torachan | Entries tagged with memes

I saw several posts on my flist over the past few days, reminding me that it's that time of year again when we revist the hit count meme. I really like the idea of this becoming a yearly thing and seeing what changes there are. On the one hand, it might be more interesting if I actually wrote more fic these days, but on the other hand, since I'm not writing a ton of new fic and having the list each year just be my most recent fics in big fandoms, instead I get to compare how the same fics do from year to year. (And I think it's especially interesting to do it on AO3 as opposed to any other site, because AO3 is still growing. In fact, I wish I'd thought to do something like this for more than just the past two years.)

Anyway, on to the list!

For comparison, here are the previous years:

( 2011 )

( 2012 )

And this year's:

( 2013 )

( blather )

I did take a look at the top twenty last year, so I'd like to compare those as well.

( 2012 )

( 2013 )

( blather )

I think I'd like to take a look at kudos, too, but maybe will save that for another day...

It seems there's a meme going around where you talk about your past Yuletide stories and how could I resist that? It really makes me sad that I was unable to write even a treat last year, because it's the first time since 2004 that I didn't participate in some way, but hopefully I will manage something this year.

( 15 stories in 7 years )

And then last year I didn't participate in the exchange and while I thought about writing treats, it just never happened.

Stats-wise, I've written 7 m/m stories, 3 f/f, 2 m/f, 1 m/m/f, and 1 gen, which is a pretty similar distribution compared to my non-Yuletide output (though non-Yuletide probably has a higher percentage of m/m). And I've never written in the same fandom twice. Not only that, but it was always my first time writing in a fandom, too, even if I've since gone on to write more in that fandom (which I think is only Leverage and Yotsuba&! Oh, and Nana).

ETA: I didn't even notice this until I posted, but apparently during the time I was doing this meme (I started yesterday and finished today), AO3 changed the way they code the "share" function, so the first ones have the little AO3 icon and the rest don't. I wonder why they took that out.

Bold the ones you have and use at least once a year, italicize the ones you have and don't use, strike through the ones you have had but got rid of.

I wonder how many pasta machines, breadmakers, juicers, ~~blenders~~, ~~deep fat fryers~~, egg boilers, ~~melon ballers~~, ~~sandwich makers~~, pastry brushes, cheese knives, electric woks, miniature salad spinners, griddle pans, jam funnels, meat thermometers, filleting knives, ~~egg poachers~~, ~~cake stands~~, garlic presses, margarita glasses, tea strainers, bamboo steamers, ~~pizza stones~~, coffee grinders, milk frothers, ~~piping bags~~, banana stands, fluted pastry wheels, tagine dishes, conical strainers, ~~rice cookers~~, steam cookers, pressure cookers, ~~slow cookers~~, spaetzle makers, ~~cookie presses~~, gravy strainers, double boilers (bains marie), sukiyaki stoves, ~~food processors~~, ice cream makers, takoyaki makers, fondue sets, and mandolines languish dustily at the back of the nation's cupboards.

I'm counting both stuff I have had as an adult and that was in the kitchen when I was growing up, since it's the same kitchen and hard to differentiate. At one point there was a melon baller in the drawer and a poached egg pan in the cupboard, for example, but I don't remember when we got rid of them (I can't remember ever using either as an adult).

Some of the stuff that's listed as gotten rid of actually broke and I wouldn't mind having again (crockpot and blender for sure). I am pretty sure we had a pizza stone at one time and it cracked... (

seishun?)

I've thought about getting a rice maker again, but I don't really need another contraption out on the counter and I've never had any trouble making it in a pot.

I'm pretty impressed that there's not more in the "have but never use" category. The ice cream maker...it might even out to once a year overall, but there have been years it never got used at all. (One of the biggest problems with it is that it takes up so much space in the freezer. The other problem is that I'm usually too lazy to make ice cream.) All the decluttering of recent years got rid of a lot of stuff that was never used.

