Hahaha, that's why I quoted myself. I just noticed you'd given me a thumbs up. Thought it was funny

 

A year hiatus is a worrying. I'll give it a shot if it's still updating a couple months from now.

 

I think the author said that they were reworking the plot because his ideas were already covered by GRRM. I'm assuming the sixth season confirmed a few things he was planning. He also said he was working on some of his own original stuff. So I'm hoping he's come back with some better writing skills and a better plot outline.

 

I like what he's done with Robert in the story. He tends to be remembered as a blundering old philanderous oaf who gets killed by some drugged wine and an angry boar, but there's a real dark side to his character in this, something we catch glimpses of in canon that are easy to forget with distance.

Despite the calm start, I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a real shake-up away from the stations of canon if this fic continues.

 

So far, since his return to it, I'm enjoying the writing. I've got to say, though, that Bran's death was a little out of left field, and doesn't make much sense as a "butterfly" or anything of the like.

Otherwise, I've been enjoying the direction he's taken Jon. It's original and it seems to stay fairly true to character. He's, young, naïve, disenfranchised, and entirely out of his depth with the situation he's found himself in.

Bobby B is also surprisingly likable in a pitying sort of way. The author has managed to make more of his character that just the drunkard that is found in the rest of the fandom.

 

For what it's worth, I've been enjoying Rhaegar the Great, the SI about a literature major ripping off Shakespeare in Westeros. Its sequel is now up: Rhaegar the Terrible.

 

I was expecting something that would go wrong, I just wasn't expecting

Spoiler

Aerys to nonchalantly have Jenny killed and announce it to the SI as if he was doing him a favor.

 

Oh wow, really ought to give it a second look then if that's the case. Because she was actually the reason I dropped it before, cause it seemed like a sign that the author had concluded with the initial idea/premise and it was now time for faffing about.

 

Well, the sequel couldn't have really happened if things stayed the same. Mind you, I had some issues with Jenny too,

Spoiler

namely that poorly thought out assassination attempt on Tywin and how it was seemingly just pushed aside after a chapter or two, which is quite unlike Tywin.

 

A Canvas of Crows updated again:
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11797349/13/A-Canvas-of-Crowns

It is quite interesting. I am not sure I like the direction Jon will be going, but who knows, it might be better than I expect.

I love the characteristics so far though. Cersei is still incredibly beautiful and seductive (like she is supposed to be) and Robert is quite well developed as well. In the last Robert scene, it looked like Robert might have realized who Jon really is.

I wonder if Robert will bring it up to Ned in the next chapter. Can't imagine Ned would be very pleased at what Robert has done. It is also looking like Ned will be dying like canon too, especially if he doesn't back down because his daughters are out of Lannister control.

 

Definitely agree on that point, there's a few stories which feature that plot line and none of them are done particularly well.. though I guess anything that doesn't involve Jon getting medieval age brain surgery or becoming Daenerys' bit on the side is would be a vast improvement.

I do like how Selmy seems to notice familiarity between Jon and Rhaegar

Spoiler

as does Robert on his death bed.

'No, boy, say it like you said it before,' the king said shortly. 'Whisper it like our places were exchanged and I were watching you die instead.'

'Lyanna,' Jon whispered, as faintly as he had the first time.

The king stared at him for long a moment, then he threw back his head and laughed, but he laughed so bitterly Jon had the urge to step away from him for every second until he stopped.

A lot of stories portray Robert as a semi-retarded drunk, it's nice to see the bitter fat older man that he should be.

 

Cersei is supposed to be seductive? I don't recall that ever being bandied about. Beautiful, yes, but never seductive. She's far too simple-minded to actually be seductive (because that requires subtlety), too prone to base cruelty and grudge-bearing, all the while thinking herself oh so clever and above all those that surround her. Then again, I suppose when you look at her from a hormonal teenager's perspective, I suppose she could be viewed as such.

In any case, this questionable fic aside, Knees Falling has updated.

