More House re...

More House recommendations:Anything for Charity by Michelle ChristianHouse/Wilson explicit slashMichelle Christian is one of my favourite House slash writers and everything that she has written is highly recommended reading but I confess that the silly title of this story put me off reading it for some time. But it goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover because this pwp features red hot beautifully written smut. Is it entirely believable that House would drag Wilson into a cupboard for scorchingly hot nookie whilst all his co workers are a few feet away? Possibly not but with a story this sexy who cares?Name that Tune by Miriam HeddyHouse/Wilson explicit slashName that Tune appears to be the only House story that Miriam has written - which is a crying shame as this is utterly superb. Perfectly in character and completely unsentimental this is a short, sharp and totally believable peek inside the dynamics of the House/Wilson relationship. Really quite brilliant.Blow the Candles Out by SyalHouse/Wilson SlashGod I love this story! Featuring a very unhappy Wilson on his birthday and the world's most awkward birthday party attended by House, Wilson and Julie this works on every level. Its one of the few stories that doesn't make Julie a screaming harridan and you ache for both her and Wilson as the author depicts the sad dead state of their marriage. House's dialogue is wonderful and the ending is cute and heart warming without being fluffy and unrealistic. Massive bonus points for managing to include a scene of House hugging Wilson which is completely in character and painfully realistic. Maryland by ShalottHouse/Wilson slashFirst House story I ever read and still one of my absolute favourites as a desperate House tries to work out why Wilson has decided to leave his job and move to Maryland. Beautifully written and featuring a very vulnerable House - a state of mind which few House writers seem to be able to pull off with any degree of success. The sort of story that leaves you with a huge smile on your face once you've finished reading it.Messengers by Telegram SamGenVery melancholy peek into the psyche of James Wilson. Wilson is too often portrayed as Mr Happy Go Lucky in fan fiction but in this piece Telegram Sam recognises the immense pressures facing a man who has to watch so many of is patients die. Short, haunting and very powerful.Side Effects by IsagelHouse/Wilson explicit slashAnother red hot slice of smut which also examines the unwanted side effects of House's vicodin addiction. Not too sure about the realities of some of the positioning given House's injury but such minor niggles are best overlooked when the rest of the story is as well written as this.The Quality of Mercy by KMSGen The Quality of Mercy is a lengthy well written Chase centric piece which deals with the slow process of House forgiving Chase after his actions with Vogler. Set in the second season it riffs on the events in Acceptance and includes the death of Rowan Chase.The story isn't perfect and superficially there were a number of things that grated. Having the prison Chase is sent to be called Oswald Petentiary is a little too referential for my tastes (I've never understood why writers create believable universes and then drag me out of them by referencing another fandom), a riot breaking out within moments of Chase arriving is a tad convenient, the scene on the plane where House forgives Chase has a distinctive S&M vibe to it which I'm absolutely sure the writer didn't intend and the House/Wilson relationship is portrayed in a way which can't be comfortably categorised as slash or friendship but somewhere annoyingly inbetween.All that being said this story succeeds wonderfully in one way - it made me care deeply about the character of Robert Chase in a way which the House writers and Jesse Spencer haven't succeded in doing on the show. Chase is wonderfully categorised here - he's a fully realised compelling character rather than the whiny petulant bitch we so often see on the show. Special mention should also be made of this stories impressive nods to continuity - the Arnellos, Vogler, Rowan Chase's illness - all featured and handled very well indeed.Candy Cane by Atalanta PendragonneHouse/Chase BDSMWriiten in response to a homophobic post which caused a stir over at the House fiction journal this is an incredibly naughty, very sexy slice of House/Chase. House makes one hell of a dom and the dom/sub dynamic suits the House/Chase relationship surprisingly well. If only all ridiculous posts inspired this degree of quality writing!

So I read a lot of fan fiction and whilst there are some extraordinary, wonderful, incredibly talented writers out there - there are also writers who turn out the kind of stories that make you want to bleach your eyeballs after reading them. Lousy characterisation, unlikely scenarios, dreadful spelling and grammar - I've accidentally stumbled upon far too many stories like this for my own good. So after some (heavy) cajoling from a friend I've decided to set up a recs journal. Of course everyone has their own ideas about what makes good fan fiction but I'm hoping that this journal will at least be a good starting point for anyone seeking to avoid Mary Sues, Mpreg and other fanfic atrocities! Stories featured will mostly be from House (with the occasional story thrown in from other fandoms) with a bias towards slash and gen as I don't find the het couplings on the show especially compelling.On to the recs:Defensive Strategies by Milkshake Butterfly House House/Wilson slashMay as well start with one of the very best. This is a wonderful highly amusing story which has a despondent just divorced Wilson having a sexual identity crisis prompted by the unwanted attention of a very pushy original female character. House and Wilson are perfectly characterised throughout and their voices so true you can virtually hear Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard saying the lines as you read. It's also one of the very few House stories which makes me laugh out loud each time I read it - some of the lines are just wonderful. Defensive Strategies isn't without its faults - the original female character is inevitably grating. Granted she is meant to be more plot device than character but her bunny boiler behaviour gets tiresome very quickly. The story also has an entirely unnecessary coda which dilutes the strength of the rest of the story. Still this snarky, sexy story is pretty much House fanfiction at its very best.