#to make the progression truly chronological

[rpfisfine]

the "aleksa looking directly into alex's eyes but alex looking somewhere below aleksa's eyes" motif (chronologically)

[springcatalyst]

i reached 150 pages eveybody clap for meeeeee

[content-d3leted]

Undertale is actually the best game of all time. (Prepare yourself for some rambling lol)

Its characters are so unique and loveable, and the plot and the universe its in has so much depth, there's so many easter eggs throughout the game, all the different AUs are so creative, and the soundtrack is AMAZING-the songs are so incredibly intertwined with one another with all the motifs throughout the music, it is just an all-round immaculate franchise, and I adore it.

I can't quite remember how long my interest in it lasted, maybe 2 years? But I first discovered it in September 2019, by watching jacksepticye's playthrough he did in 2015, where I became completely hooked on it! I remember learning all the names of the songs in Undertale's soundtrack by heart in chronological order, and also drawing the characters for hours on end!! Genuinely one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life.

My favourite character is Papyrus (NYEH-HEH-HEH!!), with Mettaton coming in at a close 2nd place. But to be honest, every single one of the characters are brilliant!!

For about 4 years I've been trying to kill Sans (unsuccesfully), but I can almost get past the last stage by now, so thats progress at least..but tbh it was such a horrible feeling to murder everyone else, especially Papyrus, on the genocide route- but it had to be done I suppose.

Undertale means ALOT to me, especially since it helped me get through some super difficult times back when I was in school, due to really bad depression etc. It also helped me make an irl friend too (who is now one of my best friends)! So yeah, undertale truly means the world to me.

And deltarune is just the same, completely incredible!! The battle theme (Rude Buster) is one of the greatest game songs I've ever heard, and I often listen to it on repeat. I had a short second phase of undertale/deltarune a year after my first one, where I became obsessed with Sweet, Cap'n and K_K. They are such good characters aaaaa I love them!!! I can't wait for chapter 3 of deltarune to be released soon!!

But omg the undertale/deltarune soundtracks are so fun to play on instruments (especially piano for me), especially fallen down, home, your best friend, death by glamour...the list goes on lol.

Undertale also introduced me to my first ever gay people so I have Undyne, Alphys and Mettaton to thank for making me realise I was in the LGBT+ community!!

So in conclusion, Undertale is the best game. Yes.

Why are you reading this surely you have better things to do

[horsechestnut]

Batfamily Chronological Reading List

Here it is, a massive list of Batfamily comics all sorted by issue release date so you can read them in the order they were originally intended to be read in, or easily reference back to what happened when. Do you want to know what Dick was up to during A Death in the Family? Need to know if Cass was around yet when Steph had her baby for your fan fic? Just a completion-ist with too much time on your hands like me? Then this is the list for you!

About six months ago I was trying to read my way through some old comics and getting insanely frustrated trying to figure out the order they went in. There are lots of reading lists online, but none of them gave me what I truly wanted: the order of individual issues rather than comic runs or collections. I also couldn't find any that featured all of the Batkids. So I took all of the reading lists I was using, found the On-Sale-Date for each of the issues mentioned, found a few other lists to fill in some gaps, and complied them into chronological order.

This list features what I consider to be the main 8 Batfamily members: Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Damian Wayne, and Duke Thomas. It is by no means every appearance of these characters, but it is hopefully all of the important ones and then some. By no means do I suggest reading all of these (unless you're slightly insane like me), it's more of a reference guide than a read list.

Some Disclaimers:

This is still a work in progress. You'll notice that the first third of the list is much more detailed than the more recent entries. That's because I haven't read them yet. As of now I've only reached Batgirl 2000 #15, but will continue updating as I go through (I'm hoping to finish sometime within the next 12 months).

This is not a Batman list. I have included some issues about Bruce that I feel are important to the overall story, but if I were to include all of his important issues it would make the list unusable. You should still be able to follow his character arcs through his role in the comics listed here.

I needed to cut off somewhere, so anything released after December 31, 2023 was not included. I may go back and change this later, but not any time soon.

I do not want to discredit any of the Batfamily members not included here (ie Kate, Helena, Jean Paul). They are all important to Bruce and Gotham in their own way, but again I needed to cut it off somewhere or I never would have found an end.

For any edits you wish to suggest, please do so through this form. Any suggestions given not through this form will not be considered, and as it says in the form, I also will not consider any that don't have an explanation.

Finally I need to say thank you and give credit to the people who's reading lists I used to create this:

cazzam - New and Improved Cassandra Cain Reading Guide

Comic Book Herald - I used both their Complete Robin and Complete Batgirl Read Order Lists.

The Comic Book Treasury - I used both their Robin Reading Order and their Duke Thomas Reading Order

Comic Book Wire - The Signal Reading Order

Daily Jason Todd - Jason Todd's Reading List

Stephanie Brown Wiki Chronology Page

The Unoffical Guide to the DC Universe was also an incredible help with sorting out timelines, and all of my On-Sale-Date information comes from Grand Comics Database (GCD).

I hope you guys enjoy and find this useful! I'm happy to answer any questions, and if something isn't clear feel free to let me know!

[bisnes-socks]

i've read people's thoughts on the album as a whole and i've analysed most of the songs myself by now, so here's my thoughts on the whole people's champion album.

1. in ready to go, well he is just that, ready to go and try, even if he fails. he's not afraid and going forward and doing his thing is what he intends to do and what he loves to do. he has agency over his career and image, autonomy over himself.

my longer and more in depth song analysis posts are linked here in the text.

i personally don't think the album has a single narrative through it. the songs are thematically connected, but it's not one chronological and cohesive story to me. i've seen people speaking a lot on the theme of agency. i'd agree, that agency and autonomy are the major themes of the album, but i would specify that in my opinion, it's about finding and claiming agency. i think he has agency in almost every single song, but it's about him realising that he does have it, even when it feels like he doesn't, and him finding it and holding on to it.

2. in cha cha cha, he's talking about different sides of himself. in this song the two aren't necessarily living in perfect harmony, because one man needs piña coladas to coax him out, but both are.. intentional. and ultimately it's about finding the bravery to be who you are, which he is always advocating for and has really succeeded in, it seems.

3. in takavoltti, yes he is being sort of incited into crazy shit, but he absolutely recognises himself as a person who just.. gets into crazy shit easily. this side of him is also very present in mic mac. he's not bullied or abused into insane stunts and things, he recognises his own agency and both mental and physical autonomy in all of it by comparing himself to the dudesons etc. i think the song recognises the toxicity of the situation, but he's in control of it - as much as you are in control of your own personality and impulses.

4. ruoska is getting into the territory of maybe lacking some agency - life treats him harshly sometimes, and maybe he feels a bit powerless in front of all that. but then! he claims agency, by essentially going well yeah this hurts but hehe i'm into pain bitch. he literally says "baby hei mä oon valmis, anna tulla" meaning i'm ready, give it to me.

