sourburst

Thanks for posting those, i'm going to check some out

Swamy

You're welcome I'll wait around for suggestions about JB stories to read...

karma_nirvami

The long-awaited starting shot for the new thread, how lovely!

Seems to be something akin to long time no see, that I have reneged on my duties to fellow patrons of the two stumbling and bumbling tower-blocks of honour, and oaths, and the hodgepodge, but I had something doing, I took a break and was sucked into a vortex of digital disinebriation, thanks be to the electronic frameworks for the applications heeded I had to suffer tearing at the seams, as much as a score of what wilting transmission services should be able to plug into our common-denominator network resources, all in thrall to a power failure, and I had to be foresworn not to tap into the latter. So my week only just past was not much to hanker after, and I might still be in need of a perk-me-up, if slight, why not take the plunge with a few more story suggestions, I have been thinking.

I don't know that I should grab a quote from a thread hard-kissed goodbye, but there was this, which was a fine prelude to all the rest, right before the lock, Ross put it forth that a piece is less by not keeping the leads in character, even as most twists and turns along the way are best left to the imagination of the willy writer. No need for blindspots, it has a name, this is art. Also, hammer it in, one can bend to their craft and harken to its message, anyone done so in the interest of coming out with something a little above a series of disconnected skits, other than a sliver of scripted document that contains a string of writing exercises, knows the truth of it (the course of top-notch characterization never did run smooth.) GRRM has long ago wrapped his masterful head around the notion, too, he takes great care to have every small detail worked out, if only so he can present the picture he's painting to his audience, and subsequently rally his creative spirits tolerably till just at last. How far from the truth he could have lied, if it walks like a duck and quacks like one, I think the question answers itself. That committing to the bare bones of the narrative is, we're therefore meant to understand, what lands emotional pivot of storytelling, henceforth and forevermore, before we know which way the pendulum swings, we need only feel for a fortified point, connect the dots, so it might obtain a mind of its own from there. (On a side note, my participation in fandom activities, until J/B, was rather limited, if existing at all, the ships assembled under the banners I flew consisted mainly of the paltry delegation from HP, so you might have it on good authority that the AsoIaF/GoT community is profusely talented and genuinely charismatic, I'm jotting this down as we speak.)

Pity that a rec list was set to brew slowly on the moony tropey fictional stovetop of my fannish dreams, I had to take a chance and start anew. It gladdens my lil' shipper heart that my inclinations consort well with your own, guys, SigilBroken and openmouthwideeye are the perfect additions to the club of dabblers/contributors, and have been thoroughly missed by much of the fandom for as long as they're gone. (For those interested, The Descent features an extra chapter on FF.net, that is to say, on AO3, she put the stopper at around the fifth instalment, so you may have another tip-off about the story. )

Putting in a vote for canon, but no matter, here be a collection of my favourite J/B fics:

- Footprints in the Snow by gnosiophobic (my go-to canon continuation story for the purposes of this exercise, the plot is unique and well-thought-out, much like Sworn by the Noose, honourable mention to the bittersweet mood of the story, which no doubt is intended to offset the sweet somewhat.)

- remember spring swaps snow for leaves by Mrs_Equitone (she took down all her works once, but she came back, and now is the time to dive in, so at the risk of being outed as a hypocrite, since I tend to favour fluff over angst, have at it.)

- Tale As Old As Time by BrienneofThrace (another fandom classic, you damn straight I put this out there, no regrets.)

- evenings by goldstraw (this one mod-AU, the military setting is a highly effective substitute for the chivalrous one of the books. Basically, everything written by goldstraw, she has a gift with words, freakishly so: heat, light, and solitude, flotsam and jetsam, new days, new mornings, etc.)

- Before Your Judgment by lionoftarth (just saying, the voice is pitch-perfect, and puts nearly everyone else to shame with the awesome.)

- No Man's Land by QuizzicalQuinnia (WIP, wonderful fusion between Outlander/ASoIaF.)

