5-7 Years Post Serenity

POSTED BY: Arcadia
UPDATED: Thursday, August 3, 2006 12:27
VIEWED: 8381
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ARCADIA

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 4:53 AM

Anyone have logical ideas for what life would be like for our BDHs 5-10 years post Serenity? After I'm done with my current fan fic I want to do a (much, much short) post-Serenity fic, but way post. And, of course, even though I still have 10 or so chapters of my current fic, I'm already starting to plan this one.

I am especially interested in the twists and turns Zoe, River, and Jayne's lives could take. I have a much clearer idea of what I where Mal, Inara, Kaylee, and Simon are when this story starts.

Who, if anyone, do you think would leave? I'm toying with the idea that one person has. For some reason, I see that person being Simon, Zoe, or Jayne. We'll see though. I'm not attached to this idea or anything, though.

So, thoughts?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Objects in Space"

River: It's just an object. It doesn't mean what you think...
http://www.stillflying.net/ <-- Check it out!

MEANGOLDFISH

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 5:10 AM

i think you should avoid inara and mal getting together, if for no other reason, then just because everyone kind of expects that. have inara die, and mal leave serenity and become a hermit, i don't know, just try to stray away from what people expect.

AGENTROUKA

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 11:25 AM

Something tells me it would be Zoe that leaves.

With Wash on Serenity, she had a life independently of Mal, a way of having moved on from the war without actually having done so, but after his death.. she needs to reinvent herself.
So after much angst and fighting and eventual tearful acceptance (or terse, maybe), she might leave and just go do something else. Join another crew. Get a ship of her own. Settle down.

It would be beneficial for Mal, too, to lose that last tie to the Valley. Reinvent himself alongside Zoe. Grow up that last bit into becoming a man more than a shadow.

Jayne... might just plainly be dead. Or back home, helping his Ma and family, maybe with a few rugrats of his own. *g* Or still on Serenity, the firepower to stand in for missing Zoe.

Simon... No clue. But I think he would grow much more assertive and independent over time, possibly becoming the kind of revolutionary hero Mal doesn't care to be. I see friction and reluctant bonding between him and Mal. Sort of a "son growing up" kind of dynamic.

River would highly depend on Simon. Her brain is still irreparably damaged and she would likely depend on medication for the rest of her life, no matter her improved cognitive abilities after the movie... Stay with the ship for as long as she can, I think. Also replace Zoe in her way, and take up a role not dissimilar to Kaylee in her little sister/daughter way.
She'll struggle with finding a place just her own that doesn't depend on meddling with others' affairs... possibly discover a few ugly sides to her personality as she grows frustrated. Experiment with sex when an appropriate subject comes along.

At some point she might deliberately choose a quiet life somewhere safe.

Interesting subject....

NCBROWNCOAT

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 1:38 AM

I see Zoe leaving too. Maybe either to fight in a second war against the Alliance or even she eventually finds someone-not to replace Wash-no one could- but to settle down and have the kids she wanted so badly. She'd still be a friend to Mal but at more of a distance.

Mal wouldn't be entirely bitter and have some lighter moments but his basic personality wouldn't change.

If there was another war with the Alliance Mal most likely wouldn't fight, at least not in a regular unit. He's keep on doing the small crime and piracy but do small but significant things to help the Independents. At the end he'd just push further out into the black.

I wouldn't have Inara and Mal live happily ever after either. They may eventually get together but it's not smooth sailing by any means.

I agree with AgentRouka about Simon and Jayne. I see Simon as the "hero" that gets the public accolades and makes the bold moves but still butts heads with Mal. Kaylee would be by Simon's side keeping Serenity running and raising kids.

Jayne definatly would either be the Zoe firepower replacement, raising rugrats of his own or maybe even both.

The more I read Rayne fanfic the more I see Jayne and River together. I think he would eventually have a calming effect on River and love her despite her problems.

It would be fun to see the children of River and Jayne. Suppose one inherited Jayne's brain and brawn and one had River's genius level brains or how about brains and brawn together?

One day.
One plan.
One army of Browncoats.

On June 23rd, we aim to misbehave.

LYSCAT

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 7:17 AM

Interesting concept...hmmm.

I'm not quite sure about all the characters. I wouldn't suggest anymore death, lord knows that after Wash and Shepherd Book (post the movie) we won't need to see anymore. I'm realtively new to this 'verse and even more so to the facts that surround it. I guess it would be dependent on what you really had in mind.

Zoey talked during HOG about having a baby with Wash. It could go either way. She could have been pregnant(unknowingly) with his child. She could chose to leave the ship to keep her child safe, but wouldn't it be fun to see a miniature version of Wash and Zoey running around on Serenity? Or, she could not have not gotten pregnant and stayed on board, maybe falling in love with a passenger they took on (down the road)? Ooh, what if they found out that Wash hadn't really died. Somewhere along the future, they ran into him and he had amnesia? I know, I'm reaching, but it could happen.

