Post by Jayne Cobb on Apr 1, 2008 13:23:52 GMT -5
The Player.
Your Name: Hannah
Your Age: 21
How Did You Find Out of Gas?: I made it.
Previous Roles: Ron on H&H
The Core.
Full Name: Jayne Cobb
Nickname(s): "Hero of Canton"
Birthday: November 20, 2477
Age: 36
Origin: Paquin
Location: Serenity
Allegiance: Neutral
Occupation: 'Public Relations'
The Appearance.
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Height && Weight: 6'4'' && 200 solid pounds.
General Description:
Jayne is... swarthy, to say the least. While not exactly a hurtful amount on the eyes, he's no gorram pretty boy, neither. Rugged, yeah, that's what's been said. And what's not rugged about him? He's tall, taller than most men he knows, even Mal is a nose shorter than him. He's wide too, and he takes pride on that notion. Most of his early life he spent helping out his family, helping to make ends meet, and he worked for the bread his mother put on the table. Required, more like it, since Jayne ate more than a cow, and grew to be proportionate, too. Heavy-lifting, that's what built the muscle, but love, that was what toned it. So yeah, he's a rock of muscular mayhem, and anyone who's tried lifting or moving his dead weight would be able to vouch otherwise.
As for his appearance, well, he's not one to gussy himself up every morning. His eyes are brown, but if you want to get descriptive about it, they're more the color of new bark on a tree, a soft brown with a hint of green every now and again. Expressive too, if you ever get to look in them and not be knocked out or disgusted by what comes out of his mouth. His hair is cropped, and generally too short to be combed, though a hand through usually works the bed-head out. Believe it or not he enjoys his beard, very much so, but is known to shave clean to start fresh, and that really depends on his mood. He enjoys a clean barbe but that gruff look does give him an advantage of being menacing.
Jayne tends to make himself seem bigger than he actually is, by what way he doesn't know how. Perhaps his bulging shoulders have something to do with it, but it's more how he carries himself, or perhaps it's just because he knows that even if he is smaller, he's still got a bigger gun. Either way, he fills the space around him and commands a bit of respect. Not much, but a bit. He does lift weights when the ship can't set down on a place where he can run. The better shape you're in, he thinks, the better chance you have of whooping the other guys.
As for attire, it's best to think 'plain Jayne' on this one. Cargo pants are possibly the best invention in the 'verse, considering that all sorts of things can fit into those pockets, and a utility belt, no matter how heavy, will always be your friend in a time of need. He favors simple shirts, sometimes with a logo or design on them, sometimes just a plain color. That gorram River still owes him a Blue Sun shirt, it was one of his favorites. Add to that combat boots and fingerless gloves, and you nearly have a complete ensemble. But, alas, no man, especially Jayne, is complete without his gun. His handgun, Matty, is a shiny beauty, and she's always at his side. Only on jobs and special occasions does Jayne bring out the other guns. Vera is the very best of the lot, but she doesn't see a lot of action, not as much as she could, anyway. Only on the more difficult jobs does she get a chance to come out. She's served Jayne well, and he can only hope that in time she'll prove useful again.
The Personality.
Likes && Dislikes:
Jayne is fond of guns, and shooting them, and shooting other people with them. Jayne enjoys packages in the post, regardless of what he gets, though he usually knows any post for him is from his mother. He enjoys girls, also, young, pretty ones who like his build, though it could be noted that he likes anyone who likes his build... though girls are a bit more fun. Deep down Jayne also likes his family, the one on Serenity, though it's hard to dig that out of him.
Jayne dislikes - to the point of aberration - Reavers. You could say he's terrified, but he never gets spooked around them. He knows what Reavers do, seen it first hand, and the thought of a death such as they would offer is simply disturbing. Whenever they have to deal with them he gets anxious, and his discomfort is obvious to the point he can't hide it. He dislikes being made fun of, though he readily offers insults to those around him, and gets tread on when people take a stab at his standing. He hates the cold, and has an uncanny and wavering fear of heights, more or less, he hates being lowered from the ship onto something moving, say, a speeding train.
