"The Right Order"

A lot of people have indicated confusion with my story order over the year, so... I did this on a whim this morning. It took longer than I thought it would, and I don't know if it's actually very useful or usable, but here it is!

To accompany the (not currently up-to-date) Alrek/Larya Chronological Timeline, here is the GigglingGoblin Alrek/Larya Recommended Reading Order.

I didn't include links to the stories because I just couldn't bring myself to put in that extra effort. I did my best, lovelies. There's millions of words and nearly hundreds of chapters. It's terrifying.

Evergreen Forest, Ch. 01-06

This will, for better and for worse, always be the start of Alrek's and Larya's story. Though one of the latest stories on this list chronologically, this series introduces Alrek where he is in what you can currently consider the "present day", and shows how his attitudes and standards have shifted when he's put on his own.

Unliving Lust, Ch. 01-03:

This story introduces Larya into the storyline, as well as setting up important backstory, setting, and relationship elements that will carry across the entire "anthology".

Exposed, Ch. 01-03:

Oh, gosh, how I wish I had time to edit this. Exposed is a mess, and I wouldn't write it the same way if I could redo it, but it's totally necessary to the overall storyline now, so I have to live with it. Oops.

Evergreen Forest, Ch. 07-10:

I sure wish I didn't do the "Eastern sprites" scene. That said, this introduces the first mention of Lim, and the first suggestions of why Alrek hates fey aside from "they keep making me look like a horny bimbo".

The Bimbo Ballet:

And Lim makes her first appearance! Why Bimbo Ballet first, and not The Kissing Bargain? Because Wicked Amusement hasn't happened yet, and I don't want to introduce Lim and the Standing Stones too heavily yet. Readers will have to wait to figure out what's going on here. Bimbo Ballet is one of the only stories that I would move waaaay before when I wrote it—I think it blends well here.

Evergreen Forest, Ch. 11-12:

And the next big act break for Evergreen Forest gives us time to go back to...

Exposed, 04-05:

The Exposed arc concludes, and we are left hanging for the next six years wondering what's going to happen next! Well, I'm not wondering. I sure hope somebody is. Here, we introduce Larya's little "origin story". Or half of it, anyways.

Shifty Characters, Ch. 01-07:

This is the first time I felt like I was writing genuinely something I could call "good", and I stand by... most of it. In retrospect, I think I let Balabar get away with too much in the name of titillation. But this story also introduced one of the most important recurring themes of the broader narrative: "You have to be better."

It's been a while since we've seen Mier and Swish, hasn't it? Wonder what they've been up to.

Sea Slimes, Ch. 01-03:

Sea Slimes took insanely long to complete, and I was very, very happy with it.

Evergreen Forest, Ch. 13-17:

Back in the Forest, Greenfall begins. I'm not sure if I'll ever actually write Greenfall directly, but I'll probably have to, won't I?

Sea Slimes, Ch. 04-08:

This sequence of chapters ends on a sad note: Alrek abandons Larya, and shortly after, Larya abandons Alrek. This is a difficult note for me, because I know I can't hit it twice. Just like Unliving Lust has to be the first time Alrek willingly admits to Larya that they're partners, Sea Slimes has to be the first and last time that either of them actually considers leaving the other for dead.

The Flower Girl:

We're heading into more one-shots here. Incidentally, the dominance of one-shots in my work lately is a big part of why stories have become so infrequent—it's much easier to bang out 12k words of one story than it is 6k words for two stories apiece. Anyways, I wanted to pause in the middle of Sea Slimes to go back to a time where Alrek showed some concern for Larya's wellbeing.

Sea Slimes, Ch. 09-11:

The story concludes on a happy note! Well, we can't have that. We'd better get back to Alrek alone somehow.

Hearthside Haze:

One of only two (so far) chapter-sized glances into Alrek's past, this one shows the pre-Larya, pre-thieving Alrek making his way through the Mountains, still a rookie adventurer at this point but past needing a mentor.

