#towerhouse

[lawomanphoto]

March 14, 2022 Tower House by Christoff Van Kooning at Virgil and Fountain in East Hollywood, CA

March 14, 2022 Tower House by Christoff Van Kooning at Virgil and Fountain in East Hollywood, CA #towerhouse #christoffvankooning #artist #architecture #easthollywood #losangeles #christyborgman #lawomanphoto #onthisday

Photo by Christy Borgman

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

There are some heavy anti parallels between Daenerys Targaryen and Joffrey Baratheon/Cersei Lannister as monarchs in the way they treat Ser Barristan Selmy.

Joffrey dismisses Barristan Selmy from the Kingsguard because he needed someone to blame for his father's (Robert's) death. Of course, Joffrey is in reality his mother's puppet King, who considers dismissing Ser Barristan Selmy a great decision, as it would clear the way for Jaime to become the commander of the Kingsguard and give his a seat on the Small Council ( and Lannisters are all for nepotism in the way they run things). Plus, with Ser Barristan Selmy gone, Joffrey could make his personal guard Sandor, a member of the Kingsguard, something that Cersei also considered a winning situation.

Cersei sighed. "Joff wanted someone to blame for Robert's death. Varys suggested Ser Barristan. Why not? It gave Jaime command of the Kingsguard and a seat on the small council, and allowed Joff to throw a bone to his dog. He is very fond of Sandor Clegane. We were prepared to offer Selmy some land and a towerhouse, more than the useless old fool deserved."

Tyrion I, ACOK

The above passage not only reveals that Joffrey is his mother's puppet King but also that Cersei isn't the most clever person when it comes to ruling. Not only she fell for Varys' plan but she is also a very bad judge of other people. She considers Barristan Selmy an "useless old fool" when he's a great fighter and an asset due to his experience and strength for any ruler to have by their side. She also considers a great exchange to have Sandor in Barristan Selmy's place and we saw how that worked for the Lannisters at the end of ACOK.

Another passage on this specific incident that shows Cersei's myopic way of thinking:

"Ser Barristan was the Lord Commander of Robert Baratheon's Kingsguard," Tyrion reminded her pointedly. "He and Jaime are the only survivors of Aerys Targaryen's seven. The smallfolk talk of him in the same way they talk of Serwyn of the Mirror Shield and Prince Aemon the Dragonknight. What do you imagine they'll think when they see Barristan the Bold riding beside Robb Stark or Stannis Baratheon?"

Cersei glanced away. "I had not considered that.

Tyrion I, ACOK

Let's compare it with Daenerys, who finds out that Ser Barristan Selmy was lying to her about his identity. What is more, she realises that the man she trusted as her advisor was serving Robert Baratheon for years. Ser Jorah, in a move that closely reflects Varys' manipulation of Cersei/Joffrey, offers to kill Barristan Selmy for Daenerys. But Dany, needs to first listen Barristan's story before she decides what she'll do with him:

"Why are you here?" Dany demanded of him. "If Robert sent you to kill me, why did you save my life?" He served the Usurper. He betrayed Rhaegar's memory, and abandoned Viserys to live and die in exile. Yet if he wanted me dead, he need only have stood aside . . . "I want the whole truth now, on your honor as a knight. Are you the Usurper's man, or mine?"

"Yours, if you will have me." Ser Barristan had tears in his eyes. "I took Robert's pardon, aye. I served him in Kingsguard and council. Served with the Kingslayer and others near as bad, who soiled the white cloak I wore. Nothing will excuse that. I might be serving in King's Landing still if the vile boy upon the Iron Throne had not cast me aside, it shames me to admit. But when he took the cloak that the White Bull had draped about my shoulders, and sent men to kill me that selfsame day, it was as though he'd ripped a caul off my eyes. That was when I knew I must find my true king, and die in his service—"

"I can grant that wish," Ser Jorah said darkly.

"Quiet," said Dany. "I'll hear him out."

Daenerys V, ASOS

Daenerys, unlike Cersei, won't allow any advisor of hers to cloud her judgement. She knew beforehand that Ser Jorah was antagonistic towards Ser Barristan so even if she doesn't fully know the reason yet ( the revelation that Jorah was a traitor happens right after that passage) she won't allow him to interfere while she gets Barristan's confession.

