Fic: What She Once Was (Flipping the Script Mix) [Farscape; John Crichton, Aeryn Sun; PG]

[steelydanrydell]

Title: What She Once Was (Flipping the Script Mix)
Author: sugargroupie
Summary: Now she's turned his world inside out again with one (life saving) gesture.
Fandom: Farscape
Character(s): John Crichton, Aeryn Sun
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They belong to others - O'Bannon, Kemper and Henson.
Original story: You Are Me by AstroGirl (astrogirl2)
Notes: Spoilers up to Green

Comments

[astrogirl2]

Heh. This was really interesting to read, because I got a third or halfway through it or so and kept thinking, "Wait, what? Does the person who wrote this actually know the Farscape canon?" and then there was this moment when the light bulb went on and I thought, "Oh! Oh, hey, that's really cool!" And it was, too, with all the little AU twists suddenly falling together to make a coherent picture. And what a nifty idea it is, especially as the very concept really highlights the connections and similarities between Aeryn and Crais... which, of course, is exactly what the original story was about.

Thank you! :)

[sugargroupie]

Hee, yeah this was an interesting exercise for me because I've never really written Crais or devoted much thought to the character (outside of thinking that his arc was awesome), but when I came upon this story I immediately got the idea to switch his and Aeryn's roles, because they really are more similar than they are different.

Anyway, thank you for the feedback, and I'm really glad you're pleased with how I remixed your story. :)

[astrogirl2]

Well, I'm glad I provided an opportunity for you to do something new, then. As it happens, the original story was my first attempt at writing Aeryn, who I didn't feel I had a great handle on at the time, so that seems oddly appropriate, somehow. :)

Anyway, yes, definitely pleased with the direction you took with it! And I hope sorting through all my rambling output and finding something to remix wasn't too much of a chore for you; I always feel a little bad for the poor souls who end up getting me. :)

[sugargroupie]

Knowing that now, I agree with it being oddly appropriate. If anything, I'm hoping to write more Crais after this.

And I wouldn't call it a chore at all; perusing through your work was a little daunting, but not in a bad way. I briefly considered choosing one of your Stark stories but I know he's your favorite and you write him wonderfully, and I didn't want to get too in over my head. I'd rather try to write Stark on my own, and start small. :)

[anonymous]

Sorry, I don't have a livejournal account. ^_^

What a neat twist on the original story! The parallels came together after I finished it, so I read it again to fully appreciate what you've done here. Aeryn could've easily become Crais, though her motivations would have been different. But their love for Talyn was equal, as was their base selves. It's really cool how you've shadowed those points by switching their roles. I'm very interested in how Aeryn Sun began chasing John Crichton, what act drove her to declare Crais irreversibly contaminated?

This passage here:
There's nothing more to say, and Aeryn nods slightly before drifting back to sleep. It occurs to John, how very different this moment is from the last time they were alone, nearly an arm's length apart. Then, they were separated by one of Moya's cell doors, tension in both their shoulders and tears running unchecked down his cheeks.Was such a poignant scene between Crichton and Crais on the show, it really makes me want to see how it would've played out with Aeryn on

[sugargroupie]

Thank you! I was a bit concerned with whether or not people would get the twists and make the parallels to canon on their own, so it's not surprising, or necessarily a bad thing to hear you had to read it twice.

One of my betas suggested that I expand on this AU once remix was done, to make further connections with details like why Captain Sun was chasing Crichton, but I think the short answer would be ambition, hating to lose. Not so different from the other PK baddies on the show.

The passage you quoted stuck with me as one of the definitive Crais/Crichton scenes in canon, so I had to use it. *g*

Thanks again.

[liz_marcs]

I admit that I was thrown at first, but then I realized AU!

It's a well-done AU as well, although my brain is trying to wrap its head around the idea of Crais being part of Moya's crew.

Then I had to go back and read it again. Definitely an interesting spin-off from canon.

[sugargroupie]

Thank you. :) Yes, it's weird for me as well, to think about Crais as a Moyan even in an AU. I doubt he'd fit in as comfortably as Aeryn did. I think there's something about Talyn that would always draw Crais to him.

[lastscorpion]

Oh, I remember all my near death experiences That is such a Crichton line!
This is a terrific AU, and a terrific remix of the original story!

[sugargroupie]

Thank you, I'm happy you enjoyed it, and that Crichton rang true. I love writing him.

[simplystars]

Oh, Shuna. You are so shiny. ♥

This is the sort of clever idea I wanted to do with my Remix, and couldn't. It's a technically sort of challenging piece, keeping the AU and canon threads sorted and yet flesh out the characterizations... when I read it the first time, it made me all thinky and I didn't know quite what I wanted to say about it.

It's a very ambitious idea, and I think you pulled it off brilliantly. :)

[sugargroupie]

Oh, I'm shiny, thanks! This was very challenging for me for the technical reasons you mentioned; trying to recreate those canonical moments so that they fit within this AU and still be recognizable. Plus I wanted to mirror some of the themes from the original so that it would still be a remix, and not simply an AU. So, um, I'm glad it works for you. *g*