5. in kot kot i feel like he is at his most helpless. he's trying to control his situation by running away from things, trying to dance his worries away, but it's all crumbling down. in this one his agency in the situation is pretend.

7. in sex = money he is taking back like aaaalll of his agency and autonomy. his image, his work, his power, his role, his personality, his sexuality. autonomous agency anthem! he doesn't give a fuck! let's make sex moneyyy. BUT at the same time the song recognises the risks concerning agency and autonomy in the world of music, where selling sex is so prevalent. i think he is choosing to hold on to his.

6. in skit + autiomaa, he has lost agency and control over his life yes, but he is learning to find it again. he is listing things that he has done, to help himself feel better and to improve. it might not help (immediately anyway) but he's doing it. and he has thought about it, he has sought for help, he has sought for solutions, he has taken the steps. he is actively trying to help himself. i think that makes the song all the more emotional and sad, but it is not without hope, it's not without his own personal action for himself, and not without progress.

8. bananas is more about togetherness and collectivity i think. but i think it's also a song where he is truly enjoying himself. feeling himself, you know? if kot kot is a pretty sad song about partying, this one is pretty sexy. he's feeling like the hottest boy at the club, you know? truly into himself and into his crew and everything they get up to.

9. huhhahhei is about new connections. making the choice to be open and even vulnerable with new people. setting your own boundaries and giving yourself the permission to enjoy new people. self-confidence! 

10. in icip, he's not so much in control of things that happen to him, but he doesn't seem to be toooo bothered about it. which i find quite fitting. he sees things for what they are but he doesn't seem insecure or scared about any of it.

11. people's champion is a recap of him finding himself in a whole new situation and finding his footing in all of it - and recognising the help he has had along the way, while also being proud of everything he himself has achieved.

so overall, i think thematically this album is quite heavy, maybe dark even, but to me, it's not a sad album specifically. he comes across as someone incredibly tenacious. he's able to stay very strong, and he is able to recognise when things aren't going great. i think ultimately, the album is him going through life changing events, both good things and bad things, and coming out on the other side stronger and wiser than ever. it's an album of many emotions, but at the end of the day, he persists. and naming it people's champion, the single tear on the cover.. he's facing it all, taking it all head on, claiming his pride and moving forward. he's strong.

it's a powerful album.

[asimplearchivist]

𝓢𝓪𝓭 𝓔𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰

𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐕 𝐨𝐟 𝐗𝐗𝐕

[𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓽'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽] [ 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 ] AO3 | SPOTIFY | PINTEREST summary ☾ ⤏ you and jake enjoy having movie nights, but he has the habit of spoiling the endings for you. this time is different, though. pairing(s) ☽ jake lockley/reader-centric | constellations!verse word count ☾ 1.9k a/n ☽ ⤏ my fifth entry for the moon knight bingo hosted by @juneknight and @spacecowboyhotch over at @moonknight-events. I will eventually crosspost this to the main fic for constellations on ao3 when it will best fit the chronological progression of the chapters. this takes place post-chapter iii. ⤏ this one derailed from me as well. I swear these guys have minds of their own. this ended up being a lot sappier than I intended, but...c'est la vie. I love one jake lockley. ☽ MASTERPOST ☾ ☾ PREVIOUS ENTRY ⤎ ☥ ⤏ NEXT ENTRY ☽

“I’ll never forgive you for this.”

“Come on, querida. You should’ve had some idea that this would happen.”

“No, I absolutely did not!” You lifted your face from your hands, twisting to the side with your elbows still planted on your knees in order to glare up at your smirking fellow historical drama critic. “It’s not my fault that I don’t have a sixth sense for figuring out plot lines in the first ten minutes like you do!”

“Says the writer,” he chuckled, eyes glittering. “If it makes you feel any better, Steven wasn’t expecting it, either.”

That did, actually. You and Steven had long since developed the practice of conducting ongoing commentaries and speculations on the potential plotline based on the details revealed in whatever media you’d enjoy together—be it TV shows, movies, or books (print or audio)—whereas Jake was more the type to verbalize his predictions as they came to him, disregarding any suspension of disbelief. At least Marc only remarked on the glaring inaccuracies regarding combat, weapons, or injuries that Hollywood lauded for exaggerated effect.

On one hand, it used to drive you crazy—you preferred to experience things as they unfolded and let the story tell itself, following along for the ride…but, on the other hand, the knowing gleam in Jake’s eyes, the smug tilt of his close-lipped grin, and the way he’d start to pay more attention to you instead of the film (particularly with his hands—rubbing his palm over the line of your, at times, tense shoulders, grasping the nape of your neck and stroking the pad of his thumb along your hairline and under the shell of your ear, or petting your head like one would a beloved pet—about which you could never truly complain) eroded your exasperation over time. Now you almost looked forward to it—even if you still gave him a hard time about the inevitable spoilers involved.

Tonight, it would seem, however, that he’d decided to bide his time in order to see your unprepared reaction without dropping an obvious statement that would have indicated the plot twist to you ahead of time. For once, admittedly, you would’ve appreciated the warning.

“How could they say that about her?” you bemoaned, eyes returning to the screen with prolific lamentation. “She’s literally done nothing to them—she doesn’t even want to marry him, they didn’t have to drag her reputation through the mud!”

“I don’t know what to tell you, querida,” Jake chuckled, “it was visible from miles away.”

You huffed and turned away from him, refocusing your attention on the television screen. You watched the protagonist’s subsequent emotional breakdown with trepidation, frowning as she was scorned and criticized by the people that should have been her allies and had claimed to have been her friends. The only people that believed she was innocent in the matter were her sister and, fortunately, her love interest. He arrived late the next rainy night on a raven-black horse that shivered and bellowed mist from his nostrils as the man, drenched and pensive, dismounted to greet the distressed young woman at the door of her family’s home.

“Hey,” Jake murmured, nudging your side with his elbow. “It’ll turn out fine.”

You glanced up at him, relaxing slightly. You’d been teased in the past by several people for being so emotionally invested in fictional characters and their plight—your ex included—and while you weren’t ashamed of the fact you had the ability to extend so much empathy (even in hypothetical situations), you were sensitive to what others might think. Steven didn’t mind—he was much the same as you, honestly, and that was such a relief. Marc didn’t seem to mind one way or the other, thankfully. But Jake was a notorious tease and found a lot of joy in flustering you, and you were still getting used to gauging his personality since you hadn’t known him as long as the other two—so that he wasn’t poking fun at you about this was a monumental relief.

“I know,” you breathed, sinking into his side. He coiled his arm around your shoulders in response. “He’ll save the day with his money and marry her silly. These things never have sad endings.”

