meme

[lettered]

capitu is doing a self-pimp meme where you pimp the fic that is most popular by you, and then your favorite fic by you. The banner says HP, but capitu says you can use any fandom you want. Go comment!

marguerite_26 used to host this meme; I always thought it was awesome, but I never participated, mostly because I felt like I didn't really have very popular stories. I feel differently now, but it's still a really interesting meme. I put:

Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing (s): Harry/Draco
Most Popular: definitely The Boy Who Only Lived Twice
Warnings: sex? spies? idk
Personal Favourite: by far The Pure and Simple Truth
Pairing (s): Harry/Draco
Warnings: none; it's mostly gen

I guess the reason I find this meme so interesting is that our favorite fics are so different than the ones that are really popular. I think my favorite is so, so much better than the really popular one, and even though I'm grateful for all the attention the popular one got, I always want to say, "But read thiiiiiiiiis one, it's so much better!"

What's really interesting is that even just reading the comments on the post, I usually keep wanting to click on the ones denoted "popular". I can't figure out whether they appeal to me more because their titles are grabbier--that may be one reason they're popular in the first place; they have grabby titles. The popular ones also seem more tropey--but how do I know? Because of the titles? The warnings? There are no summaries in these comments. And are they more popular because they're tropey?

Or maybe it's the fact that they're popular that's attractive. I try not to base my stories based on hits, kudos, or number of comments. I do go by recs, but self-recs are different; they're so idiosyncratic. Your favorite story may have nothing to do with your best story; it might have to do with achieving a goal or the place you were in when you wrote it or a challenge you set yourself. The popular story makes it feel like a bunch of people have weighed in, and while I'm interested in why one story or another is an author's personal favorite, I'm not always more interested in their favorite story for itself . . .

Anyway the short version is that I like this meme and you should go participate.

Comments

[likeadeuce]

Interesting! Are you doing 'popularity' by hits or by kudos, or some other measure?

I actually have an almost opposite thing where the most popular stories in a given fandom tend to line up with the ones I think are best. (There are a couple of thrown off Avengers comicsverse pieces that are up there for reasons I don't understand, but. . .etc).

BTW, I definitely agree with your 'catchy title' theory to explain HITS, if not kudos. My stories w/ the highest number of hits on AO3 include things like, "Hermione Grainger* and the Amazing Outfits of Luna Lovegood" and "Care and Treatment of Psychologically Fucked-Up Starship Captains," which I figure must get a few looks on that basis alone. . .

ETA: Umm, "Granger". I still can't ever write her name so it looks right to me.

[lettered]

Interestingly, I think most people on the meme are doing 'popularity' by their perception of what's popular. I say this is interesting because I know some of my fics have high hit counts, and they're not always the ones I think of as popular. Sometimes it's because they're posted in several places, so just looking at Ao3 doesn't give one all the information, sometimes it's because of the kind of attention a fic has gotten--if there are a lot of recs and people talking about it and people referencing it when they talk about other stuff, it feels popular even if the hit count wasn't that high. And sometimes it's because it was popular (or unpopular) considering what other fics in that fandom get, or what you expected to get, and you got a lot more.

where the most popular stories in a given fandom tend to line up with the ones I think are best.

Really? Wow. I didn't know that ever happened for anyone.

I figure must get a few looks on that basis alone

This is interesting, because there are so many stories now where the titles seem really flashy that I'm almost put off, like I feel someone was trying too hard. Yet I definitely have fics of my own where I tried too hard on a title. Ugh titles!

[likeadeuce]

Well, I don't exactly write anything that's clickbait? So I figure the only way I'm going to write anything 'popular' is if people like it and it gets recced.

[snickfic]

I just finally downloaded The Boy Who Lived Twice, but as you know I am quite fond of The Pure and Simple Truth. I was just reccing it Friend With Whom I'm Staying a couple of days ago!

I mostly chose my favorite stories based on some combination of "how much I reread it" and "how well I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish."

[lettered]

I honestly wouldn't rec you Boy Who Lived Twice. Read the one where the Avengers turn into kids; you'll have more fun.

"how much I reread it" and "how well I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish."

These are two very different things!

I hope you're having an AWESOME trip!

[snickfic]

You keep telling me that about The Boy Who Lived Twice, but I am going to read it anyway, so there. :D

But Avengers turning into kids is something I probably should look it.

[everbright]

Well it worked, b/c I'm reading The Pure and Simple Truth right now.

[lettered]

ha. Well, lemme know what you think.

[everbright]

Well, I think it's quite lovely! I stayed up way too late (into early even) finishing it. I think I might have liked more politics b/c you had Draco and Hermione talk about them so fluently, and I liked the various conversations operating on metaphorical level(s)(sometimes more than one), and I was quite taken with how the web of connections showed itself. It wasn't just all Gryffindors on one side and Slytherin on the other, even before Draco put on his hairshirt and asked Harry out to the pub.

[lettered]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it--I really had fun coming up with all the different combinations of characters.

[(Anonymous)]

The pure and simple truth is my absolutely favorite harry potter fanfic ever. It's the best. Well done, good job, you have all the reasons to love it best

[hlopushka.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean to be an anon! I'm hlopushka @ lj

[lettered]

Thank you so much!