That AO3 Hit Counts Meme
This surprised me a LOT.
1) Besieging Omelas (Dresden Files bookverse; Harry Dresden/John Constantine, Harry Dresden/John Marcone) (4751 hits)
When cynical wizard John Constantine is flung from his universe to Harry Dresden's in an attempt to prevent his interfering with Titania's plans, it's up to both of them to foil her and her allies in both universes, save an assortment of innocents from Hell and rescue a certain crime lord who's caught in the middle...while Harry deals with revelations about his family that he'd never even imagined.
Otherwise known as "that Dresden Files/ Hellblazer crossover from smallfandomfest that turned into a novel." An eighteen-chapter action-adventure/urban fantasy novel (the longest thing I've ever written) featuring demons, faerie queens, mafia bosses, kids being anything but adorable, and two magical trouble magnets. Until I checked the hit counts, I had no idea it was this popular.
2) The Most Dangerous Thing (Dresden Files bookverse; Harry Dresden/John Marcone) (2240 hits)
Falling in lust. Falling in love. Becoming aware of both, and deciding to come out to family and friends. Mix in a case involving supernatural politics, warlocks, conspiracies, faeries, Knights, gods and mortal enemies, and it's a typical day for Harry Dresden. Post-Turn Coat.
This was written for lgbtfest a couple of years ago, and dealt with Harry coming to terms with his bisexuality (and his embarrassment that everyone else seemed to have figured it out already) while dealing with a clever and manipulative enemy he hadn't suspected existed. I like the story, but I still hate the title. It's from a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said that the most dangerous thing was illusion.
3) The Alot, The Tuit, Mrs. Gradgrind, Sophie, and Me, Allie (Hyperbole and a Half; No pairings)(1620 hits)
Allie's mom, teacher and best friend all insist that Alots are not real animals. Allie's friend the Alot is determined to prove that "imaginary" doesn't mean "unreal."
This is one of three yuletide stories on the list. Based on Allie Brosh's website, Hyperbole and a Half, and particularly her post, "The Alot Is Better Than You At Everything, it was the one Hyperbole and a Half story that was requested for Yuletide. I couldn't bear for the request not to be filled, so I filled it. I didn't realize that there were so many fans of Hyperbole and a Half out there!
4) The Affairs of Wizards (Dresden Files bookverse; Harry Dresden/John Marcone)(1273 hits)
A desperate John Marcone has a case that only Harry Dresden can solve, and Harry can't, in good conscience, refuse. Set about a month after the conclusion of Small Favor.
Basically, this one is a road trip story in which Marcone and Harry end up traversing both the Nevernever and America in order to save a kidnapped and formerly comatose girl, battling fallen angels in psychotic human hosts...and realizing, over the course of the story, that not only are they starting to become friends, but they're also beginning to fall in love. I'm proud of this one because of a climatic battle on a volcano, of all places, and because of the sex scenes, which are VERY hard for me to write. (Besieging Omelas, by contrast has exactly two gay kisses; sex, while it can be inferred, never happens onscreen.)
5) A Dance In Iron Shoes (Fairy Tales and Related Fandoms; Snow White/Prince Charming, Sleeping Beauty/Prince Charming) (1123 hits)
The prince was supposed to save her one last time. There was no myth or legend that told of a princess who needed to save herself from the prince.
The second of the Yuletide 2010 hits, this is an extremely dark take on the legend of Snow White. The prince's interest in the body of a beautiful girl in a glass coffin and his command that the stepmother dance herself to death while wearing red-hot shoes of iron--and at a wedding, yet--always bothered me, even as a little girl. Here Snow, without any help from fairy godmothers, dwarves, huntsmen or talking animals, finds a way to save not only herself, but others as well.
6) Rosemary for Remembrance (Shakespeare - Hamlet; Claudius/Gertrude, Hamlet's Father/Gertrude) (934 hits)
Hamlet in space, starring sensible and heroic Ophelia, genderswapped Claudius, clones Rosencrantz and Guilderstern and alien Fortinbras.
Exactly what it says on the tin. The third of my Yuletide 2010 stories (and a Chromatic Yuletide story as well) to be a hit. Fundamentally, I just went nuts and had fun with this, turning it into a murder mystery on a starship. (And someone actually recced it on TV Tropes! I'm so proud. Fic reccer, whoever you are, thank you.)
