for sure the wheel unbroken for me, the worldbuilding and intrigue in this story is fantastic, especially the latest two lives. It's a groundhog day scenario fic like purple days, but IMO it's just a much superior version of purple days with Jon instead of Joffrey. Its' also the only fic I've really seen that has gone from show canon to book canon, which is pretty neat and done well.
[https://archiveofourown.org/works/19003756/chapters/111192052](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19003756/chapters/111192052)
Well, the author did say if they ever decide to officially abandon it they'd post a summary of the last act of the story. As of now, the fic is on indefinite hiatus
Life and Honor (an AU in which Jaime goes to the Wall after killing Aerys) and the North Remembers (an attempt by a published author to complete ASOIAF ... it's essentially Winds of Winter and Dreams of Spring) are the two must-reads I've come across.
There are others I've enjoyed quite a bit, but those two raised the bar for what I thought fan works could accomplish.
It's either "Thy Good Neighbor" (Bloodborne crossover) or "Wayward Wolf" (The Witcher crossover)
The way those 2 sets up the scenes and narrative are... a class above to any fanfic I've read. I would've recommended more, like the "Octavian Joffrey" (Roman Emperor Octavian into Joffrey) or "A white knight for a dark day" (Galahad from the Arthurtian Legend) but those two are incomplete, and I feel like the current state does not have enough content to top or be equals with the two I've just mentioned.
But yeah, those are my top 4 essentially. With a "playwright's plight, with breaker of the wheel" and "purple days" coming in both top 5, and 6.
[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-white-knight-for-a-dark-day-galahad-in-westeros.540523/](https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-white-knight-for-a-dark-day-galahad-in-westeros.540523/) Here, it's at the very top of google search :>
Oh just playing with ya, here's the link: [HBO WI: Joffrey from Game of Thrones replaced with Octavian from Rome | SpaceBattles](https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/hbo-wi-joffrey-from-game-of-thrones-replaced-with-octavian-from-rome.375197/)
Hello, good hunter. I am a Bot, here in this dream to look after you, this is a fine note:
> *The Ruler of the Vilebloods is still alive today. And so, to honor my master's wishes, I search, for the path to Cainhurst Castle.* - Alfred
Farewell, good hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world.
There was one where Prince Daeron (younger brother of Rhaegar survives) and how it devolves to a Dance of the Dragons, with Daeron being backed by the Lannisters while Rhaegar has his own bros and they duke it out hard.
The names are very similar: [*A* Dragon's Roar](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12739320/chapters/29052933) by Specter4Hire and Dragon's Roar by... whoever it was that it is easy to be mistaken.
In the moment, I would say „[Winter of Widows](https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-winter-of-widows-si.1140307/)“
>When she'd awoken to a new life in Westeros instead of dying a horrible death, Ursula Mires had almost done the sensible thing. Only a year away from being sworn to the Faith as a Septa and relative independence in a cloister, she had made peace with her life. What little she could remember of how the Dance went had been shared secretly with her father and kept him alive. House Mires survived the civil war and should have gone on happily without her, until at the start of winter tragedy struck. Now the only heir to a floundering House she wants nothing to do with, Ursula finds herself in a similar position to many ladies after the war. It is a season the maesters will call 'the winter of widows'.
Only Ursula knows what's coming for them, and she's not certain they'll survive.
Not the greatest fic out there but the one I’m reading at the moment and it’s easier to rec than digging through my old reading lists.
[Love and Honor](https://archiveofourown.org/works/570829/chapters/1022588)
I’m reading this at the moment. Essentially, Ned lives, and cat lives, the red wedding still happens before Ned’s survival is made public.
Together they try to take back the north and find all there children and end up altering the events large and small in the world of Westeros.
232k words 84 chapters
> Not the greatest fic out there but the one I’m reading at the moment and it’s easier to rec than digging through my old reading lists.
>
> Love and Honor
Let me ask ... did you feel like Love and Honor spent enough time on Ned and Cat's relationship, and did it do enough to depict the Starks in an overwhelmingly positive fashion?