- Blessings in Disguise by turquoisecity (for the theatrically-minded, written by an actress as well. Oustanding dialogue, outstanding all.)

- Kingslayers by AnnabelWinslow (very short, WIP, but breathtaking, whichever way one might look at it.)

- until my breathing stops by Silverblood (for the sheer quality of the writing alone.)

- In War by SandwichesYumYum (that, and The Gentlest Schism, 'tis all.)

- I Lived My Dreams Today by ssstrychnine (beautifully-executed, hardboiled/noir, possibly just a hair's breadth short of perfection.)

- a loyal knight and true by lilith_morgana (drabble, thought-provoking, and sparse.)

- Honourable Intentions by Eloisa (the rest of her stories qualify as such, however please be sure to read Storm-born with a but-ton of Kleenex at the ready. To Keep it Between Us is mild, innocuous fun, by the sight of it.)

- I'll be the frosting to your cupcake, wench by janie_tangerine (Best, Best, Best! Not to yell at you, but what are you doing with your lives if you haven't read janie's stories: one last chance to make it real, he said, take a walk on the wild side, with a wonder and a wild desire, for what we are and what we'll be I'll sing your praise eternally etc.)

Swamy

Un-lucky me, I've read all those already ;( (I'll the be the frosting to your cupcake, wench, is really lovely, just a bit too fluffly to be in my top favorites)

karma_nirvami

I very nearly figured as much, that you must have, but I'm saying it should be a little pocket of something nice, setting up an assortment of such, like pieces on a chessboard, too, just to see how they align, play off one another. All the same, silly me, for thinking I'd only as soon be finished cracking out smaller bits, I left out twofold, A Love Song is one relevant example, an immaculate elegiac transcription of the J/B debacle, though I was loath to part with J/B in Depeche Mode Key, story gets in J/C as artfully as J/B (the chronicles of the existential conundrum that is burying the past so as to move on with the future, and ample wiggle-room for the poetic is sure to have been afforded, for a heartspan, in between the stanzas, not lost on the reader even despite the moral weight of a bunch of the less fortunate outcomes devised.) And I am abominably pumped for fairy tales, what can I say, Miss_M's Undying/Deathless crossover, as well as The Dancing Knight/the Brothers Grimm medley of fictional elements, are clearly inspired, I love the folklore motifs that thread though the narrative.

So there is Fear.Prize.Crave.Dream, and a story (Do the Minstrels Sing?) that doubles as meta (I'm much leery of angst, as I worry the structuring of a strand of the plot, any pertinent device to be deployed, should be undercut by clawing sentiment, the teeing up in an emotionally insufficient place, thus I appreciate good, clean fun whenever there is some to scoop up by the spoonful, all in good measure.)

In a moment of aberration, I was overcome by a fit of skullduggery, to take on LiveJournal, with minimal luck, if any (it's such a giant digital deluge! - - with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.)

Too little too late, my verra favourite fic has been taken down, What's Dead May Never Die, that is, but she's reposting some of her old stuff, so here's hoping that denouement should be heading our way soon enough. (It's a slender hope at present, but I'm pinning all of my inmost being on this one. )

Swamy

I just realized that there is one fiction that I did not read, and it's a long one (Before your judgement) so you should know you just made my day, so thank you so much *_*

karma_nirvami

Yep, the author got round to wrapping this one up after an interval of writing inertia taking a back seat in 2013, right before the year was out at that. So it was a goofy sort of surprise, to learn that they had an ending for a story loved by the fans by the dozen.

karma_nirvami

Ross, let me tell you, you've mapped out your analysis of J/B in very succinct terms, but too soon I skipped a beat, so far were I from the loop mere days ago. (I mean to swot up on your paintedwithwords portal, the "unbidden" snippet from Feast is where it's at for GRRM, proof is in the pudding. )

So keeping within the parameters of the corollary which adumbrates the fate of the accursed kinslayer, assuredly befitting such a one as them made an end of their twin sister Cersei, I put tumblr on shuffle, from one suitable perspective at least, and continued my perusal of everyone's favourite micro-blogosphere with your own, to ensure some semblance of proper context. (The conjoined demise of J/C, canonically given credence because prophetically-proclaimed, and thus attested to by word of mouth in the farthest reaches of fandomscape, through the iterative mantle flaunted by the Lannister twins when boldly asserting themselves in the face of all bad, is a source of special horror, depriving death of the singular dignity it might want to claim.)

