Melancholy Without Hope: Desert Island Fics
Desert Island Fics This is an activity based on the BBC radio programme Desert Island Discs, where celebrities pick the eight pieces of music they would take with them if they were stranded on a desert island. They also choose which one of the eight they would take if they could take only one, and also pick a book & a luxury item. (Not to distract you or anything, but HL was on Desert Island Discs once). Here we pick our Desert Island Fics. So you are stranded on a desert island, and you can only take EIGHT pieces of fan fiction with you. Please: - List them with links. This is in no particular order. - Add brief info for each as to pairing(s) and ratings/warnings - Say which one you would take, if you could take only one - Add which House episode you would take as your luxury item (only one!) - You can comment at the end on your list as a whole, or not if you'd prefer. Please don't comment after every fic or we will end up with essays instead of lists. Rules - You only get eight choices!!! You can post your top 10 or top 100 on your LJ or elsewhere. These are your desert island fics and there should be eight of them! - A fic under more than one title which is obviously part of the same story (sequels, epilogues etc) can count as one choice. So Cryptictac's Stereophonic Silence and Reverberation can count as one. - A fic plus remix can also count as one choice. So thedeadparrot's Singapore and deelaundry's Around the World And Back Again can count as one choice. (You may think I'm using my thread-creator's prerogative to squish in a few extra favourites of my own here, cunning, eh). (All those four are House/Wilson NC-17 BTW). - However, where a fic has spawned an entire universe of further fic you can't put the whole universe. So you can't have the entire Contractverse as one choice, pick your favourite fic or fics from it. - You are listing fics, not authors - so no putting 'Everything by Namaste'. If your top eight fics are all by Namaste you'll have to use up all eight places to list each one. - No self-rec'ing! Though I'm sure you'd all be far too polite to do so anyway. - Try and keep comments on other people's lists etc to a minimum. We have separate threads for individual fanfic recs and for fanfic discussion, so you can take these there. (And I did check first with the Dean of Medicine that it was OK to start this thread too). - I'm not going all UnnamedForum!mod about sticking to these rules!, just trying to set a framework for a game. This is supposed to be FUN so please don't take it too seriously! Clear as mud? OK I'll go first and hopefully it will make sense... ETA: the rule about pairings/ratings etc.

The eight fics I would take to my desert island are... A Modest Proposal by Ignaz Wisdom House/Wilson, NC-17 for sex No Little Charity by Perspi House/Wilson friendship, PG-13 for swearing Days of Grace by Silver House/Wilson and other pairings, NC-17, sex Defensive Strategies by Milkshake Butterfly House/Wilson, R, slash The Perils of Coming Home Early by Sydedalus House/Wilson, NC-17, sex As You Aren't by Topaz Eyes House/Wilson, NC-17, sex Wilson Gets Hiccups by timber_z House/Wilson, no rating by author on the link I have here -I'd say humour & pre-slash The One Where They Get Turned Into Penguins by thedeadparrot House/Wilson, PG, crack!fic (doesn't the title say it all!) If I could only take one of the above I would take... A Modest Proposal Luxury item episode: Act Your Age Comment: I hope I shall be the first of many to say it was initially IMPOSSIBLE! getting it down to a list of eight. I thought on a desert island I'd want all different authors, some longer & some shorter fics, a reasonable mix of angst, humour, hot!sex, and a spot of crack!fic. As you can see I read pretty much only H/W and I'm aware my list is only representative of a tiny part of fanon - the part I like :) I should perhaps add that I avoid torture!fic and have violent allergic reactions to kid!fic which might explain any apparently inexplicable classic H/W omissions. That, and the fact that eight choices is really not very many! Next?

Ooh! FUN! A Modest Proposal by Ignaz Wisdom http://geocities.com/holdenesque/amodestproposal.html Carpet Burn, by Nakeno http://community.livejournal.com/house_wilson/169588.html Not On My Watch, by Arwen Kenobi http://community.livejournal.com/house_wilson/853776.html As You Aren't, by Topaz Eyes http://www.squidge.org/housefanfiction/archive/12/asyou.html Balances, by Milkshake Butterfly http://www.squidge.org/housefanfiction/archive/2/balances.html For Every Closed Door, by Starling the Fool http://starlingthefool.livejournal.com/ The Contract (the original, the great grand-daddy of 'em all), by DIY Sheep http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2798672/1/ And last, but not least, my newest favourite, Out of the Blue, by Dee Laundry http://deelaundry.livejournal.com/52145.html Sorry for my sucky html-ing.