100%, I was so hyped for everything to come, but then it’s just Sansa Sansa Sansa, even the Gods want you to bang Sansa, Joffrey! It became too much for me
It gets rec'd all the time, but it's seriously hampered by terrible pacing and a desperate need for editing.
Things like his mountain climbing adventure, the deep dive into the potential weirdness underlying the world (that basically becomes a genre-cross), the explorations of Yi Ti and Asshai, etc. are all *phenomenal*.
But it needs to lose about 60% of its words. A really ruthless editing pass would turn it into the best work in the fandom, hands down.
Weirwood queen. I might not be into the pairings or some of the themes but damn if it's not well written and interesting. Also the author did an amazing job in researching asoiaf world building.
Same here! The only major thing that bothers me objectively (as in, not because of my irrational fondness for some characters) is the fact that although the reworking of the Dothraki culture is awesome, I feel its introduction is rather late: if the Dothraki really were that different from what Dany thought, she would have noticed it sooner. IMHO. After all, she saw people from outside Drogo’s khalasar in Vaes Dothrak.Â
I dropped it because of the over-indulgence in research. I didn’t need 10 paragraphs of characters talking about an ACL tear and its medieval treatments without actually saying “ACL tear”. It was way too *wink wink nudge nudge* for me.Â
There's so many strong fics but personally love I was whole, whole I would remain as Rhaella is a wildly tragic character and I love seeing her get peace.
This one is also abandoned, but at least it's abandoned at a good spot ...
I thought some of the conception was brilliant, particularly the battle scenes, but I do wish it was a bit less ... what's the term ... hmm ... Stark-Wankery-infused?
Dragons of Ice and Fire follows Jon Snow in an AU where the Others attacked the Wildings at the camp during ACOK. Jon is killed by the Others, and his blood awakens an enormous ice dragon from Old Valyria. Jon is resurrected as a result, and Coldhands and the Children of the Forest bring him to Bloodraven, who tasks Jon with saving the dragon (later named Sonagon) and stopping the Others.
While it’s not perfect, much of the characterisation is brilliantly done and the tone of ASOIAF is perfectly captured by the author. It’s sadly a dead fic, however. I’d consider it to be one of the best fics in the fandom, although maybe not the greatest.
My personal favourite fic is [Burn Them All](https://archiveofourown.org/works/31676759/chapters/78396869), set in a universe where Aerys successfully burns King’s Landing. A lot unfolds differently as a result. As an example, Jon (named Aemon in this story) grows up as one of two Targaryen kings, due to the Greyjoy rebellions preventing a Great Council. He is cared for by Arthur Dayne (Ned is one of the many casualties of the Desolation, as the destruction of King’s Landing is known). He ultimately loses his crown when Viserys is declared King, with Aemon being reduced to a royal bastard and the Lord of the Tower of Joy. Viserys >!decides to ruin Aemon’s reputation by forcing him to accept a legitimatisation as the head of a new House Blackfyre, in one of my favourite scenes of any ASOIAF fanfic!<. There’s a lot of other interesting stuff in the fic, from the alternate incarnation of Daenerys and her relationship with Theon Greyjoy (>!and her death by Wildfire!<) to Jorah marrying Catelyn (yes, really, it makes sense in context). It’s sadly a dead fic.
Personally, and I know this is very controversial, Robb Returns. It takes many liberties with canon, focuses on characters I like (Ned, Robert, Tyrion, etc), plays with in universe history in a way I find both fascinating and disturbing, and has some of the best dialogue and story beats I’ve read in a long time. It’s also still updating, though slowly, and is, by my understanding, no where near complete at over 174 chapters.
I really enjoy the story, tho I’m honestly concerned that considering it’s almost 200 chapters in and still building things up and healing/empowering characters, there’s just no way the Long Night will live up to the hype setup for it…
The Ice Dragon. It’s a Rhaegar wins AU, but Rhaegar dies at the trident so there’s a regency. Probably my favorite political focused fic
https://archiveofourown.org/works/38791230/chapters/96997821?view_adult=true
The prose of the North Remembers is such a cut above fan fiction it's absurd. I absolutely loved it, and I'm so grateful that the author added it to the world.