Not to imply they're utterly and anabashedly whistling Dixie here, but I know you should be onto bigger things with your very dear sliver of meta, that Jaime is not to be hoist by his own petard, even as he might still emerge as the prime candidate to whom possibly the faintest scrap of one ghastly modicum of authority over the queen must be delegated stepping into the valonqar role billed by a none too ill-wishing Maggy. But we're J/B shippers, before all else, and this, most of all, is what caught my eye, too:

And right on target, I'm keeping this puppy bookmarked from here on in, just saying.

Swamy

Oh thank you for taking the time to read that. As you know I am always ready for some character7relationships analysis, and lately a lot of JC shippers are trying to diminish the JB relationship using the weakest argument in the book, the 'born together, die together' statement they often did, though Jamie as already admitted he did never saw Cersei for who she was, the Stranger instead of the Maid. If he never saw what she was (the Stranger), what they were (her tool to get her dirty moves done), then it is entirely possible that the way they'll leave their mortal form is different from the one he envisioned/hoped for.
Cersei wants to die with Jaime because the moment Jaime dies she will lose her main instrument, Jaime serves as the male shell of her will so when she will lose him, she will lose part of her power, that's why she links their lives together, that's why she has always spoken of diying together, there's no romantic purpose in that. And now, after learning the truth, Jaime is so detached from her, so disgusted upon discovering what a fool and a puppet he's been, where he went wasting his love and devotion, that I think he could never die with her or for her. Cersei is a leech. And he would not be able to endure the additional humiliation of sharing something so meaningful and final as death is, with the one person that lead him on, used him for her purpose with the promise of a love that was never pure, never worth, or even ever exsisted.
I know that the books and the show are taking two different paths, and tvshow!Jaime wishes to die in the arms of the woman he loves, and the moment he said that he probably was thinking of Cersei, because in that moment he wasn't conscious yet of the truth about the ways his twin has to win her alliances, but should he die in the arms of a woman (he loves, though he is not aware at the moment), in my opinion that woman can only be Brienne. I think that at their core, no matter their container, the characters and the relationships will stay true to themselves. After all, though GRRM didn't have the books ready yet when they started writing the next season, at least he knew, more or less, what was going to happen to his characters.

*Arista*

Sorry for the delay in posting, Swamy! I have been having some technical difficulties recently and was going through a busy time at work. And I fear my list may not help you find anything new, but here goes... (I definitely have some favorites not listed here, but I tried to leave out stories already mentioned in the thread.)

Everything Broken, by Rellie (This one guts me - short, simple, and haunting)
'Cause You Light Up the Path, by BrightDream (Very sweet and hot)
Home is Wherever I'm With You, by Brienne of Thrace (Jaime is such an ass in this but it's really great)
Madness, by RoseHeart (I used to think of this as somewhat of a shipper pipe dream, but now I'm not so sure...)
On the Shadow, by lodessa (Jaime and Brienne on the other side of the world - cool adventure elements and unique mood)
Salt Wife, by Lady_in_Red (So much longing packed into a short fic; lovely)
Where the Wind Takes Us, by Miss_M (Another Essos fic - not as eerie as "On the Shadow", but enjoyable interactions as they search for Arya)
Winter is Here series, by Shareece (kimbob) (I usually shy away from WIPs, but I've been enjoying this series, which finds JB at the Wall handling an unexpected pregnancy)
Dazed and Confused, by Pickled (Fun and humorous, heats up towards the end - recently finished!)
Dancing With Steel, by merrynovice (Good mix of humor and angst with some big, dramatic moments)
Heart's Desire, by Miss_M (Brienne POV of her first time with Jaime; very nicely done)
revenge, and fight, and live, by openmouthwideeye (Beautifully written snapshot of JB after the war, somewhat hopeful but not at all fluffy)
A Septa's Advice, by Currawong (A really warm, gentle reunion fic)
A Change of Heart, by Ladyoftarth (Canon continuation with lots of interesting twists and turns, and some really epic fantasy moments)
A Call to Arms, by Ladyoftarth (Sequel to A Change of Heart - solid, but considerably darker)

