I feel like the stories I choose would be different depending on whether its:
-the most widely read story within the fandom
-the most widely read story both within/without the fandom
-the most widely recced story within the fandom to others in the fandom
-the most widely recced story recced to try to get new ppl into the fandom
-the most widely recced story recced as a "you don't have to know the fandom" thing
-the story ~I~ would choose to rec to ppl who don't know the fandom, if I want to get them into it
-the story I'd choose to rec to ppl who don't know the fandom, if I just wanted them to read that one story
-the story I'd choose as my favorite within the fandom for "it's the best story" or w/e
-the story I'd choose as my favorite for emotional attachment/etc. (though I may not think it's the "best")

It is also possible
I overanalyze things. XD