Haven't done one of these things in ages. I decided to do this one because for once it doesn't assume you're in high school. XD

( Sixty some questions about your house )

Ooh, apparently people are doing that AO3 hit count meme again and it's been just a year since the first time it went around, so that means comparing stats! This year has seen such a huge increase in AO3 traffic in general so it's been really interesting seeing people's lists, and I was really curious to see what changes there were for my own fics.

Here's last year's:

( 2011 )

And here's this year's:

( 2012 )

Since I only wrote six fics since I did this meme last year, it's hardly surprising that most of the top ten are the same this year as last. But the two new ones are in spots three and four, which says a lot about the increase in traffic. They weren't posted for any special fest or anything (the top two fics were Yuletide and Remix, respectively, both large fests hosted on AO3), so they didn't get a bump from that. Though they did get more hits due to the fact that around this time last year I stopped posting fic to DW/LJ and now only post headers with links to AO3, so all the people who would otherwise have read on my journal or in comms are now reading on AO3.

Oh wait, The Best Day ever is new, too? Wow, that is surprising, because I thought it had been fairly popular last year, too. It's surprising to me how popular that fic turned out to be, so I'm definitely not surprised to see it in the list.

It's interesting to see the changes in order, though. Most fics are chugging along, consistently getting more hits, but then there's stuff like Sleeping Underneath Your Skin, which more than doubled its hits and jumped from 7th to 5th. And even though What Makes a Man also almost doubled its hits, it dropped from 4th to 8th.

In fact, my most recent fic, which is not only not in the top ten, but not even the top twenty, would have been nearly tied for 6th on last year's list (it's at 419 compared to 420).

And speaking of the top twenty, I kind of want to analyse those, too, so...

( Click for list! )

Now here there is a lot more movement! My New Achilles Heel shot up out of nowhere to take the 11th spot. This is a drabble that got almost no attention when it was posted (both here and on AO3), but was remixed last year, which led to a lot of people clicking through to the original.

I'm not surprised to see Not Keeping Track there. Although it wasn't written for Yuletide, I think it received a Yuletide bump due to people clicking on the Scott Pilgrim tag after exhausting the Yuletide Scott Pilgrim fics. And it's one I get kudos on pretty consistently (also favorites on ff.n).

I see some older SGA and Harry Potter fics that people may have discovered or rediscovered on AO3. This is stuff that for a long time got no traffic at AO3 because any recs or delicious saves were pointing towards the original posts on LJ, but now we're seeing people who are just browsing AO3 in general, so there is traffic on these old fics that had been just sitting there unnoticed for a couple years since I posted them there.

Halfway from Coal, Halfway to Diamond is one that made the list last year because it was a Yuletide fic that was first posted to AO3. It's obviously continued to get hits, but not that many, and in time will get pushed further and further back due to being such a minor fandom.

Okay, I will stop now before I am tempted to do the top thirty for forty or more. XD It's just so interesting to see what people are reading! (Or at least clicking on!) For example, I didn't expect to see a handful of my ancient Vampire Chronicles fics in the top forty, but there they are! In fact, in general my VC fics are way higher than I expected them to be. A lot of VC fic has been lost over the years, so I think people are really happy to find what they can. (I didn't look that far back, but I assume the bottom forty or so is almost all Jude/Ewan stuff, because yeah, no fandom. And yet I wrote so much of it! Hahaha...)

This is another batch of questions where I didn't make a note of who they were from. DDD: I thiiiiink it might be

littlebutfierce? But maybe not!

( Questions about books and recipes and other stuff! )

Whew, the last day of this meme! It's been fun in some ways, but really difficult to find things to take pictures of, since I don't really go a lot of different places or do a lot of exciting things. -_-

( Photos! )

( Pics! )

( Photos! )

Speaking of memes I've been sitting on for months, here's some questions from one of those "comment and I'll ask you questions" memes that goes around. (Feel free to comment if you want questions, by the way.)