7) Aqua et Ignis (Dresden Files TV-verse, Donald Morgan/Harry Dresden) (859 hits)
A demon that Harry, Bob and Morgan tricked is now back for revenge--and it intends to make them, the city of Chicago, all wizards, and the entire human race pay.
A pinch-hit for apocalyptothon last year. It was tricky in that it involved me writing a pairing that I don't happen to ship and trying to make the pairing not only plausible but, in view of the apocalypse, relevant.
8) A Family in Five Acts (Dresden Files bookverse; No pairings)(745 hits)
Over the years, Ivy acquires three fathers.
Written for smallfandomfest, this one is a story from the point of view of Ivy, a.k.a. the Archive, a girl who has been the living repository for all recorded knowledge--from cave paintings to the entire Internet--since her birth. Ultimately, I suppose, it's about what family is and how critical acceptance and love can be, especially for someone not normally seen as a person.
9) Hungry Ghosts (Dresden Files bookverse; Harry Dresden/ John Marcone) (720 hits)
It's Thanksgiving, and both Harry Dresden and John Marcone are being haunted--Marcone by a gaunt, starving specter, and Harry by a possible threat to Marcone.
Yet another smallfandomfest story. Despite the summary, this is the fluffiest story on the list. Another summary might be "Marcone tries to be nice. Harry is oblivious and jumps to conclusions." Written chiefly because of I was having issues with the holiday of Thanksgiving.
10) Love Like a Djelibeybian (Discworld; Ptraci/Shazneyfret)(620 hits)
Ptraci doesn't mind a political marriage for the sake of Djelibeybi's succession, but she doesn't understand why everyone seems to balk at the idea of the queen taking handmaidens to bed; after all, no one minded the *king* doing it, and she's doing the same job.
Also known as "my Discworld femslash story." Written for lgbtfest and set in the world of the Discworld standalone novel Pyramids, I'm proud of this one for two reasons--the footnotes (the HTML for those was NOT easy) and an OFC that readers found compatible with the world.
***
I'm not sure what conclusions to draw, except that people seem to like my novellas and novel a lot and that they REALLY like my Dresden Files and Yuletide fic.
1) Besieging Omelas (Dresden Files bookverse; Harry Dresden/John Constantine, Harry Dresden/John Marcone) (4751 hits)
When cynical wizard John Constantine is flung from his universe to Harry Dresden's in an attempt to prevent his interfering with Titania's plans, it's up to both of them to foil her and her allies in both universes, save an assortment of innocents from Hell and rescue a certain crime lord who's caught in the middle...while Harry deals with revelations about his family that he'd never even imagined.
Otherwise known as "that Dresden Files/ Hellblazer crossover from smallfandomfest that turned into a novel." An eighteen-chapter action-adventure/urban fantasy novel (the longest thing I've ever written) featuring demons, faerie queens, mafia bosses, kids being anything but adorable, and two magical trouble magnets. Until I checked the hit counts, I had no idea it was this popular.
2) The Most Dangerous Thing (Dresden Files bookverse; Harry Dresden/John Marcone) (2240 hits)
Falling in lust. Falling in love. Becoming aware of both, and deciding to come out to family and friends. Mix in a case involving supernatural politics, warlocks, conspiracies, faeries, Knights, gods and mortal enemies, and it's a typical day for Harry Dresden. Post-Turn Coat.
This was written for lgbtfest a couple of years ago, and dealt with Harry coming to terms with his bisexuality (and his embarrassment that everyone else seemed to have figured it out already) while dealing with a clever and manipulative enemy he hadn't suspected existed. I like the story, but I still hate the title. It's from a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said that the most dangerous thing was illusion.
3) The Alot, The Tuit, Mrs. Gradgrind, Sophie, and Me, Allie (Hyperbole and a Half; No pairings)(1620 hits)
Allie's mom, teacher and best friend all insist that Alots are not real animals. Allie's friend the Alot is determined to prove that "imaginary" doesn't mean "unreal."
This is one of three yuletide stories on the list. Based on Allie Brosh's website, Hyperbole and a Half, and particularly her post, "The Alot Is Better Than You At Everything, it was the one Hyperbole and a Half story that was requested for Yuletide. I couldn't bear for the request not to be filled, so I filled it. I didn't realize that there were so many fans of Hyperbole and a Half out there!
