Because running off with a handsome prince is just so romantic *sigh* It's like a fairy-tale, escaping some despicable [family members/suitor/witch] to be with a smart, handsome, kind, rich, noble prince. If this means painting young Robert Baratheon (who was described by Cersei of all people as being highly fuckable) as a terrible person, then so be it!

In all honesty, if Lyanna went with Rhaegar willingly, if he really was this fairy-tale prince who could do no wrong, then I will be rather disappointed. I've had to sit through interminable thousands of words of Sansa Stark (and hours of tv) just so that the lesson 'there are no prince charmings' can be drummed into her thick skull. I want that torture to mean something, goddamn-it.

 

I've always bet on the scenario where she left willingly to spite her father, and then Rhaegar never let her go. Seriously, at least Brandon and Rickard's deaths should have prompted an "I want to go home, not get married in secret and have a forbidden prophecised love child."

 

Highly fuckable people can't be assholes?
It's not much of a mystery why Robert is not often portrayed positively. He's an alcoholic, abusive, cheating husband, a neglectful father and a lazy king. The fact that Cersei is an awful person and that his children aren't really his kids doesn't excuse Robert's flaws.

Man, I hope we get more backstory when Winds of Winter is published in 2024.
Rhaegar was an obsessive tool whose actions brought ruin to his entire family, put the realm in chaos and toppled a dynasty. He did plenty wrong.
Even if Lyanna went with Rheagar willingly initially, she still was held prisoner and left to give birth and die alone. That's no fairy tale.

This was a sweet story, Puzzled! When I saw where it was going, I admit it was a nice point of divergence for Fix-It fic. The second half was a pleasant surprise. It reminded me a bit of turtle_paced's Barristan & Arya Team-Up AU fic, Cloak and Needle.

It's also been about a year since she updated Disengagement, which only has one chapter left. I know real life is a thing and all, but she's doing a lot of Game of Thrones recaps on Tumblr that make me nostalgic for that fic. I don't see how everything in Disengagement can be wrapped up in one chapter, unless there's a sequel.

 

Author said there will be one, but at this update rate, who knows.

 

See, the problem here is that the Robert people read about in the books is not the Robert Baratheon of his youth. Did he sleep around? Sure. Did he drink? Yeah, but then again everyone did. Was he abusive? No.

If Cersei was my wife, I'd have killed her long ago for threatening any child of mine (Mya). You can't fucking tell me there's no one who would do their king a favor.

Robert Baratheon is by no means a perfect man. He's got some heavy flaws, like everyone else. I just fucking hate it when everyone makes out a young Robert to be some kind of monster when he simply wasn't like that.

Hashasheen pointed this out earlier in the thread, but Robert could have easily pressed Rickard to marry Lyanna earlier. Certainly, it was nothing unheard of in Westeros. And yet he chose to wait. He chose to give her time. Truly, a monstrous act that clearly pushed Lyanna to elope with a married man (hypocrisy ahoy).

 

Anyone remembers a fic where rhaenys survives through Jamies intervention and both of them are carted off to Winterfell?

Jamie still kills the king just takes off afterward thus being able to save rhaenys. He also kills all the alchemists.

For some reason I have a need to reread this but can't remember the name.

 

I think you're looking for Disengagement.

 

Yep thats it. Thanks

 

Does anyone knows a good fic where the focus is Aerys-Tywin-Steffon friendship? Or at least of the first two?

 

The closest I've read was a quest where the relationship between those three had a strong influence on the protag (a very young Stannis). If I'm not confusing it with another story, then it ended up with Stannis playing a role in Westeros' conquering and colonising of Pentos.

Ours is the Furious Grinding of Teeth (GoT), by Chengar Qordath.

 

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2533478/chapters/5631461

Centered around Tywin and Joanna's relationship, but also shows the boyhood camaraderie of Tywin and Aerys, as well as the broader political landscape.

 

That fic is shit. At least the first chapter. It goes full Ron the Death Eater for Robert, paints a ridiculous caricature of the man, and goes beyond, adding characteristics that were never present in canon just to make Robert, a child, even more hateable. Stannis is also devoid of a deeper characterization besides being "opposite of bad Robert", and there is the lack of his flaws that are very evident in canon. Cassana and Steffon treatment of Robert when comparing him to much better® Stannis reeks of Mary Sue bending rules.

 

In the Shadow of Dragons

Elia Martell dies giving birth to twin sons. In a much changed world, the Seven Kingdoms have enjoyed unparalleled peace and prosperity beneath the shadow of dragon wings and the renewed power of the Iron Throne. The game of thrones is still on, as is the game of powers far beyond mortal comprehension

It's just 10 chapters but I am liking it already, characterization is fantastic, especially of Rhaegar, Lyanna and Rhaella.

