Firefly: Simon/Jayne
Sep. 2nd, 2004 08:55 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
sffan.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ship_manifestoTitle: Opposites Attract
Author: sffan
Spoilers: the whole series
Email: sffan@compromisingpositions.net
Personal Website: Into the Black
Well, here I am.
Oh wait. Wrong character.
So, I’ve been asked to tell folks about the Simon/Jayne pairing on Firefly. I suspect it’s because I’m ridiculously prolific and I’ve written a large number of Simon/Jayne fics. Does this make me an expert? Not really. Does this mean I’ve put a lot of thought into the pairing? Not even close. But for the sake of the mod, who was kind enough to approach me, I’m going to make an effort to explain why I like this pairing so much.
We’ll start with a wee bit about me. I’m relatively new to fandom, fanfic writing, and slash. Firefly was my gateway drug, so to speak. I immediately fell in love with the show, the characters, the writing, everything. If you haven’t seen the show, I highly recommend getting the DVDs. The high level of homoerotic subtext will come as no surprise to anyone who has watched a Joss Whedon show. It’s there. It’s deliberate (so says Jane Espenson at a Writercon last month in Vegas). We are not totally nuts. So, there I was, innocently watching this great new show and thinking, “Dude, this show is so gay,” and then found out that there were piles of others who felt the same way. One day, feeling brave and a wee bit naughty, I followed a link to a Simon/Jayne slash story. And suddenly, my apartment was full of bunnies and I had a rabid Muse sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear. And that, as they say, is history. A ridiculous number of stories later, and I still find the Simon/Jayne dynamic fascinating. It’s been a great source of fun for me to try and figure out and share with readers which set of circumstances brought them together, what keeps them together, and what might tear them apart.
But, enough about me, let’s get to the boys in question.
Simon Tam is a young (his age wasn’t given on the show, but hints are made, which place him around 23-25), successful, highly intelligent surgeon from a rich Core family that threw it all away to rescue his sister from a mysterious government-sponsored Academy that was harming her. After getting her out of the Academy, he booked passage for them on a Firefly class ship named Serenity, where he came in contact with a group of interesting rogues that were totally unlike any other people he’d ever had to deal with Simon loves his sister, he would do anything, including throw his own life away, for her, he is awkward in the extreme around girls, he is uptight and is unsure of his place on the ship, he is uncomfortable in his new life, he can be sneaky, he wears his fancy clothes like armour and uses words as weapons, and will not be intimidated by the larger, rougher men that have become a part of his every day life. Simon is the smallest man on the ship – he’s about 5’10” – and because of his good manners and fine clothes, he seems less ruggedly masculine than the others.
Jayne Cobb is a mercenary, through and through. He was “obtained” by Malcolm Reynolds (Captain of Serenity) while holding Mal and his first mate, Zoe, at gunpoint when Mal offered him a better deal. He’s uneducated, rude, crude, obnoxious, extremely good at what he does, frequents whorehouses, and likes to use his size (6’4”) and strength to intimidate others. Jayne has simple needs – food, sleep, sex – and is not shy about expressing need for any of them. He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but neither is he the dullest, as many in the fandom seem to feel. Jayne also has another side to him, one that makes me think that all is not lost. He’s a man who sends money home to his Ma, wears the ridiculously ugly hats she knits for him with pride, is genuinely confused when people are nice to him, and puts on his best shirt and spiffiest hat to visit a whorehouse and then treats the whore he chooses with respect and kindness.
So, not exactly a match made in heaven, right? Right. And really, I’ll be the first to admit, that there’s not a whole lot of canonical evidence that these two have something going on. It’s more of a feeling on my part than anything. That and the fact that they work on such a visceral level. They are the ultimate “beauty and the beast” pairing. *Points to icon* But there are a few things that make me think that maybe, just maybe, there could be something there. It’s all horribly sub-textual, of course. So every single point below can be argued against.
First and foremost, Jayne seems to go out of his way to irritate Simon. It’s so incredibly grade-school pigtail pulling, that I can’t help but feel that it really is some type of bizarre courtship ritual. He insults Simon at every turn, deliberately bumps into him, teases him about his fancy Core clothes, threatens to get him tattooed when he’s unconscious, and in one very memorable scene, tells Simon to stop flapping his pretty mouth at him because it’s distracting him.
