If you could write a story in the ASOIAF universe, what would it be about?

[Mysecondaccount]

If I could write a story in the ASOIAF universe, this is an outline of how it would go:

 

For whatever reason, the Iron Throne decided on somehow establishing a trading outpost on an island chain near Sorthoyros. Perhaps they want to establish a foothold on the Summer Seas trading routes. Anyways, they didn't take the islands' inhabitants in consideration in their plans. For some context, there are two broad groups in the islands' demographics. One is a nation of settlers (known as the "Basilisk Islander settlers") with roots dating to the Free Cities. Their ancestors arrived as refugees uprooted by some sort of upheaval in their homeland (probably some unusually destructive war between the aforementioned Free Cities) centuries ago, and a handful of renegades needing a hide out sprinkled in.

 

Coexisting with them is a diverse range of indigenous tribes (known as the "Basilisk Islander natives"), who have been living on the island for so long, that not even history can remember their origins. The relationship between the indigenous tribes and the settlers varies wildly, depending on the circumstances, but it generally tends to be cautiously and tenuously friendly. Though outbursts of violence between the settlers and the tribes do happen from time to time.

 

Both the settlers and the natives are highly distrusting towards the new arrivals, deeming them as "interlopers." In return, the haughty Westorsi nobles regarded the settlers and natives as "scummy lowlifes" and "savage barbarians" respectively. At first the inhabitants were hoping that the Westeorsi would only stick to their outposts, and generally leave them alone. Much to their outrage, the Iron Throne declared their lands to property of the Seven Kingdoms, and demanded the natives and settlers their allegiance. When the natives and settlers refused to recognize the Iron Throne, the Westorsi sent an army to subjugate them. Further rattling the cages, the Iron Throne also started migrating swathes of noble houses and their retinue to administer the islands. Bringing with them thousands of newcomers that competed with the local tribes and "old" settlers for land. Making matters worse, corrupt and abusive Westorsi (both nobles and smallfolk) alike preyed upon their woman and extorted them for their valuables.

 

Pushed beyond the boiling point, a confederation of natives and the "old" settlers formed an alliance against the Westeorsi. Together, they started raiding the Westerosi colonies. In their first attack, they killed dozens of Westorsi, abducted hundreds more for the slave trade, and burned a settlement to the ground. The Westeorsi tried pursuing the raiders into the jungles, with little success. More and more similar attacks followed suit. In retaliation for the raids, the Iron Throne massacred scores of natives and "old" settlers alike. Instead of the intended "intimidation" effect, it only further angered the "old" settlers and the indigenous tribes. The raids intensified in their brutality and frequency, leaving swathes of Westerosi colonies depopulated.

 

In a desperate attempt to put a final end to the attacks, the Westeorsi gathered up their forces, and launched an expedition into the islands' heartland to stamp them out in their bases. Rushed preparation and inept planning left the Westorsi exposed to the jungles' dangers. Around half the Westeorsi perished from diseases, climate and geographical accidents, exhaustion, and animal attacks before even facing their enemy. They were also double crossed and abandoned by their guides, leaving the Westerosi army to wander aimlessly in the jungles. Native warriors and "old" settler militiamen utilized guerilla warfare and their familiarity with the terrain to great effect, launching lighting fast raids on the Westerosi columns. The dense jungle foliage provided excellent camouflage for the "old" settlers and their native allies. Enabling them to repeatedly "hit and run" attack the invaders, and then retreat back into cover unseen. Every night, the natives and "old" settlers infiltrated into their camps to snatch a few unwary camp-followers and men at arms. As they grew bolder by their unimpeded raids, infiltrators took to seizing nobles as well.

 

Within a few weeks of hemorrhaging losses after losses from guerilla attacks and natural hazards, the Westeorsi army are depleted down to a few dozen fighting men. All of their civilian followers and retinue are either dead or abducted by native-"old" settler insurgents. They're all finished off in one devastating swoop of an ambush. After destroying the remnants of the expedition, the guerrillas turn their attention towards the colonies. As the Westeorsi lost most of their entire stationed military force in the ill-fated expedition, the colonies were easily overrun. The fates of the captives depended on both their gender and status. Nobles, regardless of gender, were spared to be bargaining chips. Male commoners were sacrificed by native priests to their gods, while female commoners were sold into the slave trade by the "old" settlers. In exchange for their freedom, the nobles agreed to a humiliating exile. According to the terms of the "agreement", they must never establish a presence in the islands ever again.

