Walk-on Parts

This is a thread for those characters that have "walk-on" parts: they walk on, say their one line, and walk off. Or, they walk on, and don't even have a line, and walk off. Or, they are simply mentioned, and never appear in person. Who are these folks? Do they have an interesting backstory? Do some of them have a long and tangled history with our BDH's?

I confess I am somewhat fascinated by these folks, and like to amuse myself by making up backstories for them and bringing them into my fics to play a bigger role.

Some of my favorites:

The Holden Boys. Mentioned in Serenity Pilot ("they wouldn't touch it!"), I've given them a more central role in several of my stories, with Buck Holden appearing in two of my stories so far, and his brother Jack in one.

Horowitz. Mentioned in Serenity Pilot ("he can't afford it!") -- this poor fellow only appears off-screen in one of my fics, but I've got a backstory worked out for him, too.

Colonel Momsen. His name gets announced in Shindig, and he walks across the screen in about 1 second. I've given him an important supporting role in one of my fics, and he has quite the backstory, too. His doings may affect another one of my stories down the line.

Janice. (well, okay, I made up the name ) She's the Mudder woman that Jayne connects with in Jaynestown. She makes a re-appearance as a principal guest star in one of my fics.

Lieutenant Baker. All this guy gets to do is lie there dead in the Battle of Serenity Valley. But in my story (bwahaha) he gets to live in flashbacks, and has a significant connection to current events.


So is it just me, or does anyone else do this too?

I have a Captain Baker, absolutely no relation to the Independent Lieutenant. I've been considering when Eidolon is done for a while, I'll go back in and change his name to something else to avoid the confusion.

But I'd like to use the one line wonders more often.

Oh now i am curious!

I've often wondered about the oddly smiling passenger on the train in ep2 as well as working out some backstory for the postal service as seen in The Message. But the nearest i've come to writing anything has been Monty's crew and some of the folk mentioned in the BDM for sheltering Mal in the past. Oh and maybe a couple of Inara's friends from the Guild and beyond, i'd have to check.

I have a whole story plotted about 'Rodney' the guy from The Train Job, with the hat, that doesn't get kicked into the engine. An entire arc and what not.

Also had a story for Rance Burgess' wife, Mrs. Niska, and that Alliance guy who, in Serenity, let our BDH's go so he could answer that distress call. All of those characters are NOT in the same story.

I always thought of Simon as bi -which is the norm in the Core. I do think that he has so very few romantic entaglements that to even classify him as bi would be an overstatement. First he's primarily focused on his medical studies then he's obsessed with finding his sister. Other than a few college flings, he's never had a bona fide boyfriend/girlfriend.

I can see him engaging the services of a Companion.

Charlie wrote:I have a whole story plotted about 'Rodney' the guy from The Train Job, with the hat, that doesn't get kicked into the engine. An entire arc and what not.

*wants*

Charlie wrote:

I can see him engaging the services of a Companion.

Wo ist Rouka?! i do recall a popular notion that Inara was Simon's first.

wytchcroft wrote:

Charlie wrote:

I can see him engaging the services of a Companion.

Wo ist Rouka?! i do recall a popular notion that Inara was Simon's first.

I'm not a fan of Inara as Simon's first.

But now, Simon as Inara's first I can get behind.

I had Simon engage with Inara once in my story. There was a legitimately good reason for it, tying in with why Inara left the core.

Bytemite wrote:I had Simon engage with Inara once in my story. There was a legitimately good reason for it

*Tim Minear voice* Because it's funny?

tying in with why Inara left the core.

but seriously, i can see that as making sense, i may have read it actually - but what the heck; care to expand?
it could open many a can of plot bunny.

I'm going to stick by neck right out there and say 'I have no interest in the minor characters, especially anyone who is not Mal and Inara and furthering their relationship'.

Becky Mears wrote:I'm going to stick by neck right out there and say 'I have no interest in the minor characters, especially anyone who is not Mal and Inara and furthering their relationship'.

Keep on doing what you do best, Aliasse -- I can never get too much Mal and Inara. Especially when you write such exquisitely shiny pieces as "Run" and "Connection."

But I still like minor characters, myself. More to play with.