Notably, there is a horrible continuity error here—I decided later that goblin maids are actually pretty common in the Mountains and the Reach, so Alrek should definitely have seen someone green before. I am copping out and saying he's only ever seen blue and purple-skinned goblin maids until this point. Or it's just a continuity error that will haunt me to my grave.

Evergreen Forest, Ch. 18-19:

The end of the first smutty series I ever started! This is, to date, the most "recent" chapter in the timeline, not counting one or two flashfics. Evergreen Forest has its issues, but I remain very happy with the ending, and can't wait to get back to Anna, Yilra, Nipper and Alrek in the present day.

Wicked Amusement, Ch. 01-07:

This is an incredibly important series, and probably some of my best writing in terms of long works involving Alrek and Larya. It drags in places, but by-and-large, my goal was to show the very first "adventure" Alrek and Larya went on. Again, this is a marker for them I have to keep in mind. Alrek and Larya can never get as hostile to each other as they are in this story. They might squabble, they might try to stop traveling together, but they can never show this level of "I think you're insufferable and I want nothing to do with you".

Additionally, Alrek can never get worse than this—at least, not while he's adventuring with Larya. This and Shifty Characters represent his moral low points, pre-Evergreen Forest. The Alrek who risks his life to save a barmaid in Nurse Poppy's Care isn't the same Alrek who makes a deal with Cellesixe.

Labyrinth of Lights:

This is the other pre-Larya Alrek story, by the way.

Wicked Amusement, Ch. 08-10:

Like I said, this story represents a low point for Alrek, but he comes around and he and Larya stick together. It was a really hard story to write, but I really enjoyed Cellesixe as an antagonist. She's one of the few major mortal antagonists the pair has faced, and she represents a pure distillation of the kind of cynicism Alrek struggles with. Sixe developed a total lack of faith in mortalkind following the rise of the Chosen in her homeland, and the result sees her treating people like tools at best and toys at worst.

The Kissing Bargain:

And finally, the reader gets context for the Bimbo Ballet! This is one of Alrek's and Larya's earlier adventures, but the intention here was that they show a little more friendliness to one another due to the ugly situation. Alrek doesn't have to be here. He's here as a favor to Larya—the last favor, he hopes.

See The Sights:

Illetrys's revenge! Attempted! The last two stories are actually kind of in chronological sequence (though swapped around), but there are some big holes in the middle—like what happened at the Standing Stones before and after the Emerald Jungle trip.

Perfect Fit, Ch. 01-03 (semi-canon ending, though):

This story is sort of canon. Sort of. Obviously, Lim and Larya were not brainwashed into eternal slaves to Celeste's whims, but was there some sort of encounter? Maybe! Larya and Lim going on a date is definitely canon, though.

Sharing with Kaari:

This is actually a sort of sequel to a flashfic I wrote. Just a Bonus Pairing featuring our two favorite druidesses and a troublesome but non-demonic lamia.

A Pollen Behavior:

And here's the last time Trys tried to mess with Alrek and Larya.

In Nurse Poppy's Care, Ch. 01-02:

And now we go back to basics, with one of Larya's and Alrek's more cooperative incidents. I honestly really, really like this story—it focuses a lot on how Alrek has improved as a person, and actually shows the pair acting like they like each other a little bit, which is nice.

Room For One More, Ch. 01-02 (plus Bonus End):

This story barely has Alrek in it, and the Bonus End barely has Lim in it. It's optional, but I think it flows really well placed directly before...

Heavy Fog:

This is the closest any story has yet come, chronologically, to the point at which Larya ceased to be a part of Alrek's stories.

Hellfire and Old Flames:

Alrek and Larya face the Mad Succubus. I'm writing this one now! It's set a while after Bimbo Ballet, and gets into a lot of backstory and baggage. It's also the closest Larya and Alrek might have ever come to parting ways for good. Also, several recurring characters from other stories and series and flashfics will appear in this storyline!