Apologies for sending the last few updates off in rapid fire but this will be the last one for a while now.
This has been a long journey and it has finally come to an end but if you could answer the feedback questions that would be ace :D
Chapter 119: ARC III Summary & Questions, Highlights, What Ifs, Next Novel
Questions & Summary
If you could answer the below questions, I would be grateful as it helps me improve as a writer and ultimately produce better stories in the future:
1. What do you think were the stronger elements of this story? (Not giving examples as I don't want to influence answers)
2. And likewise, what were the weaker elements of this story? What do you think I can improve on?
3. What kept your attention on this story?
Any other bits of feedback please feel free to share, I accept constructive criticism and am generally a chill person.
As I did with ARC II I'm not going to summarise ARC III as it is over 200,000(!) words but my personal highlights of the overall story cover some of the major moments in ARC III below.
One day I shall come back and do the ARC II & III summaries properly … just Not Today.
Personal Highlights – Things I was particularly proud of
Chapter 16: Family, Duty, Betrayal – This had the first really big 'what the fuck' moment in the story as OCs are supposed to always win and be superpowered right? xD
Chapter 27: The Stranger's Touch – Not only was this a fun action sequence between two characters that had a lot of tensions towards each other but it also set up the twincest reveal to Tywin which is something I really wished had happened earlier in TV canon.
Chapter 34: The Downfall of Chaos – I mean Littlefinger and Lysa's execution, do I need to say more? It was awesome to write!
Chapter 37: Promises – My first sex scene and it wasn't rubbish so a highlight for my range I guess lol.
Chapter 38: A Brother's Bond – This had my really first in-depth battle scenes and I put so much effort into this chapter (literally weeks stuck on it) because I have always felt battle scenes to be my weakest but in the end, I was really happy with the flow, the fighting descriptions and the structure of how the POV moved around the battlefield.
Chapter 47: Wrath and Pride – I think I nailed the argument between Stannis and Kenna in terms of tones and what their characters would say but this chapter also reveals another level of scheming to Kenna's character which I was literally giddy to show you guys.
Chapter 48: For the Realm – A big moment in the Tywin/Kenna dynamic and I was worried I'd fuck it up as Tywin Lannister conceding is a hard image/scene to write but I'm chuffed with it because to me it was a well-crafted moment that made it feel like Tywin had no other choice but to bow and declare Kenna his Queen.
Chapter 53: The Fall – This was another dark benchmark in the Kenna character as it shows what she is capable of doing to her enemies. Also, the way the traitor Vale Lords died (falling all together) was symbolic of their combined treachery which I really liked.
Chapter 70: The Iron Price – The emergence of Artys as a 'main' character. He had been in the background for more than half the story but the Iron Islands Arc was where he transitioned from boy to man and this was the first time, I had done such a young character development. Blood Eagle anyone? xD
Chapter 93: The Lion's Godswood – This chapter was one of the founding visions of this story so to see it written on paper gives me unexplainable amounts of joy because I knew people were expecting the Night King to die here not all the other characters … :D
Chapter 95: Ice and Fire – This chapter gives the Night King and the Children of the Forest a conclusion I am really happy with and, in my opinion, it's a unique ending that hasn't happened in any other story.
Chapter 97: The Bastard that Flew – Robin's death is one of my favourites because of historical context (Ronnel Arryn – the King that Flew) but it, again, shows that there is a darker side to Kenna – Did she kill Little Finger's bastard who nearly orchestrated her murder OR did she kill her little brother who had a better claim to the Weirwood Chair than she did?
Chapter 108: The Old Lion – I'm proud I wrote this chapter but boy did it leave me in a funk/huff. I'm proud I knew better than to change my original vision and plan but oh how I wanted to craft a way that Tywin somehow survived but alas it would have weakened the story, I think.
Chapter 115: The Time of the Empty Throne – This was the chapter that let me relax a bit as everything clicked into place, there were no loose ends or 'oh shit I forgot this...' moments. It was when I posted this chapter, I felt I had finally finished the story that started in my head years ago and it was very therapeutic and fun to realise!
10 Chosen 'What If' Scenarios
1: The Kenna and Stannis partnership works – would diverge around Chapter 42 after Stannis takes King's Landing
2: The Crown or Tywin/Kenna win the Battle of King's Landing as Dany attacked during the daytime – would diverge around Chapter 104 after Dany attacks in the morning
3: No Robb betrayal, Dany is defeated at Casterly Rock in the aftermath of the Long Night/Battle for the Dawn – would diverge around Chapter 96 with the Crown forces turning on the Targ forces.
4: No Red Weddings, Robb married a Frey girl before crossing the Twins and the combined Arryn & Stark hosts march on King's Landing to join the Battle of Blackwater Bay – would diverge around Chapter 5 with Robb married to a Frey and sieging Riverrun.
5: Alyssa survives Lysa's poisoning attempt and married Jaime while Tywin married Kenna himself to save face over her capture of Casterly Rock – diverges from Chapter 17 with Alyssa's survival.
6: Kenna joins House Arryn with Daenerys Targaryen instead of Stannis Baratheon – diverged from Chapter 15 with Kenna sending Lord Grafton to Daenerys not Stannis.
7: Kenna goes to Winterfell instead of Alyssa when they were children and subsequently marries Benjen Stark – diverges before the Prologue but would focus on all the butterfly effects of that.
8: Lysa/Littlefinger's plot fails, the Eyrie doesn't fall to the Tyrells and Lannisters – would diverge from Chapter 16. BUT unsure if I will do this one.
9: Kenna keeps Tywin and Tyrion trapped in Harrenhal forcing their hosts to fight – Divergance from Chapter 6. But again, not sure I will do this one.
