THOSE LEFT BEHIND shows he feels the carnage of a big battle aint "right somehow."

but we know he likes to brawl. we know he's a gifted tracker.

is he a killer - a clown - a mercenary... or just a happless shcmo' happens to be good with a gun and large boned with it?

just finishing off a fic - need to check i got the tone of him right.

any thoughts???

Definitely a killer but about two points shy of being able to be housebroke.

I don't know if Jayn ereally does have a disconnect from being socially functional or he just plays it that way but in the long run he's a man that's willing to kill if he deems it worthy or necessary.

His compass don't point all the way north all the time but, to mix this in a brutally ugly manner, even a broken clock is right twice a day!!
Now I'm sure that that was just no help to you at all was it?

LOL

OOhh quoting The Visitation at me are y'now!!! HA HA!:)
thank god you posted - i really need the views -
the trouble with Jayne is mixing the elements so there is a balance
between 'the beast and the boy' so to speak.

thanks Wolf:)

Boys are beasts just some of are better at keeping the monster in check than others.
Jayne is slightly less good at it though...

Rewatch "Jaynestown", and pay close attention to his relationship with Stitch Hessian. He murders him at the end. Maybe self-defense, but... pretty cold-blooded behavior from the Hero of Canton. Might explain why he was so confused by the Mudder's act of self-sacrifice...

He wasn't just confused at the sacrifice. He was angry. He will kill if it benefits him, but this shows that he does have some kind of morals, however twisted they may be.

I agree. I think Jayne has a moral code that is better than the one he seems to exhibit...he thinks he's following what he believes, but I see him as somewhat self-deluded in that area. As for the killer part, I think he's just used to violence, just as Kaylee is not, and maybe he even enjoys it a little. Still, I don't think he enjoys death, just the feeling of power he gets when he hurts or kills. I haven't met many people who don't feel that in a controlled setting, such as fencing or martial arts.

still enjoying this thread:)

somebody (in a badger thread) over at the Univ' Board - mentioned Jayne
and his line about 'pretentious' in the pilot show- - an interesting moment.

I don't think a code is exactly what jayne follows -
i think he follows his 'heart' / instincts convinced that is always going to be the hero of any scene -
as joss says in the commentary'.

i think Baldwin makes jayne more human than the scriptwriters (and certainly than the novel of serenity!)
but he is tricky as hell to write fairly... with his flaws as well as his strengths and uses.

The man isn't amoral just willing to suspend the few morals he has when it's suitable to the current situation.

Jayne ain't evil you have to understand that there is a difference between the two.Amoral is not evil.

I belive that Jayne is both smarter and dumber than he wants anyone to know and the he is more decent than even he knows.

I've been told before though that my statements along these lines are a bunch of crap, but take it for what you will.I tend to feel that this is pretty close to who, and what, Jayne is.

To me Jayne is the most complicated character to understand, that's one of the reasons why he's my favorite. I don't think he's a cold hearted killer, but he does what he needs to do to survive. I do believe he want's people to think he's dumber then he actually is, and he does that on purpose. Shoot he can real pathetic at times, but deep down I think he's a good guy who had lost his way in the past. Just getting closer, and hanging out with Book proves that theory. I consider him like a rambuncious puppy who needs guidance or else he would just pididdle all over the place....

More wolf or feral dog than puppy, I'd call it. Think of it like this,he's willing to come up to the campfire but he's wary that the humans may try to reach out for him and possibly even attempt to collar and leash him.That kind of thing is nightmarish for an animal that needs to be wild or free somehow.
Jayne is a bit like that, he want's to be near but he's afarid to be a part of the group.