Blue Sun Room FICTION - GENERAL

Bed and Wine: Part 8

Friday, January 13, 2006

Mal Reynolds is not having his best day ever. And there’s science. NC-17 for Shuttle Shenanigans.

CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 4627    RATING: 9.0 (NC17)    SERIES: FIREFLY

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Bed and Wine: Part 8

Mal Reynolds is not having his best day ever. And there’s science. NC-17 for Shuttle Shenanigans.

***

AN1: The “science” found in the following is speculative at best. Please do not use said science as part of your term paper ;). Many, many thanks to Dr. A. Hickman for all his hard work and research.

AN2: Special thanks to Shakespeare and Coleridge for the quotations.

AN3: Thanks to all you Browncoats still reading and enjoying!

***

Malcom Reynolds was not having his best day ever. The weather forecast was three more days of darkness, and the dinner menu promised protein in shiny variety. It seemed a day for sulking. Not sulking: brooding. Brooding sounded manlier, right?

Mal shoved the last tub of clothes in the laundry tank, pounding it down to fit. Almost two dozen towels; wo de ma, how much showering could a body take? He blamed Kaylee and that kuh-ooh duh doctor who was not his favorite person on a good day, and this was surely not a good day. Every time he turned around, the pair of ‘em was turnin’ up with wet hair and red faces. He’d tried posting a No-Sex-In-The-Showers sign back when Wash and Zoe started defiling them. Made a neat little plaque and everything. And he probably still had the scar where Zoe beat him over the head with it.

Not for the first time, Mal wished their old friend Book was alive. Crew could use a good ‘sin and hellfire’ sermon nowabouts. Wasn’t right draggin’ a man’s mechanic off to the alter that way. Doc didn’t ask permission. Hell, didn’t even take captures. Had to be a commandment against that. Right after the one ‘bout coveting thy captain’s sister. He knew what Kaylee would say if he complained. You wouldn’t be so grumpy if you got a little o’ that tension out, Cap’n. Mayhaps that was so. Presently, it looked like all his tension was stayin’ put, lest he took matters into his own hands. Inara had chosen this week as the time to go all skittish again, avoiding him somethin’ fierce. Just yester

Comments
FAE
Friday, 13 January 2006 06:43
Just so you know, that's the first Fanfic I've ever read on here. And I thought it was fantastic. Other than a few spelling errors to slow me down, it was very compelling and genuine. This may not mean much coming from a newbie, but your work really spoke to me. Although, I probably should've started at the beginning of this series, I'll back track and hopefully catch up in time to read your next entry. I may not be the BEST writer, but I know good writing. That was truly shiny.
Friday, 13 January 2006 06:57
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
ANONYMOUS
Friday, 13 January 2006 07:14
Wow, quite the powerful chapter. Also, what a nice surprise! I took a 5-minute study break, and look what I found! You're writing always gives me inspiration for my own works. Your voice is very clear and true to the characters. And fascinating about the amygdala section. I didn't know half of that, and it really made sense with the branch/gun thing in OIS. Can't wait for part 9!!!
Friday, 13 January 2006 07:15
Silly. That was me up there, too lazy to sign in!
Friday, 13 January 2006 07:17
Great chapter, I love the idea of crew actually being able to reach out to River.
ANONYMOUS
Friday, 13 January 2006 07:18
SimonisticSNAFU here, too lazy to sign in and all that. Just thought I'd add something here, since this one went right up an alley I've been studying lately...

The thing about not recognizing parents as one's parents but seeing them as impostors is called Capgras Delusion, it happens when the limbic system--the part of the brain responsible for emotions--gets disconnected from the temporal lobes somehow (temporal lobes are big in long-term memory storage) and in a famous case a few years back; I think it was the 1990s or maybe 1980s, there was a guy who had this but he eventually got better. The amygdala did have something to do with it, but I don't recall, back in my cognitive science studies, that being the main problem. (UC student, with thanks to Dr. Teenie Matlock for the info)

Good story though, nice and plausible. Sorry to have shot this hole in it, since it sounds so nice as is.
And, of course, anything with Silee in it is a good story already...

