Yuletide II: Space, the final frontier
I can't believe I've recommended five XXX -- in Space!!! AUs, but I have. Most of these take the concept fairly seriously. Three of my top ten here (marked ***)
Chinese poetry
Green, by Lnhammer ***
'Upside is "officially" international and modern but like everything here run by Personnel, the site is built on images from the Middle Kingdom -- auspicious cranes flap around the screen with message scrolls in their beaks, wise turtles offer compatibility advice.' Some things change over the centuries, but the problems faced by lovers stay the same. This story worked for me as original sf, with the various translations of the source, 'Walls of Emerald' by Li Shang-Yin, giving extra layers of meaning. The prose has the feel of poetry
Fairy tale
The Silver Ship, or, The Wolf's Quest, by Ermigoa
'Once upon a time, when the Earth was still solid beneath our feet and the stars were distant and strange, there was a king whose lands were rich and lush, and whose citadel comprised many gardens.' A really unusual fairy tale, subverting elements from traditional tales in a fresh setting. The frame story just makes this
Jeeves & Wooster/Greek myth
The Woosteriad, by Silverr
'I noticed a very faint tremor go through Jeeves' manufactured frame at the sight of Melon, and he irised down his visual receptors in a way that made me a tad envious: still, one must stand by one's friends, no matter how radioactive they may appear to be.' Bertie has a more-than-usually off-the-wall adventure, courtesy of some figures from Greek mythology. Not the best Wodehouse pastiche, perhaps, but worth a try for the robotic Jeeves alone
Little Women
Beth Finds the Palace Beautiful, by Snacky ***
'I was very sick. So sick that even Marmee didn't think I'd get well. And when the time came to board the spaceship with all the others, I was still alive, but just barely, and no one would allow anyone so sick on board the space ship.' Snacky takes a crackfic premise, and makes of it a moving, thoughtful, memorable story, which is surprisingly faithful to the original
Macbeth
The Captain of the Caledonia, by Zdenka ***
'The monitor beside the door flickered to life, displaying words. MACBETH MACBETH MACBETH. Only his name, three times.' Given the spaceship setting, this is a surprisingly faithful retelling of the play, highlighting the differences in the way the tragedy plays out in this environment
Crossposted from Dreamwidth (with
replies). Reply wherever you prefer
Chinese poetry
Green, by Lnhammer ***
'Upside is "officially" international and modern but like everything here run by Personnel, the site is built on images from the Middle Kingdom -- auspicious cranes flap around the screen with message scrolls in their beaks, wise turtles offer compatibility advice.' Some things change over the centuries, but the problems faced by lovers stay the same. This story worked for me as original sf, with the various translations of the source, 'Walls of Emerald' by Li Shang-Yin, giving extra layers of meaning. The prose has the feel of poetry
Fairy tale
The Silver Ship, or, The Wolf's Quest, by Ermigoa
'Once upon a time, when the Earth was still solid beneath our feet and the stars were distant and strange, there was a king whose lands were rich and lush, and whose citadel comprised many gardens.' A really unusual fairy tale, subverting elements from traditional tales in a fresh setting. The frame story just makes this
Jeeves & Wooster/Greek myth
The Woosteriad, by Silverr
'I noticed a very faint tremor go through Jeeves' manufactured frame at the sight of Melon, and he irised down his visual receptors in a way that made me a tad envious: still, one must stand by one's friends, no matter how radioactive they may appear to be.' Bertie has a more-than-usually off-the-wall adventure, courtesy of some figures from Greek mythology. Not the best Wodehouse pastiche, perhaps, but worth a try for the robotic Jeeves alone
Little Women
Beth Finds the Palace Beautiful, by Snacky ***
'I was very sick. So sick that even Marmee didn't think I'd get well. And when the time came to board the spaceship with all the others, I was still alive, but just barely, and no one would allow anyone so sick on board the space ship.' Snacky takes a crackfic premise, and makes of it a moving, thoughtful, memorable story, which is surprisingly faithful to the original
Macbeth
The Captain of the Caledonia, by Zdenka ***
'The monitor beside the door flickered to life, displaying words. MACBETH MACBETH MACBETH. Only his name, three times.' Given the spaceship setting, this is a surprisingly faithful retelling of the play, highlighting the differences in the way the tragedy plays out in this environment
Crossposted from Dreamwidth (with
replies). Reply wherever you prefer