Looking-Glass by Valderys (Fairy Tale Challenge)

[valderys]

Title: Looking-Glass
Author: valderys
Rating: PG, Gen
Word Count: 3,551
Notes: Loosely based on a concept from Neal Stephenson’s ‘The Diamond Age’, and, with permission, owing a lot to communicator’s fic ‘The Young Ladies Home Companion’. Hopefully, this idea works for the challenge, although I know it's on the edge. Consider it fairy tale crack, if you will :)

Comments

[jennytork]

okay, once I figured out what was going on, this made me grin and grin and GRIN.

Her real family -- indeed!

Been there, done that, still interact with most of my "real" family.

[valderys]

Yay! Fandom unite! It's funny how online relationships can be just as rewarding as RL ones, isn't it? Sometimes more so, in fact.

[teh_bug]

Oh, wow. That was beautiful. It was desperate and lonely and loving all at the same time. I really like how you managed to make Alise feel so young without overdoing it. The last line is just perfect.

[valderys]

Oh good, because I thought my laguage was a bit too grown-up really, but it was hard to write it without the technical terms, and anyway, Alise is a bright girl...! :)

[melagan]

Wonderful!! Oh my, I ♥ this right to pieces. Beautifully, beautifully done.

[valderys]

I'd glad you liked. Yay! thank you!

[gaffsie]

This is so cool! It's an amazing concept to begin with, and all those little nods to fandom just makes it all the more enjoyable. It's a very moving story.

[valderys]

I hope the nods to fandom weren't too awful though - I had to call the penguins and the tulip/sunflower fics boring. Wah! I love 'em, but I did think Alise would find them dull without the context we've got :)

[gaffsie]

No no, it was perfectly clear that Alise's feelings about the crack fics weren't your own. For me it just came across as a sly nod to fandom.

[unamaga]

Oh, that is so unique and incredibly well done and almost kind of heart-wrenching. Thank you!

[valderys]

Lots of people are mentioning the sad bits, I'm sort of glad, because I did write them in, but I also wanted it to be clear that Alise does *have* a family, and support, it's just not the conventional kind... :)