Basically instead of just Aegon being born, Elia gives birth to twins, one of which is Harry potter, after that whole story changes because the strain kills her.

 

Only third chapter in and I can see this is going to be a spectacular shitshow.

Aerys arranges a marriage between Lyanna and Rhaegar, even though she's betrothed to Robert. So that's just one betrothal between Lord Paramounts casually broken by a mad king, without any consequences whatsoever.

Then there's Brandon, who dies in a drunken riding accident, which is just an obvious way for the author to push out Ned marrying Catelyn all over again.

Add Harry Potter to the whole mess and I just stopped reading.

 

It's not so much a shitshow as just dead boring. Ten chapters in and precisely one interesting thing has happened. Honestly everything that has happened up to this point could have been cut down to a single chapter and rest saved for flashbacks when the story called for it.

Maybe this deserves another look after 200k more words and then through skimming it could make a halfway interesting story,

 

Spoiler

Absolutely every Targaryen gets their own dragon, 8ish in total. Harrys is white, small and named Hedwig.

Not to mention its blandly written, not even guilty pleasure material.

 

My guilty pleasure is Robert has a True born son and Heir or Jon Snow goes to essos and joins a Merc company instead of the wall.

A Game of Vengeance and Justice By: Psykic Ninja - he completed the fic
The Lion with Antlers by TheHatMan98


I also like a couple of HP/GOT crossovers.
The Difference One Man Can Make by joen1801
Harry Arryn by BloodKing9
The Black Prince by cxjenious

 

Observation 1: Such a great deal of the ASOIAF fandom, even the fics recommended as good, are just so much wank. It doesn't matter if they are technically sound in having correct grammar and spelling, or if they have the character voices down pat - thematically and plot-wise, so many of these stories amount to nothing more than Stark wank, or Stannis wank, or Jon wank (for the male writers), or Sansa wank (for the female writers), or (of course) SI/OC wank.

These stories ultimately come down to wish-fulfillment - whether directly via a SI, or indirectly through an OC or favourite character like Jon. And wish fulfillment does not a good story make. There is no real tension in the plot, no real hardship befalling the main character that would help serve the cause of character development, and definitely nothing worthwhile being said.

Observation 2: For whatever reason, the best (longish) fics I've read that didn't suck balls are the ones about the Lannisters. WWSA's LOTR/ASOIAF crossover Hear Me Roar, Turtle Paced's Disengagement (where Rhaenys survives and Jaime serves as her protector), To Mockingbird's Pride (Ned fosters with Tywin at the Rock), and of course Lilith Morgana's And I the elder and more terrible (about Tywin's and Joanna's life), which I recommended to Invictus above.

My theory is that fans who like the Lannisters for whatever reason (the Lannister brothers' wit, maybe, or Tywin's strength and competence), are nonetheless well aware of their flaws and follies and foibles. You can sympathize with Tyrion, a fundamentally well-intentioned and compassionate person who lived a difficult life, while also being aware that he is his father's son, capable of enormities. You can enjoy Jaime's unsurpassed skill at both sword and wit, while not excusing the thoughtlessness and brashness that led him to do some horrible things. You can admire Tywin's strength and cunning and resolve, while also being well aware that he's a war criminal, and a monster to boot.

In short, these fics about the Lannisters tend to have nuance, and subtlety, and shades of grey as GRRM intended his characters to have. That is why these stories aren't boring - because all characters in there have within them something to like, and something to dislike. They aren't caricatures, but feel instead like real people. And that ultimately is what makes a good story.

TLDR - fuck all the stark/OC/SI wank fics.

 

Here are a couple of fics that I have been reading and enjoying and I think haven't been posted in this thread:

Craven no more

It's a Samwell Tarley SI story, but unlike 99% of those the SI can't just wave his hand and make everything go his way. Also the tech uplift is almost nonexistent. (There actually was none whatsoever, until the rewrite, where the author added in some that sill has no impact on the story. I guess AH folks bullied him into it.)

Also his actions are making significant changes to canon and not all of them are for the better.


The Lords of Winter

summary: Jon would always be a Bastard. He could never inherit but he could protect his family. He could defend The North. Protecting his family he could do himself. But protecting The North? He would need followers, like the Knights of the South but dedicated to The North, not to glory. Bastard and true-born alike - The Lords of Winter would protect The North.

A Jon Snow starts a knightly order fic.

It's a bit of wish fulfillment, but it's rather engaging and I loved the battle scenes.

 

You may like this:
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12124049/1/The-Boy-in-the-Tree

It's not the most extraordinary fic and despite having Starks as main characters, they don't get away with everything.

Spoiler

In fact no matter how many time Bran try to change the past and save his family, he keep failling again and again.
Hopefully he will learn his lesson soon.