Interests && Hobbies:
Jayne takes a great interest in weaponry and its usage, storage, and even history. There's a bright side in him that doesn't get a chance to show through because his mouth speaks before his brain gets a chance, but he likes the personality of guns, likes to know who made them, when they first was produced, how it came about to the point at which he got it. He's not proficient in a lot of things, but he knows about his weapons, especially his guns. He takes pride in them, and treats them as equals, the same as Kaylee treats Serenity.
Jayne has an affinity for cooking as well, though he's rarely seen in the kitchen. It's a skill he acquired from his mother, to feed himself in the event that no one else is there to do it, and he does a bang-up job when he's made to cook for himself. Of course, he'll do what he can to avoid it, but sometimes the hankering comes over him to just cook something up and so he does. He's known for more than his Apple-ologies, but also his apple-ology pies.
If Jayne had been born on a Central planet, under a proper Alliance family, he probably would have been a scholarly type, but he wasn't and so he isn't. That taken, he's still very keen on certain kinds of knowledge, like reading. He's not much for recitation, but by reading history and the like he's learned some very important skills, and he's very keen on works concerning torture, fighting, and the like. Again, getting him to read out loud is a bit more difficult - he reads at a slow pace for sure but that doesn't make him stupid.
Music is a passion of Jayne's that he never really takes the time to cultivate. He's quite adept at playing the guitar, and he picks out a tune or two of his own aside from the folk songs that were passed down in his family. Music is one form of expression that he's quite good at, and is something that he can say better than words. His reading aloud might leave something lacking, but everyone listens when he starts to sing.
Lastly, as it's inherent in his family and something that almost comes natural, he welds. Not really an interest, nor a hobby, but it's something that he's always done and always known how to do, and when anyone needs some serious welding, they call on Jayne. Ok, so maybe it's more of a strength than anything else, but he doesn't put weight into it as a strength since it's something that just comes so natural.
Strengths:
Jayne is obviously a very strong person physically. He can lift objects (and push them) that might be too heavy for a normal person to lift (or push). He works out to keep his body in shape for this very reason, and has used this skill on many an occasion. Cargo that's heavy, parts, bodies... a good back and strong shoulders can carry you a long way.
It shouldn't be said, but it will be - he's good with guns. And knives. And explosives. And hand-to-hand combat. Anti-aircraft, auto-fire, repeaters, you name the weapon and Jayne will have used it, seen it in use, or know where you can find one. It's something that he learned when he was real small, and his instincts took over from there. To survive, to know your weapons and your surroundings, that is how you make it through another job. Be better than the rest and you end up on top. It's Jayne motto, if he ever took one up.
While not very good with his words, Jayne, when put to something that he really cares about, does what he thinks is best. As a criminal it's hard to judge what kind of a moral compass he has, but he follows a different path than others would think on that. He does what he needs for his cut, and in this you find a dedicated worker. What he doesn't get paid for, unless it's something pressing, that is when you see the morality shine through. He rarely gets involved with things personally so that he doesn't have to worry about getting attached to it, so that he can let go. Living in the 'verse has taught him that, to take what you can to get by and move on. But his family, his core, he knows that he only does what he does to do right by them. Only recently has the crew of Serenity edged into that core part of his life, which is why he went with Mal to Miranda, which is why he fought to get that message out. It was the right thing, even if there was no cut involved.
Weaknesses:
Money. Jayne has always been a sucker for a bigger paycheck. Not that you'd see him spend it, but he's always on the hunt for more. It's probable that his growing up in a poor neighborhood had something to do with the fact that he's on the constant prowl for something better, but there's an underlying fact that not many, if any, see at all. He doesn't exactly live up the high life, though he does spend a little on himself here and there, but that's all the more reason for him to want even more, to want a paycheck. He's greedy, and he knows it, and it doesn't really slow him down at the end of the day. There does come time when a fine line is drawn, though, and the money stops being good enough; that's when you care about people, and you take it in your heart to look after them. Jayne might not say this to anyone's face, but true loyalty, and really, friendship, is something that he can't put a price on... yet.
