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payne revelation!!! think it is a nice AFFC parallel that Brienne is running around the riverlands with Podrick Payne as her new squire, whilst Jaime, elsewhere in the riverlands, has effectively become a squire to Ilyn Payne. and I think it's like. Pod is Brienne's past and Ilyn is Jaime's future. Pod is a lonely, discarded child who wants to hone his strength to stand tall and defend himself, even as he desperately craves the company and comfort of others. he has seen something of how cruel the world can be, but is looking for ideals in people like Brienne. which is more or less exactly as we find Brienne when she first appears in ACOK: lonely, discarded, clinging onto Renly's train and desperately seeking his attention and regard, idealising him, trying to be a knight worthy of song. Pod is her inner child, and Brienne is trying to help him grow and build his strength without subjecting him to the cruelties she's known in doing so.

and then there's jaime and ilyn lmao, who I think are easily one of the most underrated relationships in the series. Jaime sees the man he could become in Ilyn: nothing more than a headsman for Cersei's whims, with no agency and no autonomy. and what's more, Ilyn has come to accept that as his lot in life. part of Jaime's project in dragging him out into the riverlands is to see if Ilyn can be rehabilitated, and if so, then perhaps Jaime himself can be, too. but it becomes apparent that Ilyn is past wanting that for himself. he seems to enjoy some of the freedom of the march, but he doesn't change. in fact, he laughs in Jaime's face: he makes it feel as though attempting rehabilitation for either of them is a joke. he's Jaime's ghost of christmas future, warning him of the man he could become, whilst simultaneously making him feel there's no possible alternative. he will never fight like he once did, his darkest deeds were still done, and what can he do but spend the rest of his days in Cersei's service. BUT jaime ultimately rejects that, effectively leaving Cersei's service to join Brienne, and pursuing change regardless.

im about to say something!!!! payne..... pane..... pane of glass.... mirror!!!! reflection!!!!! growth!!!!! you heard it here FIRST

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“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ― Lao Tzu

“Unbidden, his thoughts went to Brienne of Tarth. Stupid stubborn ugly wench. He wondered where she was. Father, give her strength. Almost a prayer…”

― Jaime I, A Feast for Crows

“’She says that you must choose. Take the sword and slay the Kingslayer, or be hanged for a betrayer. The sword or the noose, she says. Choose, she says. Choose.’

Brienne remembered her dream, waiting in her father’s hall for the boy she was to marry. In the dream she had bitten off her tongue. My mouth was full of blood. She took a ragged breath and said, ‘I will not make that choice.’”

― Brienne VIII, A Feast for Crows

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2 Things to get certain acotar fans for their birthday:

1) A dictionary: they don’t know how to use certain words yet will scream it with their full chest.

2) Taste: you know why.

Bonus: help (the internalized misogyny is actually sad)

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the way cassian defended rhys more times than he defended his own mate was def fruity feyre watch your back

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Nesta said, “I want a disgustingly ornate mating ceremony.”

He laughed, pulling away. “Really?”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ll never hear the end of it from Azriel and Mor.” Or the Illyrians.

Nesta, run. Your husband cares more about the opinions of his 500 year throuple situationship than what you want for your wedding

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Aliens from a different world showed more genuine admiration for Nesta, one page into meeting her, than her own mate for 3 books and a novella ever did. 😗

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Cassian: “Talk to me”

Nesta: *opens up to Cassian for once about why she’s apprehensive about the mating bond*

Cassian:

snarls at her to the point where people give them a wide berth on the bridge

rages loud enough for people to hear it across the river

can’t empathize with why the forcibly made fae is still clinging onto her humanity

tells her he didn’t have a choice in being shackled to her

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Been procrastinating at work and drew some more of my darling Kate <3

We’re gonna pretend I didn’t give up on the eyes….

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♡The Tie Which Linked My Soul To Thee♡

(Arthur Morgan x OC) Masterlist

Hey cowboys!

Below is where you'll find all the chapters to my Red Dead Redemption fanfic, I will keep it updated as I continue to post more chapters. But in the meantime, I wanted to make things a little more organized and easier for you to navigate.

Whether you just started reading, or if you've been keeping up with the story since the beginning. I want to thank you! This started as a little side project to keep me busy during my down time at work, but it's turned into something I'm really passionate and proud of! So thank you for all the support <3

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Summary: Kate McCanon, a young widow from the north, meets outlaw Arthur Morgan. When the two cross paths she discovers a complex man wrestling with his own sense of right and wrong. As their unlikely bond deepens, Kate becomes determined to guide Arthur towards a brighter path, even as tensions rise within his gang led by the enigmatic Dutch van der Linde. With danger lurking at every turn, Kate must navigate treacherous territory to protect those she holds dear, all while finding love in the most unexpected of places. Tags: Arthur Morgan/Original Female Character, Widowed, Original Character, Mutual Pining, Slow Build, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, High Honor Arthur Morgan, Friends to Lovers, Child Loss, Trauma, Canon-Typical Violence, Arthur Morgan Does Not Have Tuberculosis, Arthur Morgan Deserves Happiness, Chubby Arthur Morgan, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