4) The Affairs of Wizards (Dresden Files bookverse; Harry Dresden/John Marcone)(1273 hits)
A desperate John Marcone has a case that only Harry Dresden can solve, and Harry can't, in good conscience, refuse. Set about a month after the conclusion of Small Favor.
Basically, this one is a road trip story in which Marcone and Harry end up traversing both the Nevernever and America in order to save a kidnapped and formerly comatose girl, battling fallen angels in psychotic human hosts...and realizing, over the course of the story, that not only are they starting to become friends, but they're also beginning to fall in love. I'm proud of this one because of a climatic battle on a volcano, of all places, and because of the sex scenes, which are VERY hard for me to write. (Besieging Omelas, by contrast has exactly two gay kisses; sex, while it can be inferred, never happens onscreen.)
5) A Dance In Iron Shoes (Fairy Tales and Related Fandoms; Snow White/Prince Charming, Sleeping Beauty/Prince Charming) (1123 hits)
The prince was supposed to save her one last time. There was no myth or legend that told of a princess who needed to save herself from the prince.
The second of the Yuletide 2010 hits, this is an extremely dark take on the legend of Snow White. The prince's interest in the body of a beautiful girl in a glass coffin and his command that the stepmother dance herself to death while wearing red-hot shoes of iron--and at a wedding, yet--always bothered me, even as a little girl. Here Snow, without any help from fairy godmothers, dwarves, huntsmen or talking animals, finds a way to save not only herself, but others as well.
6) Rosemary for Remembrance (Shakespeare - Hamlet; Claudius/Gertrude, Hamlet's Father/Gertrude) (934 hits)
Hamlet in space, starring sensible and heroic Ophelia, genderswapped Claudius, clones Rosencrantz and Guilderstern and alien Fortinbras.
Exactly what it says on the tin. The third of my Yuletide 2010 stories (and a Chromatic Yuletide story as well) to be a hit. Fundamentally, I just went nuts and had fun with this, turning it into a murder mystery on a starship. (And someone actually recced it on TV Tropes! I'm so proud. Fic reccer, whoever you are, thank you.)
7) Aqua et Ignis (Dresden Files TV-verse, Donald Morgan/Harry Dresden) (859 hits)
A demon that Harry, Bob and Morgan tricked is now back for revenge--and it intends to make them, the city of Chicago, all wizards, and the entire human race pay.
A pinch-hit for apocalyptothon last year. It was tricky in that it involved me writing a pairing that I don't happen to ship and trying to make the pairing not only plausible but, in view of the apocalypse, relevant.
8) A Family in Five Acts (Dresden Files bookverse; No pairings)(745 hits)
Over the years, Ivy acquires three fathers.
Written for smallfandomfest, this one is a story from the point of view of Ivy, a.k.a. the Archive, a girl who has been the living repository for all recorded knowledge--from cave paintings to the entire Internet--since her birth. Ultimately, I suppose, it's about what family is and how critical acceptance and love can be, especially for someone not normally seen as a person.
9) Hungry Ghosts (Dresden Files bookverse; Harry Dresden/ John Marcone) (720 hits)
It's Thanksgiving, and both Harry Dresden and John Marcone are being haunted--Marcone by a gaunt, starving specter, and Harry by a possible threat to Marcone.
Yet another smallfandomfest story. Despite the summary, this is the fluffiest story on the list. Another summary might be "Marcone tries to be nice. Harry is oblivious and jumps to conclusions." Written chiefly because of I was having issues with the holiday of Thanksgiving.
10) Love Like a Djelibeybian (Discworld; Ptraci/Shazneyfret)(620 hits)
Ptraci doesn't mind a political marriage for the sake of Djelibeybi's succession, but she doesn't understand why everyone seems to balk at the idea of the queen taking handmaidens to bed; after all, no one minded the *king* doing it, and she's doing the same job.
Also known as "my Discworld femslash story." Written for lgbtfest and set in the world of the Discworld standalone novel Pyramids, I'm proud of this one for two reasons--the footnotes (the HTML for those was NOT easy) and an OFC that readers found compatible with the world.
***
I'm not sure what conclusions to draw, except that people seem to like my novellas and novel a lot and that they REALLY like my Dresden Files and Yuletide fic.