Not AU exactly -- AW through a blurry, malfunctioning telescope

[rthstewart]

In the following, we now cover 15-16 years, and this goes places I did not intend, and we end up not in AU exactly, but maybe. It's not what I'd intended. The first part is re-hash of the commentfic and I blame lady_songsmith for the prompt that took us to the Amazon and then anastigmatfic for where we’ve ended up, however improbably. The very end is new.

Comments

[autumnia]

Reading this makes me want to see the scene in which Mary learns the Secret. She seems to have taken it all in stride, judging how easily she bring up Peter's former life as a King High King, and even mentioning Dinan. (So... is Peter technically older than Mary here? I've always wondered about the age difference between Mary and the Pevensies.)

And oh, Susan! How can Peter see Susan like that when (or is it "if") Edmund is also involved in such things as well? I don't know how much of this will actually be canon to what's to come in AW, but I am kind of mad at Peter about his treatment of Susan. Assuming Edmund partakes of Rat and Crow in England, I feel that Peter is acting a lot like those men that Mary dislikes -- how it is the men who get credit for discoveries and such while women are/should take a back seat.

And the mention of Mr. Pevensie is interesting. Still not quite approving of his eldest son's choices in life, and yet there is an envious aspect to it all as well.

[h_dash_h]

I wonder if Edmund is just more subtle about it? Susan seems more inclined to press the point and try to convince Peter she is right. Which probably leaves Edmund in the middle. Otherwise Peter *is* acting like those men Mary dislikes.

I'm quite intrigued by this. It's hard to say if I think the outline should be bent in this direction, because we don't know where it was going before (except Not Here). It's odd to read the Peter/Mary relationship from the AU juxtaposed with the tragic arc between Peter and Susan from the main plot. (Ruth, you have created not just a spin-off universe, but a multiverse!)

I'm also intrigued as to the state of Eustace- hopelessly in love with Mary who is with Peter. Did that come from the commentfic as well? I hope he gets some sort of resolution (with someone else) before the train wreck. Bah. I need to get back to that Eustace and Jill surviving the last battle story that is resisting me.

[rthstewart]

Eustace's infatuation with Mary hit me when I wrote them in the Museum together in AW. This is one where I think I've not done enough with Mary because in my head, she's very kind about it and I'm not sure readers would see her that way. It also underscores why in the actual story, a relationship between Peter and Mary would be such a really, REALLY bad thing -- Eustace is just one of the many potential victims. As I said, trial balloon -- I've been really interested in this AU stuff since these two characters have spent way more words together in the AU than in the story proper. Others have written more of Peter and Mary in the same scene than I have

[h_dash_h]

I think the discussion between Peter and Susan in AW (where they drink whiskey and keep stealing each other's seats) got your point across very well, and with only the hints of anything unpleasant about Peter's inflexibility. At that point, he's still questioning it himself, but finds the justifications to be very situational. Susan always takes a broader view, and is therefore less likely to find anything justifiable in one situation but not in others. Hmm.. that doesn't sound quite right and I don't think I'm getting my interpretation across, but hopefully you get the point that I think that development in AW has been effective and readable to date.

As for the mini-big bang, I'm definitely thinking about it. At the moment, I need to clear out some other obligations before I can commit to a timetable, which is part of what is delaying me in general. Those obligations are fun, but, um... obligatory :-)

[rthstewart]

Some parts of this are seriously waaay off the outline and others have been there for a very long time. This was very much a trial balloon. I'm really floundering and so putting things out there and seeing the reaction is interesting and helpful. The reaction to Peter's condemnation of Susan (and the comparison to Edmund and his and Mary's condemnation of the old dinosaurs in her field) is particularly interesting.

Age wise, I've put Mary at about her mid-twenties in 1942 -- say 25 or 26. Assuming Peter was at least in his late 20s or early 30s when he left Narnia, yeah, he and Susan are both older than Mary.

I've had certain scenes with Mr. P in my head and outline for about 3 years now. I feel like I'll never get to them, but they are there.