"There's no place that I can be, since I found Serenity."
Friday, 13 January 2006 07:56
Once again, very good! The science was pretty good. You actually got things right about the amygdala that Joss got wrong in the Ariel episode. Nice part on Simon's thoughts about Kaylee. Can't wait for more!
Friday, 13 January 2006 11:42
Loved this, very good. I'm curious as to whether Inara was actually channeling River per se or because of the intimate moment with Mal his connection to her flashed over to Inara's more intuitive brain. Whatever, this was fabulous. Well written and just leaving me crying for more. Bravo! Ali D :~)
You can't take the sky from me
ANONYMOUS
Friday, 13 January 2006 15:08
Ahh I was so excited to see that you had written another chapter and I wasn't disappointed!!! I love the Mal/Inara awkwardness...and I could totally see Mal calling her kitten and cupcake just because he knows it would piss her off, lol.

I can't wait to read more and find out more about River!

~K
Friday, 13 January 2006 16:37
Loved it. I was waiting anxiously for this!!! Can't wait to see where you're going with the River storyline, also liked how you're tying all the different info we've learnt aout her together and how the crew are so eager to figure out how to help her. The way you write the scenes of the crew together are very like the scenes from the series, I love the dynamic of them altogether for their meetings. Glad to see Mal and Inara are making a go of it again! Don't leave us in suspense too long.
Friday, 13 January 2006 16:45
LOVED! I laughed, I went aw... and you did very well background on the... um... brain stuff :P Can't wait to read more :)
Friday, 13 January 2006 16:59
On one hand, Mal is being endearing towards 'Nara...on the other he is being an annoying son of a... just to tick her off ;) I love the awkward tension :-P

Very sweet Kaylee/Simon interpretations...and...River and Gideon? i like it ;)
DARRELDOOMVOMIT
Friday, 13 January 2006 19:45
when i discovered your fic 2 nights ago, i stayed up till 2:30 to finish reading Bedlam. So, rock on, bed and wine is just as good.
2X2
Friday, 13 January 2006 21:46
Excellent, as usual!
Really enjoying this story and where you're taking us, and especially all the lovely awkwardness with Mal and Inara... Love the way there's so many things Mal just doens't want to think about, but can't avoid - Kaylee an Simon havin' sex... Jayne sexin his sister... hehe very fun, very well written!
Saturday, 14 January 2006 09:10
ok now that i am more coherant and stuff i can properly leave a comment. I love the mal/ inara moments, i love that she wanted to see the look on his face when he saw kaylee. Its her own way of annoying him like he annoyes her with all the pet names. I love the idea of mal going to her for a goodnight kiss and then her to him latter... oh hell i love your whole aproche to to this couple. I love that kaylee brought up that she knows mal had sex with inara in the med room and stuff and how inara just could not meat his gaze just then. i mal sister, i love the direction you are take'n with her. and I SO love that jayne and her are kinda together... just cause i get a kick out of seeing the captain uncomfy. all in all its great but i have to say i just LOVE this bit:

“Mal.”

“Yeah?”

“I just came down for a goodnight kiss. Do you think you can shut up for that long?”
ANONYMOUS
Saturday, 14 January 2006 20:32
I'm normally a fairly vicious science critic but my neuro-pych background is pretty thin. Basically grey matter + sun light = BAD DAY.
But from a literary point of view. Trying to turn children into trained psuedo-Reavers is exactly the move I could see the shadowy elements of the Alliance making. Random thought: R-I-ver, R-EA-ver. I think Joss was hanging out with JMS!
ANONYMOUS
Saturday, 14 January 2006 21:52
I'm normally a fairly vicious science critic but my neuro-pych background is pretty thin. Basically grey matter + sun light = BAD DAY.
But from a literary point of view. Trying to turn children into trained psuedo-Reavers is exactly the move I could see the shadowy elements of the Alliance making. Random thought: R-I-ver, R-EA-ver. I think Joss was hanging out with JMS!
ANONYMOUS
Sunday, 15 January 2006 17:50
I think the initial section was some of your weakest writing. It doesn't even sound like you. It sounds forced, like you're trying too hard.

But once you got out of the exposition and into the interaction, your wonderful talent shone through again. I was bothered by the intial part, but you pulled it out. The science discussion of what made the Reavers and how that could affect River is incredibly well done.

Can't wait for the next ep.
Monday, 16 January 2006 17:24
"Basically grey matter + sun light = BAD DAY."
think anonymous is onto something there...

b
JOY
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 05:04
I am sooo in love with this series! Keep writing!
ANONYMOUS
Monday, 23 January 2006 06:11
wonderful! I love how you used your impagination and tied in science plus things that happened on the show. who cares if all the neuroscience isn't exact - we're reading about a spacship people!

besides, as you wrote, we hardly know anything about the brain in real life either.

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