These are a few of my favorite fics...
So during a marathon chat with bernie_laraemie tonight we discussed many things (oh did we discuss things! He is now the keeper of my secret flame), amongst them fanfiction. So I made him read my favorite fic of all-time, and we cried, so then I said I'd post my all-time favorites.
I actually chose these several months ago and posted them at HHOW, but am tweaking the wording slightly and updating it.
All Good Things by rubberbutton. This may have not been the first fic I read in this fandom, but it's the first fic I remember reading. The ending is so killer, it literally pops up every once in awhile in my memory and slays me all over again.
Turn Off the Night/Close Your Weary Eyes by cryptictac. The best post-infarction fic, bar none. It's not only my personal fanon, but I sometimes have to remind myself it's not actual canon. I admire any fic that deals with the nitty gritty reality of House's disability and doesn't just use it as a convenient plot point - this fic captures House's anger at the injustice of it all. It also captures why Wilson stays: he knows that rage is sometimes all House has got.
Sleeping Man: Inside and Outside by maineac. House goes missing and gets amnesia. A cliched plot, revitalized. This fic had me compulsively checking LiveJournal every morning, my stomach in knots. Beautiful torture. Now the second part, about House's recovery, has been posted and it actually doesn't disappoint. It's satisfying without being schmaltzy. This is just a good, classic mystery plotline done excellently.
The Body Found by fourteencandles. Somewhat the reverse of Sleeping Man: Wilson goes missing and is presumed dead. House of course refuses to believe it. What sets this fic apart for me is that it shows House, in his twisted way, able to cope better with the uncertainty of Wilson missing than with a damaged and very real Wilson in the aftermath.
Exigencies by Priority. My favorite Contractverse story, though Pencils are Dangerous is a close second. Beautifully rendered angst, it avoids OTT torture in its story of House's recovery and return to work.
Some Days Are Worse Than Others by sydedalus. An alternate take on the episode "Honeymoon." sydedalus is unparalleled in her ability interweave canon with her own work. Excellent, excellent examination of House's motivations and inner-workings.
Just Short of a Bottle of Maker's Mark and a Shotgun by deelaundry. Normally I don't go for crackfic, but this was so hilarious and like candy for any RSL fan. Dee envisions an AU where Wilson is real, as is his portrayer Robert Sean Leonard, and then has them meet each other. One of her reviewers thought it disrespectful and I must respectfully disagree: I think her affection for RSL shines through, and she doesn't make fun of anything he hasn't mocked himself for. It's even oddly touching in how House wants "his" guy back, and Gaby (RSL's fiancee) wants hers back, and neither can see what the other does in their respective men. In fact, I would argue that it's an endearing and strange kind of tribute: in highlighting just how different Robert is to Wilson, she ends up illustrating his talent as an actor. (If he was the same as his character, after all, it wouldn't be very funny.)
And finally, my very favorite:
Illusions to Live By by willywonka3425. The prompt - Wilson has an eating disorder - is enough to strike fear into the heart of any fan. Yet somehow the most potentially OOC emo concept becomes completely believable and heart-wrenching. Wilson and House are both so damn in character that when Wilson convinces himself he's not anorexic, his reasoning almost convinces the reader as well. It's the rare fic that actually goes beyond the characters - it's not just about Wilson, it captures so uncannily the mindset of someone with an eating disorder. Then there's the pitch-perfect portrayal of House: stubborn, brilliant and angry as he confronts a medical problem that he can't fix. He wants Wilson better now, dammit, and why can't he just flip a switch, prescribe some meds and make it so?
We live in a real world where eating disorders aren't taken seriously when suffered by men - this fic manages to overcome even that. I can't say enough about it, honestly. I've read it many times and every time it just gets me. Every word seems perfectly in place. Take this passage:
***
But here’s the thing: he’s not anorexic.
Wilson tells himself, when he skips lunch, that he has work to catch up on. As long as no one’s noticed, he can’t be too thin. Not yet.
When being too thin becomes his goal, Wilson thinks, then he’ll get help. But he doesn’t need help. There’s nothing wrong with him. He is going through the motions of his day, and he is pleasantly numb, and he is slipping away.
He wishes he did need help, sometimes. That he were someone who suffered loudly.
