"Adaptations" 'verse: No Such Thing as Absolution

[lit_luminary]

Title: No Such Thing as Absolution
Author: lit_luminary
Rating: PG-13 for medical realism.
Characters: House, Chase.
Summary: After Cofield's verdict, House visits Chase in ICU.  Apologizing can’t fix this, but there’s nothing else he can do.
Notes: Thanks to resourceress7 for masterful beta-reading and research assistance.

Comments

[alkthoniel]

This was brilliant, it's like seeing bits the show left out. It reminds me of the shot of House watching Chase asleep... I always wondered at what was going through his head, I'd like to think it was something like this. And it's nice to see a more realistic portrayal of Chase's injuries too, can't wait to read more :D

[lit_luminary]

Thank you for commenting! I want to use these stories to take a close look at the physical and psychological realities of disability, so I'm glad you appreciate the realism. Canon threw so much away by giving Chase a miraculous recovery--all the power of "Nobody's Fault" dissipated when the SCI failed to be permanently life-altering.

Next up will be a revision of "While You Were Out" to suit this 'verse's version of events.

[cuddyclothes]

Really, really good. So much more realistic than the show. Chase's exhaustion and unhappiness were so painful to read. Brava for this story!

[lit_luminary]

Thank you so much! "Painful" was exactly what this story was going for, so I'm glad it succeeded. Realism is one of the primary purposes of the entire 'verse, since all the power of "Nobody's Fault" was undercut when the SCI magically healed. (Much like House's pain was so often magically ameliorated by ibuprofen. Canon, did you even have medical consultants?)

House changed as a result of his injury; Chase will change because of his. That's the reality, and that's what I want these stories to show: the effects of disability in both their lives, how they cope, and how their relationship changes because each understands what the other has to live with.

[waylandsmithy]

Just caught up on these chapters and you've a convincing inner voice for Chase, who I've always found a bit opaque. The consequences of his injury, with all the humiliating practicalities involved, really come across. I'm looking forward to more.

[lit_luminary]

Thank you so much for commenting! Chase's voice is one I had to work to pick up, since he has relatively less dialogue than many other characters, but I've acquired an ear for it over time. (I wish more fan writers had: too much fic dismisses/misreads Chase as weak, a suck-up, a sex object, or crippled with angst

[damigella_314]

That's almost painful to read, both because of the suffering (and really, House's punishment is severe indeed, no matter what others may think) and because of rage at the writers who completely ignored any form of verisimilitude. Chase is young, and with time and effort he may have recovered most if not all his mobility, but not in the miracolous way tptb showed us.
I'm so looking forward to the rest of this, and I hope you will not be offended if besides you, I also thank resourceress7 because really, the amount of work you've set up for yourself is such that one person alone cannot possibly do.
Oh, and I mem'ed the first chapter, because I count on you to keep the whole story linked.

[lit_luminary]

The chapter was painful to write as well. And yes, the punishment House has created for himself is more severe than prison ever could be. I found myself thinking of Milton's lines, "Infinite wrath and infinite despair/ Which way I fly is hell, myself am hell

[resourceress7]

Thanks, dami!

lit_luminary is so fun to nerd out with. The words, the medicine, the brainstorming, the color-coded spreadsheets -- yum. Working with her on this project is a privileged obsession. :)

There's much more in store for Chase and House in this 'verse. Stay tuned!

[lit_luminary]

House's interaction with Chase has always interested me, because it tends to be brief and (apparently) simple, but is in fact so nuanced--just as their relationship itself is. (I'm glad to hear the subtly father/son element came through correctly, since most fic either ignores it or overdoes it.)

And I'm always happy to know the dialogue was effective.