I'm noticing a trend. · 1:48pm Feb 28th, 2017
And this isn't bragging so much as a quest for understanding.
The last few short fics I've written have been hitting the popular stories sidebar rather quickly, which I can't figure out the math involved...and today I woke up with the most alerts to story favorites that I have ever seen for one night.
*puts on glasses* let me go SciTwi for a moment...and allow me to see more clearly. 
Canterlot Holiday is not even twelve hours old and only 177 views but it's up there. I'm going to give On Valentine's Day a pass because it's a pure shipping fic, despite some of the flack it received.
The Wooing of Sunset Shimmer actually made the featured header and for that I'm grateful for all of you folk reading and hope that the current saga doesn't disappoint.
But how exactly is this stuff calculated? I am so confused. I'm not spectacular that good a writer, I don't think...
Who knows? The Shadow knows....
Views and upvotes generate "heat". Upvotes seem to count for more heat than just views. Get enough in a short time frame and you bump into the popular stories list. Build even more heat and you get pushed onto the featured box. A lot of it seems to be luck/good timing unless you have a good number of followers.
4438964 Ah, so that's how it works. I've been wondering that myself.
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Tbh, I only know because of the FimFiction Discord
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But knowing is half the battle.
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*singing* G. I. Jooooooe!
*ducks and runs*