I actually don't remember who these questions are from because I c&ped the questions but didn't make note of the name and it was so long ago. DDD: (I always want people to ask me questions and then I get them and am stumped! But I keep asking! Doh!) I'm sorry! (Please tell me who you are if you recognise your questions!) ETA: They are from

troisroyaumes!

( 7 questions about candy, translation, writing, and more! )

( Photos! )

Man, do you remember like a couple months ago there was this meme going around where you list all the fics you've written with titles taken from lyrics? I was really excited about it, because I'd actually been keeping a list like that for years! But I didn't just want to post a list; I wanted to link each fic and also the songs, so yeah. That's a lot of work when it's seventy-some fics. >_<

Almost all of the song links go to mp3s on my site, which I will probably eventually delete at some point in the future, but I'll leave them up for a while. A few songs just go to youtube links because they are not ones I actually have (based on prompts or whatever), but usually I choose lyrics to use from songs I like, so of course I have the songs on my hard drive.

As for the fic links, most go to AO3, except for a couple that are on the list but were never finished or are old and need extensive editing before seeing the light of day on AO3, so those go to wherever they are currently hosted.

I would love to talk about each song choice individually, and that is why I had originally started the list, but I can't. I had this list for years and never posted it because even when it wasn't this huge, it was still overwhelming. If you want to ask me why I chose a particular title or anything like that, I'm happy to talk more in comments, though!

In general when I choose lyrics for titles, I don't choose them based on the feeling of the song or anything like that. I want them to be understandable just as they are (though in many cases the connection is only clear once you read the fic). Often the lyrics are taken completely out of context and the rest of the song has nothing to do with anything (the majority are like this). A couple (like the most recent fic I posted) are just chosen because they're pretty-sounding, but those are the exceptions.

Speaking of exceptions, damn, I used to write a lot more fics that didn't use lyrics for titles! Well, I used to write a lot more fics in general. XD But my non-lyrics titles were mostly sucky (or blah one-word titles that everyone has used a million times), so in general I'm happier with the lyrics ones.

Also I tend to stick to certain bands, not so much because I prefer their lyrics over other people's, but because I know they have lyrics I often like, whereas unless I write down a turn of phrase that catches my ear, my mind will go totally blank when trying to remember what other artists have good lyrics when it comes time to pick a title. (So I'm trying to remember to write things down more so that I have a good list to choose from.) Oh, and some songs are reused multiple times because they have lots of bits I like. ^_^;;

Anyway, on to the list!

( This is a lot of links omg )

So I'm trying out this photo meme! Hopefully I will remember to actually take pictures of stuff? (Hopefully there will actually be stuff to take pictures of? The reason I don't post a lot of pics or do these sorts of memes is that my life is super boring and I wear the same thing a lot, go the same places, do the same stuff, etc. so there's not a lot of variety...)

Anyway! I have been using instagram for photos, because the retro filters work nicely to cover up how crap my camera is (with instagram, the photos look artfully crap!), and instagram has options to autopost to various sites when you take photos, so I have been posting to twitter and tumblr as I go, but I will also be doing end-of-the-day compilation posts here on my journal (probably with more commentary than the other ones, since it's a pain to type much on my ipod).

( Sunday! )