But no one notices. Wilson still laughs, still goes over to House’s and watches television, still works, fights his losing battles. On good days, there are people who can live for that much longer, do that much more. On bad ones, for every ten he saves, twenty more are condemned. He has a lot of bad ones.
When House swipes a bit of his lunch, Wilson shares the rest, then throws away half of what’s left because his pager went off, and if Wilson set it off himself by slipping a hand in his pocket under the table-if there’s nothing wrong at all-
No one notices.
Wilson is an oncologist and a sort-of best friend. As long as he does both jobs, he’ll be fine.
Someday, just maybe, he’ll be thin, too.
***
Or this one, after House confronts Wilson:
***
They sit on the couch afterward with the television off, in House’s silent apartment. Wilson insisted House do the dishes, so he knows they’re stacked a mile high in the oven, but he can’t seem to care. He threw away most of his meal-he was hardly able to eat half.
“I’m scared,” Wilson says suddenly. He’s staring at the blank television screen. House shifts and doesn’t answer.
“I’m hungry, though,” he continues. It’s a revelation.
“No shit,” House says. “Of course you’re hungry. You’ve been eating like Cameron.”
“I know.”
And he does know, he realizes. It’s stupid, but he still feels fat. He’s really, really afraid.
“House-” Wilson’s fumbling for the words. “I understand how stupid it is-”
“Yeah.” House won’t look at him. “You need help.”
***
Granted, I have personal issues that make me connect to this fic really bad, but I think it does stand on its own. Just go read it.
ETA: This fic also reminded me of something and Bernie's like in my cyber-ear at the moment: one of the several times House fandom has annoyed me (and that has not been an uncommon occurrence) was the recent period when RSL gained some weight towards the end of the third season into the fourth season. I'm not talking about people who made one or two occasional mild jokes about it (because I may have been one) but the fans whose names I won't mention (I will totally mention their names, try me) who were all like, "OMG he's fat, he's fat," blah blah blah every single week. No, sorry, he's not fat just because he gained like, fifteen pounds at the most and he's someone's who spent most of his life (including the beginning of House) looking underweight. A lot of that harping started to make me feel uncomfortable...and as I said, maybe it's because I was oversensitive to it because of personal circumstances. But the female cast members by and large don't get their weight commented on, so it bugged the shit out of me that it was acceptable to do the same to a man.
I actually chose these several months ago and posted them at HHOW, but am tweaking the wording slightly and updating it.
All Good Things by rubberbutton. This may have not been the first fic I read in this fandom, but it's the first fic I remember reading. The ending is so killer, it literally pops up every once in awhile in my memory and slays me all over again.
Turn Off the Night/Close Your Weary Eyes by cryptictac. The best post-infarction fic, bar none. It's not only my personal fanon, but I sometimes have to remind myself it's not actual canon. I admire any fic that deals with the nitty gritty reality of House's disability and doesn't just use it as a convenient plot point - this fic captures House's anger at the injustice of it all. It also captures why Wilson stays: he knows that rage is sometimes all House has got.
Sleeping Man: Inside and Outside by maineac. House goes missing and gets amnesia. A cliched plot, revitalized. This fic had me compulsively checking LiveJournal every morning, my stomach in knots. Beautiful torture. Now the second part, about House's recovery, has been posted and it actually doesn't disappoint. It's satisfying without being schmaltzy. This is just a good, classic mystery plotline done excellently.
The Body Found by fourteencandles. Somewhat the reverse of Sleeping Man: Wilson goes missing and is presumed dead. House of course refuses to believe it. What sets this fic apart for me is that it shows House, in his twisted way, able to cope better with the uncertainty of Wilson missing than with a damaged and very real Wilson in the aftermath.
Exigencies by Priority. My favorite Contractverse story, though Pencils are Dangerous is a close second. Beautifully rendered angst, it avoids OTT torture in its story of House's recovery and return to work.
Some Days Are Worse Than Others by sydedalus. An alternate take on the episode "Honeymoon." sydedalus is unparalleled in her ability interweave canon with her own work. Excellent, excellent examination of House's motivations and inner-workings.
