking about, or had he missed her as much as she’d missed him? ‘I suppose so.’

She watched him, still hardly able to believe he was really there in the flesh, sitting next to her after long months of a keenly felt absence constantly dogging her. It was different, she’d come to realise, missing someone who was alive and yet not there than someone who was dead and would never be there again.

‘Is that the only reason?’ she asked, pressing gently for another answer.

‘Well, Sybbie missed you all a great deal.’

‘Darling Sybbie. It’s so wonderful to see her. Mama and Papa are delighted. And George.’

‘It was lovely to see them reunited.’

‘But that’s it? That’s the only reason?’ she pressed harder.

He sighed, fatigue pulling at him. ‘What other reason would there be?’

‘Oh, I don’t know. For all I know, you might have had some mad love affair in Boston that ended badly and that’s why you’ve come back,’ Mary said, trying to sound playfully nonchalant.

He looked at her in surprise and huffed out a laugh. ‘A mad love affair?’

‘Yes.’

‘Was there some indication in my letters that I was having a mad love affair with someone?’

‘No, but perhaps that’s not the kind of thing you would have written about. Not to me.’

Tom’s face creased into a puzzled look. ‘Why wouldn’t I have told you if I was having a mad love affair? You’re my best friend.’

‘I’m also Sybil’s sister, so perhaps you wouldn’t have wanted to confide in me,’ Mary countered.

He tipped his head, studying her. ‘I wasn’t having a mad love affair in America.’

‘Right. That’s… that’s good. Well, not good, but… um, you know, good that you haven’t had your heart broken again,’ Mary waffled, surprised by the huge wave of relief that washed over her.

They sat in silence for a while before she spoke again. ‘Will you be coming back to the office?’

He lifted his eyes to meet hers. ‘Do you want me to?’

‘Of course, I do.’

He smiled. ‘Are you saying you’ve missed me, Mary?’

She met his gaze, her expression more tender than she perhaps realised. ‘Maybe a little. It’s been awfully quiet there without you. It’s been a long time. On my own, I mean. Without you. A long time since I’ve had a partner to bounce ideas off.’

‘So, you’re prepared to have me back, are you?’ he said, his smile growing wider.

‘Yes. That’s if you want to come back,’ she said, suddenly nervous he’d decline.

‘I do.’

‘So, you’ve missed me too?’ she asked, her heart hammering unexpectedly.

‘Only every day,’ he replied, his voice as soft as his gaze.

Mary stared at him, relief mixing with something else, something she couldn’t quite name.

‘So, you’ll come back tomorrow then?’

‘I’ll come back tomorrow,’ he agreed.

‘Good. I'm pleased. Very pleased.’

Tom smiled and Mary smiled back. Anything else could wait until tomorrow.

[lupine-phoenix]

Title: Fortnight Pairing: Tom Branson/Mary Crawley Summary: Tom Branson has some thoughts about his relationship with Mary Crawley.

[andromedacrawley]

Chapters: 35/?

Fandom: Downton Abbey

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Tom Branson/Mary Crawley, Tom Branson & Mary Crawley, Mary Crawley/Matthew Crawley (past), Anna Bates/John Bates, Thomas Barrow/Jimmy Kent, George Crawley & Mary Crawley, Anna Bates & Mary Crawley, Cora Crawley & Mary Crawley, Mary Crawley & Robert Crawley, Tom Branson & Jimmy Kent, Tom Branson & George Crawley, Tom Branson & Elsie Hughes, Sybil Crawley/Original Female Character(s) (offscreen), Cora Crawley/Robert Crawley, Anna Bates & Tom Branson, Tom Branson & Edith Crawley

Characters: Mary Crawley, Tom Branson, Anna Bates, George Crawley, Robert Crawley, Cora Crawley, Edith Crawley, Jimmy Kent, Charles Blake, Henry Talbot, John Bates, Sarah Bunting, Sybil Crawley (offscreen), Rose MacClare

Additional Tags: Romance, Eventual Romance, Slow Burn, Drama, Angst, Secret Relationship, Forbidden Love, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, attempted rape/non-con is for Mr. Green

Summary:

If she were selfless, Mary would have set him free. He deserved to live a life far from here, maybe in Ireland or America, where despite his protest he might find someone worthier of him. Perhaps he could even stay in England, running for office or even a political reporter. Branson had a sharp mind, he was fully capable of such a thing... But Mary was selfish. And she would keep him here as long as she possibly could.