Jake hummed and drummed his fingertips on your upper arm. “It’s a good thing. Wouldn’t want you to be sad, chaparrita. Might have to pay that studio a stern visit otherwise.”

You rolled your eyes, but your heart squeezed at the sentiment—as aggressive as it was. There was one thing that you had learned for certain since meeting him: Jake showed his love through protectiveness as opposed to the gentler means of the other two men. You’d never want him to hurt someone for you, necessarily (unless they deserved it, of course), but the thought that he would be willing to go up to bat for you, that he had your back no matter what, was far more reassuring than you had ever expected it to be. (Something, something, scary guard dog privileges.)

“Some movies need them, though,” you pointed out. “Sometimes that’s the whole point of the story—something out of the characters’ control happens, and they have to decide how they’ll react. Other times it’s pointless, serves no greater purpose to enhance the plot.”

“Shit happens in real life for no reason, though,” Jake pointed out, voice low as the music onscreen swelled. The love interest was embracing the weeping protagonist, having informed her that he had, in fact, solved the issue. “Sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it.”

You nodded, dropping your head onto his shoulder. “Some people are fortunate enough to have happy endings, though,” you murmured. “It’s a dangerous thing to claim, because things could always go wrong, but…” You swallowed, tucking your nose under the lapel of his shirt. “...I’m glad I met you guys. It was worth everything I’ve gone through.”

Jake stilled, falling silent. You had also learned that such intimate proclamations tended to throw him for a loop—he was not accustomed to revealing his inner emotions, since he’d repressed them (and himself) for so long. He was getting better at communicating in general, thanks to Steven’s long-suffering patience and gentle coaxing, but you could tell anything ‘mushy’ made him slightly uncomfortable. (Having noticed this, you’d asked him early on if he wanted you to slow down on giving him affection—but he’d visibly recoiled at that suggestion, more demanding than asking you not to stop. You could only really speculate since he didn’t talk about it much, but you knew that if you were in his position, even if such attention was new, you’d be famished for it. You’d decided he was just embracing his adjustment period instead of avoiding it, like Marc had tended to do at first.)

He shifted, angling his body closer to yours, and tucked the end of his nose behind the shell of your ear. “...We’re glad we met you, too, querida,” he finally murmured, his free hand slipping down to curl around the knob of your knee. He pressed his face into your neck, and you wondered if he could feel your pounding pulse against his lips. “You’ve done us a whole lot of good.”

Chest tightening, you focused resolutely on the television despite the warring urge to arm him up and press a litany of kisses all over his face and head—any affection he felt comfortable doling out was precious indeed, and you would grant him the privacy of tucking himself out of sight, even if it was under your chin. Marc struggled the most with letting himself be seen as any semblance of vulnerable—and while Jake was more inclined and apt to it, he was still learning to trust you in particular, so allow himself to lower his guard and be himself with you (while, simultaneously, discovering and determining exactly who he was).

To receive a compliment of such caliber from Jake, though, was the highest bestowment of honor anyone could receive. He was picky, you’d learned, extremely so—especially regarding people with whom he associated. He had high standards, given the fact that his top priority had always been protecting the system first and foremost. Allowing anyone with dangerous intentions close enough to potentially hurt them was simply unacceptable, and thus he kept most everyone at arm’s length. That was why he’d acted in such a way towards you when he’d been forced to intervene for Marc’s sake, leading to your first ‘official’ meeting—he never gave anyone the benefit of a doubt until they proved themselves worthy of his extremely loyal regard (and his protection).

“I’m glad,” you responded softly. “I always try my best.”

“It’s all we could ever have asked for.”

You caved, but just slightly. You tilted your head down to press a lingering kiss to the crown of his head, nestling your nose into the neatly combed curls and inhaling the complimentary scents of their shampoo and hair gel. You curled an arm around his back and rubbed your palm in a series of circles between his shoulder blades, forgoing the movie for the sensation of his breath hitching against your throat.

“Thank you,” you whispered. “For letting me have my happy ending.”

He swallowed roughly, and when his muscles went rigid you almost expected one of the others to surface—Jake had a habit of retreating when emotions got to be too much for him, which you’d never taken offense to (only had ever worried, but it wasn’t usually very long before he slipped back into the driver’s seat to reassure you by diverting the topic to let you know he was okay)—but instead of Steven’s falsetto lilt or Marc’s flat baritone emerging to notify you of the switch, Jake’s rumbling rasp vibrated your skin via his scruffy lips brushing your artery. “It’s I who should be thanking you, chaparrita, for not running for the hills when you had the chance. You’ve…been there for them when I couldn’t be. And you didn’t…you stuck around for me.” He cleared his throat quietly. “Gracias.”

“De nada,” you returned, kissing his head again and reaching up to play with the errant locks at the nape of his neck. “Eres precioso a mi.”

He let out a breathless, if slightly wet, chuckle, and snuggled in closer. You counted it precious. You counted them precious.

“Tengo hambre,” you commented after a while, sensing he might like to have an out. “¿Qué tenemos qué podemos comer?”

Jake retracted, but it was slow and borderline reluctant, if you didn’t know any better. “Let’s order something, chaparrita. I don’t feel like futzing around in the kitchen this late.”

You smiled and reached for your phone. “Sounds good to me. Asian or…?”

“Thai.” To your surprise, Jake tugged at your arms as he reclined, coaxing you to recline on top of him, your back to his chest. He wrapped you up in an unyielding, tight embrace, smothering his face into your neck once more to mumble against your ear. “Those glass noodles Marc’s gotten before are good. With the chicken.”

You tried your best to bite back your smile, but you couldn’t help the heat building beneath your cheeks. You raised your phone over your face to pull up the corresponding delivery app. “Anything for you, handsome. Anything for you.”

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

Asylum Challenge: Days One & Two

For the first two days, the Watcher mostly used the gameplay to beef up the one means she's using to organize the townies: clubs. There are two: a chore/self care club and a socialisation club. By the end of Day Two, we had eight members in them all and had redeemed points to give them a 'friendly' vibe.

The first of Lilac's four aspirations that she has to complete, according to the rules, is Painter Extraordinaire. Here's her progress after Day One.

Level One: III at Easel

✅ Paint for 5 Hours ❌ Start 3 Paintings While Inspired (2/3)

With such a motley crew as this, clashes were inevitable - and an occult combustion spontaneously occurred.

I regret to inform you that Vlad, with his nighttime strength perks, won the rematch after dinner, so for now they are tied.

Some friendly interactions also bloomed, with Lilac, Ted and fellow foodie L. appreciating maxed out chef Raj Rasoya's tasty dinner, and Lilac even sharing her joke about a sage, a corrupt mayor and a wanted criminal who one day walked into an asylum.

"We've heard this one before," said L.

Meredith and Jacques also joined them. So far everyone seems to like Meredith, possibly because of her GOOD trait, and even Jacques has been somewhat behaving himself.

