Desert Island fic recs
This whole kit and caboodle started with the Desert Island Fic thread at House’s House of Whining. I'm not sure whether I want to post a rec list at the forum - fandom politics being what they are - but the idea of collecting the eight best House stories I've ever read, for my own pleasure and edification, appeals to me.
Why waste a good opportunity to waste time...I seem to have ended up with a rec list instead, but the original intention is still here...to make a list of my favourite stories in the House fandom at some point...when I get around to it...if I get around to it. Until then, I'm more interested in figuring out what the secret ingredient is. What makes a story good?
I have ended up with a system consisting of nine categories (yes, nine - more on that later) that each represent a type story or a type of creative challenge that I'm likely to read. It's pure luxury to have so many great works of fiction to choose from. My choices have been dictated less by objective quality of writing - all of the nominees are more than adequate in that regard - but by how well a given story succeeds in eliciting an emotional response - be it amusement, joy, sadness or, on a few memorable occasions, anger. These stories all resonate with me; some have even made me rethink characters or events. The posted nominees, i.e. the recs of the rec list, give an idea of what I look for in a story.
The ninth category (The GlaxoSmithKline Sales Person's Christmas Party Award for Pure Crack or Other Drug of Choice) is not meant to part of the Desert Island Fic list, but I love good crack so I'm including it here.
You are free to read this and comment, you are free to read it and not comment and continue on your way. But! If you start wanking I'll delete your comment, pull this post and possibly have a small hissyfit.
The nominees are:
The Tupperware Award for the Colourful, Durable, Versatile, Freezer-to-Microwave One-Shot Deliciously Preserving the World of House
or: A one-shot that is in character, has excellent plot and will be worth reading a year or a lifetime from now.
Into White by PWCorgigirl
North Toward Home by pwgorgigirl
The Cat That Walked By Himself by 2ndary_author
Catalyst (and More Than Blood) by pwcorgigirl
Declarations of Independence by namasteyoga
Damascus by nightdog_barks
The Hemel Hempstead Oil Storage Terminal Big Bang Award for Big Bang Writing Good Enough to Move the World (No, Really!)
or: A novella-length story that combines good plot and truthful characterisation so compellingly that it's impossible to put down - even at 3am.
After Hours by nakannalee
Of a Thursday by sydedalus
Essential Elements of Teamwork and Eggshells by asynca
Family, Friends and Other Complications by namesteyoga
An Auspicious Adversary by nomad1328
Home by Tidwell
You Already Know How This Will End by fourteencandles
The Hemel Hempstead Cricket Club Award for Something Small(ish) That Hit Me Hard and Left Me Concussed But Also Made Me Think
or: A short, unforgettable one-shot or drabble collection that makes you touches you, rattles you or makes you rethink what you thought you knew.
Pass the Pretzels by diysheep
A Fortunate Man by PWCorgigirl
Afterlife by PWCorgigirl
Conversion by isaytoodlepip
Score by joe_pike_junior
No Mere Mortal, He by slipstream_chan
Reconnect by asynca
Reflections by isaytoodlepip
The Granny’s Knitted Socks Award for the Little Things in Life That Either Warms Your Heart or Itches Like Hell (But In a Good Way)
or: A one-shot or drabble collection that makes you smile and quite possible think a little.
Synchronicity (or How Wilson Developed Migraines) by housepiglet
A Minor Pentatonic Scale by nightdog-writes
Dog House by treacle-a
Pious Profanity by perspi
Lunch With Wilson by alex51324
Clinic Hours by namasteyoga
Fantasies Come Flailing by hannahrorlove
Labyrinth by Oldach’s Dream
The Remember Stonewall Award for Sensitive and Insightful Writing
or: Perceptive LGBT fiction that (mostly) avoids the obvious clichés.
My Fathers’ Son by deelaundry
Love Speaks Its Name by isaytoodlepip
Deconstructing the Text by sockitup
A Smaller World by fourteencandles
The Dr. Silja Award for Excruciation Medical Honesty in the Face of Bleak Reality
or: Good use of medicine to underscore rather than to overwhelm the story - without necessarily getting all the details right, but who cares about that anyway?
