kaylee by wytchcroft

BLUE SUN ROOM

kaylee

POSTED BY: WYTCHCROFT
UPDATED: Friday, August 31, 2007 19:23
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VIEWED: 3347
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Sunday, August 26, 2007 4:54 AM

what are people's thought on kaylee and how she comes across in the show and in the fics??

does there seem to be much difference??

i set out to make sure she had flesh to her - did more than giggle etc but turned out she's INCREDIBLY hard to write well.

here are my current thoughts (which can change the minute i watch an episode again!)

i see complexities or atleast unresolved traits/issues aplenty -
stronger than she looks but genuinely seems to enjoy playing the role of trailer-girly at times.

i think she's quite determined, very curious about people and the verse.

"did you ever have a client who was, y'know..." i love that scene between her and Inara.

then again, i love her in Trash where she gets to show some action - she enjoys it too.

i think she is quite quick to judge people and sticks by that judgement. i think she fails to see how she may project her own issues onto others.

i think she is genuinely afraid/spooked by River.

i'm intrigued by the fact that she has 'parents' - but does she?? we don't ever see them - i can imagine joss making them turn up unexpectedly and ambiguouusly as happened to Tara and Fred...

please let me know your thoughts - i'm writing little pieces at home (just for me) tryna get a 'feel' for her...

ps - reading Kimber's piece reminded me that kaylee uses the word 'Hey' - so i can still improve the speech in my fics...

stay shiny

make someone a brown coat today - don't drive nobody away

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Monday, August 27, 2007 10:21 AM

DUKUSUKKER

hi there...i really like the character of Kaylee and what she represents. here a few thoughts on i had on her.

she wears her heart on her sleeve. and folks who know her probably dont have to ask what she is feeling, because you can tell by just looking at her. plus she often thinks out loud...says what is on her mind. she doesnt say things to be in your face. it seems to always come from a loving place, even when it's a retort.

she must have always been fascinated by meeting new people which probably stems from her days hanging out at the docks on her home planet(per Tim Minear on OoG commentary). upon meeting new people, she cant help but fantasize about them, boys in particular("he must be so brave..."), and occasionally gets hurt by the reality of them.

she always struck me as very lonely. i had commented on another thread that though she is the most giving of love, she is also the most starved for love. boy crazy, maybe, but i think she honestly seeks something much more profound than that...even if she doesn't fully realize yet what that may be.

there's so much more to her, i'm sure. but these were the things that came to mind just now.

i hope this was helpful. thank you for reading.

dukusukker
---------------------

"noah's ark is a problem..."

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Tuesday, August 28, 2007 7:03 AM

SCHOONER

The most telling scene about Kaylee is during Objects in Space. When River is peering in the characters' hidden layers and secrets, Kaylee is blank. She doesn't keep anything locked away.

Kaylee is the most comfortable with who she is. She says what's on her mind, she doesn't hold anything back. She is comfortable with her sexuality, so doesn't see any need to be shy about it. She doesn't care for pretense, it's not on her radar. At the big shindig she is more impressed with how beautiful everything is than how stylish or expensive. She does have pride and an ego that can get bruised easily, but in all she seems pretty well-wrapped.

The down side that I see is that Kaylee doesn't seem to recognize that not everyone is like her, straightforward and transparant. She honestly doesn't understand Simon's reluctance or Mal's conflicted state with Inara. She doesn't recognize Banning's meanness at first, or Tracey's duplicity. I think she's the only character in the show who never lied or was deceptive (except for 'forgetting' to mention River's target practice).

In my opinion, family is obviously very important to her, as is religion. She treats everyone on the ship like her own kin. From how she plays Mal and Jayne, I'd guess she had older brothers. She has, until she joins the crew, never even been up in a spaceship despite living in the port area. She has a small town perspective combined with a sense of wonder and a huge desire to see new things.

I don't think Kaylee is frightened of River. In the BDM, she calls River a "dear heart and a boon to this ship." I think she is frightened by River's unknown abilities, things a normal person shouldn't be able to do. This may stem from a small town upbringing, a much less harsh notion of the teacher's reaction to River in Safe.