After dinner it was reading, cleaning, napping and shower time via the house/self care club rules. MEAN L. Faba and EVIL Ted naturally hit it off, with Meredith electing to leave them to bond about... likely nothing good for the rest of us.

What was Raj doing lurking in the garden? Well, at that point there was only one toilet, so likely he was making use of the party bush.

The too-bright hallway lighting showing off his melanin-deficient charms to the fullest, Vlad attempted to win over Meredith, but where his EVIL trait didn't dissuade her, his uncontrolled hissing and spitting did the rest. Better luck another day, Vladdy.

And then as the witching hour struck, the Watcher realised that there was one Sim whose needs she wouldn't have to monitor too closely...

I truly have no idea why there were so few pictures from Day Two - maybe I had been struggling with the lighting and finally conceding defeat (three days so far have been played, so by Day Four it should be better :x). Meredith was on cooking duty, so the Sims got good eats for the second day in a row... including Vlad who joined in spite of that trait that makes him sick when he eats food.

Both he and the party bushes were later ruing his choice.

Level Two: Fine Artist

✅ Reach Painting Level 4 ✅ Sell 3 Paintings to Collectors or the Art Gallery ❌ Complete 3 Emotional Paintings (1/3)

Lilac painted enough to reach Level 2 of her aspiration, and even earned a stan in the process, who turned out to be Eleanor Sullivan. Haven't you darkened our doors enough by calling my teenaged Sims who don't even have children?

Fortunately L. was around to deal with the nuisance.

Upon setting this up, I'm realising just how ungainly it is to switch between the game and Paint 3D in order to take multiple screencaps, so hopefully C becomes more instinctual (also screencaps keep things in chronological order). More happens in Day Three, I promise.

[forsaire]

hello!! Oh nice Idea with the new years Resolution ask Game. It reads very nice^^

So Just let me slide something in.

🦷 Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're dreading to write (but is necessary to your plot)? Share a snippet or tell us about it!

Lots of Fun! -- awkward fink

thanks for the ask Fink 😀

i don't know if there are specific chapters or scenes i dread writing for my current zombie apocalypse AU (maybe just some i end up struggling with because the creative juices aren't necessary flowing quite right at that time, or - subjectively - it feels like a more "boring" scene than others in the fic)

but what i AM dreading coming up is actually just writing the fic!

haha i know, let me explain

in my mind and in my document, everything is organized into two sections: before getting together and after getting together

i've been writing the fic chronologically so i planned 20 chapters out before they get together and everything that happens (the first meeting, the getting to know each other, the beginning of feelings, the bonding, the tension (both romantic and sexual), the denial, the "i almost lost you", everything). and im incredibly close to writing the very final chapter of part 1 where ghost and soap kiss YIPPEE LETS GO

but then... the dreaded part two

i have a lot less outlined for AFTER they get together (first half is a lot more about getting to know each other and developing feelings, while second half will be about developing the relationship and adding more heavy plots details). vague chapter ideas, not so fleshed out chapter scenes, ideas that dont really make sense but i need to bend them to fit the story logically, ways to naturally show the progression of time, etc.

so i need to come up with a lot more ideas, and detailed outlines, and chapter by chapter progression. i'd been putting it off besides a few ideas floating around in the head, but once they finally get together, i need to enter the long dark tunnel of figuring out what happens AFTER so that the momentum continues, the relationship builds naturally, and it doesn't become boring for readers (and we have to have a little bit of danger).

therefore, i dread writing the second half of my story, simply because i have yet to flesh it out as much. but once i truly start weaving my ideas together it will be easier.

so that's my rambling answer 😅😅

i truly wanted this fic to not take as long as my previous two. i was severely bamboozled

ask link

[cinnamonest]

I know nothing about Persona let alone Goro Akechi but after reading the bsf and yan profile post I want to give this man a hug (and my tits). His story seems so sad ;-; and he's so pretty and for what?? 💢

Honestly, as much as I enjoy genshin I never truly found it to have any meaningful or extremely well written characters (which is not a bad thing, I just can't take them seriously when they all look like that lmao). All credit to making me think twice about them goes to writers and artists in the fandom. So the change in content feels soooooo nice. Made me appreciate your writing in another way

I've heard about Persona a LOT for years, but I didn't have a huge drive to play it until your liveposting (p.s I love the LP so much) and especially the posts with that one insane policeman guy who is a loser (affectionate, also giving him my pussy). Any recs? 😅

HE IS MY BABY BOY you're so right he is so pretty 😖😖😖 Akechi is genuinely an excellently written character, and Persona 5 Royal is one of the few games I think fully deserves to be so hyped as it is.

Tbh I think the problem genshin and similar games has is that there's so many characters, you have to essentially go out of your way to dig into lore to get anything beyond surface level from them. This happens a lot in series with lots of characters — like with Danganronpa for example, your experience of a lot of characters completely changes upon playing their free time events. A lot of genshin characters get very little screen time on the main story, so all their characterization is in their quests, lines, and character profile content. Which to be fair, with a game of this nature that's kinda the only way to really do it, so, I'm just glad they give us that extra content tbh. I've played some gachas that would introduce new characters but give very little beyond a design and name which is kinda sad when you want to know more about the lil guy you're playing with.

But AAAAAAAAAAAAAA thank you so much anon I am going to ramble here, but I'll put a tl;dr at the bottom!

Soooo if you want to get into Persona, I'd recommend the series in a certain order with some notes. There's 5 main entries in the series and a lot of spinoffs.

A word of advice in general with marathoning a game series: with any series it's a good idea to play in order of chronological and thus technological progression, especially if you intend to play the series back to back, otherwise going from a more recent game to an older one can damper your experience due to the decrease in graphical quality, gameplay smoothness, and general content quantity.

However for this series, the ideal order to play really depends on the factors of 1) which version of Persona 3 you choose to play, and 2) if you want to play Persona 1 & 2.

Regarding Persona 1 and 2: These are some of those games where your enjoyment will strongly depend on whether or not you're a person who is okay with some of the frustrations, limitations and slowness/jankiness common to old games (they came out between 1996-1999). I know some people don't mind or see it as a sort of vintage charm, while others get very frustrated with that — if you're the latter, I'd recommend saving yourself the frustration and skipping them, but if you like old games or have a high tolerance for jankiness, you could start here. I will also say that, even amongst the vintage/90s games fan crowd, P2 is definitely more popular and considered better than P1. It's also much better on the aforementioned issues.

Also, unless you have an original PlayStation or PSP, you'll have to emulate these.

Regarding Persona 3: there's several versions — the original came out in like 2006, then there was a remake version called P3 FES which added an epilogue (which is being added to the recent remake soon anyway), then a PSP remake called Persona 3 Portable (which has ports on modern consoles), then the most recent remake, Persona 3 Reload, came out just a few months ago in 2024.

