Sick!Wilson Anonymous

After choosing prompts for the current round of sickwilson_fest, yarroway and I were “ooh”ing and “ah”ing over our new plot hatchlings, and began chatting about what makes a great sick!Wilson fic. As we talked, it became obvious that this concept was not as easy to define and pin down as we thought. There needs to be more than our favorite oncologist getting sick or having an emotional meltdown. And I know what you’re thinking… it needs hurt/comfort, but that doesn’t always clinch the deal or is necessary. And what about humorous or light sick!fics? Many have earned a place in our hearts.

I began checking through fics in the archive, searching for examples, and came away with two conclusions: There is no set formula, and what I like is subjective and depends upon my current mood.

Since a lot of us are mulling over our prompts and/or happily anticipating a batch of new stories to read, I thought this would be the perfect time to open the topic to our readers and writers, so here's the question:

What makes a sick!Wilson fic work for you?

To get the discussion rolling, you might want to check this post: So... what is it that's so extremely addictive about sick!Wilson fics?. It’s from 2007 when our comm was first formed.

Food for thought: How do you feel about Wilson's suffering? Whether physical or emotional, what qualities should it take on: angst, inner struggle, introspection? Are you craving to learn something new about Wilson or see something about him in a different light? Do you give bonus points when you see how it affects the people around him--especially House?

You are welcome to refer to fics if it helps clarify a perfect sick!fic moment, but in respect to all our wonderful writers, please refrain from recommending, critiquing, or comparing fics.

Hi Campers!

Time for another discussion. I'll launch right in, because I have a big sugar craving and need to down a bag of marshmallows. Pardon me if I'm a little quiet at first. As soon as I rouse out of my sugar coma, I'll join in.

Let's compare fanfiction with the show. Sure the show is about House, but Wilson's issues surface from time to time. Angst over three failed marriages, a long lost brother who was finally found, grief over Amber, guilt over Tucker. Then there are the anti-depressants. We can guess why he's taking them, but we never discovered exactly why.

Did canon leave you satisfied or dissatisfied? If you could see more, what would you want to see? Has fanfiction helped fill in these gaps?

Food for thought: Do hurt/comfort stories offer insight or closure on the House-Wilson dynamic that you yearned for, or do you prefer open-ended stories that allow you to freely speculate about how their relationship or situations resolve?

Writers: How does canon affect the way you approach a story? Do you see the loose threads of Wilson's life as writing opportunities?

As always, please talk amongst yourselves, and don’t be shy about asking questions and chatting with your neighbors.