What is Firefly: TVS?

Firefly: TVS is fan-based ‘Virtual Season’ which starts immediately following the last filmed episode of the TV series Firefly. Our first virtual season (Season Two) follows the events after ‘Objects in Space’ and leads into the movie ‘Serenity’.

Whose idea was this?

Well, in the grand scheme of things, we have no idea who came up with the idea of ‘Virtual Seasons’ for TV shows. As far as Firefly: TVS is concerned, the idea would belong to Michmak and Mistress Shiny. They were soon joined by a wide variety of talented writers, artists, proof readers and researchers who loved Firefly just as much as they did, and didn’t want to see it end.

Why have a virtual season?

Well, for a variety of reasons - the main one being, why the hell not? Everyone involved in this virtual season was already pretending Firefly had never been cancelled anyway! We were all already writing Firefly stories, or creating icons and wallpapers, and actively seeking out other fans. We thought a virtual season would be a fun way of bringing a lot of talented people with like minded interests together. Not only that, the Firefly Fandom is so large and fragmented by various ‘ships, we thought it would also be a great way to get some good ensemble stories and explore certain ideas and themes that were never finished due to the actual show’s untimely cancellation. And did we mention - FUN?

Will Joss Whedon be mad at you?

We hope not! The Virtual Season is actually an homage to Joss and the wonderful ’Verse he created when he wrote Firefly. If certain people at a certain TV network hadn’t been trying to see out thier asses, there would be no need for a virtual season as the show would still be on the air and we wouldn’t be trying to fill up the vacuum lack of new Firefly has created in our lives. We love Joss and enjoy playing in his toybox and we promise to put everything back when we're done. Besides, Joss Whedon is one of the most fanfic friendly writers out there, so we think/hope/pray he’d be honored, or at least not too dreadfully embarrassed by all the adoration we’re throwing his way. For a more in-depth disclaimer, look at our main page.

What Canon does the Virtual Season follow?

Well, obviously, we follow anything that was Canon from the actual filmed episodes. We will also incorporate *some* canon from the comic books that came out pre-Serenity and the movie. However, not all comic canon will be used and the novelization will be used for ideas only. As the Virtual Season progresses, we will also be incorporating our own ‘Fanon Canon’ into the series - we have a lot of interesting themes and story arcs we will be exploring. We also have CAST BIOS which will be updated with new Fanon Canon on a regular basis. The Bios will also contain information on Recurring Characters - like Badger, for example - and new characters introduced over the course of the season.

Is there a Virtual Season schedule?

YES! Starting Jan. 4th, 2006, we will *air* a new episode every two weeks. Each episode will be promoted with banners/icons/teasers prior to airing, and will be an average of 15,000 words long. All episodes will be archived on our site. There will be a total of TWENTY-ONE episodes our first season.

On-air times are as close to the following as possible - New York wed 2am - Los Angeles Tues 11pm - London Wed-7am - Sydney Wed 6pm

How are the episodes decided on and written?

The entire season has been plotted out, to a certain extent, in advance. Being such fans of the show and the movie, we wanted to explore the character growth and changes that seem to have occurred from the end of one to the beginning of the other - for example, what happened to get Simon and Mal to the point where Simon is throwing punches at him?

After the general season outline was plotted, each episode was discussed as to what would happen, what continuity (if any) would be brought into the episode and how it would further the Virtual Season towards the movie. After this was determined, the episode was given to TWO writers to work on together. There is also a producer assigned to each episode to ensure that the themes and ideas that need to be explored are, and that the episode will fit in with the rest of the Virtual Season we have created.

The episode is also assigned to our artists, who work on finding the perfect stills to incorporate into the story. They also help create all banners/icons/promotional materials for the episode.

Lastly, the episode is run through an assigned proof reader and a fact-checker to ensure that we are not going against either canon or our own established Fanon Canon. So - it takes a village, basically. LOL.

Will there be a Virtual Season Three?

YES! We are already plotting it out, actually. VS3 will pick up where the movie ends, but will incorporate ideas/themes and characters introduced in this first Virtual Season. We hope to have MANY virtual seasons of this.

How can I join the staff as a writer/artist/researcher/proofreader?

We do expect that places will open up every once in a while, so if you are interested in helping out, keep your eyes open for announcements inviting applications, or send an email and request to be put on a waiting list.

Can I help promote this?

YES! Please do - we want to get the word out that we are here and doing our best to keep Firefly alive and flying. Feel free to snag banners, icons, etc. to promote the site and our upcoming episodes. As well, feel free to visit our discussion board and let us know what you liked or didn’t like about the episodes we have posted, or offer ideas or ask questions.

Can I make a donation to The Virtual Season to help keep it running?

Really? *glomps on and hugs you* YES! Please do - this is a massive endeavor and we’re just working stiffs here. If you are interested in making a donation to help keep this site up and running and improving, you can donate to our paypal account by clicking the link below. Any donation you wish to make, any amount at all, will be used solely to improve this website and make it a better site for you. We are strictly not-for-profit, so it’s not like we’d go out drinking on your dime. Especially since Michmak is Canadian and Mistress Shiny is Australian and we wouldn’t be able to drink away your donations together anyway. LOL. Everyone who makes donations will be listed on a special affiliates page. And did I mention, we’ll love you forever?

You've said no hotlinking, so how do I use your files?
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