Thoughts on Chiana

[JadedLegend3]

I scaped my best friend this past Saturday. I showed her DWTB because I wanted to show her something that would leave her with lots of questions and hopefully an ending that would make her want to watch more. Of course, it was successful.

However, during our viewing of DWTB, she said to me, "she (Chiana) likes (yes, that way) John, doesn't she?" Meaning she is in love with John. I kinda think this in a small way, so I said yeah, kinda.

Now, I'm a J/A shipper and don't want anything to happen with either one, as far as either of them getting w/ someone else...however, I do think that Chiana has feelings for John, and sometimes I think he reciprocates them.

At the risk of being flamed (b/c I have been elsewhere for saying similar things) what does everyone else think?


Jacqui

[thxprincess]

I agree with you on all counts.

Although, Chiana I think loves John in a different way than Aeryn does...it's not a passionate *need* because Chi is so independent, and probably also because John is not interested in her in that way.

[Timmayy]

There are several instances that I can recall, early in Chiana's life on Moya, where John nearly succumbs to Chi.

And then there's the ep where he has to convince her that he is not under the influence of the Nebari mind-cleansing by doing something she definitely enjoys, but it happens out of frame.

So I too agree that they might have gotten together had circumstances been different.

Spoilers for "Bad Timing"
























When Chiana, Rygel, and D'argo are on Moya and someone mentions John and Aeryn getting married, if you look closely you can see a disappointed look on Chiana's face. Some people explain it as shock and surprise, where I say it's disappointment. You be judge.

[JadedLegend3]

I really do think that Chiana loves John, and I agree with Timmayy that John almost succumbs a few times. Even later in Twice Shy, I think it is, when she's sitting on him trying to force the issue, had Scorpy not interrupted, I think he would have given in. However, I do think he'd regret it very much. I think for John, in that instance, it would have been purely physical, but I think it would have been more for Chiana.

I also agree with Harveylives I do see that look you mentioned from Bad Timing.

I also don't think that she's completely in love with D'Argo. I've always felt that he's been a second choice for her.

There is also some interesting fic out there that broaches this topic.

I really like the character of Chiana a lot. I kinda relate to her unrequited love.

Unfortunately, I'm catching a cold and so I can't seem to think clearly, and hence, I can't remember many specific scenes other than the one I mentioned and the others mentioned before.

Oh! Oh! Oh! What about in "Natural Selection," when Chiana gets in all kinds of trouble for being promiscuous? I think John was angry not so much that what she was doing was detrimental to her well-being, but that he was slightly jealous...

Jacqui

[brokendj23]

i just think chiana is basically kind of slutty, and because John is basically a respectable guy when it comes right down to it, he's always kinda been the thing she can't have, which may or may not have been why their friendship has developed the way it has.

[trubador]

Her attraction to Crichton all started with Durka Returns. Crichton was the first person (aside from her brother Neeri), who cared about her and protected her without requiring or expecting any sort of .... ummmm..... uhhhh.... "payment" or "services". Add to that the fact that she was very young, and he happened to be a hunk (yeah, I'm a guy, but I'm secure in my heterosexual skin to make that statement ). Since then, she always had that "puppy love" crush on that "knight in shining armor".

[Judith]

I think Chiana is in love with John. However, I don't see D'argo as her second choice. I think she loves D'agro too. But I do get the vibe that if things had been different for John and Aeryn, Chiana and John might have had a fling.

Although I don't think Chiana and John would have worked out.

I also don't think that John is as sexually attacted to Chiana as she is to him. He certainly seems to be attracted to her at first, but his feelings seem to become more protective...more that of an older sibling.

I also do think Chiana is genuinely happy for John and Aeryn. If you watch season four, you can see lots of subtle hints about the friendship between Chiana and Aeryn strengthening. Neither of them have had a chance to have a lot of friends, so I think their friendship is very important to them.

[ScorpSik]

I think J + Chi would've made a terrific couple....OK, probably not the most stable or lasting relationship, but great to watch.

er....not in the Braca sense....

I think Chi clearly loves him, but his feelings for her are a bit ambiguous.
In the beginning of LATP (I think) when Aeryn pushes J away + Chi starts grinding against him near the ship... he looked pretty tempted.
But other times her seems to be a brother figure.

[sny]

I agree that there's a special relationship between Chi and John.

When she first comes on board, recall that she's very young and vulnerable, almost childlike, in a sense. She's used to guys wanting her for one thing, and that's to get into her pants. She's used to bartering her body. She's used to crying, kicking, or kissing her way out of trouble. She became promiscuous largely out of necessity.