Of course, after she finds out that not only one but two close advisors of hers have betrayed her she has a strong reaction. It's only natural for her to do so. And yet, despite that antis always accuse her of being merciless, she shows mercy while dealing with them. Another ruler would execute them both for treason and no one would bat an eye. In fact, everyone would say that their action was justified while treating with two traitors. But Dany admits on her inner monologue that she can't do that:

Go, go away forever, both of you, the next time I see your faces I'll have your traitors' heads off. She could not say the words, though. They betrayed me. But they saved me. But they lied. "You go . . ." My bear, my fierce strong bear, what will I do without him? And the old man, my brother's friend. "You go . . . go . . ." Where?

And then she knew.

Daenerys V, ASOS

When they both return successful from their mission to help the capturing of the city of Mereen, it's time for her to decide what she'll do with each of them.

Even while she has every right to be angry with them - and she is- she is still fair towards them and admits twice that they helped her to win Mereen.

Before she makes her decision, she opts to listen to Barristan's story once again, to understand better the reasons why he acted the way he did. It's a good move for a leader because someone who leads needs to know all the facts in order to make a fair judgement on someone. And that's what Dany does.

Barristan doesn't sugarcoat his opinion. He tells her that he considered Robert a good man and that's why he followed him instead of Viserys who he thought to be unfit to rule. He even tells Dany that he lied about his identity because he wanted to make sure she was - unlike her father and brother Viserys- fit to rule before he pledged his sword to her.

Once again, another ruler would be offended by the knight's words. He insulted her dead relatives by calling them unworthy to rule,which are true facts but how many rulers or even mere noble do you know besides Dany that would accept hard truths about their families? And then he proceed to tell her that he didn't automatically choose to follow her because she's the rightful ruler - remember both Dany and Barristan live in a world where they believe in ruling by birthright- but first he had to test her abilities to rule. And Dany was okay with that! How many rulers or again mere nobles do you know that would be okay with someone questioning their birthright and telling them that they need to prove their worth before they claim it? I really believe that as a fandom we don't give Dany the recognition she deserves for being more humble than most while dealing with these subjects.

Daenerys decides to allow Ser Barristan Selmy to remain by her side and that shows her political genius - which again is hardly recognised in the asoiaf fandom. She set aside her hurt pride by the knight's words and saw the bigger picture: someone who decided to follow her not simply because of her birthright but because he considers her a component leader is gonna be forever loyal to her. And Barristan Selmy is an asset for a ruler to have by their side, something that Tyrion had pointed out on his own chapter while he was dealing with the knight's dismissal by his nephew/sister.

And Dany made the right decision because we can see how much loyal Ser Barristan is to her on the fifth book of the series. He remains loyal to her even after Dany goes missing towards to the end of the book.

[amplifyme]

Sandor Clegane, the wordsmith.

The Hound escorted her across the drawbridge. As they were winding their way up the step, she said, "Why do you let people call you a dog? You won't let anyone call you a knight."

"I like dogs better than knights. My father's father was kennelmaster at The Rock. One autumn year, Lord Tytos came between a lioness and her prey. The lioness didn't give a shit that she was Lannister's own sigil. Bitch tore into my lord's horse and would have done for my lord too, but my grandfather came up with the hounds. Three of his dogs died running her off. My grandfather lost a leg, so Lannister paid him for it with lands and a towerhouse, and took his son to squire. The three dogs on our banner are the three that died, in the yellow of autumn grass. A hound will die for you, but never lie to you. And he'll look you straight in the face."

A Clash of Kings

[warsofasoiaf]

In ACOK Tyrion sends Janos Slynt to the Wall and then tells him that his eldest son will "inherit the title of Lord Slynt. Lands will be found for him...he will be responsible for building his own seat." I am curious, how would the Slynts build their own keep as new Lords? In this scenario, are the Slynts likely to be petty lords, subject to another vassal? Would they get lands in the Crownlands or the Westerlands?