Turn Off The Night by cryptictac
January by joe_pike_junior
No Exit by bbarnett
Judging Distance and The Inside by sydedalus
Pathogenesis and Intervention by shalott
The Horizontal Mattress Suture Award for Most Admirable Maiming and Mending of a Character
or: Powerful hurt-comfort managing the hard task of asking and answering 'what would happen if the characters were ever forced this far out'.
Camel's Back, An Ever Fixed Mark and Trouble and Scythe by fayding_fast
Post Trauma by alex51324
The Contract by diysheep
Not With a Bang But With a Whimper by diysheep
Locked Up and Set Free by deelaundry although I can't read it without blackmare_9's band-aid
The Léon Foucault Gyroscope Award for Turning My Predilections on Their Head And Making Me Like It
Or: The things I don't usually crave but suddenly found I liked - or at least could tolerate.
Five Years by snark-bait
Deathwatch by Tidwell
Two Rooms at the End of the World by Tidwell
This Is A Song For The Genius Child by joe_pike_junior
Dream About Me by triedunture
The GlaxoSmithKline Sales Person's Christmas Party Award for Pure Crack or Other Drug of Choice
or: Don't do drugs - unless you add a bit of writing to it.
Residency Evil by akire-yta
The One Where They Get Turned Into Penguins by thedeadparrot
He’s Very Verbal, Isn’t He by diysheep
Dragon Slaying for Dummies by Nightspore
Note on the 'nomination procedure' (yes, I know: Terribly pretentious, but I can't think of a better word): I had to be heartless and cold. I decided to omit active WIPs, which forced me to yank the otherwise excellent Pencils Are Dangerous by alex51324 and Denial Isn’t a River in Egypt by geekygecko - not to mention the whole Bad Company and Aftershocks 'verse. They'll get their chance if and when I do this again. Passive WIPs, i.e. wonderful stories that appear dead, were kept in the running. Oh, and it's very likely that I'll add or remove stories.
Why waste a good opportunity to waste time...I seem to have ended up with a rec list instead, but the original intention is still here...to make a list of my favourite stories in the House fandom at some point...when I get around to it...if I get around to it. Until then, I'm more interested in figuring out what the secret ingredient is. What makes a story good?
I have ended up with a system consisting of nine categories (yes, nine - more on that later) that each represent a type story or a type of creative challenge that I'm likely to read. It's pure luxury to have so many great works of fiction to choose from. My choices have been dictated less by objective quality of writing - all of the nominees are more than adequate in that regard - but by how well a given story succeeds in eliciting an emotional response - be it amusement, joy, sadness or, on a few memorable occasions, anger. These stories all resonate with me; some have even made me rethink characters or events. The posted nominees, i.e. the recs of the rec list, give an idea of what I look for in a story.
The ninth category (The GlaxoSmithKline Sales Person's Christmas Party Award for Pure Crack or Other Drug of Choice) is not meant to part of the Desert Island Fic list, but I love good crack so I'm including it here.
You are free to read this and comment, you are free to read it and not comment and continue on your way. But! If you start wanking I'll delete your comment, pull this post and possibly have a small hissyfit.
The nominees are:
The Tupperware Award for the Colourful, Durable, Versatile, Freezer-to-Microwave One-Shot Deliciously Preserving the World of House
or: A one-shot that is in character, has excellent plot and will be worth reading a year or a lifetime from now.
Into White by PWCorgigirl
North Toward Home by pwgorgigirl
The Cat That Walked By Himself by 2ndary_author
Catalyst (and More Than Blood) by pwcorgigirl
Declarations of Independence by namasteyoga
Damascus by nightdog_barks
The Hemel Hempstead Oil Storage Terminal Big Bang Award for Big Bang Writing Good Enough to Move the World (No, Really!)
or: A novella-length story that combines good plot and truthful characterisation so compellingly that it's impossible to put down - even at 3am.