Where’s Simon in all of this, you ask? Giving as good as he gets. He never once backs down from Jayne. He’s always there with the smart remark or the insult, showing Jayne that he’s just as tough as he is, that he can take what Jayne dishes out and that he won’t put up with his bullshit.
Which brings us to the episode Ariel, wherein all slashy fantasies about Simon/Jayne are Jossed beyond belief when Jayne rats Simon and River out to the Alliance. The romance is so dead. Or is it? As slashers, we can justify and rationalize just about everything. Here’s a fun theory we like to toss around every now and again – what if one of the unspoken reasons why Jayne wanted Simon and River off the ship so much was because he had the hots for Simon and it freaked him out? Remove the temptation and his little problem would be solved.
The way most slashers circumvent Ariel is pretty simple—most of our stories take place some time in the murky future after past sins have been forgiven.
Now that I’ve, hopefully, established some basis, no matter how thin, for a relationship, let’s move on to the nature of the relationship itself. On the surface, it’s purely physical. Because, let’s face it, it’s not like these two would have all that much to talk about. Jayne is walking sex incarnate and Simon’s a pretty boy with a core of steel. I can see these two scorching sheets together, no matter who you’d rather see on top. And I honestly think that’s how it would start. Some heated argument that gets out of control and ends up with someone (in my mind, this is usually Simon, but not always) face down chewing a pillow to stifle cries of pleasure.
But I also think that they would both be good influences on each other. Jayne could help Simon learn to relax, teach him to have a little fun (and not just the naked kind) every now and again, and he would be a valiant protector. And Simon could smooth off some of Jayne’s rough edges, give him some refinement, and maybe even some education. Would their relationship last? Probably not. But in the end, I think they’d both be better people for it.
The last part of this essay is supposed to be fic recs. Unfortunately, I do not do recs. I will, however, provide you with a fairly comprehensive list.
Start with these individual sites:
Katrimae’s Firefly Fanfic. The first S/J slash-fic I read.
The Tenth Muse Most of her stories are Mal/Simon, but check out Subtle!Not if you’re not afraid of the kink bunny.
Andromeda
Kirbycrow’s Firefly Fic Watch out for the kink bunny. It’s got a whip.
Along the Rim
Writingpathways Alas, she has abandoned Firefly for the moment, so I’m not sure when/if her unfinished series will be completed.
Tetchy by Debchan If I don’t include it, I will be hanged, drawn, and quartered by a bunch of folks in the fandom that considers it the best S/J fic. I leave it to you to decide.
Into the Black. My site. Yes, it’s a tad arrogant, but I’ve written about 60 S/J fics, so leaving myself off a fic listing seemed silly.
After that, search Firefly’s Glow, eliminating the authors already listed. Remember to search under Simon/Jayne and Jayne/Simon
This is almost everyone that’s ever written an S/J fic, if you want a more complete list of Firefly slashfic, email me and I’ll send you my index.
Author: sffan
Spoilers: the whole series
Email: sffan@compromisingpositions.net
Personal Website: Into the Black
Well, here I am.
Oh wait. Wrong character.
So, I’ve been asked to tell folks about the Simon/Jayne pairing on Firefly. I suspect it’s because I’m ridiculously prolific and I’ve written a large number of Simon/Jayne fics. Does this make me an expert? Not really. Does this mean I’ve put a lot of thought into the pairing? Not even close. But for the sake of the mod, who was kind enough to approach me, I’m going to make an effort to explain why I like this pairing so much.
We’ll start with a wee bit about me. I’m relatively new to fandom, fanfic writing, and slash. Firefly was my gateway drug, so to speak. I immediately fell in love with the show, the characters, the writing, everything. If you haven’t seen the show, I highly recommend getting the DVDs. The high level of homoerotic subtext will come as no surprise to anyone who has watched a Joss Whedon show. It’s there. It’s deliberate (so says Jane Espenson at a Writercon last month in Vegas). We are not totally nuts. So, there I was, innocently watching this great new show and thinking, “Dude, this show is so gay,” and then found out that there were piles of others who felt the same way. One day, feeling brave and a wee bit naughty, I followed a link to a Simon/Jayne slash story. And suddenly, my apartment was full of bunnies and I had a rabid Muse sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear. And that, as they say, is history. A ridiculous number of stories later, and I still find the Simon/Jayne dynamic fascinating. It’s been a great source of fun for me to try and figure out and share with readers which set of circumstances brought them together, what keeps them together, and what might tear them apart.