Just Short of a Bottle of Maker's Mark and a Shotgun by deelaundry. Normally I don't go for crackfic, but this was so hilarious and like candy for any RSL fan. Dee envisions an AU where Wilson is real, as is his portrayer Robert Sean Leonard, and then has them meet each other. One of her reviewers thought it disrespectful and I must respectfully disagree: I think her affection for RSL shines through, and she doesn't make fun of anything he hasn't mocked himself for. It's even oddly touching in how House wants "his" guy back, and Gaby (RSL's fiancee) wants hers back, and neither can see what the other does in their respective men. In fact, I would argue that it's an endearing and strange kind of tribute: in highlighting just how different Robert is to Wilson, she ends up illustrating his talent as an actor. (If he was the same as his character, after all, it wouldn't be very funny.)
And finally, my very favorite:
Illusions to Live By by willywonka3425. The prompt - Wilson has an eating disorder - is enough to strike fear into the heart of any fan. Yet somehow the most potentially OOC emo concept becomes completely believable and heart-wrenching. Wilson and House are both so damn in character that when Wilson convinces himself he's not anorexic, his reasoning almost convinces the reader as well. It's the rare fic that actually goes beyond the characters - it's not just about Wilson, it captures so uncannily the mindset of someone with an eating disorder. Then there's the pitch-perfect portrayal of House: stubborn, brilliant and angry as he confronts a medical problem that he can't fix. He wants Wilson better now, dammit, and why can't he just flip a switch, prescribe some meds and make it so?
We live in a real world where eating disorders aren't taken seriously when suffered by men - this fic manages to overcome even that. I can't say enough about it, honestly. I've read it many times and every time it just gets me. Every word seems perfectly in place. Take this passage:
***
But here’s the thing: he’s not anorexic.
Wilson tells himself, when he skips lunch, that he has work to catch up on. As long as no one’s noticed, he can’t be too thin. Not yet.
When being too thin becomes his goal, Wilson thinks, then he’ll get help. But he doesn’t need help. There’s nothing wrong with him. He is going through the motions of his day, and he is pleasantly numb, and he is slipping away.
He wishes he did need help, sometimes. That he were someone who suffered loudly.
But no one notices. Wilson still laughs, still goes over to House’s and watches television, still works, fights his losing battles. On good days, there are people who can live for that much longer, do that much more. On bad ones, for every ten he saves, twenty more are condemned. He has a lot of bad ones.
When House swipes a bit of his lunch, Wilson shares the rest, then throws away half of what’s left because his pager went off, and if Wilson set it off himself by slipping a hand in his pocket under the table-if there’s nothing wrong at all-
No one notices.
Wilson is an oncologist and a sort-of best friend. As long as he does both jobs, he’ll be fine.
Someday, just maybe, he’ll be thin, too.
***
Or this one, after House confronts Wilson:
***
They sit on the couch afterward with the television off, in House’s silent apartment. Wilson insisted House do the dishes, so he knows they’re stacked a mile high in the oven, but he can’t seem to care. He threw away most of his meal-he was hardly able to eat half.
“I’m scared,” Wilson says suddenly. He’s staring at the blank television screen. House shifts and doesn’t answer.
“I’m hungry, though,” he continues. It’s a revelation.
“No shit,” House says. “Of course you’re hungry. You’ve been eating like Cameron.”
“I know.”
And he does know, he realizes. It’s stupid, but he still feels fat. He’s really, really afraid.
“House-” Wilson’s fumbling for the words. “I understand how stupid it is-”
“Yeah.” House won’t look at him. “You need help.”
***
Granted, I have personal issues that make me connect to this fic really bad, but I think it does stand on its own. Just go read it.
ETA: This fic also reminded me of something and Bernie's like in my cyber-ear at the moment: one of the several times House fandom has annoyed me (and that has not been an uncommon occurrence) was the recent period when RSL gained some weight towards the end of the third season into the fourth season. I'm not talking about people who made one or two occasional mild jokes about it (because I may have been one) but the fans whose names I won't mention (I will totally mention their names, try me) who were all like, "OMG he's fat, he's fat," blah blah blah every single week. No, sorry, he's not fat just because he gained like, fifteen pounds at the most and he's someone's who spent most of his life (including the beginning of House) looking underweight. A lot of that harping started to make me feel uncomfortable...and as I said, maybe it's because I was oversensitive to it because of personal circumstances. But the female cast members by and large don't get their weight commented on, so it bugged the shit out of me that it was acceptable to do the same to a man.