#sigilbroken

[vayalda]

Braime fic rec list part 2 (once again in the order I read them)

Alright, let’s start right away...

I don’t think I need to say much about @sigilbroken’s amazing stories. But I do need to tell you that my absolute favorite is the “In This Light” series. I love everything in these stories, but especially the Jaime-characterization. He’s so ‘raw’ for lack of a better word, as if his soul was laid bare for us. A perfect example of how beautiful writing meets a great plot.

@ladyinredfics has written so many great fics and I must mention at least four of them here, starting with the epic “Battle is the Great Redeemer”, which should be included in all Braime fic rec lists. Because it’s a genius way to fix the eighth season, because we get an amazing Arya/Jaime friendship in it (I especially love how Arya takes so much joy in killing Jaime over and over again. Lol) and because it is that good. Then there’s the fic “The Gift”, which is a truly magical story and a wonderful gift for any Braime fan. But my absolute favorite story is “Little Lion Man”. This one is so precious and adorable and simply purrfect! I love a great ‘Brienne or Jaime is turned into an animal for a time’ plot and this one is at the top of its game!

The third author is @angel-deux-writes whose writing is out of this world because she combines creative plots, perfect characterizations and great pacing with pure talent. We need to talk about quite a few of her stories here. First her series: “two halves of a sword” is a two-part series with the same story written both from Brienne’s and from Jaime’s POV. And this is done utterly brilliantly because the two fics complement and add so much depth to each other. It is writing ability at its best! Then there’s the five fics in her series “we should kind of forget about season 8”, each one of them proving that angel-deux should have written the damn eighth season and we would have all loved it! Also, don’t even ask me which of these five is my favorite as I couldn’t tell you. Because married Braime pining for each other! Because Jaime as king! Because bloody amazing Jaime/Sansa friendships (even though I’m not normally a big Sansa-fan). *chef’s kiss* Her third series is “Deliverer”, in which Brienne and Jaime have a daughter. This one will hurt, but then it will also mend your heart, and you’ll be left smiling at the adorableness that is Jaime with Cat and Brienne with Cat and Jaime with Brienne and all three of them together. As for her single stories, I definitely need to mention “for beauty is found within” because it’s the most perfect Braime/Beauty and the Beast mash-up with everyone being completely in-character. As well as her epic “Honor Compels Me”, which is not only one of the longest Braime fics in existence, but also one of the very best - holy heck, what a journey and emotional ride she’s taking us all on here! Sigh, I could go on and on, as there are so many more: You’ll find everything from Brienne being a spy over Braime accidentally getting married to Jaime temporarily being de-aged. Just make sure to read them all…

For these rec lists, I mostly choose authors who have stopped writing or are on a break (I really do hope that most of them are just on a break), but this time I needed to make one exception and mention Ealisaid as my last rec for today. Not only because “Valiant” was the gift I received for the Braime fic exchange this year, but also because it was a pawfect story! The characterization of Jaime and Brienne was on point and, on top of that, it’s all shown through a dog’s POV, whom you’ll all fall in love with on the spot.

Saying all that, just head over and read all the stories of these authors because my rec lists are too small to include all the magic they create.

 TBC (but I’m slow… sorry)

[kaorym]

More Brienne :)

[gemikanxiii]

Seriously...so many sketches I forgot about! This one was inspired by "Beast and The Beast" by the legendary @chickren 👌✨

[chickren]

So here’s a post I never thought I’d make. I have a work-in-progress fic on AO3. If you’re not reading it, great—don’t. If you are, this is for you.

Many friends (rightly) gave me loads of side-eye for writing a show!canon fic which did not fix anything that went wrong between Jaime and Brienne except to keep him alive and keep her out of the Kingsguard. I wanted to explore every aspect of their show storyline that bothered me and I wanted to play with the realistic fallout of Jaime leaving her the way he did. 

Sounds real dumb, doesn’t it? I won’t disagree. This fic is not for everyone. When I started writing it, I was pretty sure it wasn’t for anyone but me. I’ve always processed issues I have with canon through fic, and I’ve always written fics I wished I could find to read. This case is no different.

Amazingly, despite the facts that I: 1) reversed my dramatic exit from fic writing, 2) rescinded my vow never to touch show!canon, and 3) came up with a  relatively wild premise—the response I’ve found on AO3 and elsewhere has been entirely warm and kind. This is a very supportive fandom and I’ve received very kind comments about my work on this fic. Which is why it’s so bizarre that I find myself making this post.

Because I have issues with some of the discussion about show!Jaime in the comment section of my fic.

I wasn’t surprised at the beginning to see a lot of Jaime hate in the comments. Show!Jaime didn’t just break show!Brienne’s heart, he broke most of our hearts as well. We were all angry and sad. I was right there in the thick of it with everyone.

Something about my fic has reignited a lot of people’s rage over show!Jaime. Which is fine, I wanted to explore his choices. I wanted Brienne’s feelings and pain to receive the narrative weight I felt they deserved.