 

The POV of this story would be a smallfolk Westeorsi family caught in the crossfire. They don't have any attachment to the conflict, and were only dragged along to the island by their liege lords. Their motivation is simply to provide for their own family. Essentially, the POV family are what TV Tropes calls "pinball protagonists", or in other words protagonists being trapped in circumstances beyond their control. When the uprising breaks out, they must get their loved ones to safety amidst the chaos. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, as they're being ruthlessly hunted down by tribal warriors and settler insurgents alike. Making the situation even more precarious, the treacherous terrain is as deadly as any weapon.

 

If you could write a story set in the ASOIAF world, what would it be about?

[Floki of the Ironborn]

Well, I'd write my avatar's origin story:

True to the family name, House Boatsman were originally poor shipbuilders on the Iron Islands. However, as their craft grew in popularity, they slowly built their wealth and prestige until they could afford to keep two reaving ships and crews. 

So might their meagre existence have continued were it not for Floki, a highly clever boat builder and an equally savage fighter, even as a very young man. It was he who, despite being only 16 years old, helped his father seize and acquire the Valyrian steel axe during a daring raid in Essos. Only his skilled seamanship allowed their raiding party to return safely around Westeros, feigning to be traders to avoid the wroth of the Reach and Dorne. It was during that great sea voyage home that Floki's father died of his wounds acquired during the seizing of the axe. 

Word of Floki's voyage made him a known figure on the Iron Islands, and the plunder he brought home allowed him to develop a sigil for himself as a minor lord in his own right. House Boatsman was hired to build ships for larger houses. This increased Floki's following, even as he was invited to accompany greater houses of the Iron Islands on raids to the Riverlands and Westerlands. Though he was only brought along for his seamanship and his talent with building and maintaining ships, Floki proved himself in battle many times.

By the time he saw his 21st year, Floki was already a father of three sons and two daughters, even as he went on a raid to the North. It was disastrous, and an attack upon Deepwood Motte was beaten back with great loss. It was there that Floki, fleeing from vengeful Northmen, first came across a weirwood tree, deep in the forests of the Wolfswood. Though he fled back to the shore and led the survivors home, he never forgot the sight of that tree, nor did he forget the valiant strength of the Northmen. 

For the next several years, Floki stayed home, taking in dozens of slaves who were taken from the North. Treating them kindly, he questioned them on the weirwoods and the old gods. The more he learned, the more he was convinced that he and the Ironborn worshipped a false and evil god. Floki adopted the old gods of the First Men as his own, raising his children to recognize the old gods as the true gods of their world.

As the years passed, however, Floki became deeply unpopular and despised as an apostate. The Drowned Men preached against House Boatsman as being heretics and traitors, but Floki strove to win the protection of House Hoare, a major house who had abandoned the Drowned God for the Andal faith. Instead, House Hoare mocked Floki for a fool, worshipping weirwood trees. Attacks were launched against House Boatsman, and Floki was forced to defend himself and his people, many of whom followed their lord into worshipping the old gods. Floki was 27 years old when a devastating attack was launched on his home, leading to the brutal deaths of his wife and children. Floki and his surviving followers fled upon four crowded ships, never to settle on the Iron Islands again.

Though Floki's ships were well-built, they were hotly pursued by dozens of other ships whose oarsman were more numerous. Legend has it that Floki prayed to the old gods for salvation, leading to a great fog to descend upon the sea. While the Ironborn were virtually blinded by the fog, Floki had brought three ravens with him, and he released them so that they might fly above the fog and spot land. Floki's ships followed the black birds to the long shores of Cape Kraken.

At the time, as now, Cape Kraken was long disputed by the northmen and Ironborn, leading to a sparse population of mixed blooded people. Nobody opposed Floki when he landed his four ships and his followers, most of them northern slaves whom he had acquired on the Iron Islands. When he offered to set them free, most of them preferred to swear allegiance to Floki instead. This proved invaluable when the forces of the King of Winter arrived to drive Floki's followers into the sea as Ironborn raiders. 

