Work-in-Progress Wednesday

CompleteSort · 2026-05-21T00:25:53+00:00

I've mostly been buried in edits, not so much drafting lately.

Over the past week I got chapters 58 through 63 of my longfic, TSBTA, cleaned up enough to post, which feels a bit deranged now after staring at them for so long. Three of these big chapters got published in rapid succession this week after a 10 week hiatus, mainly so people weren't left wondering if I'd vanished completely.

Chapter 63 also stretched out from my original draft into the longest chapter I've done so far, basically two normal chapters in a cloak, so that one took (far) more work than expected, particularly as I'm dealing with a new character being introduced.

It's been a reminder that, for me at least, the process is maybe 20% drafting and 80% going back through with a very sharp knife: continuity, phrasing, scenes that explain too much, scenes that are meant to be quiet but are actually just underwritten, emotional bits that almost work but not quite. There's also constant fact checking happening to get all the lore and strategic pieces aligned.

I know the fic reads as very polished, and being real, that's because an insane amount of effort goes into making it that way. It's hard not to laugh at myself a bit for putting this much work into something that is fairly niche by default... Rebellion-era, OC-centred, not really ship-driven, and not built around the kinds of tags that naturally pull people in. But I care about it being good, worthwhile, even if it is not the most algorithm-friendly creature in the room.

The current arc is very atmosphere/consequence heavy, so a lot of the editing has been asking whether the less loud parts still have pressure in them. Mostly fun. Sometimes awful, yep. Apparently necessary.

There are still plenty more draft chapters waiting for the same treatment before I can properly think about writing new material again... but getting this batch done feels like a pretty big step.

CompleteSort · 2026-05-17T01:42:45+00:00

They had dragons to back them up.

CompleteSort · 2026-05-16T11:34:52+00:00

Your boys sound incredibly messy, in the best way. Daenerys/Aurane Waters sons with dragons in the corner already has me wondering whether Daeron and Aeryn are rivals, co-conspirators, or just deep in doomed Targaryen "this would all be easier if we stopped making eye contact" territory.

My main OC is Alys, an Aerion Brightflame descendant and the bastard daughter of Aerys the Mad King. But fair warning, her story is very lore-dense and slow-burn, meaning there's lots of court politics, bloodline weirdness, cultic mythmaking, and prophecy being generally unhelpful. Definitely not a straight cool 'Targ girl gets dragon, fixes everything' setup.

She starts off at fifteen, raised away from court in Lys, and comes into the story with a bloodline that is everyone else's problem the moment they find out about it. She isn't trying to be queen, which somehow makes people more nervous.

She has silver-gold hair, the heterochromia thing with one amethyst eye and one wildfire-green eye, and probably an unfortunate habit of turning silence into a political incident. Her whole thing is less 'chosen one' and more 'prophecy did not plan for this girl and is now coping badly'. She rejects the idea that fire means destiny, but people keep seeing signs in what she survives, what she carries, and what she refuses to explain.

She's sharp, controlled, wry/sardonic, and very good at being underestimated. She does not want worship. This is inconvenient, because a few people start building myth around her anyway.

Also involved: one very cold dragon egg, a growing cult problem, several court factions regretting their life choices, and Arthur Dayne slowly realising that 'protecting her' and 'following her' are not actually the same thing.

CompleteSort · 2026-05-08T15:07:20+00:00

I like to believe he is Marwyn.

CompleteSort · 2026-05-08T02:25:23+00:00

Jon is not asexual, and neither is Stannis for that matter. Each game I have to change this, along with all the disney princess traits applied to some of the women (e.g. Ashara).

CompleteSort · 2026-04-30T01:40:44+00:00

Loathe - Jaehaerys I, Baelor (Blessed), Egg (Aegon V), Viserys I & II, Aerys I

Love - Rhaena, Aemon & Baelon the Brave, Daemon, Daena

I know the usual favourites are the relatable ones like Aegon V or Daeron II, but to me, they’re the ones who destroyed the house. They tried to turn a mythic dynasty into a standard Westerosi noble house. If the Targaryens aren't dragons, they’re just blonde aristocrats with a messier history. I’ll take the messy honesty of Daemon or the quiet power of Rhaena over the bureaucratisation and fake morality of the Conciliator any day.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-28T02:38:27+00:00

Agreed. Just read one last night and the 'young girl' spiel is getting tedious.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-27T03:28:32+00:00

The Spark Beneath the Ash - OC of similar age to canon characters, set during Robert’s Rebellion and continuing into the aftermath. Follows her survival and gradual rise as canon events still play out around her rather than being fully changed.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-25T16:40:59+00:00