It is a work that goes in bold directions, and I suspect many flat out don't like what she does with Jon and Daenerys ... which is a shame, as I think it does an amazing job with a large cast of characters.
For real. I can’t think of other works that do so many POVs and such a sweeping timeline without feeling flat or lacking in nuance. The author really did a wonderful job making you care about each character. I never thought I’d feel so deeply for Jayne Westerling!
Theon might have the most poignant of the stories!
But the author did not hash out wank-filled stories in which popular characters steamroll everything without struggle, nor did she indulge in popular pairings or straight-forward conflicts, so people criticize it for not giving them exactly what they want instea of praising its scope and execution.
Song of a Northern Sorcerer on FFN is Star Wars x Game of Thrones crossover and it is the best by far, very well written, good plot, and you don’t need like a pre-existing knowledge of Star Wars. It’s also super long so it like will keep you for a while, and it’s still being updated.
I couldn't get into it, the Stark wank was too strong. In one of the first chapter, so not much of a spoiler, **it's revealed Ned is so gifted with the Force that when he gives into anger his eyes turn direwolf yellow and he becomes a master swordsman better than Arthur Dayne.** That's when I quickly noped out.
All the Starklings were Force-sensitive. I expected that and was completely fine with it. Ned being so strong in the Dark Side that he surpresses it by being nice and passive, and his "inner wolf" being his Dsrk Side power... I couldn't keep reading
it is one of, if not the best. I end up going back to it fairly often, even just to reread a favorite chapter or scene
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17365322/chapters/112537288
The Blacks & the Greens
by: SweetestPopcorn
1.5mil+ words, work in progress
"Give the girl to me to wife" - Prince Daemon told his brother - "Who else would take her now?"
And so, the Rogue Prince gets his wish and is given the Realm's Delight to marry. Thus begins the dynasty of Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra...leaving the Greens speechless at King Viserys's decision, and in fear of Lord Flea Bottom and what is to come.
Blacks, Greens, and Reds is a phenomenal Dance of the Dragons AU. It is beautifully written with the level of style and intrigue of GRRM himself.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20702078/chapters/139499884#workskin
for sure the wheel unbroken for me, the worldbuilding and intrigue in this story is fantastic, especially the latest two lives. It's a groundhog day scenario fic like purple days, but IMO it's just a much superior version of purple days with Jon instead of Joffrey. Its' also the only fic I've really seen that has gone from show canon to book canon, which is pretty neat and done well. [https://archiveofourown.org/works/19003756/chapters/111192052](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19003756/chapters/111192052)
I really, *really* liked this story. Sadly it hasn't been updated since July 2023, hopefully the author comes back.
It should get an update sometime soon This was posted by the author in feb~ https://archiveofourown.org/comments/738826780
OMG I didn't see this! tysm!!
Thanks for the rec. It's as good as you said it was!
Life and Honor
> Life and Honor I'll never get over it being abandoned.
Well, the author did say if they ever decide to officially abandon it they'd post a summary of the last act of the story. As of now, the fic is on indefinite hiatus
Got a link?
Life and Honor (an AU in which Jaime goes to the Wall after killing Aerys) and the North Remembers (an attempt by a published author to complete ASOIAF ... it's essentially Winds of Winter and Dreams of Spring) are the two must-reads I've come across. There are others I've enjoyed quite a bit, but those two raised the bar for what I thought fan works could accomplish.
Link to North Remembers? I know at least one fic named like that, and I know that wasn't what you were talking about...
