"THIS IS NOT A FANFIC" FAQ

Tuesday, August 19, 2008 8:23:49 PM

(I keep needing FAQs for my series. Strange, that.)

Who ARE these people?

The real-life employees of a radio station in the Southern United States. The names have been changed, but otherwise, these stories are true.

They bear suspicious resemblance to characters in a certain TV show no longer on air. No, I don't know why, so don't ask. Feel free to speculate about alternate universes and Joss Whedon's spy activities.

When did you first notice all this?

A young woman taking a tour through the station (it's a historic landmark) called me Kaylee, and was overjoyed that I knew who Kaylee was, even though I admitted to her that I hadn't really seen more than an episode or two.

She sent me the entire Firefly series on DVD, and the more I watched, the more my jaw dropped ("oh my God I KNOW THESE PEOPLE!"). So I wrote about it, and posted it on FanFiction.net, who deleted it (they said it didn't have anything to do with the show). I posted the story here after some hesitation -- guess it took REAL fans to see it for what it was.

Are you really a mechanic?

I prefer the term "engineer", thank you. But yes.

I also do voice work (that means "commercials") for the station, which began as an accident when I filled in for a sick coworker. Even got my own show now -- apparently, I have a "friendly" voice and a "spunky" personality. Hah!

I'm confused. Who represents who?

I suggest reading the first "This Is Not A Fanfic", but here's a handy list for those of you having trouble keeping track:

WSRY is a tiny radio station that's been around for a number of years. It was about to die and be forgotten before Boss fell in love with it and bought it.

Boss . He's, well, the boss. Our fearless leader. Our "captain", you might say. (M*l)

Zelda . A tough lady, a former FBI agent, now (for whatever reason) answering phones as our receptionist and operations manager. She and Boss have been partners a long time. (Z*e)

Sarah is used to prestige and pretty things from her former life in the big city. She works in sales, and has a job on the side that Boss isn't happy with (see "Moonlighting"). (I***a)

Doc is Boss's son. He grew up in the North with his mother and older brother, who have never (as far as I know) come South to visit him. He is a medical student, and works a board shift here because it's quiet enough to study, and because his daddy asked him to. (Board shifts are pretty easy; you just check equipment every three hours after dark per FCC regulations.) (S***n)

Lil Bit is the youngest and newest crew member. She hung around the station when she was little, and applied for a job the day she turned 18. She has a habit of saying and doing odd things with no explanation or apology. She has a board shift. (R***r)

T is the WSRY "class clown". He keeps small plastic toys on his console, and impersonates celebrities in his spare time. T is the main board operator. (W**h)

Kay does pretty much everything else around the station. He's the handyman, the security officer, the window washer... He used to have his own show, but was kicked off the air for making a crude joke. (J***e)

Martin is a preacher. He has his own gospel music show on weekends, but he has a secret: He's really a wrestling announcer in his spare time. (B**k)

Ellie is the spunky, friendly engineer. {Yay!) She has her own country music show. (K****e)

So... they're obviously Firefly fans, right?

No, they're not. When I asked, only one of them (T) had ever even heard of the show, but he hadn't seen it at all.

I've tried to convert them to Browncoatism, but they don't appear too interested. I haven't mentioned the similarities to them. Yet.