Genkai

The Games we Play Around the Throne

The River:

It doesn't seem to be too far off canon but how we handle it will be, no worries there I think.

So we're fine with starting as described, and then how far ought we skip, you think?

Clash of Kings:

Yeah, true. Tyrion and Cat will be busy half the time with travel and misunderstanding. Cat would still want to head to King's Landing to tell Ned about the attack, though we could have her not have bothered with going to her sister. We could just have her take Tyrion to King's Landing and have him sorted there? It would change things, she would be around to help her husband but then she could let Tyrion go in a sort of exchange. Yes, Joffrey would want his uncle freed but if we let Cat try to reason before acting out, we could have the exchange done in secret while Robb (not knowing about a secret truce of sorts?) could still start a war, since everyone (save for Joffrey and Cat) know that Ned is safe?

I know she loves her children but they would be safer with Ned alive, rather than Ned dying. And if we have Ned talk to Joffrey in private, rather in public, he could get more leeway.

Then Petyr could be under the impression that he can still "save the day" while also keeping his pawns in check?

We could have Joffrey and co. smuggled out during Blackwater? You said you wanted him to be with Tyrion, we could do that, Petyr could use the chaos to sneak him and Arya? Not sure if Cersei is invited or not. And then there's The Hound as well.

The Games we Play Around the Throne

The River:

I see it going generally: Arya and BB are sparring, Sansa and Joffrey happen upon them. Joffrey steps in (for whatever reason) and Arya protests and says they should fight instead. He advances on her, direwolf bites him and Arya gets the upper hand. Joffrey calls for The Hound to get the runaway. He then tells Sansa and Arya to not tell his mother about the incident. Sansa wants to appease him and won't. Arya may need convincing.

I don't see Joffrey confessing outright to the event unless Sansa or Arya said something to Cersei/Ned/Robert/whoever first.

So either Cersei weasels it out of Sansa when she suspects Joffrey is hurt.

Or Arya, out of spite, confesses.

I'm leaning more toward Sansa letting it slip out. He could then downplay it as much as possible but Cersei would want payment and demand the direwolf (whichever is closer, probably Sansa's?) to die. This could get a rift forming between Joffrey and Cersei, and Joffrey and Sansa. It could also prove to Joffrey that while Arya may be troublesome, she is one to keep her word, like Ned.

Clash of Kings:

Eddard reacted right away though, he did very little plotting and played right into Petyr's hand.

If we gave him time to approach Joffrey rather than make a public display which was what got him into trouble the most, we could use Ned a little better, while still being able lock him away while matters are discussed. Since Tyrion would be around King's Landing (since he's not captured) he could talk sense into Joffrey and help him cope, if he believed the truth/rumors.

If Cat traveled down to talk to Joffrey (and see her girls) it could provoke Petyr put into action the idea of smuggling Joffery and some others out of the city. He could "help" Cat by first getting Sansa out which would of course give him personal leverage with Cat, while also setting in motion the fact that Joffrey may have to wed Sansa, pre-revolts and pre-Blackwater I assume?

EDIT - it could be fun to see Cat and Cersei square off, though I am sure Cat would watch herself, but if she sees Joffrey acting on his own, she would change tactics and try him.

Darkness Within

Okay well it would be nice if you told me what's bothering you or why you're not interested anymore but it's time I unsubscribe. If you talked to me about the issue, we could fix it and I'd be happy to try something else but I have little respect for people who stone face me. Best of luck in your endeavors online and off. *waves*

The Games we Play Around the Throne

War & Petyr:

It would be Petyr's plan to have Ned speak up about the incest (though we're handling it a bit better, so...) while framing Tyrion for the assassination attempt. He knew Cat would pursue him and Robb would want to keep his mother and father safe and ensure the Stark name isn't tainted. If Ned is captured and locked away (awaiting trial or something) Robb may want to approach things differently and not say "fuck this, I'm declaring war!" but we could instead have someone like Stannis making his move? I did think Robb's actions were rather rash, if there was a chance to save Ned, I'd think it'd be wiser for Cat to maybe go and speak on his behalf? Or Petyr, who would throw him to the wolves?

Any of that make sense? :/

Sansa and the pets:

I assume the Hound would still go after the Butcher's Boy and kill him, don't we can change that.

If Sansa admits what happened, I'm sure she'd assume her direwolf would be spared, since she doesn't think things through too often.

If anything, it does also seem likely that Arya could say something about it herself, to get Joffrey in trouble but also Sansa, who is just being a brat having since arrived in King's Landing. But I am weary to do that since it would probably push Joffrey away, more so if she could make a deal to keep quiet about besting him and him getting bitten. That sounds like something Arya might do and while it may annoy Joffrey, it could at least earn Arya some sort of points for having guts, unlike Sansa?