1. It's getting close to sundown over the Sierra/Stranded on the heatwave burning with desire
Joy Ride/The Killers

2. I got my first real six-string/Bought it at the five-and-dime
Summer of '69/Bryan Adams

3. Day after day/I will walk, and I will play
Add It Up/Violent Femmes

4. Don't let your eyes tell the brain/You should feel ashamed
Sin Sin Sin/Robbie Williams

5. I guess this time you're really leaving/I heard your suitcase say goodbye
I'll Be There for You/Bon Jovi

6. One track mind like a gold fish/Stuck inside my petri dish
Numb/Marina and the Diamonds

7. Woke up to the sound of pouring rain/The wind would whisper and I'd think of you
I Remember You/Skid Row

8. There he goes/My baby walks so slow
Fever/Adam Lambert

9. Tidal waves don't beg forgiveness/Crashed and on their way
Man of the Hour/Pearl Jam

10. In the middle of the night/I go walking in my sleep
The River of Dreams/Billy Joel

11. Ya better come inside when you're ready to/But no chance if ya don't wanna dance
Armageddon It/Def Leppard

12. In home theaters/Still projecting
Twin Cinema/The New Pornographers

13. You think that we connect/That the chemistry's correct
Spiderwebs/No Doubt

14. I need someone to take some joy in something I do/You need a man who's either rich or losing a screw
I'm Waking Up to Us/Belle & Sebastian

15. I am still living with your ghost/Lonely and dreaming of the west coast
Santa Monica/Everclear

16. It's not enough to hear me say you've won/You only wanted me for having fun
Goodnight, Goodnight/Hot Hot Heat

17. I hope you're ready for a firefight/'Cause the devil's got your number tonight
Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back/My Chemical Romance

18. Blue morning, blue morning/Wrapped in strands of fist and bone
A Murder of One/Counting Crows

19. They say it fades if you let it/Love was made to forget it
Crown of Love/The Arcade Fire

20. Another constellation dies/Do what you want 'cause it's your own sky
Land of a Thousand Words/Scissor Sisters

The person with the most correct guesses (7) was

amadi, with

snacky,

theninth, and

dirtyzucchini in second place with six guesses each.

By far the most-guessed was Summer of '69, which 21 out of 24 people knew. In general most people guessed the same handful of songs, and five songs (Numb, Twin Cinema, I'm Waking Up to Us, Goodnight Goodnight, and Land of a Thousand Words) weren't guessed at all.

That was fun! :D

First lines of the first twenty songs that came up on shuffle (excluding songs whose title was in the first line and songs by artists who had already shown up once before, since I wanted as much of a variety as possible). Who can guess the most?

1. It's getting close to sundown over the Sierra/Stranded on the heatwave burning with desire

2. I got my first real six-string/Bought it at the five-and-dime

3. Day after day/I will walk, and I will play

4. Don't let your eyes tell the brain/You should feel ashamed

5. I guess this time you're really leaving/I heard your suitcase say goodbye

6. One track mind like a gold fish/Stuck inside my petri dish

7. Woke up to the sound of pouring rain/The wind would whisper and I'd think of you

8. There he goes/My baby walks so slow

9. Tidal waves don't beg forgiveness/Crashed and on their way

10. In the middle of the night/I go walking in my sleep

11. Ya better come inside when you're ready to/But no chance if ya don't wanna dance

12. In home theaters/Still projecting

13. You think that we connect/That the chemistry's correct

14. I need someone to take some joy in something I do/You need a man who's either rich or losing a screw

15. I am still living with your ghost/Lonely and dreaming of the west coast

16. It's not enough to hear me say you've won/You only wanted me for having fun

17. I hope you're ready for a firefight/'Cause the devil's got your number tonight

18. Blue morning, blue morning/Wrapped in strands of fist and bone

19. They say it fades if you let it/Love was made to forget it

20. Another constellation dies/Do what you want 'cause it's your own sky

ETA: Answers (and download links) posted here.

Day 14

In your own space, ask for help. Need a beta? Always wanted to learn how to make a vid? a fanmix? icons? Maybe you’d want to have someone cheering for you while you work on an upcoming big bang or fannish bingo? Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

At first I wasn't sure I could do this one, because I couldn't think of anything I needed help with, but then I realised there are a couple. :D

1. I am kind of a control freak and would prefer to do ALL the things myself, but I have come to the point where I just really need someone or someones to help me out with the transfic master list. People are writing a lot of transfic! And because of the whole delicious situation, I didn't add anything new to the list for months, so now I'm super behind. I'm afraid to even look at the trans-related tags on AO3. >_< Anyway, so if anyone is up for helping me add stuff to pinboard, just let me know. It does take time, because not everything tagged as trans belongs on the list, and since I have tags for ftm and mtf and such, sometimes you have to read or skim the fics to see how they should be tagged, etc.

