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Narrative system: book CPT and dynamic references

Last updated on June 6, 2026

As the site’s thematic narratives expand, work has begun on a structured reference layer alongside the existing chapters. This will support reusability, dynamic aggregation, and more intuitive organization for books, quotes, footnotes, and symbolic elements.

Immediate task: Book custom post type (CPT)

Create a Book CPT to store all referenced books independently from narrative threads.

Why books come first:

  • Books are consistently referenced across chapters.
  • They contain quotes, footnote data, and symbolic importance.
  • Creating a CPT allows books to be listed dynamically and reused elsewhere.

Coming functionality

  • Grid page to display all books with covers and links.
  • Relationship fields in each chapter to connect referenced books.
  • Custom footnote system that pulls linked books (and other sources) into a clean reference list at the bottom of each chapter.

On footnotes & fragments

Existing footnotes were manually copied from older posts but lack structural integrity. A new footnote system will draw from structured sources: books, movies, songs, and possibly narrative fragments. This supports dynamic generation and long-term consistency.

Forward plan

  • ✅ Done – Create Book CPT with ACF fields (title, cover, author, quotes, related chapters).
  • ✅ Done – Add “Referenced Books” relationship field to chapters.
  • ✅ Done – Display books dynamically at the bottom of each chapter as footnotes.
  • 🚧 In progress – Evaluate quotes, songs, and other references for future CPT integration.
  • 🚧 In progress – Create fallback repeater field for manual footnotes (non-CPT sources).

This system will evolve one chapter at a time. Each chapter will be reviewed and linked to its sources, gradually revealing the larger structure of the site. As always, form follows function — the design will emerge naturally from the content itself.

Status: Planning complete. Build starts tomorrow.