Peggy mentioned collaborative writing in her email today, which reminded me of a great piece I read earlier last year. A bunch of people in the rec.arts.sf.written newsgroup writing a hilarious Terminator/Jane Austen mashup.
I'm now tempted to either write a novel about the Terminator universe in the style of Jane Austen, or to write a Jane Austen plot with the Terminator involved.Oh, definitely the latter. A Victorian comedy-of-manners with an undercover shapeshifting robotic assassin from the future who's.... hmm.... who's trying to stop someone else from...making an unfortuante marriage."Indeed," said the man (whom Patience could not help but think of as made of clockwork, though he manifestly was something far stranger), "I speak of these things not merely because of the way that I am made, though indeed a machine should do that which it is made to do, but because I have found that I have developed, through our many conversations, a feeling of that which is proper, both within the bounds of your society and without; and being that I am, here, a gentleman, I find that I am also bound to behave as a gentleman would, and indeed, Lady Patience, I must warn you that this Mr. Connor is a man of less than sterling character."Patience was quite taken aback by this sudden expression of personal concern, so unlike the measured rationality of the Mr. Terminus that she had come to know and depend upon, and so for several moments she sat quietly, simply looking upon his earnest, if overly regular, countenance, before she had quite decided upon her reply. "Sir, your concern for me is noted, and not entirely without my appreciation, but you are most forward and presumptuous to offer advice in such a matter, in which you cannot have any interest and which is, therefore, entirely between myself and Mr. Connor."
Check out Google Groups for the rest of the thread.