10: Free Slot for more suggestions!
I may tweak the premises over time but nothing too drastic. The order they are presented in probably won't be the order I post them in, just for your information.
Next Novel Length story?
So, the front runners in my mind, on the poll and in people's PMs/reviews appears to be 'Fire & Fury' and 'The Oncoming Storm.' I haven't yet been able to separate the two (I have been thinking on those two for a few weeks now) and decide which one to do first as both have pros and cons to me as the author.
'Fire & Fury' would allow me to play around in a new time period so that means new events, new characters, new dynamics and plot threads I can craft. It would feel 'fresh' to me and I get to have a go at writing the Targaryen dynasty on the cusp of a pivotal moment in their history. It is also the most ambitious story on my roster because the premise right away mixes up arguably the three most influential marriages of recent canon – Aerys/Rhaella, Joanna/Tywin, Steffon/Cassana so I would be off the rails from the first word! (Exciting :D). I have a definite ending to that story as well locked in my head. However, it is another bold female OC main lead, I would have to make sure that any Kenna's tendencies do not bleed into Theia, and although they will have drastically different personalities, attributes, upbringings, motives, desires and people around them there are similarities that they will both have romantic attachments to Tywin Lannister and won't be doormats in a man's world which would invite some criticism I think (it wouldn't affect me but I can see it coming).
'The Oncoming Storm' with Osric would allow me write my first male OC lead, move away from the Vale a bit, explore Stannis's story line and really change the War of the Five King's from that Southern/Baratheon perspective as well as explore some plot threads I haven't seen/read about. I know Baratheon male OCs are very popular, specifically a Black Prince one and that there are some Stannis's son stories too but as always, I'd aim to do some unique things to keep my, and your, interest and I already have the core ideas fermenting away. However, as it is in the same time period as DotF was set there would still be some crossover in terms of characters, events don't get me wrong things would drastically change e.g different people dying, different lead POVs, different event outcomes/new events all together but it would still be playing in the same sandpit so to speak.
So, in conclusion, my next story will be Baratheon centric I'm just not entirely sure if I'll be taking Theia or Osric for a spin first. Guess you'll find out when I post the first chapter xD. This doesn't mean I will never do the other stories on my poll just they will be done later and if it's any consolation I don't think I'll be writing another 500k + story so they should all be done in much shorter times.
If you remain a 'follower' to this story I will also post an update on this story when I begin posting either 'The Oncoming Storm' or 'Fire & Fury' (sorry really can't pick between the two right now)
Also, if you haven't cast your vote in the poll please do so as I will refer back to it to help to decide the story after the next one then after that one then after that one … you get the idea so no vote will be a waste just because I have locked down on the two Baratheon stories for my immediate next novel length project.
Author's Notes:
So, what now?
Well, I'll be working on the 'What If' scenarios but there will be no schedule for their posting. I'll also be developing/outlining in detail the two stories mentioned above, this might go on for a few months possibly till next year (just warning you). In the meantime, I will be going back to some of my unfinished multi-chaptered stories such as Castaway; Price of Freedom; Arya Stark and the Mystery of Aegon's Tomb; Water, Earth, Fire, Air; and will dip into the 'When the Lion and the Falcon Meet' series every once in a while.
Reviews:
Baykus – Thanks! I totally get that reaction, me too! I hate it when a main female lead is reduced to/defined by who their romantic partner is – normally Jon, Robb, or Jaime. I've already written an original murder mystery novel (lol) that is doing the query rounds with traditional publishers right now but I'm still a very new author. Thanks for the interest in seeing original work from myself :)
Supremus85 – Yes (sticks out tongue) you've made that clear :P But he was a young boy wanting to make emends for the memory of his mother so he made tactical errors.
Ser Dorito of Aisle 13 – Was Gendry ever going to be a good parent to a personality type of a Robert? The mother dying probably didn't help and the sibling animosity between Orys and Ellyn would not have been good either. Yeah, 600,000+ at least is a hard one to beat … Immortal Qyburn just seemed right and I can point to Melisandre 'passing' him that ability to justify it quite conformably in my mind and it's just awesome!
Mister LaGuardia – Thanks Mister! Endings always make me the most nervous as if you've mucked up earlier in some way it is then that it shows. It wasn't Kenna's plan from the start but it was mine in the sense I knew the Shireen and Gendry lines were going to fight in a bid to retake the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms based on their 'Usurper' blood. Dorne would join, seeing an opportunity to strike at House Arryn and House Lannister in revenge for Doran & Oberyn while House Hightower would add their weight to Orys, seeing him as the safer bet and they weren't attached to being Kings of the Reach really.
One point thought, I only envisaged the Baratheon lines ending (so as you correctly deduced no more Targ blood) with Orys's grab for power/when King's Landing went boom! Myrcella would have remained in Dorne with her younger children but I left some details vague because it can leave some interpretation up to the readers to decide how things went down and who the modern Queen descends from.
MiaRose 156 – I'm glad :) I have a soft spot for the character and no one ever really uses him in a significant way other than Cersei's go-to-evil-scientist option. I like the 'Seven Families' sequel to DotF too but I want to try my hand at other characters before returning to Kenna but a mobster style story is so up my street, I can't wait to get to it! Well, I on purpose made the ending light on specific details so readers could theorize on what went down after the destruction of King's Landing in 335AC and therefore which bloodline hold the 'Throne' in modern times but the fact that the capital is now in Riverrun is perhaps an indicator but then again after what (300AC – 2021AC) the bloodlines must have mixed and mingled so much. But if you push me – Queen Elisabeth.
Next Up: The first 'What if' scenario!
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Witcher Jingle aside, thanks for reading my story everyone!