2. I am kind of interested in recording fic. Maybe. I suck majorly at reading out loud, so that is the main thing that has kept me from trying it. But maybe if I practice enough and am able to edit it. So, basically, what editing programs do podfic people on my flist recommend for someone who is 1. using Windows 7, and 2. has never used any sort of software like this before. Also, I don't have a microphone, so maybe this is not even possible in the first place. I was thinking of using the voice memo feature on my ipod. Is that a doable thing?

Day 15

In your own space, share a favorite memory about fandom: the first time you got into fandom, the last time a fanwork touched your heart, wild times with fellow fans (whether on-line or off-line), a lovely comment you’ve received or have left for someone. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Wow, what to choose? I have a lot of fandom nostalgia! But I don't really have any specific memories I want to share, just ~feelings~ about what I consider the major periods of my fannish life.

1. My old Digmon messageboard. I love that 10+ years later I still get emails and comments from people who stumble upon me somewhere and want to tell me how much Megchan's Digimon Sekai meant to them. It meant a lot to me, too!

2. The old Vampire Chronicles messageboards. I got into VC fandom late, when Anne Rice had already tried to shut it down, and the tattered remains of the fandom were mostly underground. If I hadn't found the one last public messageboard when I did, I never would have made all the wonderful friends I made, because soon after I found it, it was shut down and all the fic and chat was taken to locked/hidden boards. I have never felt quite the same way about another fandom as I did with VC.

3. I know there are a lot of Fandom Wank-haters, but for me it was a gateway to the wider world of fandom. My first two fandoms (Digimon and Vampire Chronicles) were very isolated. It was when I started interacting with folks on LJ and reading FW that I met so many awesome people, many of whom are still on my flist to this day. I haven't hung out on FW in years and years, because it was never the same after Crystalwank, but those early days on LJ, Blurty, and JF are some of my happiest fannish memories.

4. The Establishment! Hollyweirdos! So much wank, guys. So much wank. But also so much fun. And without the wank, I don't think I would have become as close to the people I consider my closest fannish friends, so you know. There's that. :)

5. Dreamwidth! I consider Dreamwidth my fandom these days. I'm not really specifically into any particular fandoms, but I am into the people here, and the community here. It feels homey in a way LJ never did, even when I was a hardcore fan of LJ and loved it a lot.

And one more thing, since I just noticed the prompt talks about comments you received. I just got an awesome one yesterday. So many people in LJ/DW fandom hate on Fanfiction.net and are dismissive of it as having any redeeming qualities whatsoever. How often have I heard people say anyone who posts there must be a crap author? How many times I have heard people say that you only get crap comments there?

Now, there are lots of things I dislike about the site. I can't post all my fic there due to various restrictions on content, and their uploader sucks so much, but I am happy that I crosspost there. I get a steady stream of favoritings and, less often, comments (just as with AO3 I get more kudos than comments), and just like every other place I've posted fic, the quality of the comments varies. Some comments make me headdesk, but then some are really awesome.

I mentioned in day one of the challenge that I was surprised by the response my Big Bang Theory fic, The Best Day Ever, has gotten, and it has been one of my most popular fics not just on AO3, but also on FFN. The comment I got yesterday said in part, "I don't think I'll ever watch the show again without thinking of this", which is just, wow. I love feedback like that so much. ♥

Skipping Day 12, because I don't think I've ever been in a fandom enough to know "stories that define and shape the fandom". The whole idea of trying to get someone into a fandom through fanworks seems to imply a much deeper immersion in fandom than I have ever had. The possible exception would be Vampire Chronicles, but even then, I came into it late and so wasn't there for the height of the fandom, and most stuff is gone now anyway.

