Famous Fanfiction

[brightknightie]

From a conversation with pj1228: What do you think is the most famous fanfiction story in FK, or is that not an applicable idea at all?  In this case, the "most famous story" would be that which is most widely known for positive reasons.  (The most infamous story would be the most widely known for negative reasons; let's not go there.)  For example, if we could ask everyone in the fandom to list, off the top of their heads, ten stories no newbie should miss (regardless of faction), the one mentioned most often could presumably be considered the most famous.

I suggested "False Heart" (PG) by Susan and "Physical Therapy" (NC-17) by Ophelia as the leading candidates for fame.  However, PJ was unacquainted with either of them, which blew my mind and perhaps also torpedoed my contention.

Of course "best" and "favorite" are each in their own ways much more important and worthwhile than merely "famous."  (Please share your recommendations at any time!)  But knowing what we share in common is also of interest.

Comments

[havocthecat]

I think the thing about FK is that you have the people from the days when FORKNI-L and FKFIC-L were super big, and you have the people from the LJ days, and their ideas of the "universal" fics are probably very different.

[brightknightie]

Yes, each generation of fans would have different familiarities, as would, these days, each faction. I thought that some stories might have persisted in being recommended to newbies, as they were to me, and so stayed a common currency...

A few weeks ago, I read someone say that it was too bad that the old common FK archives weren't organized such that she could find her favorite pairings automatically; instead, of course, they are organized the old way, by author, and at most tagged by story type. As a newbie being introduced to fanfiction back when, I learned to seek out stories by author, not pairing, and I keep thinking that this seems to be a marked change in approach to fanfiction by fan generation. I'm not saying it's bad, just different and attention-catching.

[greerwatson.livejournal.com]

Of course, you could always point her to JADFE. The stories there are organized by pairing.

[brightknightie]

I admit that I was fibbing when I said that privileging pairing over quality isn't bad. I believe that quality is most important and should be the highest priority. I also prefer gen to romance. But I know that I am severely outvoted on both those scores and I do not wish to antagonize anyone.

I do not know the present location of the JADFE archive and do not feel any lack for that. I wish them every success and happiness, but they're just not my genre.

[greerwatson.livejournal.com]

I prefer gen myself, as you know. However, the Forever Knight Wiki doesn't play favourites; so I need to know these things. (JADFE moved a few years ago to www.foreverknight.org, by the way.)