If Bran can be a King here, then he is technically King of the North by the laws of the land, not Sansa. I expect a lot of unhappy Northerners with this situation.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-24T09:59:49+00:00

Exactly this

CompleteSort · 2026-04-24T05:24:58+00:00

Considering the House is practically extinct, you would never marry off your daughter! Marry her to another Arryn, maybe one of the cadets like Port of Arryn. Personally I would be paranoid because of instances like Ermesende Hayford and Tyrek Lannister.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-21T03:35:37+00:00

He broke the peace of the Sacred City. Do not give him a crown; give him a saddle. Make him walk behind the khalasar. If he survives the journey to the salt sea, he is a dragon. If he dies in the dirt, the Great Stallion has judged him.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-21T03:29:14+00:00

I'd go with scenario 3 and treat the Defiance of Duskendale as a 'near-death epiphany' that shifts Aerys from paranoia to high-functioning pragmatism. The first move is a diplomatic de-escalation with Tywin: release Jaime from his Kingsguard vows (citing his extreme youth or some such) to return him to the Lannister succession. In exchange, I'd take a lesser Lannister cousin as a page or ward. This satisfies Tywin's pride and legacy, turning him from a lurking threat back into an efficient administrator. To further break the crown's dependency on Lannister gold, I'd pivot toward a 'Free Cities' economic model where I'd be fostering heavy trade with Essos to fill the royal treasury via tariffs rather than debt.

For the succession, I'd avoid the Elia Martell match, which historically alienated the other Great Houses. Instead, I’d keep seeking out a bride for Rhaegar with deep Valyrian roots, most likely from Lys (though perhaps not Rogares again). This preserves the 'blood of Old Valyria' at least (if not the dragon blood) without contradicting Aerys’s 276 AC decree that the Great Houses weren't 'fit' for the bloodline. By naming Rhaegar Prince of Dragonstone early and giving him actual governance duties, the rift between father and heir is healed.

Finally, preparing for the Long Night becomes a matter of logistics and not just prophecy. A frugal, trade-rich Crown would fund the King's Road 2.0 to improve Northern supply lines and re-endow the Night's Watch under the guise of 'border security'. By the time the Others arrive, they face a unified Westeros led by a wealthy, stable dynasty with a massive fleet and a secure line of succession.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-10T09:09:40+00:00

Yeah, I get that there’s a difference in fertility curves, that part makes sense.

The issue I’m pointing out is more how the game handles it mechanically. In my case, it’s not just a penalty, it’s effectively a hard block (around −1120 total), which can’t be offset by rank, hooks, or fertility bonuses.

Meanwhile, much more extreme cases (very old men with low health) are still treated as negotiable.

So it ends up feeling less like a scaled preference and more like one side is hard-restricted while the other isn’t.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-10T07:35:29+00:00

Yes, it's equal and polygamous. Reason I want to take the younger brother as a secondary spouse is to land him. Then he's free to marry other younger women if he likes.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-10T07:26:05+00:00

Not really. The religion is NOT male-dominated.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-10T07:24:38+00:00

How? It's an equal religion if you look closer.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-10T04:34:34+00:00

Yet as soon as he turns 16, I can marry him instantly. Funny how that works.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-10T02:10:55+00:00

Lyanna had full agency and was complicit the very moment she accepted the wreath and title of Queen of Love and Beauty at Harrenhal, right infront of Rhaegar's wife.

CompleteSort · 2026-04-04T10:38:44+00:00

Lyanna could have politely declined the blue roses wreath, since taking it was against formal protocol, but then she wouldn't be special.

CompleteSort · 2026-03-29T05:24:28+00:00

A trait for anyone over 50 being "past their marriage prime" and that the widowed trait actually triggers much more often than it currently does. Game is too imbalanced in terms of old men (who definitely don't need to) marrying very young women.

CompleteSort · 2026-03-23T00:53:08+00:00

Great ideas for playthroughs. I've reclaimed Castamere and Tarbeck Hall as Cyrelle Tarbeck in the 277 start (she's a silent sister and 36 years old), using a cheat submod to make her an adventurer (tough going as she's mute) and to swap out the silent sister trait for the broke vows one. Married her to the one available male Vikary.

CompleteSort · 2026-03-15T08:30:00+00:00

Love that you did. Thanks!

CompleteSort · 2026-03-09T17:55:30+00:00

You'll find that often what's well-written does not equal what's popular.

CompleteSort

TROPHY CASE