Guys, this is a great thread idea, & I'm working on my list to post, but please, add a one sentence description to each fic listed with rating for sex/violence, pairings etc so folks know. We have some younger & more sensitive readers here (as well as newer readers to the fandom) who would appreciate the warnings about violence & smut level in particular, as well as folks who prefer/avoid certain pairings. Thnx.

Good point well made saara_zaara - that's why we need mods! I've edited my post to add. Also, if any authors of fics mentioned would prefer alternative ratings or links, they only have to PM me & I'll edit. I imagine anyone else posting lists here would do the same.

The Eight Fics I Would Take To My Desert Island Are: Arise by Josselin Kohl, R for language and adult themes, House & Chase http://josselin.livejournal.com/89377.html Revelations by Minttown PG-13, House/Chase http://community.livejournal.com/duerbp/1977.html#cutid1 Safe From Harm by Maya Tawi, PG, gen http://panthea.populli.net/fiction/safefromharm1.html Turn Off the Night by Cryptictac, R for medically graphic descriptions, House/Wilson friendship http://cryptictac.livejournal.com/187093.html Double Ironed by Simmyschtuff, R for sexual situations and adult themes, deathfic, House/Chase http://simmyschtuff.livejournal.com/12262.html Backlash by Sandrine, PG-13, House & Chase http://sandrine.livejournal.com/510608.html#cutid1 Brainwaves by Peak in Darien, R for sexual situations House/Chase http://community.livejournal.com/houserareathon/5405.html Admission by Roga, T or PG-13, House and all three ducklings http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3187808/1/ Luxury Item episode: Forever (Season Two) If I could only take one fic, it would be: Safe From Harm by Maya Tawi, PG, gen Comment: I agree with HWShipper that it was damn near impossible to whittle down to only eight fics; I wish I could mention the ones I cried about leaving behind, but I suspect that’s against thread rules. :P Here’s my reasoning behind my choices, besides the obvious fact that I’m a Chaser: stranded on a desert island, my only form of enertainment will be to write fanfic. I wanted a broad range of comedy and drama to inspire me and keep me on the right track (I’m guessing there will be no satellite TV showing episodes of House on my island.) All of the above fics have an amazing “House voice” and a great “Chase voice” as well, and a few of them even bring in Wilson and the rest of the ducklings. Arise and Revelations are damn near poetry, and others on my list make me cry or laugh. But I have to choose Safe From Harm as my top choice, because not only is the House snark original and hilarious, but the story is also a medical mystery in addition to a suspense/kidnapping/humor fic. For my aspirations, it’s the gold standard for How I Want To Write Someday.

Thanks for the edits, hwshipper! aenissesthai's list covers a lot of what I would have listed, so in order that I actually have a post to make, I'm going to add - if we're stuck on an Island together, 50 tennis rackets doesn't do us much good if we've no tennis balls. Obviously, if a fic has been listed previously that you can't live without please do include it, but also it would be great if folks could also try to list great fics that haven't been mentioned by others so far.

Here goes - no particular order, just my opinion ;D Jesus Wept. No, really. by azalea http://azalaea.livejournal.com/310.html The MST against which others are measured (MSTs a Chase death fic). PG13. Four Ways House's Cane Clatters, And One Way It Doesn't by ticcy http://cryptictac.livejournal.com/146845.html The ultimate parody fic. NC17 for smut (duh!), H/Cam, H/Cu, H/Ch, H/W, H/cane (Foreman, as usual, gets short changed). Grey Gardens by Lady Paperclip (NC15) - eight chapts start here http://community.livejournal.com/fanfic100/2512264.html This is the famed "Wilson had the infarction" fic. (Deep breath) - Ch/Kalvin, Ch/W, H/Stacy, Cam/poor not-so-dead husband, Foreman/Petra Gilmar, H/Cu (have I forgotten any one?) Lilies by andrealyn http://community.livejournal.com/housefic/200872.html PG13, gen. Chase on House's death (warning). The Blood Ties trilogy by Lady Paperclip (H/Ch, H/Cam unrequited, NC15 for mild sex & implied violence). The same situation from three POVs. Blood Ties (House's POV) http://paperclipbitch.livejournal.com/5510.html Thicker Than Water (Chase) http://paperclipbitch.livejournal.com/6441.html Haemophilia (Cameron) http://paperclipbitch.livejournal.com/30672.html Walkabout by Karabana http://community.livejournal.com/housefic_meta/87331.html PG13, gen. Chase & everyone else after Rowan's death. You Already Know How This Will End by fourteencandles Part 1 (of 5) starts here http://fourteencandles.livejournal.com/92802.html Mostly gen with a little H/W pre-slash. W/Cam, W/Cu, Cam/Ch. NC15. (How to pick just one of fourteencandle's fics?) No Argument by selfishlywarm http://www.squidge.org/housefanfiction/archive/5/noargument.html Because I love the summary "There is someone in Wilson's bed, and it is not his wife." H/W, H/Ch, W/Ch, NC17. If I could only take one of the above I would take... Blood Ties. Luxury item episode: The Mistake Comment: Hey, aenissesthai listed half the ones I wanted to ;D Umm, I'm in a Chase mood? I have a thing for funny smut & death fic?

