Here's a little something that occurred to me this morning. It's incomplete, partly because I'd like to see what ideas it spurs in the
collective. Let me know what you all think. Warning: mildly preformatted for the wiki.
======Myths of Fenspace======
Although as a civilization Fenspace is, on the normal scale of
things, barely past the sperm-sighting-egg stage, it tends to
move and develop a bit faster than its ground-bound counterparts.
One good example of this would be the body of myth and folklore
that has seemingly exploded into existence starting almost as
soon as the first few fencraft made it off Earth.
Whether any of the following are ''real'' is open to speculation.
But the folklorists who have made it into fenspace or who have
taken up the field of study after arriving here take pains to
remind us that there is almost always a seed of truth at the
center of every myth. And when something as borderline magical as
handwavium is concerned, that seed of truth may well be the size
of a coconut. As the Wizards and Technomages have so clearly
demonstrated time and again, Clarke's Third Law may as well be a
natural Law in Fenspace, and makes it all but impossible to
dismiss any of the tales below as anything more than "unlikely".
However, it does go without saying that no conclusive evidence
of the existence of any of the following has hit the Interwave,
and until it does, they will remain nothing more than fanciful
stories.
===== Berserkers =====
Named for the monstrous robotic planet-killers from the work of
Fred Saberhagen, their Fenspace equivalents are reputedly much
smaller but no less coldblooded and destructive. The least
reliable accounts tell of immense craft that could threaten a
midsized asteroid or the ''Grover's Corner's'', but most who
claim to have seen a berserker describe something substantially
smaller, barely large enough to devour a 'waved 18-wheeler.
There is also, predictably, some disagreement on their number,
with quantities ranging from one to hundreds claimed.
Those who lend credence to reports of berserkers speculate that
they are Boskonian doomsday weapon(s) and worry that they may be
Von Neumann machines, out of their creators' control, or both.
Predictably, Trekkies who believe that berserkers exist call them
"Doomsday Machines".
===== Carmen Miranda's Ghost =====
(Obligatory filk ref)
===== Ghost Ships =====
(A couple flying dutchmen here, complete with ghost crews.
Victims of phasing/cloaking tech gone wrong, or true ghosts?
Mostly began appearing during and after OGJ.)
===== The Good Samaritans =====
(Ghosts of dead astronauts who roam the spaceways helping
those in need. May be the same as the Oxygen Fairy (below).)
===== The Great Bird of the Galaxy/The Great Maker =====
The notional deity of Fenspace, one step above the Overfan.
Not so much worshipped as sworn by (or at), it probably doesn't
actually count as a true myth as an extended cultural running
gag.
===== The Oxygen Fairy =====
Mysterious benefactor of stranded and damaged fencraft, who
extends their faltering life support long enough for them to
be rescued. Originally a tongue-in-cheek supposition, but
after several spectacular rescues, some S&R teams swear it
exists.
===== The Phoenix =====
(Ship + pilot who merged into single being during an uncontrolled
re-entry. Believed to be a carryover from the Julia Ecklar folk
song, but numerous witnesses have claimed to have encountered the
Phoenix. Others point to Wave Convoy to indicate that it's at
least ''possible.'')
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
collective. Let me know what you all think. Warning: mildly preformatted for the wiki.
======Myths of Fenspace======
Although as a civilization Fenspace is, on the normal scale of
things, barely past the sperm-sighting-egg stage, it tends to
move and develop a bit faster than its ground-bound counterparts.
One good example of this would be the body of myth and folklore
that has seemingly exploded into existence starting almost as
soon as the first few fencraft made it off Earth.
Whether any of the following are ''real'' is open to speculation.
But the folklorists who have made it into fenspace or who have
taken up the field of study after arriving here take pains to
remind us that there is almost always a seed of truth at the
center of every myth. And when something as borderline magical as
handwavium is concerned, that seed of truth may well be the size
of a coconut. As the Wizards and Technomages have so clearly
demonstrated time and again, Clarke's Third Law may as well be a
natural Law in Fenspace, and makes it all but impossible to
dismiss any of the tales below as anything more than "unlikely".
However, it does go without saying that no conclusive evidence
of the existence of any of the following has hit the Interwave,
and until it does, they will remain nothing more than fanciful
stories.
===== Berserkers =====
Named for the monstrous robotic planet-killers from the work of
Fred Saberhagen, their Fenspace equivalents are reputedly much
smaller but no less coldblooded and destructive. The least
reliable accounts tell of immense craft that could threaten a
midsized asteroid or the ''Grover's Corner's'', but most who
claim to have seen a berserker describe something substantially
smaller, barely large enough to devour a 'waved 18-wheeler.
There is also, predictably, some disagreement on their number,
with quantities ranging from one to hundreds claimed.
Those who lend credence to reports of berserkers speculate that
they are Boskonian doomsday weapon(s) and worry that they may be
Von Neumann machines, out of their creators' control, or both.
Predictably, Trekkies who believe that berserkers exist call them
"Doomsday Machines".
===== Carmen Miranda's Ghost =====
(Obligatory filk ref)
===== Ghost Ships =====
(A couple flying dutchmen here, complete with ghost crews.
Victims of phasing/cloaking tech gone wrong, or true ghosts?
Mostly began appearing during and after OGJ.)
===== The Good Samaritans =====
(Ghosts of dead astronauts who roam the spaceways helping
those in need. May be the same as the Oxygen Fairy (below).)
===== The Great Bird of the Galaxy/The Great Maker =====
The notional deity of Fenspace, one step above the Overfan.
Not so much worshipped as sworn by (or at), it probably doesn't
actually count as a true myth as an extended cultural running
gag.
===== The Oxygen Fairy =====
Mysterious benefactor of stranded and damaged fencraft, who
extends their faltering life support long enough for them to
be rescued. Originally a tongue-in-cheek supposition, but
after several spectacular rescues, some S&R teams swear it
exists.
===== The Phoenix =====
(Ship + pilot who merged into single being during an uncontrolled
re-entry. Believed to be a carryover from the Julia Ecklar folk
song, but numerous witnesses have claimed to have encountered the
Phoenix. Others point to Wave Convoy to indicate that it's at
least ''possible.'')
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.