Jayne is also clumsy with people. Things, not so much, but he embodies foot-in-mouth disease. Simon called him an ape in the past, which is probably true, but not because he is an ape, but because he's just blunt and sometimes brutal. His inability to coordinate himself lost him the chance to have a sit-down with Kaylee in any sort of shiny fashion, that's for sure, but that's air through the engine now. Now he's working on mending his mouth so that his mind speaks first, though he still jumbles on without paying heed most of the time. Charm, yes, that is what he lacks in this area.
That said, Jayne is probably rude to a lot of folk. His tongue, unruly as it is, doesn't stop his hands from digging into whatever they feel like whenever they feel like, and that is a fault of his that he's well aware of. If you've kicked it over and your stuff is still there, he'll pick it apart to get the maximum value out of it. He'll rummage through the cargo looking for whatever it is he needs, and he'll take it without asking. He's got the mind that whatever he needs he can use, and though his Ma taught him different, if it weren't for this philosophy he'd be dead at least twice over.
He's vain. Let's face it, if you're not looking at Jayne then something must be wrong with your eyes. He takes pride in his body (probably another fault of his), and wants people to notice. That means that his time and energy, aside from building strength to protect himself and to take a bullet, doesn't go wasted.
Secrets:
Jayne is a pretty truthsome guy, on most things. He's a bad liar, for one, and two, those things that he really wants to stay buried he simply blocks out and tries to forget... like when he tried to sell out Simon and River on Ariel, and how Mal caught him and strung him up by his bootstraps. His biggest secret though is that he feels lonely, that for all the money he can make he's still lonely. Everyone around him has someone, or had in the case of Zoe, and it hurts him to never have loved someone. Yes, love, he's not a gorram action figure with kung-fu grip, but a real, live person with feelings. He'd probably be laughed off the ship if he ever told anyone, but he really wants to find someone to love and take care of, and treat tender-like and not like some whore, though whores have their benefits.
Jayne also has a compulsion that he's tried to stop. He's very tactile, meaning, he has to touch things, smell them, taste them. Some may or may not notice it, and sometimes even he forgets about it, but he'll take a shirt and smell it good and deep before he puts it on, or he'll really feel the apple before he cuts into it. Rough, smooth, fragrant - Jayne likes to really be connected to his surroundings.
Overall Personality:
Jayne is a complicated creature. On first glance you'd probably never know it, but stay around him a while and you'll start to notice more than his oddities. He's not shy, he's cautious. River Tam has taught him at least one thing, and that is you can't judge people on their appearances. She's one of the most dangerous people he knows, and she's half his size and less than that in his weight. He knew that before, of course, with the shadier looking people, and anyone who has a weapon, of course, you always have to look out for those people. But that gorram girl is small, fast, and deadly, and she just don't look it. It's something to keep keen for.
A very selfish creature, Jayne is willing to sell you out for a price. Of course, the longer he gets to know you, the more he comes to like you, the higher that price gets, because he is still human, and there is something about a relationship, a bond, that is hard to put a price on. Simon and River made him tetchy, made him nervous that the Alliance would find them and bind them all, and he tried to sell them to the Feds to get rid of them and make a profit. Maybe almost being dumped out of the airlock forced it out of him, like it did his breath, but he came to realize that human life shouldn't have a price. It still does in the case that they have to hunt someone down as a job, but not when you or someone you know cares about them.
While you see Jayne oftentimes looking out for Jayne, there's an softer underbelly to him that you'd never know about. For as selfish as he is, he's also pretty selfless. Over 50 percent of what he gets he in turn sends home to his mother and younger siblings. He's the oldest, and by rights he's got to do what he can to look after those that care about him more than they ought. The particular instance that brought this forefront to his mind was when that stupid wu ming shao zu Tracey came on board as a stiff and ended up getting himself killed all for money, for his family to get them off that ice rock they called home. It caused a good deal of reflection on his part. Here was another man, who, like himself, wanted to do right by his mother and father and see them in the best way possible; Jayne is more or less that same kind of stupid. His little siblings at one point or another get the diseased of the world and only money can get them better, and he'd rather go sly than see them die.