As the new lords Slynt are unlikely to have any vassals to squeeze for cash, the new lord Slynt would probably have to take out a loan to finance a new castle being built. However, it's also possible that a suitable towerhouse or holdfast would be turned into a castle for the new lords, and they'd be responsible for expanding it, which would incur significantly less expenditures. Many nobles could bankrupt themselves with loans taken to repair/renovate castles or build new ones.

The lands for the Slynts are likely to be somewhere in the Crownlands. Now, it could be a new fief cut out of the existing royal demense, they could be lands seized from traitor lords in the War of the Five Kings, or it could be that the Slynts are subinfeudated to another Crownlands vessel. Of those three options, I tend toward the second.

Thanks for the question, Cle-Guy.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[racefortheironthrone]

Following on the castle question, do more nobles in ASOIAF have castles compared to real life history

It's more the case that most of the nobles we meet in ASOIAF are from the higher end of the nobility - the Lords Paramount and Principal Houses of the Seven Kingdoms - who are more likely to own castles.

By contrast, in the Dunk & Egg stories, we see more of the lower end of the nobility. Given our protagonists' point of view, in these stories we encounter hedge knights and sworn swords and landed knights like Ser Eustace Osgrey, whose Standfast is described as a fortified towerhouse:

This is exactly what a major type of fortified manor house looks like - because the artist probably referenced a photo of a surviving fortified manor house from our world. And in Sworn Sword, we see major intraclass inequality between marginal landed knights like Ser Eustace and the more well-established and well-capitalized small lords like the Webbers of Coldmoat - who can afford to maintain a small castle (with its eponymous moat), which happens to include having enough soldiers to back up its monopoly over the Chequey Water against rival claims.

While George R.R Martin's chops as a medievalist are often called into question, I think his knowledge base is a lot stronger when it comes to topics that older historiography focused on (wars, arms and armor, castles, dynastic politics) and a lot weaker on social history topics that have become more prominent in recent decades (the material life of the masses, medieval race, gender, and sexuality, etc). I would be very much surprised if GRRM hadn't collected the same illustrated books of Arms and Armor, the Medieval Castle, and so forth that I had when I was a young nerd.

[nocturna7]

Midhope Castle, also known as Lallybroch, home of Jamie Fraser (Outlander).

The property was owned by the Martin family in 1478, and they had a castle here, but passed to the Livingstones soon afterwards. James Lindsay, Lord Lindsay, had a ratification of 1592 for the lands of Midhope, with the tower and fortalice thereof. Midhope belonged to the Drummonds of Midhope, who were in possession during part of the 16th and 17th centuries, and Alexander Drummond of Midhope remodelled the tower in 1587 and his initials with those of his wife Marjorie Bruce are on a former lintel now above a gateway. Alexander Drummond of Midhope is on record in the 1640s, then Sir Robert Drummond of Midhope in 1647 and 1661.

The property passed to the Livingstones in 1664, and the intials of George Livingstone, 3rd Earl of Linlithgow are on a lintel, then went to the Hopes in 1678 and they remodelled the building. In 1710 the place was described as ‘a fine towerhouse with excellent gardens, one of the seats of the Earls of Hopetoun’. Midhope Castle was used to house farm workers after the building of nearby Hopetoun House, and in 1851 53 people lived here, but it was later abandoned and is now semi-derelict, although the outside was consolidated in 1988. The castle lies on the extensive Hopetoun estate.

Please be aware that there are many „Sam Heughan Scammers“ around. Never answer to any „Sam Heughan private accounts“ oder other „Sam Heughans“. These are always scammers or cheaters!!!!

https://instagram.com/MyInstaScotland/

#midhopecastle #lallybroch #outlander #castles_oftheworld #fiftyshades_of_history #explorescotland #loves_scotland #scotland #scotlandlover #scotland_greatshots #monumental_world #visitscotland #igscotland #instascotland #loves_united_castle #traveling_scotland #scotlandexplore #thisisscotland #wonderlustscotland #unlimitedscotland #hiddenscotland #castlesofscotland #castlemypassion #amazingshots_castle #bestcastles #yourscotland #yourcastles

[seoness]

a very happy christmas for you seoness!!! i wanted to ask you smth ab the hound... would the hound ever cry/weep (before s/o came along or during relationship), and if yes, in what situations? would he ever cry in front of her or in her presence w his back turned to her or never show her tears at all? what would he do if s/o found him crying? would he ever make the slightest sound while crying? in short:::: what makes sandor shed tears of any kind?