Obviously the newest remake has vastly improved graphics and added lots of gameplay content. However, one of the biggest differences is that P3 Portable had the option to play as a female protagonist — this altered a lot of aspects of the game and is exclusive to that version (which has disappointed a lot of people hoping she'd be in the 2024 remake), so you can't play as her if you play Reload (unless, I believe, you play PC, there's a volunteer team currently making a mod for her).

Personally, I bought P3 Reload, and couldn't get into it, so I dropped it. Then I bought P3P on a whim and LOVE it so far. Getting to play as the girl protagonist makes a massive difference in my opinion, and more than compensates for the older graphics/gameplay. It's not just the romance routes either, her dialogue options, interactions, music, and overall vibe is different enough that it changes the feel of the story.

It really depends on what you value more — 2024-tier visual quality/gameplay and the epilogue, versus the Female Protagonist experience, so just pick which you prefer.

For the order thing, if you choose to play P3P (or the original/FES for whatever reason), I'd start here, but if you want to play Reload, I'd play it either last or just before P5 Royal.

Moving on, Persona 4: Golden and Persona 5: Royal are both the definitive editions of their respective games. They're remakes of the originals with a lot of added content, and unlike Persona 3, there's no reason to play the older versions over these. Notably their themes/vibes are kinda opposite of each other (big city world-scale societal rebellion versus small rural town murder mystery), I wouldn't say either story is better or worse, they're not really comparable and more a matter of personal taste.

As for the stories, admittedly if you've read my posts, you've essentially already been spoiled on the identity of the killers, but honestly it's still worth experiencing the story, there's multiple big plot twists before and after the reveals regarding Akechi/Adachi.

I would play Persona 5 Royal last, largely because it's widely considered the best entry to the series and is by far the longest. However if you only intend to play one game, it should definitely be P5 Royal. The only real flaw to P5 is it's much easier than previous games.

From here, there's a few more spinoff games, whether or not you want to play them really just depends on if you enjoy the genre. There's a bit of lore in some of them but nothing critical.

Dancing All Night/Starlight/Moonlight - dancing rhythm games

Arena Ultimax - fighting game, acts as an epilogue to P3&4

Persona Q 1&2

These are Nintendo DS spinoffs with chibi style art. I haven't played these and admittedly don't know much about them, I think they're dungeon crawler genre? It's popular for the aspect of which it involves the characters of the different main games, so you get to see them interact with each other.

The downside is that these games are oddly expensive, I think because there weren't too many copies. I intend to get them eventually.

Persona 5 Tactica/Strikers:

These are P5 spinoffs that put the cast in alternate stories, strikers is the closest to a true sequel from my understanding, tactica is more of a dungeon-crawler. I didn't get them because Akechi isn't in strikers and is just minor dlc for tactica.

The Phantom X

This is upcoming I believe, it's going to be a mobile game with a new cast.

The TL;DR of my advice:

- Play P2 only if you're into vintage gaming

- Play P1 only if you're REALLY into vintage gaming

- Play Persona 3 Portable if you really value the female protagonist/male character romance experience, otherwise play Persona 3 Reload

- If you play the original Persona 3, FES, or P3 Portable: start with that, then P4 Golden, then P5 Royal

- If you play Persona 3 Reload: play P4 Golden FIRST, then both P5 Royal and P3 Reload in either order.

- Play the spinoffs just based on what type of games you like, if any.

[coffeeandjournaling]

Project Ecco

A solo roleplaying game by Elliot Davis

Materials

game manual

a planner, new or used

a coin/d2 and d6

materials to destroy your planner

further into play: additional coin and die, standard deck of cards, tarot deck

Premise

A mysterious agency, an even more mysterious entity feeding on time itself and smack-dab in the middle: You. As an extension of the Agency, you are tasked with uncovering the truth about “ECCO”, the Entity of Chronological Consumption and Obfuscation. Navigating the chaos of days flying by with the aid of a simple coin, will you complete your mission to the Agency’s satisfaction straightforwardly or will you travel down a road not yet taken, peeking behind a curtain of lies? Who is really on your side? Or, perhaps more importantly, on whose side are you?

Mechanics

In Project Ecco, you progress through time and the game using a regular planner and a variety of different time travel tools. While you might be tempted to use a brand new, untouched planner for this, a used one will do just fine and might even make the game more personal and varied, since existing notes or special dates can be incorporated into play. Keep in mind that your planner will end up at least partially destroyed by the Entity, then again the level of destruction is completely up to you. Scissors are certainly an option, but a good opaque paint marker achieves the same effect with less confetti.

Your tools of choice are in essence a set of game oracles: prompts decided by dice, playing and tarot cards determine how far back or ahead in your planner you travel and which challenges you encounter along the way. Time travel can be quite random, so don’t be scared when you land on the same day more than once. At least as long as you have your trusty coin, the only thing that will keep you from slipping in-between time and experiencing some truly harrowing events. How you respond to these prompts is up to you. Write, draw, use planner stickers; the only limit is the space your planner gives you for the date you are currently on.

During your travels, you tally up the times you either make it back to the Agency or get uncomfortably close to the Entity. Entity encounters in particular are interesting because they prompt you to destroy random dates in your calendar, possibly forcing you into a timeline divergence later on. Completing six encounters either way triggers the endgame – but not necessarily the end of the journey…

Thoughts and Examples from my Playthrough

I had a lot of trouble trying to summarize the game in the above paragraphs. Project Ecco is a very meaty, complex (but not necessarily complicated) game and is more of a five-course meal than an afternoon snack. Consequently, reading the setup instructions can be a little intimidating for someone who has only started dabbling in solo play. Everything is explained thoroughly without being exhausting, however, and on top of that I found myself really interested to read about the different tools and mechanics. In fact, I had to stop myself from snooping too much so as not to spoil my first playthrough.

Your game can last you several sessions over a couple of days. Don’t worry, though, all the cool time travel tools make for a fresh and exciting experience. Special dates, timeline divergences, personal notes and Agency/Entity encounters also serve to keep you on your toes. Whenever you feel like you have seen it all, a new prompt throws you a curveball, altering your perspective on the world and its inhabitants. It’s also great for replayability purposes, as your first playthrough can influence how you go about the challenges on your second round. I usually don’t care much for replay value (my time is limited and there’s a lot of games to try out), in this case, however, it’s so on theme that it’s almost a crime not to play again.

When you have the general cycle down, the game is a breeze. Have I mentioned that I love the time travel devices? Each and every one is unique in the way it lets you progress. As soon as you pick them up during the game, you can switch freely between them. Either you are very strategic about it to avoid repeat visits to certain dates or you embrace chaos for some interesting results. In the beginning, I dreaded losing my coin and experiencing timeline divergences. The closer I got to the endgame, the more I revelled in the wild and unpredictable element they brought to the game and the story that unfolded.

