Alicornutopia

So there's like a lot of glowfic now, I don't know if anybody's still reading all of it, I'm not. I suspect our deciding-which-threads-to-read algorithms could benefit from some help. This is a thread for identifying Particularly Good Threads. Please only identify threads if you think they are Particularly Good as examples of something (best of an author's work, best place to get to know a particular template/ship/setting, best plot development you have seen in a couple weeks). You may nominate your own threads but keep it to the top quartile (probably a reasonable ratio to maintain in general - don't nominate more than a quarter of the threads you've picked up). Any ratio of self- to other-promotion is OK though. Please don't nominate threads that have less than 100 tags. Fizzled threads that got longer than that first are fine as long as they are still Particularly Good. Complete threads are encouraged, as is necromancing old favorites (every now and then).

Aim your recommendations at someone who is acquainted with glowfic but not the specific recommended glowfic or its environs! Identify prerequisite reading or provide prerequisite knowledge, link to the beginnings not the middles of continuities, and provide explanations of what the thread you're plugging is Particularly Good At.

Here is an example:

secret identity (Promise in Cape), authors Alicorn & Nemo, complete. Promise (a Bell from the setting of Visitor and sequels) goes to the "Cape" setting (canon is Worm) as run by Nemo. Serves as a reasonable introduction to Promise's standard backstory trajectory; settings are unfamiliar to one another and substantial explanation appears onscreen, so it's likely to be readable without prior exposure to either, but foreshadowing will make more sense with some knowledge of Worm. Particularly Good for plottiness.

in spite of a nail (AU Cruciamentum) (constellation link), authors Alicorn & Kappa, complete. Slayer Bella is locked in an empty house with a vampire; it turns out unexpectedly well for her. You might need to know things about the Buffyverse to follow along. One of my only Really Truly Completed Threads No Kidding, and I think one of the most self-contained glowfic threads I've ever read or participated in.

Pre-Jump Earth Literature (Emotionally Intense Teenagers) (constellation link), authors Aestrix & Kappa, complete but possesses incomplete sequel(s). Teenage Miles and Yvette study Shakespeare on Beta Colony. You probably need to know things about Nexus/Vorkosigan Saga to follow along. I consider this thread some of my best work.

picknicking, complete; has sequel threads, also complete; also the first thread in Incandescence, abandoned. Very good introduction to His Dark Materials world. Involves a character new to the world encountering it for the first time, and most of the explanation happens on screen so the reader can also learn about the world. The HDM world isn’t seen too much in glowfic, but it does show up sometimes and often without explanation.

I think “good intro to <world>” should be its own category somewhere, probably in some list of worlds or something. Many threads have all characters from the same world world, which is usually harder for readers, or have most of the introduction happen offscreen so the author’s don’t need to write the same facts about the world over and over.

I. Trials https://vast-journey-9935.herokuapp.com/posts/68 (Yvette in Star Wars). Yvette is a potential apprentice to Sith lord Darth Occlus. This one's got a fast-paced nailbiter of a plot (rare in glowfic). It's also a great introduction to both Yvette and Occlus's best qualities (Yvette's particularly likable and competent brand of resilience, Occlus's complicated antiheroism). All of Stars Ascendent is good, and this is the intro thread, but I also think it's the best one.

I definitely have not been keeping up with glowfic enough to decide the most Moriwen-y Moriwen thread but I will probably do that soon.

Intended Purpose (Arabek Ellie), authors Diaeresis & Aestrix, formally hiatused but at a decent stopping place. Benefits from some previous exposure to the world of Arabek (Aestrix's gods setting) but contains a small child who needs to learn most of the relevant facts over the course of the thread so may be readable without. This was the thread that got me really interested in the Ellie template, who is normally shown already having gone through whatever version of her backstory but here is shown developing. Short.

hazmats (Six-Artifact-Pileup Annie and Stalas), authors Alicorn and kappa, complete but we keep kicking around the notion of doing a sequel. Readable from a cold start due to in-thread setting explanations, but may benefit from previous exposure to the Treasury (from Incandescence) and Dragon Age settings, and Bells and Mileses as templates. My favorite Six-Artifact-Pileup Annie thread and also a fine example of a Dragon Age thread.

Particularly good introductions to various characters, for those who'd like more imaginary people to have Feelings about.

A Table For Two, in which Erinflight's Hannibal walks into a bar at the end of the universe and meets an emperor. Also, Will Graham is tragically huggable. Perfectly accessible to someone with zero familiarity with Hannibal canon (e.g., me). Recommended for those who would like to be thoroughly creeped out by Hannibal, and then have a Miles dropped on him. (Bonus: Miles.)

First, do no harm, in which Adelene's kobold suddenly finds herself in Teen Wolf's Beacon Hills (run by Jarnvidr). Recommended for those who are already vaguely familiar with Portalbold and would like to cultivate the urge to hug Derek Hale. (Jarnvidr in general has a brilliant talent for endearing takes on Objectively Terrible Characters.) (Bonus: many hugs.)

Make her feel welcome, in which a Mark deals with high school by attempting to date Literally Everyone, which somehow works (by the power of Mark). Recommended for getting to know the Teen Wolf portion of Jarnvidr's enormous cast. (Bonus: So Many Messed-Up Lesbians.)

Uninvited Guests are Welcome Here, in which a Miles suddenly finds himself in a magical floating city where Maggieoftheowls' Edie and Emily live. Recommended as an introduction to Edie and Emily, and also to the setting, no prior knowledge of either required. (Bonus: Awesome people being awesome. Seriously. So much of it.)

starve in the wilderness (and sequels), in which a Sadde gets magic in a BDSM!AU and meets a Bell. Recommended as an introduction to Sadde, and to Eclipse, which are a character and a setting very well suited to each other. (Bonus, or warning, as you will: "content." Both character and setting make it inevitable.)

Since DW doesn't have the "next post" feature that the Constellation has, worth mentioning that starve in the wilderness and its sequels are indexed on my master post. (ETA: now they're imported!)

oh dear (Flicker at Whateley), authors Alicorn and andaisq, stalled. Crossovery enough to read from a cold start but the canons are the Whateleyverse and the Incandescence-original Gemini setting. One of my favorite andaisq threads.

Oh, I am so happy this thread exists!

Let Me Tell You What I Wish I'd Known (Miles lands in Arda just after the sun appears). Complete. A good introduction to Lintamande's standard "Flat Arda" (canon: Silmarillion) setting, but also a wonderful example of Kappa's take on Miles Vorkosigan in all his glory. Comes right after The Borders of Infinity in the Vorkosigan Saga canon; contains spoilers up through that part in the series. Has (somewhat indirect) sequels, but works well as a stand-alone too. Notable for, well, what I initially wrote is "action, diplomacy, adventure, invention, humor... it all blends very well, bouncing superbly off the two authors."

leave of absence and its immediate sequels (Loki in Arda). Complete but part of the ongoing "Silmaril" continuity by authors Alicorn and Lintamande. Loki (Bell) from gender-swapped Asgard is dropped on the ice in Flat Arda as the Nolofinweans are crossing. Introduces Flat Arda quite well, assumes some amount of familiarity with seidr and spear from Effulgence. Notable for having extremely satisfying character and plot development (and for length).

Also notable, much further in the Silmaril continuity is turn into a pumpkin (Luthien lands on magical girl Bell). Complete, and works as a stand-alone. Assumes no knowledge of Puella Magi Madoka Magica but contains what are probably massive spoilers for it; benefits slightly from knowledge of standard Luthien backstory. Excellent "give a Bell the tools and she will fix the world" story, lovely romance subplot .............................