Fic Covers | Heart Full of Gasoline by @ajoblotofjunk for @tkafuckme
Jaime Lannister is a Formula 1 driver with a sordid past, dubious future, and nothing left to lose as he hits the far edge of his career. He thinks all he wants is the world championship title he’s never quite been able to reach and to finally give up smoking. What he finds to his great surprise is what he really wants might be Brienne Tarth.
Brienne Tarth is an unknown mechanic eager to make the jump to the big time of Formula 1. When Jaime hires her as Chief Mechanic for his team of misfits, she discovers she’s ready for the work, but is she ready for Jaime?
I love Brienne of Tarth so much. I love her in book canon, and show canon, and canon divergence, and modern AUs. There isn't a world where she exists that I'm not willing to trail after her with blind devotion and big heart eyes.
More people should feel this way (clearly) and I once prompted a canon-set Brienne, surrounded by women, teaching them that a woman isn't limited by her sex or gender, and just as importantly, her learning from them that part of being a woman is that unity that can be found with other women, no matter their station or style. Another prompt was chosen for that exchange (and pulled off wonderfully) and I decided I'd just re-use my "Brienne Loved By All Ladies" prompt in the future.
But now I don't have to.
Because @sdwolfpup, who I adore beyond measure, has gifted me the most incredibly lovely story I could have imagined with that prompt. Book-canon Brienne arrives at Casterly Rock, her husband (Jaime ofc) stripped of all titles and lands and power, and has to decide what kind of Lady she'll be, and what kind of ladies she'll need around her. It's legitimately everything I could have wanted in this prompt and I've already read the first chapter 4 times since yesterday.
You know how I said there's no world in which I wouldn't follow Brienne with blind devotion and heart eyes? That's basically how I feel about sdw too. When I tell yall that she is one of the most genuinely kind and fair and lovely humans I've ever met, I'm under-selling her. She may not be able to swing a sword like Brienne, and she's not nearly as tall, but that heart? That's a Brienne heart if I've ever met one.
I'm so lucky to have received this fic, but I don't even have words for how lucky I am to have her as a friend. She makes me actively try to be a better person every day so that I can be someone she's proud to call friend. Beyond the jokes and the laughs and the long talks and the comfort of her presence, that's what I think I value most. That she betters me as a human and never judges me when I fall short. I adore her.
I highly suggest you read her beautifully perfect fic All I Have to Offer You (Is Me) and then please tell her how amazing she is because no matter how many times I say it, I don't think it's quite enough.
Thank you, sdw--for this, yes, but for everything else as well.
Oh please do the Regency Jaime has three daughters fic!
First of all, thank you SO MUCH for your original post: it was so inspiring! Secondly, this is a follow-up to this story; I hope you enjoy it!
The first gentleman caller the Lannister house accepted was shortly before midday. Two others had come much earlier, but Peckledon had dismissed them both to return at a more...appropriate time. When questioned when would be more appropriate to call upon Lord Lannister’s youngest daughter, Peckledon had merely said, “After Lord Lannister is served his toast and jam, but before Lady Lannister begins polishing her foils.”
Brienne did not expect either of them to return.
But a third caller had risked the ire of King’s Landing’s most recent addition to high society and called upon the household shortly before they were to break for lunch. A frown had drawn across her husband’s pleasant features; his gaze straying to the grandfather clock in the corner. “Does he know what time it is?”
“I believe he does, my Lord.” Peck’s mouth twitched in a hint of a smile. “Lady Brienne has yet to begin polishing her foils.”
Bending his head backward over the chaise lounge to address their youngest, Jaime asked: “Jo, did you want a caller?”
Before she could respond, Peckledon interrupted. “Apologies, my Lord. The caller is not for Lady Joanna. It is for Lady Catelyn.”
Four heads twisted to the young woman in the corner. Catelyn was currently polishing an antique set of duelling pistols she had been given by her maternal grandfather. Brienne tried desperately not to smile at the sight of her eldest, wearing breeches and suspenders with her Tarth-blonde hair barely contained in a braid, removing tarnish off the barrel of a gun. So consumed was she in her work that Elinor had to throw a pencil at her head to gain her attention.
“Oi! What was that for?”
“You have a gentleman caller,” Elinor teased, abandoning the book she had stolen from a recent visit to the Citadel and pinched her older sister’s cheek. “We need to make you more presentable.”
Joanna lifted her head. “You could wear one of my gowns!”
“Not likely.” Catelyn wiped her hands clean of polish with a nearby rag. “Peckledon, if he wishes to call upon me, he may. He should know what he’s getting – other than the coffers of Casterly Rock, of course.”
As Peckledon returned to the house’s first caller, the sitting room was a flurry of commotion. Jaime and Elinor ensured that the duelling pistols were on full display, as were the foils, sabres and epees that Brienne and Catelyn duelled with daily. Joanna made sure her grandfather’s portrait was hanging straight above the fireplace: Tywin Lannister’s cold, calculating glare would intimidate even the hardiest of suitors. Brienne just squeezed Catelyn’s hand, her own emotions bubbling to the surface.