At this point, it shouldn’t amaze me that much how game designers manage to achieve this impeccable level of worldbuilding with just a bit of flavour text and a handful of prompts. From the agents’ designations being real world dates to the time travel tools with clear retro vibes, Project Ecco lets you dive into an 80s sci-fi flick with you as the protagonist torn between your fragile loyalty to the Agency and the conflicting discoveries you make about the Entity. I suppose if there was one thing you wanted to knock, it could be that this is not a very character-driven game. A lot of journaling games focus on the character you create, often as a stand-in for yourself, dealing with their emotions and feelings as they react to the events thrown at them. This is more of mystery thriller focused on plot than a character exploration game. Character creation is as simple as picking your agent designation and, if you’re using a personal planner and are very meticulous in adding dates specific to your character, weaving in details during the game. That being said, I did manage to spin this into a tragic queer romance…such is the nature of solo roleplaying. Hence, others might disagree on this with me, and that’s totally fine.

My attention span has been wavering lately, so I honestly didn’t expect to stick with this. But everything about Project Ecco drew me in. I love the manual that looks like a genuine little agent handbook and the details of the understated illustrations. A solid white-black-and-red colour scheme is always a classy choice. The prompts are descriptive enough to give you guidance and bits of lore without limiting you to a specific path. It’s simply an overall round and well-thought-out experience through and through. I’m a little peeved I didn’t get the Temporal Spread – Samantha Leigh was a guest writer for this specific time travel tool and I’ve been dying to get into their other games (especially Outliers, which seems to deal with adjacent themes), so I was looking forward to get a peek at their writing here. Alas, my agent just wasn’t destined to have it…perhaps the next one will.

I wonder how well this would hold up with a digital planner. Mostly, I am an analogue player when it comes to journaling games. I like how tactile it is and that you're creating an artifact of play to keep on your shelf, something very unique and often verging on if not being outright artistry. But the analogue format does (perhaps intentionally) limit your word count and thus keeps journaling rather short and to the point. I suppose a digital format would allow for more character development, if that is your goal. It would also extend your playtime – which is already significant as is. Still, certainly an interesting option, especially when you plan on playing more than twice.

This might be your cup of coffee if...

you revel in a good time travel mystery.

you prefer to play longer games with more complex mechanics than the average journaling game.

you enjoy some solid worldbuilding and lore to add onto over time, possibly in multiple playthroughs.

you are not afraid to mess up some prime stationary. Seriously. If you love your planner? Do not use it for this. Bullet journaling queens and kings, beware!

You can get Elliot Davis’ Project Ecco HERE on itch.io or as a physical copy available at the online sources linked in the description of the game. Make sure to check out Cassi Mothwin’s flip through of the game and take in the incredible actual play episode by the My First Dungeon podcast crew that I enjoyed immensely and proves that this game supports a more light-hearted tone, as well. In case you are the creative type, Davis is currently still running a game jam for supplements for and games inspired by Project Ecco on itch.io that lasts until March 1st. Plenty of time left to get your head in the game. :)

[sgiandubh]

I believe timelines help to understand certain actions and reactions. Two days after that announcement, which in that format managed to raise even more eyebrows, we found out about a certain divorce request in progress. Whatever the timeline or path outlined until then, there was a drastic and aggressive change.

Dear Timeline Anon,

I do not deal in speculations, however favorable they might sound. Sorry for that.

For the time being, there is nothing more to discuss about that particular topic, until further, new elements emerge.

The mere fact this has been brought to the table, however, means something is probably shabby in the Kingdom of Kale. As for the drastic and aggressive change, I cannot agree more. This and other details point out to an important bend in the road.

But thank you truly for asking this, Anon, because this gives me the opportunity to make a necessary distinction between timelines (defined as the obsessive monitoring of someone's whereabouts) and chronology (defined as the reasoned analysis of trends and patterns).

Although it might sometimes be tempted to follow suit and throw its proverbial five cents in the public timeline debate, this page mainly has a chronology-centered approach.

[lightbrand]

do you have a guide for someone who wants to get into alyuri? like the stories and stuffs?

OH YOU ASKED AT THE PERFECT TIME because I literally was hoping to make a general guide about them and their stories across not just Granblue Fantasy but also their original Rage of Bahamut incarnations and their Dragalia Lost cameos because they're about to rerun the BEST ALYURI EVENT EVER on July 15 in GBF. Long post ahead!

As for where to START, I highly recommend going in with the Granblue Fantasy story (which is where I found them at first), as there is a clear continuity and story progression with dedicated setup, plot, character building, and (now that there's been plenty of events and fate episodes) some truly delicious payoff. In addition, they're fully voiced with some beautiful CGs and art, and are incredibly fun to just watch audiobook/VN style! Their voice actors breathe so much life into the story. Most of these are available to see on YT, but I can link them for good measure since this will be like, a diet resource post. I wasn't able to find the first two Light SSR Albert (I might go record them from my own game in a bit) or Summer Yurius episodes, and I don't have him in the game [screaming and crying] but the GBF wiki has full text transcripts of those.

For a reading order, it goes like this:

-Light SSR Albert Fate Episodes 1+2 (Not REQUIRED per se, but a good intro to his character)

-Eye of the Storm (Side Story) [Personally, I'd recommend to start here because it properly introduces Levin and the actual story]

-[Optional] SR Albert Fate Episodes 1+2

-Wind SSR Yurius Fate Episodes 1+2

-Light SSR Albert 5*/Lv100 Fate Episode

-[Optional, placed here because of the release chronology] Summer Albert SSR Fate Episodes 1+2

-False Heroes (Event Story, is getting rerun in a few days and is in my opinion some of the best content with them bar none, I HIGHLY recommend experiencing it yourself!!!!! GBF has an event rereading function, even if you skip through it, so long as you unlock it, you can read it later)

-Dark Albert Fate Episodes 1+2

-A Sweltering Eternal Getaway (yes, the summer event is lore relevant for several important Levin characters and important to Yurius's character arc. don't worry about it.)

-[Optional] Summer Yurius SSR Fate Episodes 1+2

-[Bonus!] Here's some crumbs of an official "Bad Ending" from the ...And You event.

Now, going onto Dragalia Lost, the easiest and fastest one to actually go through, which is ironic since the game itself has long since EoS'd. It's super simple--watch Albert's Adventurer Story, then Yurius's. That's pretty much it. I really like their Dragalia Story even though it's short, since it's a fun mix of their love-hate relationship in RoB combined with the sort of care and closeness of the GBF story. There's a few character crumbs here and there in their voice lines and Wyrmprints (available on the DL wiki of course), but nothing MAJOR unless you want to go digging. The DL fanbase did a good job of archiving the game though, so if you want to see the smaller bits, they're all out there.

