Fandom Classic

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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.
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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?

There is no one metric by which a fanwork can be defined as a "classic". However, a multitude of factors can contribute to a work being given that label. They include:

  • The number of recs a work receives.
  • The number of times the work comes up in fannish discussions.
  • Fanwork awards.
  • The popularity of the fanwork's creator. BNFs and creators with a preexisting reputation for producing well-liked works will receive more attention than other fans.
  • The pairing or subject matter of the work; for example, a work featuring a fandom's juggernaut pairing will typically receive more attention than other works.
  • The fanwork's length. Fanworks that are exceptionally long may receive attention based solely on their impressive length.
  • The fanwork's genre.
  • Mentions from mainstream or otherwise non-fannish media sources.

Note that not all fannish attention comes from a place of praise. Shockfic and badfic can become incredibly well-known within a fandom without necessarily earning the label of "classic", as can works that otherwise rock some fannish boats. On the flip side, works labelled as "classics" can be subject to more critical scrutiny than they would have received if they remained obscure.

Some Examples of Fandom Classics

Fiction

All for the Game

Blake's 7

Captain America

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

due South

Haikyuu

Hanson

Harry Potter

Les Misérables

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

One Direction

The Professionals

Sherlock Holmes

Stargate Atlantis

Star Trek

Starsky & Hutch

Supernatural

Team Fortress 2

Total Drama

Transformers

The Walking Dead

X-Files

X-Men

Yuri on Ice

Art

Vids

Podfics

Written by the Victors (podfic) – organised and edited by lim; narrated by zoetrope and 35 others

Meta Essays

Meta and Further Reading