I see what you're saying, blue. This board and some others are rather dominated by H/W people, so I understand your reluctance to rec H/Cam. There are a lot of people around who say "Ewww! Het!" Not exactly the warmest welcome for the women, and for Cam, least of all. Please note that I'm not bashing H/W or those who ship it. I'm just saying, other ships are rather underrepresented in comparison. The HoYay is strong with this board.

Oh, there definitely have been...I'm just not sure where to find them all anymore. I prefer to have the character pairing listed because I just don't like them all. I would note, however, that the reasons for reccing a fic centered around a pairing I don't usually read are what will get me clicking, explaining that it's an intriguing romance, or has unexpected twists, really steamy story, whatever. The above might work, depending on my mood. :wink:

This is for saara zaara who asked why there's almost no gen Cameron. I write gen, almost always Wilson and House, but I've also written a couple things centering on Chase and, as part of Aftershocks, I've been drawn to write scenes centering on Cuddy. I even managed what I thought was a really good Foreman drabble once. But I can't seem to get any kind of grip on Cameron except in the context of her interactions with either House or Chase -- and the moment I go there, I'm almost forced out of gen territory. On her own, I really have little evidence of who she is, and I find it almost impossible to relate to her. It would help, I think, if she had a better sense of humor (Foreman also needs this and its absence is a big part of the reason I don't connect with him very well either). Cameron's really bizarre; on the one hand she's so uptight and self-righteous that you'd swear she was a virginal, ultra-religious kind of girl. Then she flips a switch and becomes this crass, sex-obsessed creature who will happily shag in hospital closets and (ICK!) a patient's bed. What, exactly, am I as a gen-writing person supposed to do with a character like that? I have no idea. *shakes head* I can't speak for anyone else, but that's why I don't write Cameron.

Amen, blackmare. I've managed to write Cameron successfully only in pre- and post-series stories. When I try something that's current, I can't keep hold of the character well enough for her to carry a lot of weight in the story.

Whenever I write Cameron, I try to break the anti-H/Cam-anti-Cam-fanon-mold, by rounding her character with something a little bit more unique (okay, a little bit more cool), like a talent or an opinion or a certain attitude (specifically - singing, knowing sports trivia, flying a spaceship. You know, the norm) - and I'll consider what I can have and can't have her do, and I won't put it in if I can't see it. But the good thing about Cameron is that on the one hand we've seen so little of her person on the show, and yet seen her behave in so many different fashions, that frankly, there's very little I can't imagine her doing. And that gives a lot of freedom as a writer, I think. I can see Cameron getting learning to fly a plane as a teenager from her pilot dad; I can see her being a closeted scifi geek; I can see her volunteering to build houses in South America over summer break in college. It's been constantly said that Cameron has been written inconsistently on the show: that makes her harder to understand, but it can also give you the freedom to write her however you want her and for it to still make sense. So I think you can turn Cameron into whatever role you need her to play in your fic, or into whatever angle you want to explore, or just to however you'd like her character to be like, because I agree the writers aren't always doing a great job at it. And I have to admit, it kind of grates to have one of the two female characters on the show so hated. I'm not the Number One Cameron Fan either - sometimes she annoys the hell out of me - but for the sake of giving her a chance, I will try to write at least one Cameron fic that takes place next season, I think. And as for Cameron-centric fics, here’s a short, non conclusive list – they’ve all been recced on the TWOP thread before, and I’ll just post their links here: 100 Seasons: Cameron by Namaste, So Early in the Spring and Better Hands Than These by Corgigirl, no less a devil for that by Branwyn, Last Rites by Dira Sudis (which is, yes, about Chase, but just as much about Cameron and from her POV), Paladin of Empathy by Perspi, what black magic can do by Athenae, Memoir by amazonqueenkate, Little Deaths by Ritaann , Inertia by rainsquall, and my personal favorite, der Wächterengel by kasuchi, written from the POV of dead husband’s ghost. I haven’t read all of these, but like I said – they were all TWOP recced (by some of you guys, mostly :-)), all gen, Cameron centric, many from earlier seasons, and if they include pairings they’re either minor and relevant or Cameron/husband backstory.

I like writing Cameron in small doses (always gen, except maybe the first section of "Eros"), but I've only made her the centre of a fic once, and I don't think it worked particularly well. I don't think it's a lack of understanding, but rather the opposite. I find it too easy to substitute myself for Cameron (despite, or maybe because of, all her inconsistent glory). I might actually relate, or want to relate, to other characters more closely, but with the guys, there's always that very essential difference; and one can only dream of being Cuddy :wink: > With Cameron I have to place barriers deliberately (and this season anger has been a helpful one), which doesn't make for a smooth writing process. Or maybe I just can't write Cameron...

You don't have to be a H/W shipper to be repulsed by H/Cam fics. I found H/Cam repulsive before I even got into the House community and knew there was a House/Wilson ship. :lol: I don't think anyone should be afraid to make a rec though. Post what you want to post. Your posting it doesn't mean anyone is forced to read it. Putting the pairing or a brief summary is just to give the person reading the rec an idea of if it's something they want to pursue. Personally, I rarely read anything that doesn't indicate that Chase that will be prominently featured. Writing Cameron can be interesting. Sometimes she may demand more story than you ever intended to give her.

Without trying to overgeneralize, the problem with Cameron-oriented fics tends to be that too many of them are written by young girls who identify with Cameron and lack writing skills and the ability to separate themselves from the story. That's a very polite way of putting it Namaste - snigger snigger. Oh the kittens!

Thank you, Namaste, for being the Voice of Reason. Yes, I tend to avoid Cameron-centric stories because all too often young writers use her as a stand-in for themselves -- she becomes a Mary Sue under a canon name and face. If I ever do manage to write her I think I will have to focus on just what a confused place it is inside her head. She really doesn't seem to know who she is or what she wants. I'm in total agreement about the twisting of one character in order to promote an OTP involving someone else. I feel like Julie must have been in a very lonely situation before she cheated -- and Wilson himself has said that his previous marriage was fine before he strayed. Why should we forgive one of them and demonize the other? Wilson's a very messed-up guy.

Mare I'm in complete agreement about Wilson being a very messed up guy. In his own way he's at least as messed up as House. Witness the facade he puts on for the world, his (what appears to be) serial episodes of infidelity with his wives, the depression (which I suspect is very long standing, predating by some time the mention of antidepressants in S3).

"Cameron wouldn't leave House. She wasn't Stacy." Which is really interesting in light of how s3 ended & ITA about the demonization. Stacy with H/Cam, Chase with H/Cam too, Julie, Bonnie, etc, they all seem to come in for this treatment at some time or another. Lots of interesting varients on the slash theme too, Wilson with H/Ch & the reverse too. Thanks to all for the comments on Cameron, & the fic recs, I'll be able to post in more detail tonight with some responses (umm, there's actually a lot to read!)