Stranded on a Desert Island

Tropes and genres
Synonym(s)	desert island fic, desert island AU
Related tropes/genres	Cave Story, Canadian Shack, Cabin Fic
See also	No Island AU
Related articles on Fanlore.

Stranding a character on a desert island is a trope with a long tradition in published media. (Desert island means isolated and deserted, not necessarily tropical or dry.) See the TV Tropes entry.

In science fiction fandoms, this trope appears when characters are marooned on an uninhabited planet.

The trope is also used in AU fanfiction, as well as canon-compliant fanfics where a character canonically spends time on a desert island. A small number of works are specifically Lost AU fics, placing characters from a different fandom on the desert island from Lost.

Not to be confused with the fan activity of deciding which fanfics to take with you if you get stranded on a desert island.

Desert Islands in Canon

• Arrow
• Gilligan's Island
• Lost
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Black Sails

Example Fanworks

Arrow:

• Works often focus on Oliver Queen's time on the Lian Yu ("Purgatory") island. In a few other works they do a Role Reversal AU in which Felicity Smoak or Sara Lance get stranded and become the Arrow.
  • no man is an island (oh this i know) by confidentialityspice

Bandom:

• the present and the distance by behindthec

Black Sails:

• This is not a very common trope in this fandom, despite the show's canonical focus on piracy. Characters can become marooned after falling overboard, shipwreck or mutiny. It is used as a plot device to explore and develop the relationship of two characters, usually Captain Flint/John Silver or Abigail Ashe/Billy Bones.
  • Fifteen men in September by ballantine
  • A tide of hope by seren23

Hawaii Five-0:

• Overboard

Marvel Cinematic Universe:

• Between Heaven And Hell by katiedid, Darcy/Steve & side pairing Bucky/Natasha, Darcy gets stuck on a deserted island with a few unexpected guests. (2015)

One Direction:

• Lost Coastlines by pukeandcry. A Harry/Nick story in which Harry and Niall were presumed dead but then found on a desert island. (2014)

Star Trek:

• Looking to the Stars (Like They've Got All the Answers) by shards_of_divinity. A Kirk/Spock story in which their kidnapper's ship crashes to an uncharted and uninhabited planet, Jim and Spock have to fight to stay alive

Stargate SG-1/Stargate Atlantis:

• Nothing I Should Care to Leave Behind by busaikko. A Cameron Mitchell/John Sheppard fic, wherein these two are stranded on an uninhabited planet together.

Fannish Resources

• Deserted Island Fic & Desert Island tag at AO3
• 1000IslandChallenge collection at AO3