And a belated Happy Christmas to you!

Okay, so I'll focus on Sandor Clegane from the books for this answer because I cannot recall show Sandor ever shedding tears. Quite a bummer since some of his best scenes in the books has the Hound crying.

Battle of Blackwater - Strongly hinted to cry.

Brotherhood without Banners - Cries from pain and pleads for help when he gets his shield arm burnt.

Urging Arya Stark to kill him - Confirmed cry.

Headcanon

Sandor Clegane x Reader

Weeping welp. Gregor mocked him for it, but Sandor's brother seldom found him when the tears came. Just how Mother showed him to go through the towerhouse quietly like a mouse, avoiding any floorboard that creaked, so had the woman taught her son the hiding places of their cage. There he'd retreat and weep, but not like any child should. Silent. Until the day Gregor made even his tears painful.

Yet habits keep.

There will be no sob that beckons you to him. If Sandor's back is turned toward you, his voice will betray it. Thickened by tears. It's a mistake to think that those hardened are in no need of comfort. Sandor might be desensitized to most suffering. Senseless death? Cruelty? No, he's seen it before. Few can burrow through his thick walls, but when they finally do, the Hound crumbles. Like a beartrap, his arms close around you, and you stay. You don't try to explain the tears away. Try to rid them from his face. He's free now. Free to feel. Free to cry, and you'll be there, comforting him.

So what could best his defense?

There are the obvious ones. Certain deaths. Yours. If he has children, be they born of his blood or adopted, that pass before him. When Stranger dies.

You do hold significant power, though. The only one that could, with words, tear his defenses apart.

The release of pain. The Hound is a man stuck in the past; it's understandable. Life chipped away at him, and now shards of the Hound rest in what has been, turning bitter and sour. When he can let go, accepting that it's not an allowance of what happened or condoning the evil done against him, but a release. The freedom to create memories that aren't marred by his brother. He'll weep.

[agentrouka-blog]

I just saw something on Twitter about this, but a user was saying that the Cleganes are descendants of Dunk. Though I thought that was Brienne? Since when were the Cleganes confirmed descendants? Op was a s@nsan shipper, so I didn’t want to quote tweet their post in case discourse started …

I don't think they are. It's certainly not confirmed.

"I like dogs better than knights. My father's father was kennelmaster at the Rock. One autumn year, Lord Tytos came between a lioness and her prey. The lioness didn't give a shit that she was Lannister's own sigil. Bitch tore into my lord's horse and would have done for my lord too, but my grandfather came up with the hounds. Three of his dogs died running her off. My grandfather lost a leg, so Lannister paid him for it with lands and a towerhouse, and took his son to squire. The three dogs on our banner are the three that died, in the yellow of autumn grass. (ACOK, Sansa II)

If they were, the kennelmaster grandfather would have to be Duncan's bastard son, fathered in the 220s. (Or his wife a bastard daughter.) I can't imagine that this detail would not feature front and center with the Clegane family history, given how recent their ascendence to titles and honors is. And if they don't know of the relation, then GRRM has made no point of implying it in the same way he has with Brienne or Hodor.

I mean, Duncan was probably not the only tall man in the Seven kingdoms to leave tall offspring. If he is their ancestor, it would be a fun and dark twist on the theme his own corrupted knighthood.

[missglaskin]

Viseron hopes having a crown of his own will at least put him past Aemond and Tyrion, who will only ever be noblemen, but when the Martell Prince and Jacerys laugh at his kingdom of sharp rocks and destroyed ships, the newfound king realizes there is much work to be done.

but Viseron refuses to abandon his crown and instead commands the construction of fortifications as to not lose control again. within a year, there are towerhouses scattered across the largest of the isles and ironwood bridges to connect them. the most loyal soldiers were granted lordship and the knights still serving were encouraged to call on their families as to liven up the islands. and Viseron is unsure how Daemon manages it but the Grey Ghost is reported to be patrolling the Stepstones now, having made the Crabfeeder’s cave into his own lair.

once he’s content with the kingdom’s progress, Viseron invites the reader to visit. she’s atop Seasmoke by Laenor and flanked by Rhaenys and Meleys as a precaution. and much to the other families displeasure, she spends several months helping Viseron decorate his towerhouse.

but it’s not enough. and Viseron grows discontent with the kingdom after the reader returns west. so Daemon begins whispering words of war in his son’s ear. eventually Viseron commands the construction of a fleet and calls for his men to raise their swords again, attacking the neighbouring island-kingdoms to expand his borders.