Now, by far the most obtuse (from an English speaking standpoint) for the least amount of reward is the Rage of Bahamut story. RoB is not accessible in English, but a few dedicated fans have compiled story summaries of all that happens. Here's a golden Twitter thread of a lot of their plot-relevant and side content in the game. They've also provided some translations and videos for some of the voiced content in RoB too! Here's a link for some of the 4komas that some fans took care of as well. Their relationship in RoB is very silly, as they never really...make up? They stay frenemies as opposed to other stories where they reconcile their pasts. Each card in RoB also contains some flavor text for the characters they feature, and a few of those are covered in the thread. The other cards are out there, but they are in Japanese, but if you're interested I could see if I could compile a quick list of the flavor texts with real rough translations. It's mostly some flavor though, not incredibly important plot-wise unless you're hungry for more of the way their RoB relationship is written.

As a small aside about RoB--it's the first incarnation of these characters, and it's ... on the older side. I think it's perfectly fair to say that originally, Yurius was something of a homosexual caricature played often as a joke, and I think it's important to understand that when looking at the older content. The newer content, however, has come quite a long way, and as someone whose been following the way Cygames has been developing their relationship for half a decade at this point, I think it's certainly improved just overall.

Well. That should be enough content to at least get that ball rolling and keep ya busy. If for some reason you get through all this and want some more crumbs or fanworks, let me know! I have many a fic/doujinshi recommendation as well :] Here's some cute official art for making it this far and forcing me to write this mini guide in prep for the False Heroes rerun !

[qqueenofhades]

I was shocked to know that the mom of one of my brother’s friend is terrified she might be lesbian, all because she hangs out mainly with boys, they’re 10-11!!!! (my brother and I have a +10years age gap). She’s told another mom, my mom and their teacher, of how scared she is that her daughter might be gay, she’s taking her to therapy (let’s hope it’s an ethic non-biased professional), but this has been going for like a year and she just won’t drop it, she just adds more things why she’s worried, that she likes soccer and basketball, video games… and she says things like “she’s my only daughter, I don’t want her to be butch”.

Tbh I think the girl needs more love and attention, she’s much more open with the other mom and my mom, she hugs them and has talked with them about grades and stuff, before she tells her mother because she’s afraid of her reaction.

The other mom, my mom and I were shocked that a youngish mother would still think like that!! Both my mom and the other mom are in their 50s and I’m in my mid 20s, I think the mom is closer to my age than to their age. I can’t believe there’s still people that won’t accept their children for how they are, and she doesn’t even know if her daughter is truly gay, she’s just assuming because of the things she likes 💔

There is this pervasive idea (related to the "theory of progress" in history, which is equally false) that the younger generations are always more progressive, more tolerant, more open-minded, and generally "better" than the older ones. Which can sometimes be true, but not at all in every case, and not nearly as much as common wisdom would hold. That's why we're getting worrying polls about Gen Z boys and men being more likely to view feminism as "toxic" than baby boomers, that ever-increasing percentages of young people either don't know about the Holocaust or doubt that it happened, and other troubling statistics that show the result of years of propaganda, social media disinformation, fake news, big-time misogynist manfluencers like Andrew Tate, leftist antisemitism, and all the rest. So.... yeah. It makes for grim reading.

This is why, as noted, the idea of history and human belief only moving in one direction (from "less progressive" to "more progressive") is flatly false, as we've seen over the last decade in particular. Human beliefs are malleable, can (and often do) go backward as well as forward, are dependent on social context, and will by no means get better just because chronology has gone forward. So yes, a young mom could absolutely have deeply stereotyped and harmful gender/LGBTQ+ views, especially thanks to the social media culture that glorifies "tradwifing" and "cottagecore" and all these other concepts that represent patriarchal gender roles with a dash of Instagram Aesthetic and "free thinking" (which somehow always ends up as "don't trust modern medicine and don't vaccinate your children!") That stuff is absolutely RIFE, and plenty of supposedly more-liberal younger moms and women are eating it up. Obviously, worrying that your daughter "might be butch and/or non-girly" because she likes sports and video games is dangerous nonsense for any number of reasons, but it shows how this been almost as effective (if not more so) than plain blunt misogyny at encouraging women to embrace regressive mindsets and decide that no actually, feminism is bad. Welp.

Anyway, I feel bad for the kid. I hope your mom and the other mom, and any other actually supportive female mother figures, are able to give her positive affirmation, regardless of what her identity is or ends up being, because it sounds like her mom is going to do a number on her. Hoo boy.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

How To Write Short Stories Using Notion (Short Guide)

Are you a writer who struggles to keep track of your ideas and progress? Well, the perfect application is at your fingertips. Notion, the all-in-one productivity tool that can streamline your writing process. In this guide, I’ll teach you how to use Notion to write short stories, from organizing your ideas to exporting the final product.

First, if you’re new to Notion, it’s helpful to understand the basics. Notion is a digital workspace that allows you to create and organize various types of content, from notes to databases to project boards. It’s highly customizable and can be tailored to fit any workflow. Plus, it’s free to use with some limitations, but upgrading to a paid plan unlocks additional features. Now that you have a brief overview of Notion, let’s dive into how to use it for writing short stories.

Organizing Your Ideas Before you start writing, it’s essential to have a clear idea of what you want to write about. Notion’s notes and database features make it easy to organize your thoughts and research in one place. Start by creating a new page in your Notion workspace for your short story. From there, you can create subpages for each aspect of your story, such as characters, plot, setting, and themes. Within each subpage, you can add notes, images, and links to external sources for reference. To take it a step further, you can also use Notion’s database feature to create a table for your story’s world-building elements, such as locations, factions, and magic systems. This makes it easy to keep track of details and ensure consistency throughout your story.

Creating a Storyboard

A storyboard is a visual representation of your story, typically used in film and animation. However, it can also be useful for writers to map out the structure of their story and ensure it flows logically.

To create a storyboard in Notion, you can use the gallery view of a database. Create a new database with fields for each scene in your story, including a brief summary and any relevant notes or images. Then, switch to gallery view, and you’ll have a visual representation of your story’s structure. You can also use Notion’s kanban board view to track the progress of each scene and move them from “to-do” to “in progress” to “done” as you write.

Outlining Your Plot

Once you have your ideas organized and your storyboard created, it’s time to outline your plot. A plot outline is a roadmap for your story, detailing the major events and turning points. In Notion, you can create a new database with fields for each plot point, including a brief summary and any relevant notes or images. Then, use the board view to arrange the plot points in chronological order and ensure they flow logically. You can also use the timeline view to visualize the pacing of your story.

Don’t worry if your outline changes as you write – Notion makes it easy to rearrange and edit your plot points as needed.

Developing Your Characters

Your characters are the heart of your story, so it’s essential to develop them fully. Notion’s database feature makes it easy to keep track of your characters’ traits, motivations, and backstory.