Hey, saara-zaara, if we're on a desert island together, we've got it made, 'cause I like your list as well. The thing is, I assumed that Desert Island translated into deserted island; otherwise, I would have left Cryptictac's Turn Off The Night for someone else to bring, because everyone's going to want that fic! If we're all on the island together, it'd be like walking into any high school and asking, "Does anybody have a copy of Harry Potter 7 I could borrow?" :D

aenissesthai, strictly speaking you're right, but I figured it would get a bit boring if all I did was copy your post (& I think most Chasers would do the same ; :wink: ) So, folks its up to you - eight fics that are the ultimate for you even if some or all have been named before, but if you're so inclined try to come up with eight completely new fics which you would be happy to take.

Everyone has mentioned alot of my faves, so I kinda removed them from my list and tried to add some new ones (these lists are going to be great recs!) 1. My Fathers' Son, by deelaundry, PG, H/W Established http://deelaundry.livejournal.com/7091.html 2. Road Trip* by simple_man, G, H/W Established http://community.livejournal.com/simple__stuff/7886.html 3. My Favorite Year by silver, Adult Only, H/W http://community.livejournal.com/not_gold/5834.html 4. Fading Light by genagirl, PG, H/W http://community.livejournal.com/house_wilson/560790.html 5. A Button, A Feather, A Grain Of Sand by nightdog_writes , PG-13, H/W http://community.livejournal.com/house_wilson/574906.html 6. The "Just ..." Trilogy by creedcascade & sassyinkpen Just One Kiss, Adult, H/W http://sassyinkpen.livejournal.com/109763.html Just For Fun, Adult, H/W http://sassyinkpen.livejournal.com/122377.html Just Once More, Adult, H/W http://community.livejournal.com/house_slash/409549.html 7. Piano Man by Tasha Elizabeth, PG, H/W http://tasha-elizabeth.livejournal.com/5520.html 8. The Semen Tsunami by cryptictac, NC-17, H/W crack!fic http://cryptictac.livejournal.com/218643.html If I could only take one of the above I would take... My Favorite Year (because I refuse to choose between the Jack & Church-verses) Luxury item episode: All In Comments: *Not sure if all of simple_man's Churchverse fics would count because most of them are drabbles. Also, I had to bring ticcy's crack!fic because if I'm stuck on desert island, I'm certainly going to need some LOLZ. ;-) This was incredibly hard to do!

I think I would take a mix of long and short fics -- stories that I could read again and again. Lost Causes, by ducks-in-a-row. H/W, not rated but I'd probably give it a soft R for adult themes Pesach, by pwcorgigirl H-W, strong friendship, G No Little Charity, by perspi H-W, strong friendship, PG-13 All Good Things. by rubberbutton H-W, strong friendship, R for adult themes The Body Found, by fourteencandles H-W, strong friendship, R for adult themes Bytecode (You Are Still In the Matrix Remix), by thedeadparrot House/Stacy, House/Wilson, PG Intersections, by daasgrrl H-W, strong friendship, R for adult themes A Modest Proposal, by ignazwisdom H/W, NC-17 Episode to take: Either Histories or All In

