Differential Diagnosis People: Whining and Dining

[namasteyoga]

A few weeks ago we looked at another mer_duff fic, and a few people bought up some of her other fics. Just so happens, some of them were nominated too. Let's take a look at another one.

Title and Link: Whining and Dining

Comments

[maineac]

Usually I have a problem with this kind of fic, which is just a scene or a slice of life with no story arc or beginning, middle, end. (And the huge preponderance of House fic seems to fall into this category, because it's easiest to write.)

My difficulty with these stories is not that I don't enjoy reading (or writing) them--I do. It's just that I'm not sure this kind of story is what the Hall o' Fame is meant for.

BUT...Whining and Dining is just too perfect. There's not a word out of place, not a line of dialogue that doesn't ring completely true, not a glance or an innuendo that doesn't completely belong to both the characters and the canon. It stays within canon enough to satisfy that criterion while supplying exactly the amount of subtext for the slashers that the show does. It's funny and touching and reveals new sides to both characters.

This one has my vote.

[namasteyoga]

I'd agree with you that there are many, many slice of life fics. But I do think the Hall can accomodate them. The thing is, they have to be far above just a normal slice of life story. The problem is that most of those slice of life fics -- especially in lesser hands -- simply don't have the characterizations down. To make it work, you've got to have everything firing perfectly. If one element is out of place, it just sits there.

So while they're easy to write, they aren't easy to actually perfect. This is one of those fics where its simplicity masks the immense skill that went in to make it actually work.

[deelaundry]

What maineac and jadesfire said. Whining and Dining is House-Wilson perfection. So in-character, a joy to read; this illuminates and highlights what makes House and Wilson friends. Anyone who likes the friendship will enjoy this fic. Excellent for gen House fans, and even for House/Cam and House/Cuddy shippers.

But for House/Wilson shippers, well, we get to imagine the extracurricular activities that might happen once the TV's turned off that evening. Bliss.

Can I vote "yes" for this more than once?

[nightdog_barks]

This is one of my favorite mer_duff stories of all time.

The voices are pitch-perfect, the banter is spot-on, and the friendship of House and Wilson practically leaps off the page.

As an added benefit, Wilson turns the tables on House conversationally, and that's always a nice touch -- to watch House suddenly getting more than he bargained for, and trying unsuccessfully to distract Wilson and steer the talk in another, safer direction.

The little waitress-motif than runs through the story is really sweet too -- the revelation at the end regarding her name, and the fact that she knows Wilson's -- just such a great touch.

I'm with deelaundry -- if I could vote for this story more than once I would.

[bironic]

This is one of my all-time favorite House fics, one of mer_duff's best, and unquestionably HoF material. Excellent characterization, tight dialogue and masterful skirting of the line between canon and subtext. Other standouts for me were House's extended mental metaphors, the undercurrent of House and Wilson's friendly power play, and details like Wilson drawing lewd pictures on his glass and House slurping the escaping mushroom.

The only wobbly moments IMO were the last clause of the last line (cutesy) and these two sentences in the middle (a bit clichéd and tell-y after so much deft showing): "They spend the rest of the meal in the comfortable silence that marks the best moments of their friendship. Wilson is the only person with whom House can simply be." But these are small quibbles that are more than compensated for by the rest of the story.

I'm raising both hands for this one.

[havocs_roman]

I find it very refreshing that this fic really can read as a "friendship" fic. There's enough slashy innuendo for whoever wants to imagine the after-dinner events, but litterally, all that there is, here, is... just dinner, and it's delightful.

I rather enjoyed the comfortable silence that marks the best moments of their friendship , because if one looks beyond the cliché first read, it can go several different directions, one more interesting than the other.

I also liked it that this flash of a moment could apply to almost any moment in canon, and not feel forced. It gets a "Yes" from me (can a freshman member vote?).