After Hours by nakannalee
Of a Thursday by sydedalus
Essential Elements of Teamwork and Eggshells by asynca
Family, Friends and Other Complications by namesteyoga
An Auspicious Adversary by nomad1328
Home by Tidwell
You Already Know How This Will End by fourteencandles
The Hemel Hempstead Cricket Club Award for Something Small(ish) That Hit Me Hard and Left Me Concussed But Also Made Me Think
or: A short, unforgettable one-shot or drabble collection that makes you touches you, rattles you or makes you rethink what you thought you knew.
Pass the Pretzels by diysheep
A Fortunate Man by PWCorgigirl
Afterlife by PWCorgigirl
Conversion by isaytoodlepip
Score by joe_pike_junior
No Mere Mortal, He by slipstream_chan
Reconnect by asynca
Reflections by isaytoodlepip
The Granny’s Knitted Socks Award for the Little Things in Life That Either Warms Your Heart or Itches Like Hell (But In a Good Way)
or: A one-shot or drabble collection that makes you smile and quite possible think a little.
Synchronicity (or How Wilson Developed Migraines) by housepiglet
A Minor Pentatonic Scale by nightdog-writes
Dog House by treacle-a
Pious Profanity by perspi
Lunch With Wilson by alex51324
Clinic Hours by namasteyoga
Fantasies Come Flailing by hannahrorlove
Labyrinth by Oldach’s Dream
The Remember Stonewall Award for Sensitive and Insightful Writing
or: Perceptive LGBT fiction that (mostly) avoids the obvious clichés.
My Fathers’ Son by deelaundry
Love Speaks Its Name by isaytoodlepip
Deconstructing the Text by sockitup
A Smaller World by fourteencandles
The Dr. Silja Award for Excruciation Medical Honesty in the Face of Bleak Reality
or: Good use of medicine to underscore rather than to overwhelm the story - without necessarily getting all the details right, but who cares about that anyway?
Turn Off The Night by cryptictac
January by joe_pike_junior
No Exit by bbarnett
Judging Distance and The Inside by sydedalus
Pathogenesis and Intervention by shalott
The Horizontal Mattress Suture Award for Most Admirable Maiming and Mending of a Character
or: Powerful hurt-comfort managing the hard task of asking and answering 'what would happen if the characters were ever forced this far out'.
Camel's Back, An Ever Fixed Mark and Trouble and Scythe by fayding_fast
Post Trauma by alex51324
The Contract by diysheep
Not With a Bang But With a Whimper by diysheep
Locked Up and Set Free by deelaundry although I can't read it without blackmare_9's band-aid
The Léon Foucault Gyroscope Award for Turning My Predilections on Their Head And Making Me Like It
Or: The things I don't usually crave but suddenly found I liked - or at least could tolerate.
Five Years by snark-bait
Deathwatch by Tidwell
Two Rooms at the End of the World by Tidwell
This Is A Song For The Genius Child by joe_pike_junior
Dream About Me by triedunture
The GlaxoSmithKline Sales Person's Christmas Party Award for Pure Crack or Other Drug of Choice
or: Don't do drugs - unless you add a bit of writing to it.
Residency Evil by akire-yta
The One Where They Get Turned Into Penguins by thedeadparrot
He’s Very Verbal, Isn’t He by diysheep
Dragon Slaying for Dummies by Nightspore
Note on the 'nomination procedure' (yes, I know: Terribly pretentious, but I can't think of a better word): I had to be heartless and cold. I decided to omit active WIPs, which forced me to yank the otherwise excellent Pencils Are Dangerous by alex51324 and Denial Isn’t a River in Egypt by geekygecko - not to mention the whole Bad Company and Aftershocks 'verse. They'll get their chance if and when I do this again. Passive WIPs, i.e. wonderful stories that appear dead, were kept in the running. Oh, and it's very likely that I'll add or remove stories.