So. damn. hard. Here are eight that haven't been mentioned above: Ides of March by finding_jay H/W, R. This one shocked me and left me in awe. Absolutely arresting. Irreversible by kribban H/W, Adult. Incredibly powerful. Not a deathfic, but read the warnings if you find certain content disturbing. Reservoir Docs by rivers_bend H/W, NC-17. Gun!kink with a hint of danger but no violence. Including the Kitchen Sink by genagirl H/W, PG-13-ish. Crackity-doo-dah that makes me laugh. The Annals, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and all parts written in the future, by Nightdog House-Wilson friendship, PG-13. House and Wilson in Roman times. AWESOME. Eos's Lost Causes was already mentioned, but the deal is sequels too, right? So I'm also going to take Same as It Ever Was, Reverse Psychology, and Foolish Hearts. (All found here.) H/W, PG-13. A long wonderfully IC story chronicling the evolution of the stupid, screwed-up friendship into something very much more. Zombie fic! by triedunture Unrated (R?). With a name like that, it has to be crack, right? Except it isn't. Taut, suspenseful, great use of characters, and not one thing gratuitous. Three Corners by fallen_arazil (I also get to bring Evening In, because that's a missing scene) H/W/Stacy, NC-17. A lovely, long what-if, from pre-infarction to just post-infarction. Episode: All In Note: The only reason Asynca's Essential Elements of Teamwork and Eggshells aren't on the list is that I'm betting one of you fine folks will include it. PS. CTL, wow - Out of the Blue in your top eight? Thanks!

Sorry, I'm repeating a couple too. There are some unique ones here though. In no particular order. Into White by pwcorgigirl. Chase. Double Ironed by simmyschtuff. House/Chase. Admission by Roga. Ducklings. Silenced by Quack675. Chase and Foreman, no slash. Someone Who Cares by Simply Kelp. Chase. ICU by SkidInSideways. Everyone. Bad Catholics by FalseEyelashes. Chase/Cameron. Don’t Let the Ceiling Fall by SpreadTheWord. Foreman. If I could only take one of the above if would be... Into White. Luxury item episode: Three Stories. Comments: I liked to go for a mixture, but I'm still a Chaser at heart. There is one WIP listed, but since it's at 31 chapters it's pretty much won me over. This was fun!

I want to be on the same island as everyone else, so I can share their fics too! Surrogate by blackmare-9, based on Dream Jimmy by the sheep. Gen, unrated. PG at a guess. House, Wilson. http://blackmare-9.livejournal.com/9562.html#cutid1 Daddy Daycare by simple-man Slash, House/Wilson PG kid!fic http://simple--man.livejournal.com/123183.html#cutid1 Whining and Dining by mer-duff Gen, PG I think House, Wilson http://www.squidge.org/housefanfiction/archive/10/whiningand.html don't do sadness by starrystarry Slash PG-13 to start House/Wilson 3 parts http://community.livejournal.com/house_wilson/1591139.html http://community.livejournal.com/house_wilson/1595378.html http://community.livejournal.com/house_wilson/1599045.html#cutid1 thou mayst in me behold by Mary Parker slash, het, unrated by author but I figure soft R House/Wilson/Cuddy http://www.squidge.org/housefanfiction/archive/14/thoumayst.html Post Trauma by alex51234 inspired by/follow up to Weird Creepy Story by the illustrious sheep gotta be around an R rating for violence. Gen Link goes to part one, this is a long story! http://alex51324.livejournal.com/597.html A Kiss Is Just A Kiss by nightdog-barks not sure on the rating, probably PG House and Wilson, gen or pre-slash http://www.squidge.org/housefanfiction/archive/9/akiss.html Commitment by deelaundry R for themes, language. House and Wilson (pre-slash?) 2 parts, link goes to first part. http://deelaundry.livejournal.com/35795.html#cutid1 Asking me to pick only one is like asking someone to pick their favorite kid. I didn't write these, but I love them all in special and unique ways. That being said, I pick Post Trauma because its the longest and will keep me entertained a good long while. Luxury item has to be All In, its the first ep I saw all the way through, and got me hooked on House. I really like House/Wilson, gen or slash. OT3 of course is House/Wilson/Cuddy. However, any story can be great with the right mixture of comedy and drama. Also I want to say that I really love the Annals, but surely someone else on the island will have a copy I can borrow, so I will bring A Kiss Is Just A Kiss, runner-up choice. Love, love them both. And boy that Sheep can inspire more fic than anything other than the show itself. Whew!