Create a new database with fields for each character, including their name, age, appearance, personality, and backstory. You can also add fields for their relationships with other characters and any relevant notes or images. As you write your story, refer back to your character database to ensure consistency and avoid any contradictions.

Tracking Your Progress and Goals

Writing a short story can be truly daunting at times, but Notion can help you stay on track and motivated. Use the built-in to-do list feature to set daily or weekly writing goals, and track your progress as you go.

You can also use Notion’s calendar feature to schedule writing sessions and deadlines, and the reminder feature to ensure you don’t forget anything important. Remember, writing is a marathon, not a sprint, so celebrate your progress along the way!

Adding Research and Inspiration

Every story requires research and inspiration, whether it’s for historical accuracy or world-building details. Notion’s web clipper extension makes it easy to save articles, images, and other online content for later reference.

Simply install the web clipper extension in your browser and click the icon when you come across something you want to save. Notion will automatically create a new note with the content and link back to the original source.

You can also use Notion’s built-in image gallery feature to create a visual mood board for your story’s setting or characters.

Collaborating with Others

If you’re working with a co-author or editor, Notion’s workspace sharing feature makes it easy to collaborate in real-time. Simply invite the person to your workspace, and you can both access and edit the same pages and databases.

Notion’s commenting feature also allows for easy communication and feedback. You can leave comments on specific notes or database entries, and the other person will receive a notification.

Exporting and Formatting Your Story

Once you’ve finished writing your short story, it’s time to export and format it for sharing or publishing. Notion makes this process easy with its export feature.

To export your story, simply select the pages or databases you want to include and choose the export format, such as PDF or Markdown. Notion will then compile the content into a single file for easy sharing.

If you need to format your story for submission to a publisher or literary magazine, you can use a tool like Grammarly or Hemingway to ensure it’s polished and professional.

Conclusion

Notion is a powerful tool for writers, offering a versatile and customizable workspace for organizing and tracking your writing process. By using Notion for writing short stories, you can streamline your workflow, stay motivated, and create polished and professional stories. Happy writing! -Ren

TheWriteAdviceForWriters 2023

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

I'm interested in reading your hp fics, but I don't know where to start. The lily fics seem really varied and like there were some epileptic plot trees and nonlinear progression going on, from what I can tell looking through the story collection on AO3. Is there anything like a recommended reading order or core selection of stories within that set you'd advise if I wanted to get in on your particular brand of HP heresy?

Oh man, you ask the question of the hour.

This has actually been the subject of hot debate before.

How it Works in General

On Ao3 my HP fics are divided into series. Generally, the first fic of any series can be thought of as the "main" story. You should only have to read that particular fic to understand what's happening in the story itself.

If the story isn't part of a series, it's solitary and you're good on your own, if it's Xth in a series, you should read the fic in position 1 first. If it's part of multiple series, then that means you should read both fics in position 1 in order to understand what's happening.

(In the case of "Lily and the Art of Being Sisyphus" reach out to me for getting a copy, for reasons I won't get into in this post I took it down.)

So, for example, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, October, and Lily and the Art of Being Sisyphus are all independent of one another, you don't have to read one to get the other, Minato Namikaze and the Destroyer of Worlds on the other hand being a sub series of Lily and the Art of Being Sisyphus will probably make more sense if you read at least some of that fic first.

(And The Man Who Would Be King, by myself and @therealvinelle, has similar rules where it's independent of everything else but if you read later stories in the series before the mother fic, you'll be confused.)

Side Stories

Sadly, I don't have a greatest hits list (as that feels weird for me as the author to compile) so I'd say read the side fics that catch your fancy, some are a lot better than others in my humble opinion.

What's important is that a) side stories are independent of one another unless in the same sub-series b) they were written to be non-spoiling. This means there's a lot of things that are 'not canon' to whatever the mother fic is. I generally noted as much in comments but basically if anything crazy happens, it didn't happen in the main fic.

Suggested Reading Order

There've been a few suggested reading orders from readers.

The above by Vanity Maxwell notes the chronological order fics were written in through 2018. Since side fics are non-spoiling (or I try to be) that means that when side fics were written does line up with plot progression in various fics/reveal certain things that have happened in the main fic or not.

The above by Michael gives a tree approach where, if you can handle the madness of Lily and the Art of Being Sisyphus, you can progressively make your way through the fucking weird of my HP fics.

(And they are, really truly, fucking weird. Even the ones that are less weird are... weird.)

Personal Recommendation

The fics are different from each other and not all are everyone's cup of tea, they're also long. I recommend starting with the first story in series and dropping quickly if you don't like it and, once you get through it, then going on to read side fics.

[whatgaviiformes]

Masterpost of Thunderteers (Gavii's Privateers!AU)

I am not sure if I've done this already, but this Universe has certainly evolved, so I figured why not. This AU started in a booth at tex-mex restaurant, with Hubs and I just talking sailing and the pirate trend that should never have gone away in my humble opinion. He knows just enough about Thunderbirds to brainstorm with me - so that conversation became the first three chapters of Voyage.

You can find the AO3 series in full here

I recommend starting with Hold Fast, which is Gordon's accident fic. It's heavy, but poignant. Then either read the three earlier ones for backstory or read forward chronologically for heals. Voyage is still solid since it was the start of the AU, but it is on hold so really it's just a small taste.

Did I crochet this because of Thunderteers? No, but I do really like boats.

~*~*~*~*~ In Chronological Order [Complete]

Lord Gordon's Reel: Summer, 1768. Virgil finds his best inspiration at sea. A Thunderteers Story. Oneshot Ao3

Fathoms: Virgil wonders what’s below and Gordon tells a story about a kraken. Oneshot  Ao3

Windswept: As far as clouds go, Gordon is among the strangest. Oneshot Ao3

Hold Fast: Autumn, 1775. “The rigging ran through his blood; it was an energy, a lifeforce.” Multi-Chaptered Ao3

Brother's Oath: In "Hold Fast," Scott makes a decision. It did not come to him easily. Oneshot Ao3

Blow Ye Winds, Blow: One Prompt Challenge Submission - A scene after "Hold Fast" Oneshot Ao3

Oak and Ivory: It’s a Thursday in the summer of 1776, and the USS Thunderbird is docked in port in New England. For Virgil, it brings him the gift of inspiration, starting with a rare morning off and a warbler… Oneshot Ao3

~*~*~*~*~

In Progress/On Hold

Voyage of the USS Thunderbird: The Thunderbird is a merchant ship. Truly, she is. So why are Captain Scott C. Tracy and his crew trying to avoid the British navy? Privateers!AU Thunderteers Verse. Multi-Chaptered Ao3

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Artwork!!

Commissioned art of Gordon by the wonderful @chenria

Art of Scott here and here by followthepaintbrush/@soniabigcheese