What I didn’t want, and have been increasingly dismayed to see, is for my fic to become a locus for virulent show!Jaime hatred. We can get into the efficacy of my narrative which, believe me, I have been bending myself in knots over as I read my comments. I know I may not be telling my story well. That is very much a me problem, not a reader problem. However, I feel some of the response to the Jaime in my fic, to what I have written, is utterly divorced from what I feel I put on the page. I feel marginally reinforced in this belief by the fact that many of my readers do seem to be responding to what I feel like I’ve actually written.

I do think some of the technical aspects of this fic, like my use of limited third person pov and the biases/limited knowledge of each viewpoint character that entails, may play a role in the response. I will readily admit that my characterization is weak. And, as I have openly acknowledged, I am even less resolved than I usually am about where this story is going to end.

We can also get into the death of the author, in which case my intention is largely irrelevant when it comes to how people receive the fic—a point-of-view to which I actually subscribe (and a big part of why I never imagined myself making a post like this). So, it’s completely fair for a reader to ingest and react to the fic as they wish—once the words are in your hands, it’s yours.

However, the thing is also mine. And my feelings are as valid as anyone’s. So I’m going to express them now.

I don’t hate show!Jaime. My fic does not hate show!Jaime. I have made every effort to write him with love and compassion. I, and please hear this, feel he deserves that? He is, to me, a self-destructive mess. *I* am a self-destructive mess. A lot of people are self-destructive messes. I believe in consequences for actions, and that is what I’m painstakingly exploring in my fic, but I also (hold my agnostic hand) believe in redemption.

In no universe do I feel someone deserves to die or be tortured (emotionally or otherwise) for dumping their girlfriend. 

In no universe do I want to explore elaborate revenge fantasies for the failure of romantic relationships. 

I do not, and will never, understand deliberately rubbing new romantic relationships in the faces of past lovers. I don’t in real life, and I don’t in fiction. That’s not, to me, the way healthy people respond to heartbreak or find closure. I know people are messy, I’m messy, we’re not always healthy, we don’t always do the right thing, and while I like to explore f*ck-ups when I write, I don’t like to celebrate them.

I love Brienne, and I love Jaime—even their dumb, barely recognizable show selves. While it’s sort of the duty of an author to inflict some pain on their characters, I would not, ever, inflict emotional or physical pain on my beloved characters for my own personal revenge.

I see the beginnings of a mob in my comment section. People who want a revenge fantasy fic. And I see them egging each other on to stay in a frame-of-mind where redemption or forgiveness for Jaime does not exist. I see an effort to cultivate in other readers an absolute resistance to considering Jaime’s perspective on anything because they want him to (and I quote many people) “suffer.” I can’t control how people react or what they say or do. Everyone has a right to feel what they feel.

I can, however, say I personally think they’re wrong and that such a worldview is not one I espouse. Nor does my fic, by any intention of mine, espouse that view.

So for everyone reading, please understand that I believe my fic is tagged correctly. From top to f*cking bottom. If there is any aspect of those tags, from the first to the last, that you don’t like, please don’t read it—for both our sakes.

I said it isn’t fix-it fic because I didn’t undo the worst things the show did to Jaime and Brienne’s relationship. I didn’t fix them; I didn’t retcon them; I’m taking them at face value. It’s messy, it’s angsty.

But this fic is not torture porn. 

I’m not mad at anyone. I don’t want anyone to feel bad. I want you all to process your show!Jaime feelings. But I also wish to god you’d do it somewhere other than my comment section.

[elvisglasses]

Do you have any fics you love?

What a blessed question, anon. I’m assuming you’re asking about Jaime/Brienne fics? Because I haven’t read any other fic in a year or more. 😉

For J/B, I tend to go for suuuuuper long canon-based fics, both show and books. Probably some of my all-time favorites are SigilBroken’s book-based “Honor Thy Regard” and “In This Light” (of which S8 has been giving me major flashbacks).

I haven’t updated it in a while, but last year I started a bookmark collection of some post-S7 “Jaime goes to Winterfell” fics that helped get me through the Long Night. Although they’ll probably all be jossed in a couple of weeks, there are some fantastic ones in there. I’m sure now there are a ton of new ones I should add maybe when the season’s over and I can catch up. ;___;

I also love astolat’s GoT series, especially “Fool”, “Red Fork”, and “Traveling Far”. 

My current favorite WIPs are Dreadwulf’s “Jaime goes north” kind of fic, “A Man for All Seasons” (which, holy cow! just updated!!!) and darlingofthewesterland’s AU “Stormlion”.

Hope you find something new to read and love from this short little list!

[gemikanxiii]

Some drawings inspired by the fanfic, Beast & The Beast by SigilBroken - @chickren !  ✨ ✨

This story was a roller coaster ride. It destroyed me thoroughly but at the same time gave me so much life. Tears were shed. I laughed like a madwoman. Writing is LEGENDARY. ✨ 👌🏻

[gemikanxiii]

Y E S ~ ! ✨ My reply to a question on Twitter. This question inspired me so much…like you wouldn’t believe. Their shared BLUE WOOL SOCKS!  😭💕 Also, this was just the best excuse to draw more “Beast & The Beast” by @chickren ​ and Braime in general.  👍✨