An AU starting in S4 where Mary grieves Matthew differently, Tom is still the chauffeur, and their friendship forms another way.

[gaitwaes-masterlist]

Chapters: 2/31 Fandom: Downton Abbey Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Tom Branson/Mary Crawley, Tom Branson/Sybil Crawley, Mary Crawley/Matthew Crawley, Matthew Crawley/Lavinia Swire, Tom Branson & Mary Crawley Characters: Tom Branson, Mary Crawley, Matthew Crawley, Cora Crawley, Robert Crawley, Violet Crawley, Isobel Crawley, Edith Crawley, Lavinia Swire Additional Tags: Friends to Lovers, Widowed, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Forbidden Love, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Falling In Love, Second Chances, Dorks in Love, Slow Burn, I'm so sorry about this it's kind of dramatic, Lavinia doesn't die, Sybil dies when Lavinia was supposed to, Canon-Typical Religion Summary:

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” – William Shakespeare +-+--

When his wife Sybil dies of the Spanish Influenza in April, 1919, Tom Branson is left in Downton Abbey with no way back to Ireland and no money to start over again. He’s essentially trapped.

When Matthew leaves for America in June, 1919, Mary has to reevaluate her character, her life, and what she wants when her fiancé becomes the earl. She’s got no one to lean on.

They’re left alone in that big house with nothing but a stack of books and a yearning for memories. So, what’s a pair to do?

[burningsoftly]

i have a theory that they’ve stopped giving Mary and Tom scenes together because they have so much more chemistry with each other than they do with their respective partners

[byeletty]

yeah yep okay fine it happened to me I see the Brary vision 🫠

[gaitwae]

Title: Faux Pas

Summary:

Tom could clearly remember the moment that hurled him over the edge of the worst mistake he ever made. He could see her now, in his mind’s eye, fresh like it just happened moments ago. He felt bruised, as if he had been thrown against a wall, and he had no way to stop fighting with her now. All that fighting, for weeks, it seemed, and it was nothing more than his ego and hers clashing together. For a flash of a second, he saw something die in her. He suspected, at the time, that it was merely the realization she would have to open herself up again — to experience pain again — but now, in retrospect… Was it really a mistake? Or was he right?

Pairing: Tom Branson/Mary Crawley

[angelswing236]

"This is getting ridiculous."

Fictober 24 challenge

Fandom: Downton Abbey

Fanfiction

‘Ha! I win again!’ Mary crowed as she slammed her unbeatable hand down on the table.

‘No, you can’t have,’ Tom protested, peering owlishly at her cards and then his own.

‘Oh, but I have! My cards trump yours. There’s no arguing with that. Come on. Get on with it,’ she said gleefully, picking up her gin and tonic and leaning back waiting for the show to begin.

He set his cards down, pouting. ‘But I’ve already taken off far more than you have.’

‘That’s because you keep losing,’ Mary replied, smugly. ‘That’s the nature of the game, my friend. The loser strips, the winner doesn’t.’

‘If I’d known you were such a card sharp, I’d never have agreed to play this game,’ Tom groused, making no move to take anything off.

‘Ah, so you agreed to play because you thought I’d be the one getting naked, did you? Well, what does that say about your intentions?’ she said, waggling her eyebrows. ‘Were they dishonourable, Mr Branson?’

‘I think I should be asking you about your intentions because I’m beginning to suspect they are definitely not honourable,’ he muttered before swallowing a large slug of whiskey. ‘How naked are you expecting me to get?’