Much was said about Floki's brilliant sailing or his vicious fighting, but on that occasion, his tongue turned to silver as he spoke of his renouncing the false Ironborn god, and offering his services to House Stark just as House Manderly had done just three hundred years before. Eyron Stark, the then-heir to Winterfell, was convinced of Floki's genuine conversion to the old gods, thanks in part to the numerous northmen whom Floki had released from imprisonment. It was determined that Floki would hold what part of Cape Kraken that he could, in defence of his new lord against the people he had renounced. Floki was untroubled, and vowed to slay a hundred Ironborn for every child that he'd lost to them. As a sign of his sincerity, he took a northern woman as his new wife and planted a godswood in his new home of Ravenholt. The wooden castle (which was eventually converted into stone over the long years, was built on the cliff where Floki's ravens had first landed on Cape Kraken, overlooking the sea from which he'd come. 

Thus began the rule of House Boatsman in Cape Kraken. Many times, Ironborn raiders landed on Cape Kraken, only to face the vengeful battle cry of Floki, who had renamed his Valyrian steel axe Vengeance. It's unknown how many Ironborn Floki killed during his lifetime, but he was a feared enemy, even as an ancient man with several sons and daughters by his northern wife, an illegitimate daughter of House Dustin's castellan whose name was Helga. Though he risked his life many times in battle, Floki was said to have died in bed soon after the death of Helga, passing peacefully when his heart gave out. The aging king Eyron Stark was said to have personally visited Ravenholt to oversee the joint funeral of Floki and Helga.

 

The story would cover his life, with a couple time jumps here and there so it doesn't drag.

[Lord Lannister]

Gerion Lannister's quest for Brightroar seems like it would be an epic story. 

[CassDarry]

I would like to plan a trilogy within the realm of asoiaf but I don’t have the ability or patience for the details! I know we can moan about George about his numbers etc yet his world building his so detailed it’s obvious he would be 100x more skilled at writing than I.

Story1

Still in grief over her mothers sudden death, From Kings Landing her long-estranged father, a Tyroshi Captain on the road(obviously by boat) to Meereen(or disputed land). After a perilous journey to Essos(Meereen or disputed lands), the valiant young woman enters the retinue of the unexperienced Ruler (Maybe Dany), which is rife with dissent led by the treacherous Hizdahr (maybe Shavepate or Reznak or even oc in Disputed lands), who wishes to wage war against his own political and personal gain.

 

Story2

After the death of His Lord, a scout in the Lords army named (Probably male protagonist) travels back home to the Reach(I’m feeling maybe Starpike or maybe Horn Hill), where villagers suffer under a despotic Castellan(or new Lord Randyll) and crippling taxation. He meets and falls in love with a spirited noble widow, (Spoiler they’ll just be friends), although she is skeptical of his motives. Hoping to win her heart and save the village, the scout gathers a band of warriors to fight corruption in Starpike, little knowing they will soon be fighting to save the Reach itself.

 

Story 3 - Needs fleshing out the most, general idea is that three kingdoms are at war( reach, stormlands, dorne or reach, Riverlands, westerlands or Meereen, Yunkai, Astapor or disputed lands) each kingdom will believe they are the side of right /good. I would want characters from story 1&2 to be part of this story but maybe not the main characters due to there story already been told. This one would have more POV to explain motives. But selecting time period would be important which would have to be decided before story 1&2.

Anyway that’s what, if I COULD write a story set in asoiaf world, it would be about 

[Nathan Stark]

Honestly, I'll leave the grand epics to more seasoned writers. My story is about the marriage between Alys Karstark and the Magnar of Thenn. 

[Targaryeninkingslanding]

I would write the Winds of Winter, so I can shove all my weird theories down everyones throats.

 

haha, no actually I would write about Roberts Rebellion from the perspective of Jon Arryn starting with when he revived the demands for Ned and Roberts heads

[Jaenara Belarys]

The Unauthorized Collection of Sandor Clegane's Greatest Insults.

 

"Think I'll take two of those books. And a chicken."