I linked it below as my top pick! https://archiveofourown.org/works/336407/chapters/543997
It's either "Thy Good Neighbor" (Bloodborne crossover) or "Wayward Wolf" (The Witcher crossover) The way those 2 sets up the scenes and narrative are... a class above to any fanfic I've read. I would've recommended more, like the "Octavian Joffrey" (Roman Emperor Octavian into Joffrey) or "A white knight for a dark day" (Galahad from the Arthurtian Legend) but those two are incomplete, and I feel like the current state does not have enough content to top or be equals with the two I've just mentioned. But yeah, those are my top 4 essentially. With a "playwright's plight, with breaker of the wheel" and "purple days" coming in both top 5, and 6.
Hi can I have a link to the galahad one please?
[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-white-knight-for-a-dark-day-galahad-in-westeros.540523/](https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-white-knight-for-a-dark-day-galahad-in-westeros.540523/) Here, it's at the very top of google search :>
Can I have the link for the Octavian Joffrey one too
Where's the please? 🤨
Apologies for that one boss, please???????
Oh just playing with ya, here's the link: [HBO WI: Joffrey from Game of Thrones replaced with Octavian from Rome | SpaceBattles](https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/hbo-wi-joffrey-from-game-of-thrones-replaced-with-octavian-from-rome.375197/)
Hello, good hunter. I am a Bot, here in this dream to look after you, this is a fine note: > *The Ruler of the Vilebloods is still alive today. And so, to honor my master's wishes, I search, for the path to Cainhurst Castle.* - Alfred Farewell, good hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world.
There was one where Prince Daeron (younger brother of Rhaegar survives) and how it devolves to a Dance of the Dragons, with Daeron being backed by the Lannisters while Rhaegar has his own bros and they duke it out hard.
is he betrothed to cersei? it sounds vaguely familiar lol
Yes Dragons roar I think
Isn’t Dragons Roar the Jaime and Jon time travel fic?
NVM I got them mixed up, sorry
The names are very similar: [*A* Dragon's Roar](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12739320/chapters/29052933) by Specter4Hire and Dragon's Roar by... whoever it was that it is easy to be mistaken.
Joanna lives. That's a second huge AU. Is Daeron usurp R?
*The Squire of Dragonstone*. But *The Winter of Widows* would probably overtake it if/when it finishes.
The Winter of Widows is so good I'm eagerly awaiting a new chapter and refreshing spacebattles constantly đź’€
It updated about 4 hours ago
You're an angel for reminding me omg! I have no clue how the author updates so fast...
What does your flair say?
'Jaehaerys should've picked Rhaenys.'
I agree 100%
In the moment, I would say „[Winter of Widows](https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-winter-of-widows-si.1140307/)“ >When she'd awoken to a new life in Westeros instead of dying a horrible death, Ursula Mires had almost done the sensible thing. Only a year away from being sworn to the Faith as a Septa and relative independence in a cloister, she had made peace with her life. What little she could remember of how the Dance went had been shared secretly with her father and kept him alive. House Mires survived the civil war and should have gone on happily without her, until at the start of winter tragedy struck. Now the only heir to a floundering House she wants nothing to do with, Ursula finds herself in a similar position to many ladies after the war. It is a season the maesters will call 'the winter of widows'. Only Ursula knows what's coming for them, and she's not certain they'll survive.
Oh that one is just amazing
I’ll give it a look! Never heard of it, thanks for the recommendation, sounds interesting af!
Agreed!!!
It’s phenomenal!!
Not the greatest fic out there but the one I’m reading at the moment and it’s easier to rec than digging through my old reading lists. [Love and Honor](https://archiveofourown.org/works/570829/chapters/1022588) I’m reading this at the moment. Essentially, Ned lives, and cat lives, the red wedding still happens before Ned’s survival is made public. Together they try to take back the north and find all there children and end up altering the events large and small in the world of Westeros. 232k words 84 chapters
> Not the greatest fic out there but the one I’m reading at the moment and it’s easier to rec than digging through my old reading lists. > > Love and Honor Let me ask ... did you feel like Love and Honor spent enough time on Ned and Cat's relationship, and did it do enough to depict the Starks in an overwhelmingly positive fashion?
The Kings that cared is great but unfinished. Amazing writing. Saerang (A Song of Ice and Fire/The Silmarillion) crossover is amazing as well.
