http://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/asoiaf-golden.378729/
A very different take on characters than usual. A bitter Stannis turns out to not care much for Robert.

 

So, bit of a question/small rant: Theon Greyjoy. Most story's and such that I've read always seem to make him the shitty douchebag, cardboard cut out, traitorous cunt type character and tend to go out of their way to crap all over him and make him as unsympathetic as possible. Oddly, it's rarely as bad too be outright bashing, but it's still there.

Now, I get this, from a certain standpoint. Theon is a traitorous cunt, in canon. But that's....you know, canon. And it's not like his motives aren't a bit understandable, and he even kind of gets his comeuppance in the books with all the shit Ramsay does to him.

The thing is, though, I feel like there are better uses for his character than sidelining him, or have him mindlessly follow the stations of canon. I get he's not well liked, but character development is a thing. If he's not a good guy in the beginning, are there really no fics that try to give him reasons to become a better person? Hell, off the top of my head, I can think of three or so ways of giving him some beneficial development.

So, any of you know any good fics that actually have a decent take on the guy?

 

Atri's the Lion of the North has him becoming a pirate king, but he's a secondary character. AndrewJTalon has a self insert into Theon, but that's thoroughly and unapologetically crack. Past those two nothing really springs to mind.

 

That's actually not that bad of an ASOIAF Si fic, probably the best in this fandom that I have read so far. Don't get me wrong, the main character isn't particularly compelling or interesting and what happens later in King's Landing feels really contrived over all but still, it's fun and yeah, the lack of new irrigation techniques, inventing penicillin or gunpowder is quite welcome.

Then there is the fact that the SI as Sam right when he arrives at the Night's Watch isn't really all that able to influence too much.

It's a decent 2.5-3/5 story that is fun enough to read.

This is quite interesting. Short, complete and quite compelling, to watch how things unfold in this, even if it doesn't really strike me as all that believable at times in the story.

 

Here is another Althistory Si story that tickled my fancy

Rheagar the Great

What caught my attention about this is that after the first attempt is firmly rebuffed by Tywin he essentially goes:Fuck this if I can't have my canals than it's time for Plan B. Societal change through Shakespearean Dramas!

Don't know how it's going turn out, since we are just now getting to the good part, the rest being your standard SI fare.

 

Is this some super secret forum or something? I have an account on Alternative History but I don't have access to the thread you've linked, nor can I find it.

 

Has your account been approved? I know mine's been sitting in limbo for the last forever, and I can't see anything until I get blessed by an admin.

 

http://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/knees-falling-asoiaf-for-want-of-a-nail.397872/
A story featuring divergence early in ACOK. The story has been written very well which fits well to the setting. Real changes have just started to affect the story drastically.


PS : It is all Cressen's fault.

 

It's called the "Alien Space bats and other Magic" subforum and as far as I know you only need an account, nothing else. I lurk there, don't think I even have 5 posts total.

 

Huh.

This is actually a pretty solid start. Will be keeping an eye on it.

 

I know, right? Never expected to find something worth reading on that God forsaken site.

 

What's happening? This is really vague

 

Basically, Cressen does manage to pull off his assassination attempt and from then on, butterflies ensue, as Stannis does things differently without Mellisandre. This, of course, also affects the plotlines of other POV characters.

 

Too bad I don't have permission to read it.

 

I've stumbled upon this (http://archiveofourown.org/works/4172199/chapters/9419472) the other day. It's an AU of ACoK following Robb, Jon, Stannis, Davos and Garlan Tyrell so far (PoV). The author has adopted a more realist approach to the whole nobility thing, I don't know how else to explain it. He/She has also change the speech pattern of noble and I think this little quote explains it all really:

I was a bit put off by the second chapter; it has a very graphic depiction of sexual intercourse which, to my knowledge thus far, had absolutely no impact on the plot. I thought for a moment that I had picked another Smut fic without realizing, but do not let that one thing detract you from the story. The author is not afraid to tread upon unexplored paths; religious conflicts is a perfect example of this for not only the smallfolk but the nobles as well and not only between the Red God and the Seven but also the Seven and the Old Gods. Robb intend to reward a piece of land to a southern lord's second son. His bannerman are in uproar about bringing the seven up north.

All in all a read worth the time really.

 

The author knows how to write well and maps out actions and reactions pretty well. He has only a few other stories like that I think, which is a shame because I expect they would be good as well.

---------- Post automerged at 01:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:43 PM ----------

Renly's advantage of great numerical superiority is not evaporated overnight because he cannot be killed by the shade. Stannis decides to press onwards anyway, with all the butterflies that happen the story is going in strange directions.

 

Personally I think Spacebattles is worse, but in the eye of the beholder I suppose.

 

The first couple of chapters were pretty good; this Arya chapter, not so much.

They are both shit.

 

I've read all and it never really lost me. It does certainly try to inject a bit more of a cultural and religious divide between the North and the South, but really, so far it was just a lot of bluster from the lords, a few insults and a few "most unorthodox" by a particular lord or two until reasonable characters such as Robb, the QoT and Margery were able to quell those feelings.

So yeah, it does try that but so far, there hasn't really been any blowback on that front. Robb certainly managed to get done what he wanted so far and then some.

I'll be honest, I think I would have preferred it if Robb had the same racist (is that the right word in this context?) hang-ups and prejudices as his bannerman, which might have been more interesting and frustrating to follow as a reader.

The sex scenes, as mentioned, are terrible, awkward, out of place and entirely arbitrary. They add nothing to the plot, nothing to Jon or the girl he was banging, they don't develop either character, in fact, that girl was really only present in the sex scenes and all we know is that she likes the act and is a bit more frisky than Jon initially assumed.

About the only thing that I can imagine coming from that might be a pregnancy that could be a later plot point but that certainly didn't need the badly written smut that we were exposed to.

The story also continues in the grand tradition of giving Jon a horrible new surname.

Other than that, I don't think I like the one sided curbstomp that seems to be there. The Lannisters, as it seems now, are pretty much done and it didn't really feel like a struggle. The dialogue can be awkward, like Jon's talk with Margery and it doesn't always flow well.

The Stannis side of things were a bit more interesting and original, in that it used a plot point that I haven't seen before but we'll see how that plays out.

So yeah, it's not terrible but nothing particularly good either, imo. Readable though.

3/5

 

Hang on now, isn't this the fic where Roose Bolton becomes a ninja?

Where Jon reminisces about having anal sex with Amerei Frey while talking with Brynden? Come to think of it, he thinks about the first time he had sex with her while talking with Robb. I'm sensing a theme here.