And you know Vis will be able to expand his borders and with Daemon on his side, it's not long before the Hightowers demand that Viserys do something. They fear the ever-growing power, and it may not be long before he sets his eyes on something far more ambitious. But knowing Viserys, he doesn't have the heart to go against his nephew and brother. He may send a 'warning letter' but it will take something extreme to get him involved.

There's a chance the Velaryons are going to back Vis up. Perhaps some of the other houses.

[thelustybraavosimaid]

The Same Passages:

JON and JAIME:

When morning broke the snow was ankle deep, and deeper in the godswood, where drifts had piled up under the trees. Squires, stableboys, and highborn pages turned to children again under its cold white spell, and fought a snowball war up and down the wards and all along the battlements. Jaime heard them laughing. There was a time, not long ago, when he might have been out making snowballs with the best of them, to fling at Tyrion when he waddled by, or slip down the back of Cersei's gown. You need two hands to make a decent snowball, though. (Jaime VII, AFfC)

--

Strange voices echoed down the yards, and free folk were coming and going along icy paths that had only known the black boots of crows for years. Outside the old Flint Barracks, he came across a dozen men pelting one another with snow. Playing, Jon thought in astonishment, grown men playing like children, throwing snowballs the way Bran and Arya once did, and Robb and me before them. (Jon XII, ADwD)

SANSA and THEON:

Yet she stepped out all the same. Her boots tore ankle-deep holes into the smooth white surface of the snow, yet made no sound. Sansa drifted past frosted shrubs and thin dark trees, and wondered if she were still dreaming. Drifting snowflakes brushed her face as light as lover's kisses, and melted on her cheeks. At the center of the garden, beside the statue of the weeping woman that lay broken and half-buried on the ground, she turned her face up to the sky and closed her eyes. She could feel the snow on her lashes, taste it on her lips. It was the taste of Winterfell. The taste of innocence. The taste of dreams. (Sansa VII, ASoS)

--

Outside the snow was coming down so heavily that Theon could not see more than three feet ahead of him. He found himself alone in a white wilderness, walls of snow looming up to either side of him chest high. When he raised his head, the snowflakes brushed his cheeks like cold soft kisses. He could hear the sound of music from the hall behind him. A soft song now, and sad. For a moment he felt almost at peace. (A Ghost in Winterfell, ADwD)

JON, DAENERYS, and ARYA:

Nothing was what he had expected; Whitetree was the fourth village they had passed, and it had been the same in all of them. The people were gone, vanished with their scant possessions and whatever animals they may have had. None of the villages showed any signs of having been attacked. They were simply...empty. "What do you think happened to them all?" Jon asked. (Jon II, ACoK)

--

How long the city had been deserted she could not know, but the white walls, so beautiful from afar, were cracked and crumbling when seen up close. Inside was a maze of narrow crooked alleys. The buildings pressed close, their facades blank, chalky, windowless. Everything was white, as if the people who lived here had known nothing of color. They rode past heaps of sun-washed rubble where houses had fallen in, and elsewhere saw the faded scars of fire. At a place where six alleys came together, Dany passed an empty marble plinth. (Daenerys I, ACoK)

--

A little farther up the road, they glimpsed a forester's cabin surrounded by old trees and neatly stacked logs ready for the splitting, and later a ramshackle stilt-house leaning over the river on poles ten feet tall, both deserted. They passed more fields, wheat and corn and barley ripening in the sun, but here there were no men sitting in trees, nor walking the rows with scythes. Finally the town came into view; a cluster of white houses spread out around the walls of the holdfast, a big sept with a shingled wooden roof, the lord's towerhouse sitting on a small rise to the west...and no sign of any people, anywhere. (Arya IV, ACoK)

[kolajmag]