The Games we Play Around the Throne

Bran, Butcher's Boy, Arya, Joffrey:

Oh right right, god season one feels like decades ago.

I don't know if we knew what to make of the assassin. I thought Petyr hired it, gave him a sword which he stole from Tyrion?

Well Arya's direwolf will run off, she'll probably be reunited later. In terms of Sansa's, it doesn't have to die so soon, since Joffrey won't tell his mother about the incident until I assume Sansa blabs about it to Ned and Cersei. Arya is smart enough not to say anything or could say something to insult Joffrey later on, in regards to the bite.

I love Syrio, I refuse to believe he's dead. but if Joffrey is more useful with a sword, who else but Syrio to teach him? Robert would be useless, as would Tyrion. Jamie is an offer but I assume he'd be busy most of the time?

Ned:

Ned does need to be more careful when talking to Joffrey and I think it was the lack of respect and credibility that Ned saw in Joffrey, that really sealed his fate. If Ned plays his cards right, he could have Ned bending to his will, to an extent if it means his family is safe.

Sansa:

Sansa isn't much of a conversationalist. While Arya has a tongue on her, it must be better than someone who is bland.

I doubt Joffrey would miss her much if she was taken away from the city.

As far as her use, she could probably be taken to the Wall where Jon is.

Petyr:

Seeing Ned spared would surely throw a wrench into Petyr's plans. After all, he's been working hard to get Ned into trouble. If Ned lives, he's game has to change or he has to try to keep the upper hand. If he manages to get to Cat before Petyr does, Petyr could be more of a present enemy sooner, rather than later.

Tywin, Tyrion & Jamie:

I'd like to note I am not a fan of Shae or that one girl Robb marries, so if excluded them or off'ed them, I'd be fine.

As far as the Battle of Blackwater goes, it would be useful to have Joffrey not shitting his pants and fighting by Tyrion's side. It would ruffle Tywin's feathers no doubt. He can't control his godson and Cersei has lost her touch by then, surely. It would bond Tyrion and Joffrey even more and yes, piss Cersei off and probably put her on suicide watch.

If Robb still marches onward to get his father free, I am sure Jamie and Tywin would make themselves scarce to deal with that headache. And then there'd be the issue of unrest in the city I'm sure. The people don't want a war to start for petty reasons, they could easily turn on the castle and demand more food, coin, etc.

Digital or Real?

I dunno...I forget how I got entirely caught up, probably found them streaming online or I caught them on BBC America when they were doing one of their marathons.

The Games we Play Around the Throne

Joffrey & Arya:

That is a very good and interesting point. I didn't think your portrayal of Joffery would change the events with Bran but that is a good thought. If he and Tyrion are on better terms, it would change how Tyrion is hunted in the first season, so at any rate, a war might not break out in the future, or if one does, it's for another reason.

If we wanted the rumors to hit before the river (say en route to King's Landing still) there could just be people talking about rumors. And if Joffrey, Sansa and possibly Arya overhear, it would change the dynamic between them and how Joffrey is struggling to keep himself calm while faced with a horrible truth. If we want Robert to be less drunk (only slightly so) and more of a decent father figure, we could always say he asked Syrio first, to train Joffrey. So when Syrio trains Arya, they could have that connection.

I assume if the direwolf still shows up, Joffrey wouldn't be able to get the better of it, especially with Sansa yelling at him to not hurt her pet. Arya would take plenty of pleasure of knocking Joffrey down and taunting him, even more so if we wanted them to hear rumors a few scenes before? Or that could just add too much fuel to the fire, and we could wait on that.

Ned:

Ned did offer to take Joffrey under his wing, I could see Joffrey reacting to lock him up but at the same time, he must be smart enough to see Ned as a useful tool, rather than a figure which needs to be put in his place.

Sansa:

Sansa bearing too much like Cersei, should be a red flag to Joffrey.

If it wasn't his choice to wed Sansa and if he's weary of her entertainment value (he sees how strained Cersei and Robert are surely) he could want to call it off. Not just too piss off his mother but for his own sake. If he wants to make his father proud, he would marry her but when Robert dies, it would give Joffrey the push to make up his own mind.

Petyr & Cersei:

With Joffrey pulling away, I could see Petyr wanting to take advantage of this weakness, while his intentions are purely selfish, he may still be of use in the city, and he could always try to steer Joffrey in the (wrong) direction he likes, though if that were ever the case, I'm sure something would happen to make things difficult because seeing the genius squirm can be such fun.

