Favorites vs Populars Tag Game
Thanks for the tag @mailrebel and @emeraldknightess!
To quote Abby: I’ve noticed through lots of different conversations that an author’s most popular fics aren’t necessarily their favorites! I wanted to create this opportunity to let people share their top 3 fics by either hits or kudos, followed by top 3 fics by personal favorite (and share where they do or don’t line up!)
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I think I’ll exclude my smutty early works which win on both hits and kudos. (People sure do flock to smut, don’t they? Bunch of degenerates! [She said with affection.] I love my degenerate friends! I also love my pure and wholesome friends!) So – that said, here goes:
I'm going with top 3 by kudos!
1.) The First Time (G, BOTW/TOTK Zelink, 1,961 words). I think this was my first foray into making up a real story that wasn’t in canon and really being creative with it. I like to think it’s a pretty sweet story, and it was quite well received compared to most of my earlier works. When people on Tumblr and AO3 responded with comments like “thank you for writing this” it made my heart do little happy dances (and no those weren’t just hyperthyroid-induced palpitations).
2.) A New Beginning (T, BOTW/TOTK Zelink, 1,609 words). I’m honestly surprised how popular this one was; I dashed it off pretty quickly for a fic exchange. Maybe it’s just as popular as it is ‘cause it got a lot of attention for being in the exchange LOL. Anyway, it’s my take on how Zelda settled in to live in Link’s house between BOTW and TOTK. I was trying to dial up the yearning between the two of them and I guess it turned out pretty okay.
3.) Rebuilt (G, TOTK Zelink, 2,352 words). This one is just a fluffy slice of domestic life for Link and Zelda post-canon. I felt like I was “in the zone” so to speak when I wrote it so I’m pretty happy with how the prose turned out. One thing I could say about this one that nobody in the comments called out (which doesn’t mean nobody noticed, but they didn’t mention it) was that Zelda was meant to be pregnant, which is subtly hinted at but not laid out explicitly. Oh but I still need to update the recipe for the berry milk. sigh That’s been on my to-do list for… months. 😬
Now, the top 3 favorites!
❌ 2.) Just a Dusting (G, Minish Cap Zelink, 4,889 words) Definitely one of my least well received works for whatever reason LOL. But I liked it. I liked playing with the shrinking mechanism of Minish Cap and exploring what the world might be like for Picori-sized people. I think there’s a lot of potential for cool adventures (and romance) there, and this is a slice of that in a winter setting. (I also liked the gift Link made for Zelda.)
❌ 3.) Second Chances (M, OOT/MM Zelink, will be ~14k words when complete [soon!]) My current ongoing soon-to-be-finished WIP, which will end up being my longest work (so far!). It deals with some heavy subject matter but it ends on a positive note. Anyway, I put a lot of time and thought into this one and it was a challenge, but I like to think there’s some stuff in it I can be proud of. I threw in a few little details that I hoped would stand out, like the symmetry of child Link and adult Zelda sentimentally clinging to their respective ocarinas as the only thing they have left of the person they love. And the passing mention of the Deku Scrub in Clock Town…
So... I have one favorite out of three that is popular, although one of my other most popular (Rebuilt) is probably in my top five favorites, if not my top three. It definitely seems, sometimes, like the more time and effort you put into a fic, the more lukewarm the reaction, whereas the stuff you churn out in one sitting gets ALL the love! lolz.
Anyway. Time to tag some people! (My apologies if you’ve already been tagged! I’d go sift through everyone’s blog to check, but considering how fashionably late I am to this party, your participation in this game, if it has occurred, is probably buried deep!)
@hylianjo, @sergeantneko, @aseaofstars9, @mochi-kitkat @zeldadiarist @aquaticpal @drsteggy @tigerwolfdemon21 @moonriseoverakkala @selmietheseal and anyone else who sees this and hasn't played yet 😁