Modern AUs
Imaginary, by PrioritiesSorted (Brienne agrees to be Jaime's "fake wife" for a family reunion; some interesting characterizations)
Desire series, by Shareece (kimbob) (I am always curious what common interest area modern AU authors use to bring JB together - here, it's art)
I've only gotten into this genre recently so there are lots of good ones I've missed...I'm hoping to catch up on some of those rec'd here during break over the holidays.

Canon Divergence
The Seven Bind Their Fate, by RoseHeart (Jaime and Brienne meet while he is a hostage of Renly's; loads of tension, drama, and cool twists on canon moments; a favorite)
The Treaty, by MotherofFirkins (Jaime and Brienne meet as hostages at Winterfell; very enjoyable and in character)

Other
Lips Not Like Rubies, Eyes Like The Sun, by Miss_M (Fun and entertaining meta based on the Orpheus myth)

Certainly! And I am grateful for all the wonderful contributions it yields, but it can make contributing considerably more intimidating...

karma nirvami, good call on having tissues ready when you read "Storm-born". In compiling my list for this thread, I thought of that story but could not recall the title. Took me a while to figure it out and when I did, I started re-reading and remembering more of it.

There are a number of stories on your list that I haven't read yet but that look very appealing or are from authors whose works I've enjoyed. However, the ones that I haven't read are mainly WIPs that have not been updated in quite some time. I tend to shy away from WIPs because I can't handle being left hanging at a bad spot to stop. But I recently read "The Gentlest Schism" because I read the impressions of others that it left off at a satisfying point, and I am not sorry I did. So I would like to ask if these stories "end" on non-frustrating notes:

Kingslayers
In War
Blessings in Disguise
Evenings

I guess I don't mind ambiguity, but I'm not sure I want to read cliffhangers or heartbreaking angst that is left unresolved (at least not without a warning). I want to read "Tale As Old As Time" but I've heard that it leaves off at a bad spot...

karma_nirvami

Oh, have you heard? I am quite pleased to announce that the exquisite both of the following pieces, Blessings in Disguise and Before Destruction were updated only about as recently as a couple of weeks ago. Neither has been officially abandoned as yet, although it certainly appears that their chapters are spaced with wider updates each time.

And, no, don't even touch Tale As Old As Time, for bitter tears await you should you prove unable to abstain, even worse that the same applies to the other three listed here, none of them have much to recommend them in terms of proper closure. (I've long suspected, the pain implied in "Dead Fic" is a fanfiction that is wonderfully constructed and composed, but left to dwindle away and wither unceremoniously.) Still, I'd also like to inform you that goldstraw can be found writing for J/B despite the current sad status of her most famous work, so let us maintain a positive outlook on the world of artistic ficathons, for all we do know, she might catch the suitable feels again, won't she.

karma_nirvami

(somewhat obligatory, possibly...)

Under the tags, may there be NCW filming news, and trivia:



Has Gwen been spotted working on her acting material in NI yet? Hm.

ETA: Ah, fixed that for you.

Swamy

*Arista* from a first look I think I've read them all, but thanks anyway, I'm sure it will be helpful to other shippers in need

karma nirvami

karma_nirvami

All right, but in the interest of genuine curiosity, what would you have me make of that:

Swamy

Yeah, I've read that article too.