Re: gaggin'

See if this sounds familiar: a story that features a charismatic, conflicted
captain caught between worlds seeking to grind him to a pulp, a quietly
capable and devoted right-hand helper, an uneducated mercenary (who provides
much of the comic relief), a navigator who is passive but well-liked and who
performs well under duress, a signature ship, a truly ferocious and
implacable enemy everyone avoids if they can help it, and the addition of a
holy man who is much more than he appears.

What I've just described isn't Firefly.

In 2004, I was so distraught about the cancellation of Firefly that when I
needed a fallback idea on short notice for NaNoWriMo that year, I started
writing something that was for all intents and purposes Firefly fanfic
without being slavish or overt about it. It allowed me to have my own
Shepherd (whom I call Cleric Vaneras) and see what his character arc would
be like. In my iteration, Vaneras is the capable person who opposed the
captain and waged a war for public approval against the captain behind the
scenes. Much of his conflict was only known to the captain and the cleric
and the conflict was only ultimately resolved by being forced to work
together against a greater enemy (indeed, a series of greater enemies).

So, yeah, I'm still working out my own issues with regard to better ways to
resolve Firefly than simply yanking the plug.  ; )

Johne Cook
| http://raygunrevival.com | http://authorculture.blogspot.com |


On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 1:37 PM, pcg <[email protected]> wrote:

> > As far as I'm concerned, River's story arc is now complete.
>
> Concur.
>
> > I have no problem going forward with new members fitted into the crew. It
> > has the air of authenticity.
>
> Ehhh... new people? Already? That's very Joss, and wouldn't have
> surprised me, but it feels too soon to introduce new people. We still
> haven't figured out most of the people we know and love.
>
> > If I had the responsibility to sacrifice two characters, I would have
> > sacrificed River at the end of Serenity, having completed her
> > transformation. Her story is essentially over.
>
> Heh. Great minds...
>
> > And then, I would have
> > considered letting Zoe have a heroic death.
>
> Nooooooo! That would have been just as bad as Book or Wash, for me.
> Granted, she's probably the most crudely drawn character, but oh how I
> loved her bad-assery.
>
> > In addition, I would have Inara's presence be more
> > sporadic, leaving without announcement and being
> > gone for periods of time without explanation,
> > obviously bent on some unspecified personal mission.
>
> That's an interesting angle.
>
> > I could see bringing on competition for Mal, somebody with obvious
> authority
> > who challenges Mal, not overtly, but with his very competency.
>
> I like the idea of this, but I don't think I would like it in
> practice. There's a certain comfort in knowing that, no matter what,
> Mal is the man.
>
> --
> -pcg
>  [email protected]
>
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>

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