Charlie wrote:I have a whole story plotted about 'Rodney' the guy from The Train Job, with the hat, that doesn't get kicked into the engine. An entire arc and what not.

Also had a story for Rance Burgess' wife, Mrs. Niska, and that Alliance guy who, in Serenity, let our BDH's go so he could answer that distress call. All of those characters are NOT in the same story.

Charlie, any chance of the "Rodney" story seeing the light of day? I bet it's funny. I would love to see it. (*nudge*)

The Alliance officer in Serenity the Pilot -- oooh, I want to read that story! I have a thing for Alliance people who are more rounded characters, more than simply antagonists for Mal.

wytchcroft wrote:

Bytemite wrote:I had Simon engage with Inara once in my story. There was a legitimately good reason for it

*Tim Minear voice* Because it's funny?

Because it's a perfect opportunity to get Kaylee's goat about something. She's sugar and sweetness, and sometimes, a real BITCH.

And because I wanted something with a very immediate impact to explore the depth of Mal's feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness - I basically wrote his reaction as bitter, but resigned.

And to force both members of the crew and certain readers to come to terms with what is and isn't cheating - this Simon/Inara liaison occurred before either were on Serenity - which possibly gives a new perspective on the regular companioning Inara does while on the ship.

But, also, plot reasons.

tying in with why Inara left the core.

but seriously, i can see that as making sense, i may have read it actually - but what the heck; care to expand?
it could open many a can of plot bunny.

There's some of it I haven't revealed, but, basically, I noticed that Inara referred to an "Academy" in Our Mrs. Reynolds for companion training, and that made me think, don't they go to training houses? And then I thought, maybe they go to an Alliance sponsored Academy for their liberal education (propaganda dose) while they also get training from the guild houses.

And then certain parallels between the Academy River went to and the Academy Inara might have gone to started to seem possible. The Guild might be fighting a shadow war against people trying to exert influence on their young companions, and Inara might have gotten caught in the middle.

Simon arranges an appointment with Inara basically to try to find out more about the possible connection, trying to find his sister.

ebfiddler987 wrote:

Charlie wrote:I have a whole story plotted about 'Rodney' the guy from The Train Job, with the hat, that doesn't get kicked into the engine. An entire arc and what not.

Also had a story for Rance Burgess' wife, Mrs. Niska, and that Alliance guy who, in Serenity, let our BDH's go so he could answer that distress call. All of those characters are NOT in the same story.

Charlie, any chance of the "Rodney" story seeing the light of day? I bet it's funny. I would love to see it. (*nudge*)

The Alliance officer in Serenity the Pilot -- oooh, I want to read that story! I have a thing for Alliance people who are more rounded characters, more than simply antagonists for Mal.

Ah...you're so sweet! The Rodney story must wait until I finish the WIP that I'm running away from.

(edit for a your/you're issue I can't believe I did!!!!!!!!!!! )

Charlie wrote: I'm running

everybody runs

Oh! Work in progress. That threw me for a second.

Well, if the four years I've spent on one fic have taught me anything, the more you work on it, the sooner its over and you can move on to something else.

Oh, the Rodney story! Yes yes yes yes yes

I had a couple of minor walkons from Shindig in my story about how Inara meets Atherton. The old man that Inara greets so fondly and the woman she calls to by name (Rodberta, I think).

I want the Rodney story!

GB, which one is the Inara meets Atherton story? I don't think I've read it. Is it posted somewhere? Love all those walk-on characters from Shindig.

Yeah! It's a chapter in GR's fic The Misfortune. Definitely worth a read. The one with Atherton's introduction is called "Run" though my favourite chapter in that story will probably always be "Where the Ocean meets the Sky."

gilliebeans wrote:
I had a couple of minor walkons from Shindig in my story about how Inara meets Atherton. The old man that Inara greets so fondly and the woman she calls to by name (Rodberta, I think).

a link would be nice? your Inara always has a deal of genuine humanity that i admire very much.

Bytemite wrote:http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4174559/7/The_Misfortune

shiny! and thanks also for posting the chapters of yours up here; i have some good reading ahead

Ha, there's about thirty more.