Short answer: A collection of reviews of high quality Adult fan fiction. In other words, the stories I link to are, for the most part, NC-17. And by following the links you are stating that a)you're of age in your jurisdiction to read them and b)you want to read them, even if(or because :) they include explicit sex, violence and other objectionable topics.
Longer answer: I looked around the web and noticed that there weren't any regularly updated sites that recommended quality fanfic in the fandoms I read. So I decided to create my own.
Yes, I understand the set up of this page is horribly simplistic. I'm writing the HTML myself and making it pretty as time allows. But, if I succeed here, you won't be coming for the pretty interface, you'll be coming for the weekly recommendations of great Roswell, Buffy, and Dawsons Creek fic. I intend to recommend one new story a week, with a short review. New Recommendations will go up every Wednesday. Inspiration for this page came from Sparky's Doghouse, a marvelous X-Files Fic Recommendation site.
To avoid running out of space, I'm not storing any files here. And, at this point I'm not linking directly to the stories, either. I'll be linking to the pages that host the stories.
As the site progresses, I'll make the links easier, and perhaps link directly to the stories, but this is still in the planning stages. I haven't gotten permission from any of the sites to link directly to the stories, and till then, will not.
It's a subjective opinion of the writing quality. If you've read Fan Fiction for any length of time, you know what the Twinge is. It's that error or awkwardness that reminds you, time and again, that this is not a piece of commercial fiction. It may be as glaring as spelling or grammar errors. It may be subtler problems with word choice or a lack of variation in sentence structure. It may even be a general problem with story structure or flow, charactarization. Regardless, it reminds you that yes, this is Fan Fiction you're reading.
If you're any sort of a Fan Fiction reader, you've learned to tune them out, or ignore them for the sake of an interesting story. I do it too, but I do want to give certain stories their due. Occasionally you'll find one that simply flows, from its grab-you-by-the-throat introduction through its satisfying ending. Those stories, the ones you could completely see in commercial fiction get five *. The ***** rating will be rare. The scale goes down to one *, which generally means it's on par with your average, decent, typical, readable fan fiction. Keep in mind that if the story is on the site it is good, and readable, so one * doesn't mean it's bad.
I know the twinge rating might tick a few people off, but the fact is, there is a wide range of quality in Fan Fiction. Those stories with truly superb, original writing deserve to be high lighted. But writing quality isn't the only thing that will get stories nominated. Truly original, funny, sexy, mind boggling or heartbreaking stories are what I'm looking for. The type you print out and save. The type you re-read. The type with lines you're willing to quote in your sig file.
If you think you know of a story like that in Roswell, Buffy, or Dawson's Creek Fandoms, click on the Recommend link. Yes, you can recommend your own stuff. :). And yes, the ratings are subjective. But if you didn't like one of the stories I recommended, don't just flame me, e-mail me and tell me why you didn't like it. Well written rebuttals (not flames) with thoughtful critiques will be appended to the reviews as time allows.
----Ellen Greenleaf March 24, 2000
----email me at Criticalmassblue@hotmail.com
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