Twenty years ago, that had been her. Twenty years ago, she had sat and entertained a trickle of men who had wanted her fortune and her potential for bearing sons.
“There! Looks perfect.” Her husband offered a smile across the room. He required none of her fortune. Had no issue with Brienne giving birth to three girls. Jaime had welcomed every part of her were so many others had not.
“Lord and Lady Lannister, might I present Randyll Connington, son of Ser Ronnet Connington of Griffin’s Roost.”
In swept a young man who was the very picture of his father. Brienne froze, suddenly transported to her own season and one of her first suitors. While other girls had been laden with gifts – bouquets of flowers, boxes of expensive Lys chocolates, jewels from mines across the sea – Ronnet Connington had given her a single red rose.
Now his son had brought an entire bouquet for his daughter. “Lord and Lady Lannister, it is a pleasure to be welcomed into your home. I believe you know my father?”
Jaime answered before Brienne could. “Yes, I believe we’ve met.” He squeezed his hand once or twice; all three of their girls struggling to hold back their laughter. “How is he?”
Randyll paled. “His jaw still clicks in the cold weather, my Lord.”
“I believe you are here to pay visit to our eldest?” Brienne interjected before Jaime could relieve the events at Queen Rhaella’s summer soiree. “Lady Catelyn will one day inherit Casterly Rock.”
Having been introduced to the daughter sat in the middle of the settee, Randyll’s gaze followed the lines of Catelyn’s form. The men’s breeches, the crimson suspenders, the white shirt with a smudge of grime and polish above the breast. On Tarth, Cat would often wear a coat bearing the island’s coat of arms and a scarlet cravat that Joanna had sewn herself. She was as big and as brave as Brienne had been during her very first season, only there was no necessity from either her or Jaime for Cat to find a husband.
And certainly not this one. “Forgive me; I can return if Lady Catelyn would like some time to prepare for my arrival.”
“Would you be any more interesting with more preparation, Ser?”
Randyll Connington flushed from his weak chin to the roots of his grease-slicked hair. “My father is an anointed knight.”
“My grandfather is Tywin Lannister.” Lifting her feet to rest upon the table in front of the settee, Catelyn retrieved a small blade from her back pocket and began the process of peeling an apple. She pierced a wedge and offered it to Elinor. “I know what I would bring to our union. Fortune, power—”
“—good looks,” Elinor offered between a mouthful of fruit.
“—exactly.” Catelyn offered a slice to Joanna. “So tell me, Mister Connington, why should I consider your proposal?”
He huffed, air blowing through his nostrils as if he were a tea kettle. “The fact that I am even here offering you my hand should be enough!”
It was at that point that Brienne rose from her seat. When she had met Randyll’s father in a sitting room not nearly as grand as this one, she had been stuffed into an ill-fitting pink gown and forced to beg for the scraps offered by lesser men. Brienne of Tarth had not settled, and Catelyn Lannister of Tarth would not either.
“Mister Connington, my daughter is a Lannister. Heir to the Rock. She will make matches with Starks and Martells; Baratheons and Tullys. She does not need to waste her time on you. She is also a Tarth. Which means she has the skill and speed to stab you with a foil before you’ve barely acknowledged that she’s moved. I would bid good day to you. Blood is awfully difficult to get out of this rug.”
As all colour drained from his face, Peckledon steered Randyll Connington out of the room. Drawing in a satisfied breath, Brienne returned to the settee and took Catelyn’s last slice of apple. On the other side, with their three daughters wedged between them, Jaime beamed.
Thank you so much to @sdwolfpup for tagging me in this!
Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 authors!
1. As usual, Brienne has booked a room in a mid-priced hotel called The Quiet Isle on the outskirts of King's Landing. (Snuggle Bunny; Jaime/Brienne; rated M).
2. When she was a girl, Brienne had believed life was long because every day was a struggle. (never to be torn asunder; Jaime/Brienne; rated T).
3. “I want a baby,” announced Cersei one evening when the two of them came back from a depressing night at the Iron Throne Awards, Cersei having not won a prize for her recent starring role as Argella Durrandon in The Storm Queen. (Baby Mama; Jaime/Brienne; rated E).
4. The Rosby Festival was the biggest music festival in the Seven Kingdoms. (A Good Knight Sleep; Jaime/Brienne; rated M).
5. Brienne bet that Bruce Wayne never spent his spare time sat in his Bat Cave, eating noodles in his pyjamas, while swiping through Tinder. (The Blue Knight vs. The Kingslayer; Jaime/Brienne; rated M).