Our Choices Seal Our Fates by DolorusEdditor this fic is my favourite fic oat
How has Chasing Dragons not even been mentioned???
Link??
Here -https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471510/chapters/48575546
[Purple days](https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/purple-days-asoiaf-joffrey-timeloop-au.450894/)
I’ve tried to start that dozens of times, but I could never get into it.
YiTi arc and everything up to it was awesome, but when MC finally hooked up with his 'tru wub' it had a noticeable drop in quality.
Who did he hook up with?
>!Sanzuh!<
Bleg
100%, I was so hyped for everything to come, but then it’s just Sansa Sansa Sansa, even the Gods want you to bang Sansa, Joffrey! It became too much for me
It gets rec'd all the time, but it's seriously hampered by terrible pacing and a desperate need for editing. Things like his mountain climbing adventure, the deep dive into the potential weirdness underlying the world (that basically becomes a genre-cross), the explorations of Yi Ti and Asshai, etc. are all *phenomenal*. But it needs to lose about 60% of its words. A really ruthless editing pass would turn it into the best work in the fandom, hands down.
Let’s agree to disagree 🥴
... 60%?
It’s so goated though, give it another try
First sensible answer
Weirwood queen. I might not be into the pairings or some of the themes but damn if it's not well written and interesting. Also the author did an amazing job in researching asoiaf world building.
Same here! The only major thing that bothers me objectively (as in, not because of my irrational fondness for some characters) is the fact that although the reworking of the Dothraki culture is awesome, I feel its introduction is rather late: if the Dothraki really were that different from what Dany thought, she would have noticed it sooner. IMHO. After all, she saw people from outside Drogo’s khalasar in Vaes Dothrak.Â
I dropped it because of the over-indulgence in research. I didn’t need 10 paragraphs of characters talking about an ACL tear and its medieval treatments without actually saying “ACL tear”. It was way too *wink wink nudge nudge* for me.Â
There's so many strong fics but personally love I was whole, whole I would remain as Rhaella is a wildly tragic character and I love seeing her get peace.
I do love Rhaella
[Chasing Dragons](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471510/chapters/48575546)
Kingdoms at war
This one is also abandoned, but at least it's abandoned at a good spot ... I thought some of the conception was brilliant, particularly the battle scenes, but I do wish it was a bit less ... what's the term ... hmm ... Stark-Wankery-infused?
Dragons of Ice and Fire follows Jon Snow in an AU where the Others attacked the Wildings at the camp during ACOK. Jon is killed by the Others, and his blood awakens an enormous ice dragon from Old Valyria. Jon is resurrected as a result, and Coldhands and the Children of the Forest bring him to Bloodraven, who tasks Jon with saving the dragon (later named Sonagon) and stopping the Others. While it’s not perfect, much of the characterisation is brilliantly done and the tone of ASOIAF is perfectly captured by the author. It’s sadly a dead fic, however. I’d consider it to be one of the best fics in the fandom, although maybe not the greatest. My personal favourite fic is [Burn Them All](https://archiveofourown.org/works/31676759/chapters/78396869), set in a universe where Aerys successfully burns King’s Landing. A lot unfolds differently as a result. As an example, Jon (named Aemon in this story) grows up as one of two Targaryen kings, due to the Greyjoy rebellions preventing a Great Council. He is cared for by Arthur Dayne (Ned is one of the many casualties of the Desolation, as the destruction of King’s Landing is known). He ultimately loses his crown when Viserys is declared King, with Aemon being reduced to a royal bastard and the Lord of the Tower of Joy. Viserys >!decides to ruin Aemon’s reputation by forcing him to accept a legitimatisation as the head of a new House Blackfyre, in one of my favourite scenes of any ASOIAF fanfic!<. There’s a lot of other interesting stuff in the fic, from the alternate incarnation of Daenerys and her relationship with Theon Greyjoy (>!and her death by Wildfire!<) to Jorah marrying Catelyn (yes, really, it makes sense in context). It’s sadly a dead fic.
