Tell me something about Bran (or Owen, or the Green Knight... or, possibly, if you remember that far back, about Guildenstern or Lyra) that I don't already know.
Well, that does explain why Bran has decided he's interested in River. I mean, I can see how she intrigues him, but I can't quite see the relationship lasting.
On the other hand, all I know about River comes from the two Bran/River threads I read on Milliways.l
I don't actually think Bran's necessarily right about his belief.
Actually, I think that not now, not with River, but in a few years or so, Bran is going to fall in love, hard, once and for all time. It runs in the family. What happens then will really determine whether Bran gets married or not.
Right now, though, Bran's seen close-up exactly one stable marriage in which neither party secretly belonged to the Dark (i.e. Will's Uncle David and Aunt Jen). None of his parents' relationships are models that inspire the urge to marry.
Though I can see Bran falling in love, as you say, once and for all time... and if it ends in tragedy instead of partnership, I can see him falling in love again, decades later, in a gentler way.
I was thinking more about this, and I wanted to elucidate.
So, Owen fell in love once, and never again. We know that. But Owen and Bran are very different people. I can't imagine Bran becoming as closed off as Owen: there's too much heat in Bran to permit that. The way I see it, a post-love-tragedy Bran would still be a damn cool person, and he would be a damn cool person in a way that strangers and acquaintances would be able to recognize.
I can imagine a situation in which someone (let's call them Rosita, for lack of a better name) meet Bran, decides to get to know him, very quickly falls for him, and makes a pass. Bran's immediate reaction, of course, would rebuff Rosita and generally let it be known that he's not interested in dating ever.
But Rosita might very well decide that she still wants to be friends, because Bran is awesome and worth spending time with. And, because crushes don't go away just because you want them to, she might still have a crush on him. (In fact, I think it's likely that she would.) And the crush is not unlikely to make her more supportive of him than she would otherwise be. In this sort of circumstance, and in this kind of friendship, Bran might quietly fall in love without realizing it.
AND, to continue spamming, I would argue that John and Blodwen Rowlands' marriage is a stabilizing model of a relationship for him, despite the way it ended.
I think J&B's marriage would be a stabilizing model if Bran didn't have his memories and didn't see Blodwen occasionally at Milliways. Sadly, he remembers she's evil too often.
I'm glad my spam is welcome! Especially as, secretly, I had no real intention of letting my spam scruples keep me from spamming you.
Anyway. Here's my argument on the subject.
No matter how the relationship ended, Bran still did grow up watching them interact. I can't imagine that watching John's marriage didn't affect Bran's image of what he wants, someday.
Bran's memories, and knowing that Blodwen is evil, would totally affect him... but only to the extent that it might make him more cynical about the plausibility of long-term relationships and that it might make it harder for him to trust his partner.
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no subject
Date: 2005-03-03 06:51 pm (UTC)*pauses*
*blinks*
Yes.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-03 11:22 pm (UTC)On the other hand, all I know about River comes from the two Bran/River threads I read on Milliways.l
no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 01:59 am (UTC)Actually, I think that not now, not with River, but in a few years or so, Bran is going to fall in love, hard, once and for all time. It runs in the family. What happens then will really determine whether Bran gets married or not.
Right now, though, Bran's seen close-up exactly one stable marriage in which neither party secretly belonged to the Dark (i.e. Will's Uncle David and Aunt Jen). None of his parents' relationships are models that inspire the urge to marry.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 02:24 am (UTC)Though I can see Bran falling in love, as you say, once and for all time... and if it ends in tragedy instead of partnership, I can see him falling in love again, decades later, in a gentler way.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-05 03:31 am (UTC)So, Owen fell in love once, and never again. We know that. But Owen and Bran are very different people. I can't imagine Bran becoming as closed off as Owen: there's too much heat in Bran to permit that. The way I see it, a post-love-tragedy Bran would still be a damn cool person, and he would be a damn cool person in a way that strangers and acquaintances would be able to recognize.
I can imagine a situation in which someone (let's call them Rosita, for lack of a better name) meet Bran, decides to get to know him, very quickly falls for him, and makes a pass. Bran's immediate reaction, of course, would rebuff Rosita and generally let it be known that he's not interested in dating ever.
But Rosita might very well decide that she still wants to be friends, because Bran is awesome and worth spending time with. And, because crushes don't go away just because you want them to, she might still have a crush on him. (In fact, I think it's likely that she would.) And the crush is not unlikely to make her more supportive of him than she would otherwise be. In this sort of circumstance, and in this kind of friendship, Bran might quietly fall in love without realizing it.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 02:26 am (UTC)Too bad I don't write fanfic. *mopes*
no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 02:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 08:33 am (UTC)I think J&B's marriage would be a stabilizing model if Bran didn't have his memories and didn't see Blodwen occasionally at Milliways. Sadly, he remembers she's evil too often.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-05 03:22 am (UTC)Anyway. Here's my argument on the subject.
No matter how the relationship ended, Bran still did grow up watching them interact. I can't imagine that watching John's marriage didn't affect Bran's image of what he wants, someday.
Bran's memories, and knowing that Blodwen is evil, would totally affect him... but only to the extent that it might make him more cynical about the plausibility of long-term relationships and that it might make it harder for him to trust his partner.