Writing goal: explain the whole post-last-battle thing

[h_dash_h]

OK, in an effort to hold myself to doing something, I am going to publicly declare my intention to write a much-expanded examination of what happened with Eustace and Jill and The Last Battle in the comment-fic-derived AU now being tracked at last_battle_au. Because it seemed to really strike a chord with a lot of people, and it's what suddenly pulled together

Comments

[snitchnipped]

Hmmm, some interesting thoughts. I guess it depends on how you want their journey to unfold -- would the story be about them finding out the truth that Narnia did in fact cease-to-be, or about them dealing with the acceptance? Or perhaps both? I definitely look forward to reading such a story, and how the Friends of Narnia who were not present would deal with the news, and where you would put Susan in the whole mix!

BTW- thank you for the review on my NFE fic. I responded to your thoughts over there, but since that was before you LJ, you may not catch it!

[h_dash_h]

Thanks for letting me know about the response! I think the story will be more about coming to terms with it, so there should not be a mystery about whether it did or didn't. That would just get in the way. Good point.

[rthstewart]

I think it's a terrific point to pursue, and a very unique one. For so many people (myself included)TLB is really hard. So two things to consider -- first whether Aslan is benevolent or not. That's not a trite point -- if you assume, as some writers do, that's he's actually a pretty poor deity, or at least doesn't care that much about how some of his actions affect humans (letting Lucy and Susan cry over his dead body, clawing Aravis, TLB), then that's one way to take this -- Jill and Eustace are called to bear witness, and that's that, a full circle on the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve there at Narnia's worse, and I want you here for symmetry and never mind that the place you loved is dead, and yeah, everything you suffered with Tirian and the dead you saw, well, it was MEANT TO BE. If Aslan is benevolent, then absolutely, it's necessary to have him do some explaining and come up with gentle way to put it all in context, ending I think most logically with a call to do in your world what you did in Narnia

[h_dash_h]

The take my subconscious just coughed up while reading this was "their presence and suffering balances the harm done by Digory and (by association) Polly". But I don't like that thought very much so I'll have to think about it. It might be involved, but there might be more. Part of this is figuring out how much I'll allow myself to change TLB. The minimum amount necessary, but what is that?

I view Aslan as neither entirely benevolent nor indifferent/incompetent. And I think I'll save further rumination on that topic for the fic, or at least a separate post. I'm actually not a deist at all, although I was a fairly devout Catholic at some point in my teenage years, so writing with an entity like Aslan is an interesting challenge.

Anyway, lots of very good points, thank you so much for raising them!

[anastigmatfic]

I've always had terrible problems with TLB, not least the Rocks Fall Everybody Dies part, and the abandoning of Susan, and the futility of Pole & Scrubb & Tirian's efforts, and... oh, all of it really.

I never have been able to reconcile things in my mind in such a way that the book works for me. I'd love to see you set at the inconsistencies with the internet's biggest jar of spackle and a giant-sized shovel. (err... Giant-sized?)

Which is all to say: yes please! What little I've seen of your writing so far makes me think you'll have a fascinating take on this.

[h_dash_h]

Thanks for the encouragement! Everyone else surviving necessarily changes things with respect to Susan, but I think there's a still a difference worth exploring with her. I don't want to change *too* many things at once.

[metonomia]

I think that makes the most sense to me- I was imagining something like they are there, and perhaps they together have to shut and lock the door, and then get sent home - and then when everyone else goes further up and further in, Aslan has a chat with them and then sends them on home...in some way, lol.

And yay! I'm glad you're going to expand on that idea, because I really love it.

[h_dash_h]

Glad to hear you're looking forward to it! The question of why they are there is definitely important. It might be part of what they have to figure out. I'm trying to avoid having Aslan just hand them a bunch of answers and then they just sit around going "wait, what?"

[snacky]

I think I agree with what Ruth says - why are Jill and Eustace present, what is their purpose there? It could, of course, be something where they're not meant to be present at all - if they get there without a trainwreck, if they go through with the original plan to use the rings, well... maybe Aslan doesn't want them there, didn't intend for them to be present.

I do like the idea of the symmetry - they bear witness to the end of Narnia, as Digory and Polly bore witness to the beginning.

And yes, again agreeing with Ruth, I think it depends on the view of Aslan. I think there's a story to be told with both ways, and I'd like to read either (or both!) I mean, I can figure Aslan's a pretty benevolent and loving deity, based on some of his actions, but then there are others that I look at and say, "holy crap, Aslan is a COMPLETE BASTARD! And all these characters are stockholm-syndromed into loving him!"

[h_dash_h]

Yeah, I'm definitely going to have to develop a more clear view of Aslan and his connection with these children. Anyone know if Lewis ever really discussed this anywhere? I don't think he'd really thought it through at that level when he wrote the first book (it wasn't really necessary), but a lot of what the sixth and seventh books is problematic. If humans came into Narnia by accident, it's a bit odd how immediately they take a major role in its structure and prophecy. And why do all of the other groups of humans who arrive in Narnia (the Telmarines and presumably all other human inhabitants) stay while the Friends visit and return?

[snacky]

I think probably the best place to find Lewis' thoughts on Aslan is in his Letters to Children.

I agree with you - he didn't really think it through when he was writing the books. I think that's because he never really had any idea of making them a series? First he had LWW, then PC, then VDT, and he was pretty sure he was stopping there (and I think the ending of VDT supports this, and the books hang together as a trilogy). But then he had more and more stories to tell, so he kept going. And I think part of the problem is that he never had Aslan as a direct representation of Jesus. He's said the books are more meant to be a supposition rather than an allergory, so they're not exactly the strictly Christian books that some people claim they are (I remember reading an interview with one of the Walden Media producers and he was shocked by how dark and how many non-Christian elements show up in Prince Caspian, which I think is indicative of a very shallow reading of the books by some Christians - "THE LION IS JESUS!" and that's all they

[animus_wyrmis]

I would think there's definitely an interesting possibility if they take the rings themselves and go, and that would explain why they get to go home instead of dying; maybe Aslan is like, hey, you weren't supposed to be here, get out of here!

I mean, I can figure Aslan's a pretty benevolent and loving deity, based on some of his actions, but then there are others that I look at and say, "holy crap, Aslan is a COMPLETE BASTARD! And all these characters are stockholm-syndromed into loving him!"Word, Snacky