Naturally, on one level, she's going to be attracted to John, simply because he's attractive. (Nice pants.) But as time goes on, I think her affection for him deepens, because he doesn't only expect her to be his bed partner. I also think in seasons 1 and 2, she's often confused by this and doesn't know how to react. In season 2's Taking The Stone, she yells something to the effect of "I'm not your daughter, I'm not your sister, I'm only your tralk in your dreams!" when she's angry at John for ignoring her in her time of grief. She's used to interacting with men only on a sexual level, she's hungry for affection and attention, and John gives that to her, without pressuring her for sex.

I think as time goes on and Chiana matures, she views John more as an older brother (I hesitate to say father) figure and she becomes more comfortable with his decreasing interest in her as a sexual partner, when he becomes more devoted to Aeryn. She also becomes more comfortable with being "parented" by him, which she evidently didn't get as a child. She does tend to offer comfort and emotional support to men in the form of offering her body, more than her ears and a shoulder to lean on earlier in the show. Even in season 4, she still tends to rely on her body to be her first bartering chip with strangers, but not as much as she did in season 1.

I think John, more and more, views her in the younger sister role, as the show goes on. He almost "mentors" her, and I think the nickname "Pip" kind of fits into that theory. That's very much a "younger sister" kind of nickname.

I think she'll always have an attraction to John. Even in later seasons, Chiana is still vulnerable, and she is still hungry for affection and attention. She can't seem to get enough male attention to convince herself that she has worth. Her usual way of attracting that is offering her body, even with John, sometimes. Sure, I think John's been tempted, (Who wouldn't be, out in space, millions of miles from the nearest of your kind, or in a ship with the woman you love but just can't seem to get it together with, or when you think she's left and may never be coming back? He's lonely, he's human.) but would feel he was taking advantage if he acted on it. Not to mention violating the manly-man creed of not sleeping with someone who slept with your best friend, since she's been with D'Argo.

Chiana early on sees sex as more of a currency to buy what she wants, to make her feel good. John, even early, seems to place a slightly higher priority on the feelings involved. I think by season 4, Chi treats giving her body to someone as a bigger deal, but she still doesn't see it primarily as part of a loving relationship. John, by season 4, seems committed to viewing intimacy of that nature as part of a loving relationship.

There, I've rambled long enough. So, I agree, pretty much, I reckon.

Stacie

[recklesshumor]

I definitely agree with the big-brother theory. Chi relies on John and trusts him like a big brother. And I think John definitely feels responsible for Chi's safety like a big brother would ... evidence Taking the Stone. However, I don't think this relationship limits the fact that they are both sexually attracted to each other. Even in John's dreams ... evidence Dog With Two Bones, Chi is a sexual force more than a little sister. Given the right elements, I think we might see some sparks there in the future.

I can't believe I just said we would see something in the future. I'm starting to accept that we got our show back!!!

[brokendj23]

Chiana deff uses sex as a bartering tool, but I kinda got the impression that maybe the nebari in general were a sexually driven race. In a clockwork nebari she talks about how both she and her brother were responsible for infecting lots of people with the nebari contagion, albeit she also adds that they were young. But it also seems as if everywhere the crew goes guys are always eyeing chi like a piece of meat, like they already know or have heard something about the species, where as, characters like aeryn, zhaan, jool etc. never get the same treatment.

[Antrobus]

Now don't forget that John "lost his innocence" to Chiana! Remember "Kansas" and Chiana with the young John???
That ended up becoming realitybecause they changed the time line! Didn't it??

[B Sharp]

Originally posted by Antrobus
Now don't forget that John "lost his innocence" to Chiana! Remember "Kansas" and Chiana with the young John???
That ended up becoming realitybecause they changed the time line! Didn't it??

or maybe that's the way it always was.... so John has *always* felt something for Chi.

[Darth Buddha]

John has obviously been physically attracted to Chi from the beginning. However, it is equally obvious that he has chosen the role of big brother in dealing with her. First, because of the maturity difference.. he doesn't want to take advantage of her (I endorse that wholeheartedly). Second, because aside from somebody he isn't going to see again (Jenevian), he's not good at sleeping with somebody and not having further feelings for them -- and he recognizes that with Chi, this would just get him hurt.

Chiana, on the other hand, saw John initially like she saw all males... potential sex partners, with her in control. The fact that John has NOT had sex with her has always been a point of some resentment. She has gradually come to accept the big brother little sister dynamic, but only after sparks. Her relationship with D'Argo and the recognition that John would ALSO not cross that line (even after D'Argo and Chi "broke up") has hastened that acceptance.

She'd still like her sexuality "validated" by successfully seducing John, but if that doesn't happen, she'll deal with it. As the seasons have progressed, she has even started to reciprocate within the big brother/little sister relationship, supporting John in a non-sexual sibling manner.

Finally, I think her seduction of young John in Kansas was just her way of getting the validation that she wanted in SOME form.