‘Depends on how many more hands you lose. Now stop procrastinating and take your vest off. Unless you want to go straight for the trousers,’ she said, leaning her elbows on the card table and looking him up and down. ‘I don’t mind which option you choose.’

He sent her a look then grasped hold of the back of his vest and pulled it over his head, mussing up his hair as he did so. He balled up the vest and tossed it on top of the pile of clothes next to him.

‘There. Satisfied?’

Mary leaned back again, letting her eyes rove over his bare chest. ‘Hmm, not bad. In fact, your chest is quite nice to look at. You’re more muscular than I thought you’d be.’

He raised an eyebrow at her. ‘You’ve been wondering what my chest looks like, have you?’

‘Maybe. Now and again,’ Mary replied, meeting his gaze quite brazenly. ‘Are you telling me you’ve never wondered what mine looks like?’

Tom blushed and busied himself collecting up the cards and shuffling them in lieu of answering her question. Mary smirked, quite sure that she knew his answer anyway.

He dealt out the next hand and looked up at her. ‘I’m going to win this one, so you’d better start thinking about what garment you’re going to take off.’

Mary favoured him with a dazzling if slightly condescending smile. ‘Of course, you are, sweetie.’

‘I am!’

‘Well, if you do, I’ll let you choose what you want me to take off. How’s that?’

Tom flushed again, his eyes skipping up and down her body, and then he collected himself and directed his attention to his cards, a slight frown creasing his features.

Mary watched him, a small smile tugging at her lips as she catalogued all his tells, doubly certain now that she was going to have his trousers off shortly.

Two minutes later, Tom groaned and threw his hand on the table, the cards scattering across the baize. ‘For God’s sake! This is getting ridiculous. All you’ve taken off is a single glove!’

‘Can I help it if I’m gifted at cards?’ she cooed, smiling sweetly. ‘Come on, now. Off with them.’

Sighing, he stood and began to unfasten his trousers.

‘One more hand, Tom, and you’re naked. Totally naked,’ Mary said, her eyes gleaming. ‘And won’t that be interesting?’

[emmybrown]

going absolutely insane after this

[marrissacooper]

I wish there was a compilation of mary/tom scenes after s3. I want to see more of them but I also don't have the strength to put myself through s4-6

[andromedacrawley]

Chapters: 34/?

Fandom: Downton Abbey

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Tom Branson/Mary Crawley, Tom Branson & Mary Crawley, Mary Crawley/Matthew Crawley (past), Anna Bates/John Bates, Thomas Barrow/Jimmy Kent, George Crawley & Mary Crawley, Anna Bates & Mary Crawley, Cora Crawley & Mary Crawley, Mary Crawley & Robert Crawley, Tom Branson & Jimmy Kent, Tom Branson & George Crawley, Tom Branson & Elsie Hughes, Sybil Crawley/Original Female Character(s) (offscreen), Cora Crawley/Robert Crawley, Anna Bates & Tom Branson, Tom Branson & Edith Crawley

Characters: Mary Crawley, Tom Branson, Anna Bates, George Crawley, Robert Crawley, Cora Crawley, Edith Crawley, Jimmy Kent, Charles Blake, Henry Talbot, John Bates, Sarah Bunting, Sybil Crawley (offscreen), Rose MacClare

Additional Tags: Romance, Eventual Romance, Slow Burn, Drama, Angst, Secret Relationship, Forbidden Love, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, attempted rape/non-con is for Mr. Green

Summary:

If she were selfless, Mary would have set him free. He deserved to live a life far from here, maybe in Ireland or America, where despite his protest he might find someone worthier of him. Perhaps he could even stay in England, running for office or even a political reporter. Branson had a sharp mind, he was fully capable of such a thing... But Mary was selfish. And she would keep him here as long as she possibly could.

An AU starting in S4 where Mary grieves Matthew differently, Tom is still the chauffeur, and their friendship forms another way.

If you need a refresher, here’s Chapter Thirty Three