Fandom Classic
You may be looking for the glossary term Classic, which is a jargon for a specific genre of fanwork that is canon compliant or ignores certain episodes or seasons.
A fandom classic is a fanwork that is more or less recognized as "must-read" or "must view" by fans within the same fandom.
Online fandoms develop so quickly that a fanwork can be labeled "classic" within months.
How Are Classics Defined?
Number of recs?
Number of times it shows up in fannish discussions?
Award winners?
The popularity of the fanwork's creator?
The pairing or subject matter?
The fanwork's length?
The fanwork's genre?
Do fans talk about it because the fanworks because of its general excellence or because it rocked some fannish boats?
Fanworks that are consistently mentioned by mainstream media sources?
Some Examples of Fandom Classics
Fiction
Captain America
due South
Hanson
- Catapult by Ella
- Devil Angel by Aspen
- Lived by Amanda Dupuis
- Tulsa 74132 by Sarah, Laurie and Melissa
- Zac Says Tay Still Wets The Bed by Nick
Harry Potter
- The Paradigm of Uncertainty by Madlori
- The Draco Trilogy by Cassandra Claire
- The Shoebox Project by Lady Jaida and Rave
- Stealing Harry by Sam Starbuck
- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
- Fallout: Equestria by Kkat
The Professionals
Sherlock Holmes
Stargate Atlantis
Star Trek
- Full Circle by Killa
- Courts of Honor by Syn Ferguson
- This Deadly Innocence, Or The End of the Hurt/Comfort Syndrome by Leslie Fish
Starsky & Hutch
Supernatural
- Twist and Shout by gabriel and standbyme
Transformers
- Nine Rings of Vos by sanjuno
The Walking Dead
X-Files
- Classics (or, Your Fanfic Education is Not Complete Until You've Read ...) - a list of "must-read" X-Files stories posted at X-Files Lost & Found
- Oklahoma, by Amperage and Livengoo
- Iolokus Series by RivkaT and MustangSally
- Ghosts by torch
Yuri on Ice
Art
- art by Suzan Lovett for the zine Master of the Revels (The Professionals)
Vids
- Closer by Killa and TJonesy (Star Trek: TOS)
- The Rose by Kendra Hunter and Diana Barbour (Starsky & Hutch)
- Us by Lim (multi-fandom, meta)
Podfics
Meta Essays
- How Fanfiction Makes Us Poor by cupidsbow (multi-fandom)
- Another Addict Raves About K/S by Joanna Russ (Star Trek: TOS)
- Open Letter to Star Wars Fans by the Duncans by Tracy Duncan & Nancy Duncan (Star Wars)
- The good old days before google were dark and involved horses by seperis (multi-fandom)
Meta and Further Reading
- What Makes a "Fandom Classic"?, Paper Droids, Published October 16, 2014. (Article discussing what defines a "fandom classic", with some examples of fandom classics from major fandoms including Sherlock, Star Trek and Supernatural).
