Laughing Storm, Beloved of the Gods - UPDATE

Author: SykQuill
Rating: Mature
Language: English
Length: 78,984 words (9 chapters out)
Status: Ongoing

^(Summary:) ^(Lyonel Baratheon was never destined to be forgotten as a footnote in some maester's book on lineages. Born in the shadow of Robert’s rebellion and raised beneath the weight of crown and prophecy, Lyonel Baratheon was meant to be a king. But in the game of thrones, even the rightful can be cast aside. This is his story—the boy he was, the man he became, the gods who watched, and the story of the realm that never saw him coming.)

Some of you may have noticed edits to the first chapter and a few others. That is because, yes, I have begun a rewrite.

Most of the major story elements and planned developments will remain the same, so this is not an overhaul of the story itself. However, going back through the earlier chapters has made me realize that there are quite a few things that simply do not reflect the standard I was hoping for.

One small example, off the top of my head, is Lyonel’s height. As the son of Robert Baratheon, Lyonel would realistically have been exceptionally tall even before puberty, the sort of thing people would constantly remark upon, yet it is a detail I failed to properly convey in the earlier chapters.

There are also several smaller inconsistencies that became more apparent to me over time, particularly as I developed a clearer understanding of who these characters are meant to become later in the story. Since this takes place many years before the beginning of the og work, a large part of writing it involves showing these characters gradually growing into the people readers already know them as. Looking back, there are moments where I do not think I handled that progression as naturally or consistently as I should have.

I do already have the next 2-3 chapters written in rough form, along with plans for the chapters after it, so the story itself is very much continuing. While some of these little details I mentioned might seem minor or nitpicky, I simply do not feel comfortable moving forward with updates while I know the foundation beneath the story is weaker than it should be.

Rather than continue posting chapters I know I will want to revisit later, I would rather take the time now to properly rework the earlier material and give the story the treatment it deserves.

I am tremendously sorry for the delay, especially to those of you who have been following this story for a long time. Your comments, patience, and continued interest genuinely mean a great deal to me, and I hope the rewrite will ultimately make the story far stronger moving forward.

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Link to the first chapter: Laughing Storm, Beloved of the Gods - Chapter 1 - SykQuill - A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin [Archive of Our Own]