Can anyone recommend a few good Arya-centric stories, ones that don't completely ruin her character by pairing her up with some random Guy?

 

Nope. They all end up with her with Gendry or Aegon. They all suck. Seriously though. Nothing like a 12 year old getting it on for fanfic writers.....

 

I've been looking for a fic that I read a few months ago but can't seem to find it. The basic premise that I remember is that during Robert's Rebellion something happens (I want to say it's Aery's Wildfire plot actually happens but I'm not 100% sure) but the end result is a Great Council that first tries to put Ned Stark on the throne and ultimately puts Jon Arryn on the throne. I don't remember if it was well written but I do remember it being at least a passably interesting read.

Anybody have an idea what fic I'm talking about?

 

Ah, that story is up on http://alternatehistory.com/ somwhere, I do not remember the name of it though.

 

Always the last place you look. (Here's the link for those that want it)

 

Okay I mentioned it before but first: I don't know who has been following it so far, but holy crap. DolorousEdditor has to be the best writer in the fandom. His recent chapter of Our Choices Seal Our Fate was, imo, great. The author handles suspense in what I assume is an expert way. I read the chapter and I couldn't guess what the outcome would be because the author used misdirection to take your mind away from the possibilities of what might happen.

Outside of that it's been a bit difficult to find any good stories. The closest ones I could find that were passable (barely) were:

When Winter Fell. Love the play on words in the title; Winterfell/Winter Fell. It's a redo fic where Jon attempts to go back in time to stop the Others winning. A bit odd to see a redo fic in this fandom, but I gave it a shot and was okay with it. It has short chapters, but the author seems to update fast.

The King Nobody Wanted. Robert dies along with Rhaegar leaving Stannis as the supposed king, but the problem is he's not Robert. He alienates people and because of that the rebellion continues with certain houses refusing to submit. Once again, really short chapters but with fast updates.

The Only King is a HP crossover. Harry is the immortal former god king of Braavos and everyone knows it. Not as bad as I thought it would be.

Not much else. The fandom is being over run with modernized fics and other bull shit. For once I'd like to see someone do a modern fic where instead of just writing a story with these characters in the modern world do something like have the entire continent of Westeros transports smack in the middle of the Atlantic and focus on the political, religious and social upheaval of all cultures dealing with this phenomenon. 1632 Style

 

Those are all...pretty crappy fics. Then again most of asoiaf fandom is shit. Other then Cxjenious's story, and a few other smatterings of fics, the fandom sucks.

Also, it's funny as hell when the same fic gets recommended three-four pages in a row in this thread.

 

I liked A Knight's Watch, despite the generous helping of angst. The new fic just doesn't interest me. There's too much angst. It never gets better. In A Knight's Watch, the characters don't really grow, or should I say, they don't grow past the angst. They fought wars, assembledo a kingdom, had merry balls and tourneys... but still the angst continued, perpetuated in every sentence. It was exhausting to read. The new fic is even more exhausting.

 

For me the deal breaker is the god awful romance... When reading those two fics it feels like I have to scroll past entire pages if I don't want to rage quit.

 

I feel like the new one is trying to be something entirely different than the other. I agree that the romance isn't really that good, but the setting is something to be looked at. It's entirely intriguing simply because of how Rhaegar lives, but still has the problem of Lannisters wanting to take over.

Rhaegar's interpretation as the scholarly king who is loved by the people but not by the lords because of how many things he does for the people, instead of the lords.

 

I'm getting real fucking sick of Jon/Sansa. Not only is Sansa generally boring especially when she is written by fanfic authors but this Sansa is just so bland. I cheer for things to turn out poorly for her at all times.

 

It's for those Jamie/Cersei fans but without the "technical" incest.

 

God I hate Sansa. If she somehow becomes Queen of anything in canon I'll start a damn rebellion.

 

She's getting better as Alayne. It seems like she's finally thinking and doing something. For all the talk from Sansa fans of her being a survivor, she is nothing but a passive victim, and a passive character is always distasteful to read about.

On another note, Water Dancers is the best ASOIAF fic I've ever read. Holy fuck, it makes canon events look almost tame in comparison. There is some OOCness, but I can totally see Arya's character going in this direction if her hatred turns against her family. Sansa seems a little too competent, but she is older than in canon, and years of suffering would probably harden anyone, even Sansa. She still isn't able to out-scheme Margaery or Arya, so its fine. Poor Theon suffers in any setting, Cersei is even creepier in her sexual habits and Dany is still inconsistent and views herself as the savior of the world. It definitely shows how dark the world that Martin created was, as well as how the characters could change given the right circumstances. Amazing story.

 

Shit was so boring I forced my way through it hoping for it to get good, only it didn't. It just sort of came to an end. And it was a political style fic that did more telling than showing, so it loses more points there. And don't get me started on the horror tag. Just because you talk about someone being flayed or raped doesn't make the story scary, especially when the characters are so OOC you literally feel nothing for them.

 

Its an AU. Any OOCness is explained by the circumstances of the AU. Is it so unbelievable that the mutual dislike between the Stark sisters would turn into hatred if everything in the world that Sansa holds dear is snatched from her and handed to Arya? That Arya's hatred of her enemies turns to hatred of her family when they marry her off to Joffrey despite her protests? Margaery, Joffrey, Robb, Dany and Theon are all perfectly in character. If you can't stomach the OOCness rest assured it is due to your lack of imagination, not the author's. I thought it was fascinating to read what a few years of delay would have made to the Game of Thrones. Almost everything that happens in the story is the result of butterflies from the delay. Arya's revenge and the surprisingly hopeful ending after the mass-killings were amazing to read.

 

Reading the first chapter I'm pretty sure marrying sansa wouldn't make Theon so... not Theon the way he talks is way too different and the so called divergence from canon in the first chapter wouldn't cause this change. Correct me if I'm wrong bit his character wouldnt change like that

 

It absolutely is unbelievable that the totally harmless sibling rivalry between Arya and Sansa we see in canon would turn into that. And I have no idea what was even going on with Theon there, like bramastra said his voice was totally off.

There's a difference between OOCness as a result of an AU and badly written OCs with canon names.

 

I don't see the problem with Theon's character voice - he sounds pretty much the same as he did in A Clash of Kings. His conversation with Sansa goes exactly like his conversation with the seaman's daughter who wanted to be his salt wife - down to the casual cruelty and use of the word 'sweetling'. You seem to be thinking too much of Theon in A Dance with Dragons, where he is obviously different from the earlier books.

As for Arya and Sansa, I can only say you lack imagination, considering that almost the exact same thing happened between Catelyn and her sister in canon. Anyway, I loved the story even if other people couldn't stomach the OOCness. It is one of the few ASOIAF stories with an actual plot.

Also, I found this one-shot a couple of days ago. I'm not sure if this one has been recommended here before, but it is hilarious. Definitely give it a read - it shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

 

The first fic takes place during the first book right?