But, enough about me, let’s get to the boys in question.
Simon Tam is a young (his age wasn’t given on the show, but hints are made, which place him around 23-25), successful, highly intelligent surgeon from a rich Core family that threw it all away to rescue his sister from a mysterious government-sponsored Academy that was harming her. After getting her out of the Academy, he booked passage for them on a Firefly class ship named Serenity, where he came in contact with a group of interesting rogues that were totally unlike any other people he’d ever had to deal with Simon loves his sister, he would do anything, including throw his own life away, for her, he is awkward in the extreme around girls, he is uptight and is unsure of his place on the ship, he is uncomfortable in his new life, he can be sneaky, he wears his fancy clothes like armour and uses words as weapons, and will not be intimidated by the larger, rougher men that have become a part of his every day life. Simon is the smallest man on the ship – he’s about 5’10” – and because of his good manners and fine clothes, he seems less ruggedly masculine than the others.
Jayne Cobb is a mercenary, through and through. He was “obtained” by Malcolm Reynolds (Captain of Serenity) while holding Mal and his first mate, Zoe, at gunpoint when Mal offered him a better deal. He’s uneducated, rude, crude, obnoxious, extremely good at what he does, frequents whorehouses, and likes to use his size (6’4”) and strength to intimidate others. Jayne has simple needs – food, sleep, sex – and is not shy about expressing need for any of them. He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but neither is he the dullest, as many in the fandom seem to feel. Jayne also has another side to him, one that makes me think that all is not lost. He’s a man who sends money home to his Ma, wears the ridiculously ugly hats she knits for him with pride, is genuinely confused when people are nice to him, and puts on his best shirt and spiffiest hat to visit a whorehouse and then treats the whore he chooses with respect and kindness.
So, not exactly a match made in heaven, right? Right. And really, I’ll be the first to admit, that there’s not a whole lot of canonical evidence that these two have something going on. It’s more of a feeling on my part than anything. That and the fact that they work on such a visceral level. They are the ultimate “beauty and the beast” pairing. *Points to icon* But there are a few things that make me think that maybe, just maybe, there could be something there. It’s all horribly sub-textual, of course. So every single point below can be argued against.
First and foremost, Jayne seems to go out of his way to irritate Simon. It’s so incredibly grade-school pigtail pulling, that I can’t help but feel that it really is some type of bizarre courtship ritual. He insults Simon at every turn, deliberately bumps into him, teases him about his fancy Core clothes, threatens to get him tattooed when he’s unconscious, and in one very memorable scene, tells Simon to stop flapping his pretty mouth at him because it’s distracting him.
Where’s Simon in all of this, you ask? Giving as good as he gets. He never once backs down from Jayne. He’s always there with the smart remark or the insult, showing Jayne that he’s just as tough as he is, that he can take what Jayne dishes out and that he won’t put up with his bullshit.
Which brings us to the episode Ariel, wherein all slashy fantasies about Simon/Jayne are Jossed beyond belief when Jayne rats Simon and River out to the Alliance. The romance is so dead. Or is it? As slashers, we can justify and rationalize just about everything. Here’s a fun theory we like to toss around every now and again – what if one of the unspoken reasons why Jayne wanted Simon and River off the ship so much was because he had the hots for Simon and it freaked him out? Remove the temptation and his little problem would be solved.
The way most slashers circumvent Ariel is pretty simple—most of our stories take place some time in the murky future after past sins have been forgiven.