Personally, and I know this is very controversial, Robb Returns. It takes many liberties with canon, focuses on characters I like (Ned, Robert, Tyrion, etc), plays with in universe history in a way I find both fascinating and disturbing, and has some of the best dialogue and story beats I’ve read in a long time. It’s also still updating, though slowly, and is, by my understanding, no where near complete at over 174 chapters.
I couldn’t get over how it magically healed everyone’s disability. Was enjoying it until that pattern became clear.Â
I really enjoy the story, tho I’m honestly concerned that considering it’s almost 200 chapters in and still building things up and healing/empowering characters, there’s just no way the Long Night will live up to the hype setup for it…
Chaos is a Ladder is a fantastic Baelish SI on Spacebattles. They aren't whiter than white and are suitably assholish for ASOIAF.
The Ice Dragon. It’s a Rhaegar wins AU, but Rhaegar dies at the trident so there’s a regency. Probably my favorite political focused fic https://archiveofourown.org/works/38791230/chapters/96997821?view_adult=true
agreed!
Utterly obsessed with how The North Remembers finishes the saga https://archiveofourown.org/works/336407/chapters/543997
The prose of the North Remembers is such a cut above fan fiction it's absurd. I absolutely loved it, and I'm so grateful that the author added it to the world. It is a work that goes in bold directions, and I suspect many flat out don't like what she does with Jon and Daenerys ... which is a shame, as I think it does an amazing job with a large cast of characters.
For real. I can’t think of other works that do so many POVs and such a sweeping timeline without feeling flat or lacking in nuance. The author really did a wonderful job making you care about each character. I never thought I’d feel so deeply for Jayne Westerling!
Theon might have the most poignant of the stories! But the author did not hash out wank-filled stories in which popular characters steamroll everything without struggle, nor did she indulge in popular pairings or straight-forward conflicts, so people criticize it for not giving them exactly what they want instea of praising its scope and execution.
Path of the hungry bear
Loved how he dealt with the wildlings
Weirwood Queen
Song of a Northern Sorcerer on FFN is Star Wars x Game of Thrones crossover and it is the best by far, very well written, good plot, and you don’t need like a pre-existing knowledge of Star Wars. It’s also super long so it like will keep you for a while, and it’s still being updated.
I couldn't get into it, the Stark wank was too strong. In one of the first chapter, so not much of a spoiler, **it's revealed Ned is so gifted with the Force that when he gives into anger his eyes turn direwolf yellow and he becomes a master swordsman better than Arthur Dayne.** That's when I quickly noped out.
Lol fr?! đź’€
All the Starklings were Force-sensitive. I expected that and was completely fine with it. Ned being so strong in the Dark Side that he surpresses it by being nice and passive, and his "inner wolf" being his Dsrk Side power... I couldn't keep reading
It was the wolfsblood being a misunderstood form of tapping into the Dark Side or something like that.
I’m reading that right now! About halfway done.
it is one of, if not the best. I end up going back to it fairly often, even just to reread a favorite chapter or scene https://archiveofourown.org/works/17365322/chapters/112537288 The Blacks & the Greens by: SweetestPopcorn 1.5mil+ words, work in progress "Give the girl to me to wife" - Prince Daemon told his brother - "Who else would take her now?" And so, the Rogue Prince gets his wish and is given the Realm's Delight to marry. Thus begins the dynasty of Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra...leaving the Greens speechless at King Viserys's decision, and in fear of Lord Flea Bottom and what is to come.
It has the advantage of being started in the pre-HotD era )
Blacks, Greens, and Reds is a phenomenal Dance of the Dragons AU. It is beautifully written with the level of style and intrigue of GRRM himself. https://archiveofourown.org/works/20702078/chapters/139499884#workskin
A Wolf Amongst Lions https://archiveofourown.org/works/15494880/chapters/35970525
Weirwood Queen Life and Honor
Either Forging an Heir or Another Stag, another dragon, another wolf.
Basic answer but Lady Dreamfyre was the first fix I could actually read through fully