Inara...I like her as a character, but I just don't see the Mal/Inara connetion (sorry to offend any fans of the couple fan base). I mean her past was drilled into her and Mal is just so stubborn. I'd think that either she would leave for the final time (both always feeling love for the other), or the two would come to some kind of understanding and Mal would be able to move on to someone else.

Jayne, I'm not sure. Again, he's a character that I like, but I'm not sure where he could go in so many years in the future. He could really go to either extreme. I think that he'd still hold a dedication to the members of Serenity, I'm just not sure how he would fit in.

Kaylee and Simon (I like the couple) so (if reading a story), I'd like to see them together, either with kids or not.

As for River, I'd like for her to still be an active member of the crew. Both her and Simon really have nothing else. I mean the life they had is lost and to me, they found a fmaily in the members of Serenity that they never had before. I'd hate for either of them to leave.

I guess the bottom line would be that I'd like to see a few new members to the crew, but not at the expense of anyone's life.

May the feas of a thousand camels infest the crotch of the person who has ruined your day, and may their arms be too short to scratch~Anonymous

ARCADIA

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 8:14 AM

Thanks for the responses guys. They've helped me direct my thoughts more than you know.

Here are a few things I have decided on:

1) The story will take place four years after Serenity, and all of our BDHs will be onboard (but for how long)?

3) Zoe and Wash did not have a child. I've seen this explored nicely in other fics, particuarily in Kaynara's series.

3) No Jayne action. Sorry, Jayne is a pairing I just can't stomach. I try, but... can't.

As for the fate of other couples... well, I have special things in mind, but I ain't sharin'.

There are eight chapters left of "Over the Hills". I hope to be finished with it by July. I am considering starting this fic despite the fact that I am not finished with my first one, lol, but we'll see. This one will be shorter than "Over the Hills", and I plan to write it in full before I post it, so... well, don't look for it anytime soon.

Thanks for the help, all!

Katie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Objects in Space"

River: It's just an object. It doesn't mean what you think...
http://www.stillflying.net/ <-- Check it out!

FOLLOWMAL

Thursday, May 11, 2006 12:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by LysCat:
I'm realtively new to this 'verse and even more so to the facts that surround it.

Hey, welcome to our shiny ship, you got on without getting your virtual browncoat!

*hands Lyscat a new browncoat*

We're glad you're here!

Quote:
...wouldn't it be fun to see a miniature version of Wash and Zoey running around on Serenity?

Yeah, and even more fun to see Mal's reaction to this.

"You hold. Hold 'til I get back." Mal

NUTLUCK

Friday, May 12, 2006 8:10 PM

Well here is a few things from my point of view.

Mal - I could see him, getting better less bitter. Yes he lost crew doing the right thing but I also think he took to heart what Book was trying to teach him and he would even up putting faith in his crew. He still could be rough but I think he would make more of a effort to make them all a family and deny it the whole time.

Inara - I could see her staying or going, I really can't see her and Mal working outlong term. She loves her life and profession to much and the same goes for Mal. I see them have a breifly fiery romance that eventually fades and perhaps they can just become good friends. Or Inara would leave I think.

Zoe - Hmm she's a tough one, I could see her going but I doubt she would. She followed Mal this long and really has nothing else in her life. I see her going thru the motions and eventually healing maybe not to where she was. She is just the one i see having the least change.

Simon - I could see him slowly changing become more desperate and more like the others. Lossing his core world shine slowly and very possable becoming very bitter at the world. Unless he and Kaylee end up happly married, i still see him then getting harder but shift some of that protection over to Kaylee from River. The last i think is more likely.

Kaylee - Depends a lot on others but mostly I see her staying the same and being happy with Simon and trying to make the crew a big family.

Jayne - I see him eventually growing, getting past the merc mind set. With the mudders, him regretting turning in simon and Riveron Ariel and then with the events of the movie. I could easly see him while staying crude but becoming part of the crew fully and seeing them like family in time. Jayne has always struck me as the potional to if he ever let someone close to become very loyaly and care what others thought of him. If he didn't do this then I see him leaving eventually.

River - I could easly see her taking over as pilot and or going on jobs. She is better but still crazy and still deeply emotionally scared. She in many ways is very grown up and in other ways still very much a child. I also think she feels a deep sense of debt to the crew and Mal. I see her staying and being very loyal to them all but espically mal as a means of paying them back.

Anyways just one persons take.

CAVALIER

Wednesday, July 5, 2006 5:58 PM

If we are looking several years ahead, I’d like to look at this in slightly more general terms than usual.