Now that I’ve, hopefully, established some basis, no matter how thin, for a relationship, let’s move on to the nature of the relationship itself. On the surface, it’s purely physical. Because, let’s face it, it’s not like these two would have all that much to talk about. Jayne is walking sex incarnate and Simon’s a pretty boy with a core of steel. I can see these two scorching sheets together, no matter who you’d rather see on top. And I honestly think that’s how it would start. Some heated argument that gets out of control and ends up with someone (in my mind, this is usually Simon, but not always) face down chewing a pillow to stifle cries of pleasure.
But I also think that they would both be good influences on each other. Jayne could help Simon learn to relax, teach him to have a little fun (and not just the naked kind) every now and again, and he would be a valiant protector. And Simon could smooth off some of Jayne’s rough edges, give him some refinement, and maybe even some education. Would their relationship last? Probably not. But in the end, I think they’d both be better people for it.
The last part of this essay is supposed to be fic recs. Unfortunately, I do not do recs. I will, however, provide you with a fairly comprehensive list.
Start with these individual sites:
Katrimae’s Firefly Fanfic. The first S/J slash-fic I read.
The Tenth Muse Most of her stories are Mal/Simon, but check out Subtle!Not if you’re not afraid of the kink bunny.
Andromeda
Kirbycrow’s Firefly Fic Watch out for the kink bunny. It’s got a whip.
Along the Rim
Writingpathways Alas, she has abandoned Firefly for the moment, so I’m not sure when/if her unfinished series will be completed.
Tetchy by Debchan If I don’t include it, I will be hanged, drawn, and quartered by a bunch of folks in the fandom that considers it the best S/J fic. I leave it to you to decide.
Into the Black. My site. Yes, it’s a tad arrogant, but I’ve written about 60 S/J fics, so leaving myself off a fic listing seemed silly.
After that, search Firefly’s Glow, eliminating the authors already listed. Remember to search under Simon/Jayne and Jayne/Simon
This is almost everyone that’s ever written an S/J fic, if you want a more complete list of Firefly slashfic, email me and I’ll send you my index.
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 06:00 am (UTC)Ana writes excellent Jayne:
http://unitb.slashcity.net/andromeda/firefly.html
Some of her stories are Jayne/Simon. Glass Walls is my favorite J/S fanfic ever, the one I always measure other stories by.
J/S is my OTP in the Firefly fandom. Unfortunately I find a lot of stories (even those frequently recommended) too mushy. (Just personal taste) I haven't read yours yet, but will do so soon. thanks for your essay and for all the links. :-)
no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 06:54 am (UTC)I should warn you, some of my stuff is pretty mushy. But not all of it. Hope there's something in there that makes you happy.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 07:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 06:59 am (UTC)Indeed, indeed.
Thanks for the essay--it made my morning!
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 07:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 07:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 07:59 am (UTC)Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy them.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 07:27 am (UTC)But...the thing about Ariel is that after Jayne and Simon get back to Serenity, Simon performs a lengthy series of "my hero" moves. In fact, even though I write a bunch of Firefly slash myself, that's one of the few moments in the whole gorram series with the kind of subtext so familiar form the rest of slashdom.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 08:00 am (UTC)This is what I get for not re-watching the series in ages. Can you believe I actually forgot about the "I'd do anything for you" body language going on between Simon and Jayne at the end of Ariel. Bad slasher. Bad. No cookie for me.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 07:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 08:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 08:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 08:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 10:25 am (UTC)And Jayne/Simon is pretty, and hot, and pretty, and well pretty damn hot, but all roads lead to Simon/Mal, and Simon/Jayne is just the really, really hot way station on that path (sorry, just getting ready to go write mine:)
no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 10:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 08:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 10:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 08:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 10:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-03 03:34 am (UTC)I don't really think "Ariel" Jossed them either. It's obvious to us that Jayne's got a big ol' crush on Simon what with the constant touching and attention-getting tactics, but I don't think Jayne had realized it yet.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 08:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-03 08:57 am (UTC)*squee*
Jayne/Simon, my FF OTP! OMGTheirloveissohotandsnarky
Okay, I'm terrible at this feedback thing. *blushes*
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 08:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-03 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 08:05 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2005-11-17 01:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-20 03:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-21 05:21 am (UTC)It is canon!
Date: 2011-06-08 07:43 pm (UTC)Ah, just thinking about all this makes me giddy.