COLLAGE ON VIEW

Graphic Paper

The Art of Cutting Things Out with Alison Kurke at the Borders Textile Towerhouse in Hawick, Scotland 13 April-15 June 2024. American collagist, now resident of the Scottish Borders, Alison Kurke presents collages that are an overview of a studio practice that has evolved over the past twenty years. She makes collage because she likes cutting things out, combining them and pasting them down in pleasing arrangements. Retirement has its advantages and focused play is vastly underrated. At the opening reception on Saturday, 13 April, 1-3PM, is the launch of Standard Processes in Dressmaking, a collaged altered book by nine members of the International Collage Community, led by Kurke. Using E. Lucy Towers’s iconic, 1948 instruction manual as a point of departure, artists added fragments to the pages of the book as a means of exploring womanhood and fashion. Read More

*****************************

Kolaj Magazine, a full color, print magazine, exists to show how the world of collage is rich, layered, and thick with complexity. By remixing history and culture, collage artists forge new thinking. To understand collage is to reshape one's thinking of art history and redefine the canon of visual culture that informs the present.

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[virtualscotland]

This is a visit to Kinneil House in Bo'ness in central Scotland. It's an historic mansion built in 1677 on the remains of a 15th or 16th century towerhouse. The building was saved from destruction in 1936 when 16th century mural paintings were discovered and it's now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. We really enjoyed visiting! 😀

[waitingforwinterwinds]

ASOS; Steel and Snow: 01 JAIME I (pages 18-32)

Brienne and Jaime, accompanied by Ser Cleos, begin the long journey to King's Landing under Catelyn's orders.

-

An east wind blew through his tangled hair, as soft and fragrant as Cersei's fingers.

I feel like this tells us so much about Jaime, but also nothing we didn't already know. The boy is besotted.

...Jaime... stop calling Brienne 'the wench'... and also stop talking like that kind of asshole just to try and regain some of your perceived power in the situation, you're not in charge, you're just being an asshat.

"Lady Brienne?" She looked so uncomfortable that Jaime sensed a weakness. "Or would Ser Brienne be more to your taste?" He laughed.

I mean that depends on whether you consider Ser to be a man's title or a knight's title. irl the female equivalent of Sir/Ser is Dame. Dame Brienne of Tarth.

But also if he doesn't stop heckling, I'm going to bust out the steel chair and bop him.

"Let Robert do as he pleases. I'll go to war with him if I must. The War for Cersei's Cunt, the singers will call it."

'Cunt' = 🥛

Oop, Jaime confirms he did not try to have Bran killed, and doubts Cersei was the culprit either, the suspects narrow!

We know who did it. But Jaime doesn't. I like that GRRM doesn't magical-hive-mind information, with as many characters as he has, it can be so hard to keep track of who knows what, and what the audience should know at any given point in time... actually, since I know from watching the show, I remember Tyrion had some very strong suspicions on who the culprit was, but I can't remember if he's wheedled a confession yet. That is the down side to only reading a chapter a day, by the time a play pans out, I've forgotten it was in the works, or the inverse, I remember that someone set a trap and forget it was already sprung XD

... okay, I'll admit it, Jaime's idea to give himself the Walter White aesthetic was a good one. Easy disguise with no magically appearing prosthetics, flips the traits he's known for and lets them stay lowkey on the journey.

A few one-room shacks came and went, perched on tall poles that made them look like cranes. Of the folk who lived there they saw no sign. Birds flew over head, or cried out from the trees along the shore, and Jaime glimpsed silvery fish knifing through the water. Tully trout, that's a bad omen, he thought, until he saw worse-one of the floating logs they passed turned out to be a dead man, bloodless and swollen. His cloak was tangled in the root of a fallen tree, its color unmistakably Lannister crimson. He wondered if the corpse had been someone he knew.

oooh, packed a bit into that paragraph. some lowkey world-building, a reminder that Shit Has Gone Down in the area, and a brief flash of humanising for Jaime. The wondering if he's known the dead feels like the first bit of sympathetic thought I've seen from him so far that's not self-or-cersei-centered. Oh, it's not exactly empathetic, like he doesn't sound like he's mourning this poor fallen John Doe, but it matters that he cared enough to wonder, implies connection to the Lannister men besides all being team Lannister. Jaime doesn't just know them, he knows some of them.

