idreamedofyou

TWOW Jaime I [real]

Usually I try not to get too caught up in shipping wars, but I just get so angry when people insist Jaime and Brienne don’t love each other.

There are so many romantic stories out there that feature a beautiful girl who learns to love an older, ugly, scarred or damaged man - but how many stories feature a beautiful man who learns to love an ugly woman?

How many of those heartwarming stories about ‘beauty being on the inside’ apply to women? How many stories tell women they’re worthy of love and romance no matter what they look like, that their beauty comes from inside them anyway? When you’ve got the gorgeous Gwendoline Christie playing her, it can be hard to remember Brienne really is ugly. It’s not that she’s just unconventionally attractive or pretty if you squint. Physically, she is ugly. She’s too tall, too big, too strong, too mannish, with missing teeth, disfiguring scars, blemishes, an ill-set face and drooping lips. People recoil when they see her. At first sight she is monstrous and she has been persecuted all her life for her appearance.

And yet, the most beautiful man in Westeros falls in love with her.

Why?

Because she is kind and strong and loyal past the point of sense. Because she is selfless and courageous and unwilling to compromise on her moral integrity. Because she is pure and innocent and naive and idealistic. Because she has endured immense pain and suffering and abuse and never once let it taint her. Because she represents everything he once wanted to be. Because she represents everything he could be. Because she sees him for who he really is. Because he would risk his life to save her. Because she would die to protect him. Because what she looks like doesn’t matter. Because in his eyes, she is beautiful.

This is the story of a handsome man who falls in love with an ugly woman. This is the story of a woman whose worth and desirability comes from her personality, not from her appearance. This is the story of a woman whose beauty is found within. George RR Martin himself said that the story of Jaime and Brienne is like Beauty and the Beast with the genders reversed.

The first time is in Jaime’s first chapter literally only a few paragraphs in, when he amuses himself picturing her in a silk gown. He finds it amusing.

And then after they go through all that together, after saving each other a couple of times and pushing the other forward to keep going, keep living, jaime actually gets to see brienne in a gown. His first thoughts are on how thicker her shoulders are than his, and her neck bigger, a reminder that she is stronger than him. So he keeps the amusing thoughts to himself for once, knowing he no longer is the superior one he thought he was, knowing she could beat him in a fight.

And then of course he sees her in another gown by the end. (Interesting that these moments are from the start of their journey, the middle and the end) important to say that brienne still does look ugly and awkward but this time jaime not only doesn’t have anything funny to say or even think, he gives her a compliment. Its a common compliment to say to a maid as we know from akotsk, so its not the compliment that is important here, its the fact that jaime also thinks to himself that god yes she does have astonishing eyes.

Our 65th art piece is...

Brienne, by @kingslayerstew here on tumblr! For wishingpcnd on twitter.

“He will bring a rose for you,” her father had promised her, but a rose was no good, a rose would not keep her safe.

—

The actual lines from A Storm if Swords. I don’t know how D&D read this and got “let’s change this to ‘you sound like a bloody woman.’”

it's so... idk. sad? infuriating? that jaime's golden hand is 100% decorative

he mentions earlier that a hook would've served him better and like. this thing is ornate, heavy, and totally non-functional. i'm sure lugging around something so heavy on his stump hurts like hell. but it's also completely useless. it can barely hold the weight of a wine glass, and no wonder if it's strapped to his wrist.

he could have been given a functional prosthetic that allowed him to grab and hold things and was secured at his shoulder/chest

but a lannister needs to be SEEN to be whole!! a lannister needs to be decorated and elevated and refined!! an actually functional prosthetic would've given him away as a cripple!! we can't have that