Tyrion & Cat:

If we don't have Bran become a cripple, Cat doesn't need to go to King's Landing, therefore she could defend Winterfell when Theon came to take over. We could keep Tyrion in King's Landing or we could put him somewhere else.

Fandoms I am Currently Craving (updated)

Gowi said
This all sounds pretty good for spitballin’ though and I don’t mind some of these ideas. Though I can imagine the Cersei-Joffery divide growing a lot more with the ideas in my head like bits where she demands to know why he didn’t speak of the attack in the first place and irritated as all hell he’d tell his mother blankly it’s none of her concern. My Joffrey is more concerened with impressing his father and garnering attention in any ways (hence why he in my mind takes up more rigid training with the sword and when the Battle of Blackwater happens he so mans up.) – I’m just not sure how we’d explain the King running off playing “adventure”. Hm…. You know what?

I am so down for this. Sign me up for idea development.

Joffrey does need to prove his worth.

While Cersei's love for her children is her only saving grace, her overbearing tendencies could easily also contribute to the rift forming between mother and son. On top of that, Joffrey saw how valued Arya was (even as a handful) by both her mother and father in Winterfell. Might not be a stretch to guess he might be a little jealous of low key life of already being strong in her own right. (wouldn't admit it though, I doubt)

Joffrey needing to "man up" and prove himself, as well as his status as future King of the realm, etc. On top of that, he could actually start to notice the ladies, or at least the other way around. Jamie isn't around to help, his father has died, Joffrey needs some kind of figure if we had Tywin off dealing with the war in the North, etc. Which is why we could bring in the Hound or something.

Plenty to do I think. In terms of action, adventure, crazy interactions. And development. If we wanted, to could bring Gendry in? I'm a bit indifferent about him but he could be fun to toy with once Arya and Joffrey warm up to each other, I could see Joffrey's crazy-side coming when "threatened" by another guy. *rolls eyes a lil*

If you are on board, I made an OOC for us:

h e r e

The Games we Play Around the Throne

Main pair: Joffrey & Arya
Others: TBD

So this is an OOC to perhaps better organize our thoughts and what we want to happen, in what order, etc.

So let's establish what we know we want and what we have yet to decide, considering this is so "AU" we do need to make sure we're on the same page before we jump into the calamity and hilarity that is this interesting pair of people.

We're starting possibly, when Arya and Joffrey "fight" on the river, we could use it as a starting point, give them more dialogue, and then skip a little bit?

We want Sansa to be taken out of the city at some point.

We want Joffrey to have some balls and stand on his own without his mother's help. He wants to prove himself which may push him far, thanks to the recent rumors of incest and such.

We want Joffrey to better himself when it comes to swordplay and we want Arya to be able to keep him on his toes.

We also want Ned to possibly live, either owing his life to Joffrey or something like that.

So! What else are we thinking about?

Fandoms I am Currently Craving (updated)

Gowi said
Well, Joffrey was still an insufferable classic chaotic evil when he saw Arya practicing her swordplay with the Butcher’s kid. Now while even if I made him more competent “suddenly direwolf” still gives him a big disadvantage. But instead of being a whiney little twit I decided he’d have this strong sense of pride that he’d not tell anyone he was bested by someone like Arya. I also spun an idea that this is where he initially got a little intrigued by the younger Stark daughter. So, that would obviously change events though I’m certain him peckishly hiding a wolf bite due to his sense of honor would make Cersei livid when she found out.

1 > 3 > 2 would be my preference of your ideas.

Definitely willing to write this. Though I ponder how we'd keep it interesting.

Yes but he still gave Sansa and necklace and seemed the most tame during that scene. I think his intentions by the river were good, though his swordskills were crap and Arya was able to best him. (right in the pride!) I think in the future, they could teach one another swordsmanship. I think the first idea is one we could continue to work on. And even just add the third to in the manner that Ned is spared and sent elsewhere, since it could ease tensions for the new couple, whenever. If you wanted to have Joffrey hide the event and the bite, which is fine with me, it would spare the direwolf and possibly make Arya give him a second glance.

Of course ego is easier to consider than, say Joffrey being a crazy person so I think it could work.

if Sansa blabbed to Cersei about the bite, it could surely make Joffrey grow tired of someone so dull (and who got him into trouble, and hell, she snitches on her sister) and then say he'd rather mess up Arya's life, thus changing the engagement or it would be the point when Sansa is taken out of the city (possibly by Petyr's doing for Cat's love or something). In terms of keeping it interesting, it is why I suggested they end up leaving King's Landing at some point when things get too chaotic.

I don't see Arya staying willingly so I could see her sneaking off and probably stubborn Joffrey (with his ego or possibly curiosity?) follows her?

Just spitballin' here.