 

This, pretty much. Jon is what, fifteen here? Didn't take much more than a brush of boob and a bit of cleavage to get me going at that age, and I expect nothing less from Jon.

 

Edit: Wrong story as it turns out.

 

Okay, does anyone know of any stories that explore the tension between Jon and Catelyn?
Something like Allies In A Time Of War by liesmyth, or Snow in the Morning by Puzzled. I reckon it can be a pretty interesting dynamic. Especially if, like in Snow in the Morning, it's known that Jon is Ashara's.

Note: Snow in the Morning doesn't quite explore it, but it set the ground work for it, it's basically a oneshot.

 

I'd say she is definitely seductive, yes. I mean, she seduced our friend kettleback, had him wrapped around her fingers. She seduced Lancel (i'm sure that kid didnt have the guts to make the first move). Hell, based on our flashbacks, you could make the argument she seduced Jaime. For example when she tries to convince him to join the KG. She also has failed seduction attempts of say Ned. That's her first reaction when Ned finds out about Joff. Try to seduce him. Or hell, when she thinks stannis will take KG and makes that comment to sansa about how if it was anyone else she would try to seduce them. One of the key foundations of cersie's 'power' is using her looks to bend men around her finger. Littlefinger himself points that out Sansa in ASOS.

I think the 'problem' is, we as the readers know none of her seduction is genuine... and her appalling personality is off putting to the reader. But clearly she regularly attempts to seduce others, and more often than not succeeds. Theres a reason why emphasis is put on those few people she CANT seduce (Ned, Stannis, Varys, etc). Because they tend to be the exception rather than the norm.

I think if you view her from the *average* character in asoiaf as opposed to the more omniscient reader, she would come across as very seductive.

 

Allies in a Time of War is what made me write my version, I'm not sure anything else really covers it. To Go Forward had a few scenes which touched on it, but it's hardly a focus. I'd like to continue Snow in the Morning, but I don't have a clear vision of where it would go and that's bit me before.

 

Well my first instinct would be to put it into the WBA, that would be the place to try and spark discussion, but I'm assuming there might be a reason that you've hesitated up until now. The thing that I personally find so interesting about Jon goes South stories is that I get new character interactions that aren't possible in canon. At least they're usually the parts that can get me smiling.

The outline of the plot would basically be how much of a difference can one man make. Then you've got to figure out how he stabilises the main characters around him as well as how he would complicate and destabilise other characters. Honestly, if it were me planning a massive story, I'd make a timeline out of the events of canon. Then, I'd try and flesh it out with as much detail as possible about who caused what event by which actions and why etc. and I'd refer to that as I was thinking about the effect that Jon would have, both his presence and his absence.

Unfortunately you've also got a separate divergence years prior to canon, but I don't see why you couldn't use the same tool to help consider how your story would play out in comparison to canon. That all probably seems pretty obvious,most likely because I've never written a fanfiction. So I'd tell you to reconsider the WBA.

 

My original plot was to have not too much change, the Starks are overmatched by the power of the South and one more talented warrior isn't enough to shift things. The divergence I planned on was that Jon would find Arya, probably killing Sandor, just prior to the Red Wedding.

Jon wouldn't make it to the wedding, but as a male pseudo Stark he's a prime target for the Boltons. His little marauding band would be decimated, only he and Arya would escape, and since the North is lost he, Arya, and Nymeria flee east to Braavos.

Arya wouldn't join the Faceless men with Jon there, but they hear rumors of dragons. Both of them want revenge, so they decide to seek out Daenerys Targaryen, despite the fact that she probably hates all Starks.

I've already played around in Essos though, so for me it would be a bit of repetition, and I don't really want to start another massive story.

 

Picked up A Canvas of Crows today, and I rather like it. Robert, Cersei and Jaime come out a lot more nuanced than usual, and the butterflies are refreshing in how naturally they flow.

Looking forward to the next update, thanks for the rec!