6. It had been Brienne's idea to get away. (Cold Harbour; Jaime/Brienne; rated E).
7. Given that she and Jaime were finally about to have sex, Brienne could not help but wonder if the author had made a massive mistake by telling this important narrative beat in her romance arc from her perspective rather than Jaime's. (A JB Sex Scene That Even Reddit Will Understand; Jaime/Brienne; rated M).
8. "I swear he's someone important, Sharna." (always, always, always; Jaime/Brienne; rated M).
9. When Brienne becomes Lady Lannister - the petty queen of Casterly Rock - the thing that most intimidates her is not the castle's sheer size, nor the bannermen's weighty expectations, nor the ancient name heavy on her shoulders. (My Last Duchess; Jaime/Brienne; rated E).
10. Elisabeth watches, transfixed, as he moves through the darkness. (A Circle in A Spiral; Elisabeth/Noah; rated M).
11. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a girlfriend (or boyfriend, whatever floats your boat). (Catelyn Stark: Millionaire Matchmaker; Jaime/Brienne; rated T).
12. The wench is crying, big blue tears that could fill an ocean. (forever, together; Jaime/Brienne; rated T).
13. The winds at the Wall are cold - biting even - enough to turn lips so blue no kiss can warm them, even kisses rendered scalding by memory. (my love, we are bound; Jaime/Brienne; rated M).
14. The deaths start almost the moment the North surrenders. (and never let me go; Jaime/Brienne with a side of Jaime/Cersei; rated M).
15. "TEN!" (Happy New Year!; Jaime/Brienne; rated T).
16. At the beginning of December, Jaime had driven Brienne to Rosby airport just in time for her flight to Winterfell, with only the slightest bit of whinging, while the snow whirled around them like they were trapped in a snow globe. (tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow; Jaime/Brienne; rated T).
17. "It has been so nice to meet you, Brianna," says Alerie or Alysanne or Alys, Brienne's Dad's latest inappropriately youthful girlfriend. (Last Christmas (i gave you my heart); Jaime/Brienne; rated E).
18. They still whispered about Margery Jourdemayne sometimes. (False, Fleeting, Perjur'd; George Plantagenet Duke of Clarence/Isabel Neville; rated T).
19. Getting married was sensible, all things considered. (so keep me close; Jaime/Brienne; rated M).
20. "It was not a real wedding, my lady," Podrick mumbled, as he tried to feed her some of the particularly disgusting looking pottage that the brothers on the Quiet Isle subsisted on. (than your dark eyes; Jaime/Brienne; rated T).
Patterns: I like starting with speech, or some short little statement. I really like Jaime/Brienne.
Favourite: For comedy value, probably 5 or 7, and for evocativeness probably 10 or 13.
I’m going to tag @littledeconstruction @alicienneoftarth @bussdowntarthiana @dame-lazarus @wildlingoftarth @sarahtarth @tall-wolf-of-tarth @halfagod @it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined @bubulona and any one else who wants to take part!
For the WIP folder meme, the Victor/Victoria AU, please!
This one exists entirely thanks to you! 😊
I know I’m planning on making a lot of adjustments to the original’s approach to gender in general, but the primary things are that Brienne dressing as a man is something she/they does/do enjoy, and Jaime isn’t upset that he thinks initially she’s/they’re a dude, especially as they try to make a relationship work within Brienne playing around with her/their own gender identity.
My document right now is a giant mish-mash of notes, and this single line to sum up Jaime’s respection for whoever Brienne/Brenden decides to be.
“You being a man or not isn’t what matters to me, and it’s never been what matters to me. Right now, all I want to know is what name you wish to hear whispered into your ear as we dance later tonight, and you shock another nightclub.”
I love She's Beauty, slips, even if you never write another word. And also dungeon husband, where you handled their relationship SO gracefully.
I am working on the next chapter of She’s Beauty at the moment. It’s not far off being done but it’s a big chapter and I’m anxious about it and that is probably why it’s taking me so long.
In comparison, writing dungeon husband was very much ‘no thoughts head empty’ and I wish I could go back to that!!!
11. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?
In terms of who, and in terms of JB, I think I’m probably about evenly split between Jaime and Brienne, with possibly a bit more Brienne than Jaime overall, but only by a little bit. That’s fairly unusual for me: in most fandoms I have a clear favourite character, at least when it comes to which character I usually focus on when I write. But hey, GoT is not my usual fandom in quite a few ways.
In terms of what... I guess the struggle towards communication is what I write about, taken at its broadest. Character exploration through smut is another one of my greatest hits.
12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.
I’m keen to get back to History Never Repeats, which I have many plans for. Brienne is an archivist, Jaime is a (historical) reality show host, and they’re both more interested in certain specific aspects of history than is going to be good for them. It’s very hard for me to talk about this story without getting spoilery, so I’ll just say that there are certain plot points in this one that I’m REALLY looking forward to writing. (Once I finish the rest of my terribly belated chill fic, which has been delayed by me being unwell recently. Soooon, though. I hope.)