She is strong, and smart, but is content right now to follow the leaders. She takes orders from Mal, and waits for Simon to get a clue, but isn't afraid to push when it's called for. It would've been great to see what direction the character would've gone had the series continued. But that's what fanfics are for

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Friday, August 31, 2007 9:01 AM

WYTCHCROFT

Both interesting posts - Dukusucker has a point:

"the most starved for love. boy crazy, maybe, but i think she honestly seeks something much more profound than that...even if she doesn't fully realize yet what that may be."

I've been wondering wether she really got much affection from her folks - since they just go 'sure, off you go - into space - see ya!" and we never see them... Kaylee is very flirtatious and i think had to maybe compete for attention at home.

ON THE OTHER HAND - this is complicated because she is also - naturally an 'instinctual' person, heart on sleeve,"Kaylee is blank. She doesn't keep anything locked away." pretty much.

As for the 'downside' Schooner points out - yes absolutely - i think she fails to understand 'adult' situations/people and how they relate a lot of the time. On the other hand - I always think Simon manipulates her - yet she see sees through his meaness in 'Safe' straightaway... people huh? all 3 dimensions!

makesome a browncoat today - don't drive no/body away

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Friday, August 31, 2007 10:02 AM

MAL4PREZ

Quote:
Originally posted by schooner:
The most telling scene about Kaylee is during Objects in Space. When River is peering in the characters' hidden layers and secrets, Kaylee is blank.

The crackfic I've been saving in a locked closet but I'll let it out... She's really a KayleeBot, her mind blanked and reprogrammed in an evil Alliance experiment to make mechancial geniuses...

Crackfic, I said. Total crackfic LOL!!

-----------------------------------------------
hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

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Friday, August 31, 2007 4:13 PM

MERRYK

Your comment about Simon's manipulation of Kaylee is interesting, Wytchcroft. Kaylee is such an open honest naive character, as many have said, but as with all good qualities there are dark sides, which I think is often ignored when it comes to Kaylee.

For instance, in the Simon/Kaylee relationship, Simon usually gets the worst criticism, but both of them are manipulative, even if it is without meaning to. Just as Simon unintentionally plays with Kaylee's heart (I think he seriously believes it's just harmless flirtation), she plays with his, drawing him into a deeper relationship that he can't afford. He obviously wants only a friendship/flirtation, while she keeps taking it a little further. She, like he, doesn't mean to hurt, but a different person would respect his need for distance due to his situation.

She also is very rollercoaster in her emotions, one minute being on top of the world with everyone in favor, and the next at the bottom with everyone being the worst people in existence. Sometimes the littlest thing upsets her, and she reacts very strongly, banishing the offender from her sight or presence, though thankfully that passive aggressive behavior doesn't last long. We see this most often in relation to Simon (and I'm not saying he doesn't deserve some of it), but I think it's a character-wide trait/flaw.

So yes, writing Kaylee is very hard indeed, because she has great qualities, but Joss made it very plain that she's no angel or Mary Sue, and the darker sides of her qualities have to be addressed.

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Friday, August 31, 2007 4:35 PM

DANNIISUPERNOVA

I definately have to agree about Kaylee being starved for love. She's almost codependant (being empathetic to the point of it being bad for you). I think that a lot of the time she is portrayed as being very "Gooooolly!" But I think she is a little more jaded then that. She is too innocent in a lot of fic (IMHO).

IE "Pieces" by Jacqui

_____

"You know that's gonna fall off."
-----Nathan Fillion (to me while drunk)

How are ships unlike food?
1. If you try it and don't like it, you don't have to do it again.
2. You can have as much as you want, when you want.
3. Cravings can be very specific.
I mean, hello it's not as if there's 'ship police?

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Friday, August 31, 2007 7:23 PM

WYTCHCROFT

Quote:
Originally posted by MerryK:

So yes, writing Kaylee is very hard indeed, because she has great qualities, but Joss made it very plain that she's no angel or Mary Sue, and the darker sides of her qualities have to be addressed.

quite right - it's a fully rounded version of kaylee i'm searching for - it's gonna take me awhile to get it i think...

i also agree with what you say about the rollercoaster of her emotions... though post OiS, may be less so. you've given me much to think about - thanks!

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