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Ch 1 - The Years Creep Slowly By Kate becomes entangled in a heist with two strangers, Hosea and Arthur, forging an unexpected bond amidst their criminal endeavor. Ch 2 - The Snow Is On The Grass Again A fisher of men and A strange encounter. Ch 3 - The Suns Low Down The Sky Welcome to Horseshoe Overlook Ch 4 - The Frost Gleams Where The Flowers Have Been It's time to collect a debt. Ch 5 - My Heart Beats On As Warmly Now A well deserved hunt with Charles, met with an unexpected surprise back at camp... Ch 6 - As When The Summer Days Were Nigh The battle begins, and the past is revealed. Ch 7 - The Sun Can Never Dip So Low Kate is not immune to the dangers of the land. No matter how much she loved it, the land will never love her back. Ch 8 - Or Down Affections Cloudless Sky A blissful sunny day after a long hard night. Ch 9 - A Hundred Months Have Passed Kate and Arthur share a tender moment in the quiet of the night. Ch 10 - Since Last I Held That Hand In Mine The Course of True Love and other Revelations If you're interested in reading about my OC, I linked the Kate McCanon Lore here :)

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Tyrion: Just be yourself

Jaime: 'Be myself'? Tyrion, I have one day to win Brienne over. How long did it take before you guys started liking me?

Podrick: Couple weeks

Bronn: Six months

Tormund: Jury's still out

Jaime: See?

Jaime: 'Be myself'. What kind of garbage advice is that?

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Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth by Denis Maznev

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I can’t recall if it was mentioned in s8 that pod was Tyrion’s squire, but I expected a jaime-brienne-pod-tryion scene

We got the feast scene at least! :D LOOK AT THIS HAPPY FAMILY I-

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Nothing annoys me more than when people say Jaime and Brienne are “so pure” that their relationship would be ruined by sex.

Like, what planet are you on? They’re not pure, they’re utter filth.

They try to have a sword fight, but end up having a metaphorical sex scene that is all swords kissing, forwards backwards, blood on thigh, straddling.

Jaime tells Brienne his great secret and she’s like *he looked so hot in that bath, couldn’t tell you a word he said but he looked smoking*.

Jaime goes within four feet of some slightly tepid water and he’s like *do you remember Brienne naked in that bath? Cos I sure do!*

They both try to think about normal things and then *unbidden* they’re both thinking about each other in conjunction with sex and babiez.

Like, where is the purity?

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This is my Braime rant.

Oh, hello there. Yes, it’s been a few years, and I’m still thinking about the GOT finale. When people talk about it, it’s mostly to roast Bran getting the throne or Daenerys turning evil because of a bell tower (both extremely valid), BUT I am forever the most salty about the way Jaime and Brienne’s story ended. Like…????????

First, I must acknowledge that there are the Tormund x Brienne shippers. I suppose their relationship could’ve gotten more emotionally complex if given the chance, but we only see Tormund horny boy howling because of Brienne’s size and strength. In huge contrast, Jaime Lannister’s connection to Brienne goes much further than a surface-level attraction to a large, powerful woman.

They fundamentally changed each other for the better in HUGE ways:

Brienne’s relationship with Jaime gave her a sense of agency she never had before. He gave her the opportunities and tools to fulfill exactly what she wanted to be. He developed an unwavering trust in her judgment and skills as a knight that she hadn’t really experienced before. A feminist king, if there ever was one (after a personal growth journey, of course).

Brienne allowed Jaime to see his potential as an honorable man. He opened up to her emotionally in a way he’s done with no one else (except maybe his brother Tyrion?) Although she wasn’t the only reason he decided to defy his sister and do what’s right, she certainly had a monumental impact on his self-worth and morality.

Even when they were firmly on opposite sides, they still advocated and protected each other. Jaime lost the hand he used for sword fighting, and he fought a BEAR for her, for God’s sake.

And you can’t argue that they didn’t have a physical and emotional connection. The amount of unadulterated, obvious yearning is insane, y’all. Right in front of everyone’s salad.

I mean, Brienne willingly gives him her virginity, something she’s been vehemently defending her whole life. She allowed him to see her at her most vulnerable. But then…

Jaime decides to go back to King’s Landing to protect his sister at the last moment. Keep in mind, he had already fully betrayed Cersei just a few episodes beforehand. In the end, he dies in his emotionally abusive sister’s arms, and the show implies that she’s the woman he truly loves… it’s genuinely vile to me.

If Jaime had stayed in the same place he was in season one, the exact same thing would’ve happened to him in the end. So… WTF was the point? What was the point of all that inner conflict, emotional growth, meaningful connection? Jack squat, according to the writers and the footnote dedicated to him in the King’s Landing records. 

What lesson are we supposed to learn from this, huh? No matter how hard you try to grow and change, what you were born into will always drag you back? You should stay in a toxic relationship, no matter how destructive, because you still feel like you love them? People who have made mistakes in the past don’t deserve a second chance at life? That is what I got with the end to Jaime’s story.

Thank you for your time, your honor.

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Joe Biden would rather risk full on war than stop genocide.

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How do I know Jaime wasn't self-serving? How do I know he didn't kill his King to save his own life from the wildfire?

Because when Aerys raped Rhaella, when Aerys burned people alive, Jaime stayed silent because he was forced to, not because he was protecting himself. Jaime was ready to stop the King while standing outside the Queen's door and damn the consequences of his disobediance. This goodness was trained out of him the longer he spent in that Kingsguard. But one by one, all his constraints (read: his honorable brothers) disappeared, and only his judgement and that training remained. That training was tested, however, by the enormity of Aerys' last madness, and it did not hold up against the natural instinct in Jaime to protect.

And so was born the Kingslayer.