STEAMER'S BLOG

Steamer

Fanfic Musings
Sunday, March 29, 2009

During some recent breaks in writing (as seldom as those are), I've been ruminating on the fanfic I've written and will still be writing for quite some time to come because I AM DAMN-FER-SURE GOING TO FINISH IT. Even though, yes, it's a five-parter.

But I recently realised that being a five-parter, it touches on each of what one might call Firefly's 'core values', continuing themes, elements that we see appear over and over from Serenity to Serenity. I thought about the comments from more than one esteemed reviewer to the effect that 'The Guns of Yamenmiao' had a distinctly western feel to it, that they could lose themselves in its western-ness. I'm compelled to agree in light of the omnipresence of trains, guns and shoot-outs throughout that story. So what do I see as the other four core themes of Firefly, to be explored in each coming part of The Old That is Strong?

Well, some recent rethinking of 'Where They Don't Follow' has brought it round to emphasise the science-fiction element in the show. Mind you, I don't understand science too well but I'm just crazy enough to do library research for the sake of writing a good fanfic. So, fingers crossed that the sci-fience makes a kind of sense when it comes to the screen.

They say sex sells, and whilst that may be true, I don't think it necessarily has to usurp the focus of an entire story or storyline. Still, romance is a major element in any story at any time in any genre, and Firefly is no exception. 'Love & War', even though it's as plot-driven as the rest, will nevertheless be a love story - I'm not saying for whom, or just how mushy it'll be, but it'll be approved for all audiences. (I will, however, say for whom it WON'T be: it is NOT going to be Rayne. )

Morality. The right thing. Maybe at the right time, maybe not. In any event, we saw it in TTJ and we saw it in the BDM and we saw it in many places in between. We'll see it again in 'Fire & Water' when the BDHs, and whoever happens to be travelling with them at the time, have a set of circumstances to face and a set of choices to make, to decide whether the next move is the right move.

Now maybe some see conflict, fighting, and all-out war as the polar opposite of morality, and maybe to an extent that's true. War and its aftermath are, as I see it, the fifth of the significant memes in Firefly - as they will be in 'Ships That Pass in the Night', when all the others roll into one and the BDHs, with western science fiction at their hands and love and morality at their backs, are faced again with 'verse-wide conflict. This has been great fun to ruminate on and promises to be great fun to explore through writing, as well.

Talking of fun, though - a huge, ambitious plot bunny jumped into my lap yesterday, involving Serenity, a million miles from nowhere, experiencing a hard impact and everybody converging on the cargo bay to find a weird-looking blue box that wasn't sitting there before. And when from the box emerges a cheerful fellow with a Dyton accent and a longer-than-normal brown coat....Well, unlike other similar crossovers, this one actually has a plot, so give me some time to work on that.

And now, back to my pen!

COMMENTS

Thursday, April 2, 2009 10:44 PM

AMDOBELL


I will look forward to your new labour of love with interest! More power to your pen, Ali D :~)
You can't take the sky from me

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 2:12 PM

KATESFRIEND


I'm in!

I've really liked the planning you're putting into this

Monday, March 30, 2009 11:07 AM

PHYRELIGHT


*pops cap off of little blue pen*

Monday, March 30, 2009 6:56 AM

ANGELLEMARCS


Yippee!! Steamer's back at it.

Sunday, March 29, 2009 6:45 PM

NCBROWNCOAT


Sounds like you've been doing some heavy duty writing and I can't wait to read what has come from your pen,,,er,keyboard.


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