Yeah, my somewhat new head canon is that the show actually takes place in a feudalistic future--so far in the future that we've gone back.

I get what you're saying about only liking a certain kind of fic every once in a while. I have very specific preferences for fic according to fandom. In some I only like specific types of AUs, or canon-based AUs, and in some I only like canon-compliant, or certain pairings if it's a certain genre/type of AU. I just hope the ones I linked are the kind of thing you're looking for. Hope you enjoy them!