Huh, that's strange. That glitch happened like.. over three years ago, I think? I figured they'd fixed it at some point, but apparently it still shows 1970 after all this time. Nice, FF.net.

 

I define Hall of Fame as being a combo of the pioneers of certain genres, or just being the best of the best.

Santi's HP and the Boy Who Lived makes the cut since it's simply heads and shoulders above every other wrong BWL fic. Don't know if it was the first, but Unsung Hero was the first wrong-BWL story I ever read. Put me on a serious kick in that genre until it became the biggest disappointment in the fandom.

Wastelands by Joe also trumps every time-travel fic in my mind. Nightmares of Futures Past still has to be put in because it's the OG time-travel fic, and is still readable.

If a fic is just the best of the best of its genre, it belongs in my mind.

 

I think there's a combination of merit and influence that's at stake here. If we're judging by the same merits by which we judge works of professional literature, Power of Time is below average. Pacing and plotting is horrendous, even if the writing mechanics are decent IIRC. Nonetheless, it deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame if only for how many indy Harry fics it inspired, some of them actually quite good.

Similar things can be said for Methods of Rationality, which I do not think we can deny has been widely read as far as HP fanfics go and is probably immensely influential, despite the many, many, many problems with that fic.

 

I disagree with Wastelands. It is a good story, but it is not a good Harry Potter story. Harry is completely unrecognizable from his canon self and the setting is completely removed from the HP world. You can easily change the name of the characters and make it an original novel, which Joe infact arguably did for his first novel.

I would also argue something similar for Circular Reasoning, which does contain some Harry Potter elements in parts, but is virtually unrecognizable for many parts of it.

IMO the Hall of Fame of Harry Potter fanfics should contain fanfics that are about Harry Potter, either in characters or in setting, if not both. Not doing so will make the endeavor pointless.

 

I never liked that argument. They are HP stories. The difference between, oh I don't know, The Boy Who Lived and CR is how far and in which direction the author takes the AU-ness.

If you only wanted those "HP stories" you speak of on the list, it would begin and end with stuff like OTWTG - well written canon rehash.

Rayndeon, about MOR - certainly among the most well-known HP fanfics and arguably the most well-known outside of the fandom (not just HP fandom, fandom in general), but I'm not sure if it was that influential. The author wanted to build himself a strong following, which was accomplished, but I haven't heard of MOR kickstarting new trends in the fandom. There have been a few stories which tried to imitate it, one was even successful IIRC, but I would argue My Immortal has been more influential.

 

It is true that there is no clear line one side of which is "Harry Potter" and the other side is "Not-HarryPotter" and I acknowledge that the argument is entirely subjective. But both CR and Wastelands scream "Not-HarryPotter" to me in a way other AU stories don't. Their tone and feel are so completely divorced from canon that I feel more comfortable calling Alexandra Quick a Harry Potter story than calling CR and Wastelands HP stories.

Like I said, it is definitely subjective, but it is not as if we have any other rigid set of rules here. Might as well make it entirely subjective.

Nah. Off the top of my head, the only fanfics I would discount are Wastelands, CR and Miranda Flairgold's A Second Chance at Life. Maybe Ambient too. Boy Who Lived might be AU and Harry might be Harry-in-name-only, but the setting is an expansion of a canon element and the magic is distinctly HP magic, and the more I think about it, it is the scope and nature and feel of the magic and the magical world that seem to separate the "Harry Potter" stories from the "Not-HarryPotter" ones.

You can make your own arguments, but to me both Wastelands and ASCAL are most definitely in the "Not-HarryPotter" side of the line, and though I don't remember it as well, I am pretty sure CR is too.

 

Summer of Change introduced me to the Honks genre and it was very good at the time.

 

I'd have to throw my vote towards ThanFiction's DAYD. For many people, it seemed to define the seventh year at Hogwarts. The DAYDverse spawned a number of other stories, is actually printed in a paperback edition (author claims he's not making any money off it, just the printer cost), and still has an ongoing community dedicated to it 7 years later. It also pretty much set the bar for 7th year fics, DA fics, and defined Neville in fanon for a ton of readers.

 

I remember this. ffnet removed his story (I think someone reported it for some bogus reason?) and there was a huge protest at the time. When they put it back after a few days, its date had become 1970.

 

Personally I like everything by StarlightMassacre, Araceil, Kamerreon, ExcentrykeMuse and Lady Treason on ff.net...It's unfortunate that some of them aren't writting anymore. Some even deleted their fics, so I'm kinda sad about that.

 

Oh, My Immortal, definitely. After all, it is the only fic that is well known by people who have never read any other piece of fanfiction.

I've only been reading fanfics for a few years, but would Harry Crow qualify? I mean, it's a piece of shit, but it is certainly very popular.

 

We're trying to make a Hall of Fame, not Hall of Shame.

 

Yes, but My Immortal is still arguably the most well-known piece of fanfiction ever written (except for Fifty Shades of Grey.) That deserves at least an honourable mention, if not a place on the list.

 

There is one fiction that used to define DLP. I am pretty sure all older members still remember that fic altough it is rarely talked about.

I am talking about The Office ofcourse.

All of our never members should give it a read. It is a bit NSFW tough.

 

So the Sword Art Online of HP Fanfiction?

 

Clearly there needs to be separate list for Broomcloset of Infamy: those fics well-known throughout the fandom for their controversial, provocative or disturbing elements... or for simply being an embarrassment to fanfiction despite popularity and influence:

My Immortal

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH [30 H's]

Partially-Kissed Hero

HP and the Witch's Secret

HP and Meth-ods of Ratio-nality might qualify for both lists

 

Are cross overs eligible? I'd think a requirement would be they must primarily take place in the HP universe. If they are Shezza's Denarian Trilogy should be up there.

 

No White Knight, Grey Queen? Back in the day, this fic was well-liked and fairly influential.

 

Cassandra Claire's Draco Trilogy has got to be in there, for pioneering the unabashedly sexy/suave/smart Draco which took over fanon (not to mention being the first to use Draco-in-leather-pants).

Maybe some of Maya's works as well? Underwater Light is arguably one of the more influential Harry/Draco stories out there.

 

I've never heard of either of those. And pioneering Harry/Draco should probably get you in the hall of shame, not hall of fame.