Day 13

In your own space, share a favorite piece of original canon (a TV episode, a song, a favourite interview, a book) and explain why you love it so much. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Digimon will always have a special place in my heart as my first fandom, and one of the things I loved most about it was the music. This show had a ton of awesome songs.

The opening themes to the original four series are not just some of my favorite anime songs, but some of my favorite songs, period. They're all by the same guy, Wada Kouji, who did a ton of songs for Digimon. Butter-fly, especially, is one of those songs that just hits me with a wave of nostalgia whenever I hear it.

Butter-fly
Target~Akai Shougeki~
The Biggest Dreamer
Fire!!

There were also a ton of great character songs (especially for Adventure and 02, the quality was really high).

Atarashii Taiyou
Negai Kanaeru Kagi
Super Girl
Version Up

Another artist who did a ton of Digimon songs was AiM aka Maeda Ai, who played Mimi in Digimon Adventure (Super Girl is by her, too). Most of the ending themes were by her.

Ashita wa Atashi no Kaze ga Fuku
Keep On
My Tomorrow

And the evolution songs!

Brave Heart
Beat Hit!
One Vision
Slash!!

And then there's just random insert songs and couplings that I love.

On the Hill
Seven

So much good music! *_*

Ugh, skipping Day 9, because despite having some ideas based on the prompts people left me, I haven't had time to sit down and write anything. >_<

Day 10

In your own space, talk about a creator. Show us why you think they are amazing. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I'm going to have to go with

busaikko. She has written a ton of stories and not all of them interest me, but the ones that do tend to be some of my all-time favorite fics out there.

Some reasons why I love her stuff:

1. She writes awesome kids! I avoid kidfic not because I necessarily don't like stories involving kids, but because so many authors write children as if they have never come across one in real life.

busaikko's kids always feel real. Not too cutesy and precious, not too perfect, not super geniuses, just normal kids. Whether she's writing about the kids of canon characters or the canon characters as kids, I always know I'm going to love how she writes them.

2. She does awesome dark stuff. I like my dark to be subtle, not over-the-top, and she always hits the spot for me.

3. She writes amazing stories about trans characters. There are quite a lot of trans fics out there now, and the majority, like the majority of fics in general, are just not very good.

busaikko's fics feel real, not like a collection of internet facts about trans people cobbled together in story form.

4. She likes her angst the way I like my angst. I love angst, but I like it to be more of an everyday sort of angst, not a big melodramatic wallow.

5. She always adds in all sorts of awesome little details that just make things feel more grounded and real.

And she's just a really, really good writer! So now here are some of my favorite fics, and believe me, it was really, really difficult to narrow it down to just these ten.

I didn't do any individual comments on these recs, because it's late and I tried but have nothing to say other than "this was awesome!" and that doesn't really give you any more info, but I hope you'll check some or all of them out!

( Cut because I used the AO3 rec formatting, which takes up a ton of space )

Day 11

In your own space, ask for recs. Something as simple as "I like XYZ (where XYZ is a kink, a pairing, a trope, etc) - please rec me some." Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Um, well. I asked for recs on a previous snowflake day and didn't get any, so it's kind of embarrassing to ask again. >_< But if you know of any interesting fics you think I'd like, please let me know! Self-recs are always okay, too!

shut up and let me see your jazz hands

AO3 Hit Count Meme Round 3

Yuletide meme

Kitchen meme

A meme!

AO3 Hit Count Meme Revisted

Question meme 2 (electric boogaloo)

Week in the Life: Saturday

Week in the Life: Friday

Week in the Life: Thursday

Week in the Life: Wednesday

Question meme

Week in the Life: Tuesday

Week in the Life: Monday

Fic titles meme

Week in the Life: Sunday

Lyrics meme reveals!

Lyrics meme

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Days 14 & 15

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 13

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Days 10 & 11

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