It seems to me that Firefly centres on a man undyingly bitter about the loss of a war. Mal still literally wears a brown coat, and calls his ship Serenity. Imagine a German truck driver c 1953, always wearing field grey and driving around Europe in a truck called Stalingrad, and you can see just how subtle Mal is about his opinions. In his heart, Mal is still fighting the war, or would like to.

This is why he risks his ship and crew to help two fugitives from the Alliance.

As the months and years pass (I speculate), it becomes clear that fate has given him the one thing he has always desired – a weapon capable of damaging, perhaps entirely destroying, the Alliance. After all, River has been free for eight months, has spent most of that time in a state that should put her in an insane asylum, has only just started to recover, and has already shaken the Alliance to its foundations without even trying. What do you think she will be capable off in a couple of years?

The point is that any such ambitions will tend to separate Mal from his crew. Zoe might be willing to go with her Captain on this (especially now that her husband is dead), but I don’t suppose that Jayne would be too thrilled with the idea of emulating Blakes’ 7. As for Simons opinion on the idea of using his little sister as cannon fodder for Mals vendetta against the power that controls all of civilisation in the ‘verse; I think he would disapprove. It’s easy to see this leading up to almost anything up to, and including, mutiny.

The joker in the pack, of course, is that much of this arguing is likely to be futile. If a recovered River is a significant threat to the Universal Alliance, it is not likely she could be controlled by anyone on Serenity.

Just my 2c.

PS – for non-fans, Blakes’ 7 involved an unsuccessful rebellion against an authoritarian interstellar empire

MISSTRESSAHARA

Thursday, July 6, 2006 1:16 AM

Ok, am I the only one who sees that Zoe might resent Mal for what happened to Wash? He didn't put the spike through his chest but he put Wash in the position for it to happen. Remember in the movie after they find Book and Mal makes the decision to go to Miranda and get the truth about the Reaver's he threatened them. Out and out threatened his crew. Your on my side or no side (don't remember the phrase he used but it was very succinct) Now in the end after they got the tape they agreed to help knowing the danger, all of them including Jayne, however, that the one person who was taken was the husband of his first mate and the closest person he could trust.

Zoe followed him in the war, to hell and back, and back again. She's been loyal to a fault but suddenly there's this man who made her laugh, made her feel, who gave her a possibility of a family and one day settling down and forgetting her past. Who made her smile (Even Tracy was suprised by that news) You could tell she really was a baddass in the war, possibly cold and distant. Mal had his faith to carry him till he lost it, but after Miranda I do believe he found it again, in some form by helping River and sticking it to the Alliance (not that I think it hurt them in a big way, we may never know) But he found his center, you could tell by the end of the movie, there seemed to be less of a dark cloud hanging over him (plus he made nice with Inarah) He's in a good place. In fact everyone, including Jayne, is in a good place.

Execept Zoe.

The one who had the most to lose lost it (one of the worst cliche's in Hollywood, but Joss does it well enough) now since the war she's alone. But it's worse because she had the glimpse of happiness, unlike Mal she found a way out of Serenity, unlike Mal she put her bitterness behind her. She found a man and she found a life and even though her marraige and job conflicted at least she had someone to be mad at and then make up with after. Now think about how her lifes going to be like. The small cabin she and her husband shared so intimately, empty, just her, no-one to share her bed, no one to cuddle with, no-one to complain to or just have hold her. Just memories of their short time togther. His toys to never be played with again. She'll turn a corner or look in the cockpit, or glance at her bed hoping to see her man and all she'll see is empty space and memories of what was taken from her. Mal found his faith and a future of sorts, he'll be allright. Zoe's going to take on the mantle of angry, bitter & hollow, and it won't be pretty. And though she showed her anger at the Reavers, I think, and this is moho, that the true resentment, true anger will be towards Mal, and to a lesser extent towards Simon and River. Especially when she sees Kaylee and Simon together, enjoying what she had, and knowing it was because of this man and her sister her husband was put in jeopardy, and she lost I think that which was the most precious thing to her. It'll be like they were (Simon and Kaylee) throwing their affair in her face. That's a hard thing to take, for anyone. And then we get to the topic of River taking over as pilot. Imagine what she'll be like when she sees this little slip of a girl taking her husbands place. I wouldn't be suprised if she pictured a pole going through River's chest.

All this makes me believe that she'll begin to question her loyalty, why she still follows Mal after all that happened, why she should even be on that boat. Zoe wasn't much of a talker in the show or movie and when she said something it was right out, & to the point. Very proffesional. I think we'll see less of her talking, replying in gruff angry ways, and close to shooting someones head off if pushed. Her anger will be bottled up, pushed deep down until she gets to the spot where Mal was. And if Mal were wise he'd see this and know how dangerous taking her out on jobs would be. Would Zoe still have his back? Would she still be there to take out the bad guy bearing down on Mal. Would she momentarily point that gun on Mal, if only for a second an

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