They sailed past villages but no villagers. An empty net, slashed and torn and hanging from some trees, was the only sign of fisherfolk. A young girl watering her horse rode off as soon as she glimpsed their sail. Later they passed a dozen peasants digging in a field beneath the shell of a burnt towerhouse. The men gazed at them with dull eyes, and went back to their labors once they decided the skiff was no threat.

You know what would have been hilariously ironic, but in the most frustrating way possible?

If that young girl with the horse had been Arya. If they had been so close to recovering Arya in that moment, but she noped out, there-by saving herself from the Red Wedding. (Assuming her recovery at this point doesn't change things like getting Rob caught up on the fact Roose Bolton is absolute (competent) garbage.)

Below, Jaime made out the smouldering remains of a large building, and a live oak full of dead women.

Hanging tree.

*suddenly, a volcano erupted directly under Roose Bolton and his forces, with more wrath and speed than expected, as if an angry god was responsible, the molten stone spewed forth and swarmed over those responsible for the atrocities, burning them to a crisp.*

Actually, fun fact, because lava and magma are liquid stone, the density means that human bodies would float, or, well, bob. The Golem scene from the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy should be reversed, the Ring sinking and Golem bobbing back to the surface and slowly burning until his buoyancy is low enough for him to sink through the superheated sludge. I mean he'd likely be dead pretty quick from breathing superheated air before the meat really got cooking, so he would suffer for long, and that's assuming he survives the fall. People die from that height falling onto unbroken water and stone. guy totally should have died.

... sorry. too morbid?

Brienne moved the tiller and the skiff sheared left, sail rippling. Jaime watched her eyes. Pretty eyes, he thought, and calm. He knew how to read a man's eyes. He knew what fear looked like. She is determined, not desperate.

yay Brienne! Go! Go! Go! (and good job finally making some good observations Jaime... and he's already back to 'wench.')

... oh, but he's covering for Brienne's lack of cover by pulling aggro! Nice, TeamWork!

I mean, let's not start the bromancing just yet, at this point he's doing it because Brienne and her plan are his best chance at getting back to Cersei.

!!!! Brienne casts Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies! (well, not the TPK version, but she drop a rock "the size of a cow"! I love her so much!

Ser Cleos turned the skiff towards her. Thankfully, Jaime still had his oar. One good swing when she comes paddling up and I'll be free of her. Instead, he found himself stretching the oar out over the water. Brienne grabbed hold, and Jaime pulled her in.

See, it's moments like this that give me such confliction with Jaime, it makes me want to say "because at heart he is a good man, who, though he struggles with it, wants to do the right thing, to be the Good guy."

And then I remember he threw an eight year old child out a window to his presumed death with zero hesitation, and I think "well clearly not, actually."

Ahhh, our first Jaime chapter, it's a little jarring to see inside his head, how he cares so little for people in general, like, his whole world is Cersei (and maybe Tyrion and their dad?) and everyone else doesn't seem to register much, but at the same time, there is some level of care, Jaime does show a goodness despite his attempted child-murder and treasoncest. Whether his care is long buried for tragic backstory reasons, or whether it's something that's never really had a chance or reason to grow... I guess we'll see.

More importantly: Jaime&Brienne BROadtrip: Commence!

We'll see how it goes in comparison to the show.

[smallcatsims]

And here we have.. Gregor’s towerhouse. When you enter you’re greeted with a big heavy locked door, which leads to the dungeon. Here, Gregor has two floors full of cages, torture devices, and training equipment. The only light in the dungeon comes from a fire he lights under the prisoners in the mounted cage to terrify them.

Up two flights of stairs are Gregor’s private rooms. He has a dining hall, and adjacent are a kitchen and a room/office for a steward who does housework for Gregor and manages his accounts. Gregor drinks strongwine and milk of the poppy for his headaches, so there are plenty of bubble blowers and minibars for him.

Upstairs is a little mancave where he can play darts and look at deer antlers, and a bedroom/bathroom.

[setzabilly]

Towerhouse Farm

[talesofthenine]

Towerhouse Farm