That's another side of Jayne that most people look over. He's very family oriented. His mother makes him little things, hats, gloves, the like, and he wears them as though it were a crown of gold. He's so proud of his mother, so very pleased that he makes her proud and that his work gets her and the little ones by. It's not much, and to live on his own and still afford to send home enough to get them by too, that's something. It's been years since Jayne went home, but the last time they were near Paquin he spent a day playing piggyback with his nieces and nephews, helping out around the house, making sure everything was in order. His family loves him and they don't really know what he does, they are just glad that he does it, and that is a deep vein in Jayne.
His ego is big, it should be known as well. Of course, it depends on the situation. When someone compliments his ability with a gun, that's a sure thing to make him proud. If a lady pays mind to his muscle, that too does him well. But when he knows that there is no honor to be had, that he is undeserving of such favors, Jayne knows it to be wrong. He is said to be the hero of Caynton, a legend of mythic proportions. At first he was so excited, so giddy that a whole town thought him to be better than the air. He was genuinely touched that he had inspired them, but it was very disappointing that they didn't know the real reasons for his actions. He had done a very horrible thing to a man, and he had lived with that, and he had dumped the payload onto their little town only because it would have cost him his life to keep it, and nothing is worth that. They didn't understand, and he doubts that they would understand. He was so gorram guilty when that Mudder ran in front of the bullet meant for him... it was his mistake, his bullet, and yet that kid had it in his head that Jayne was something worth saving. Maybe to those folk he was, since he had given them hope and the knowledge that they could rise up; but to Jayne, it was wrong, horrible wrong, and he's lived with that one, too.
All in all Jayne is a good guy who does bad things for good reasons. He's been caught up in an awful sort that he could have probably done without, and he knows and bears that guilt as he should. Unlike Mal, he's slightly religious, at least, he listened to the Shepherd when he had something wise to say. He's not entirely stupid, either, he just likes what he does and likes to keep to himself. He hides his emotions better than Zoe sometimes, like when he gets hurt by some of the fun that gets poked his direction by the crew. He's crude, yes, that can't be ignored, but he's real truthsome, and he doesn't have that fear of repercussions for what he says, so he says what comes to his mind, and that's usually what everyone else is thinking. Then comes the fallout from that, and well, he can get real tired of the remarks on his character. Then there are the times of trouble when he tells a joke, and people get offended. He's seen enough in his life to know that at those times, you either cry like a baby or you buck up and keep going - and since his goal is to keep moving, well, you can imagine where that puts him, huh?
It's been known of Jayne to show contempt for those with money who don't use it, and he often will make fun in like terms that they would mock him. But, despite this dislike of those with what they call brains, Jayne is in his own right very cunning, and he likes to use what he calls 'common sense' rather than brains. Yes, it's very nice to know your numbers (nuthin' from nuthin' does equal nuthin, after all), and to be able to recite that is surely a wonder, but there's more to the 'verse than all of that. There's using your smarts and then there's using your brainpan - and Jayne is fond of the latter. Again, no, recitation isn't his fondness, but he knows what is smart to do, as well as right. Perhaps it is this trait that taught him noblesse oblige, though he has no idea what it means. He does know, though, that when you're on a job and someone gives you something out of sincerity, you take that and you seem very appreciative. You take what is handed to you and you thank the shiny Lord for it.
The Family.
Parents && Siblings:
Mother - Radiant Elizabeth "Eliza" Cobb, 56
Mother, mama, ma, the light of the Cobb family. Works from home to manage all the children she has, and the children her children have. Those grandchildren who's parents work long hours away from home often stay here for a stable home environment.
Father - Sue Bartholomew "Barty" Cobb, 58
Father, papa, pa, the beating heart of the Cobb family. Without his sweat and labor the giant Cobb clan would fall apart. He's the best welder on the right spinning side of Paquin, which is probably why he still has his job.
Brothers
William "Bobby", 26, lives on Ariel and works well in the Blackout Zones. Isn't married but probably has a few illegitimate children.
Mathew "Matty", 20, lives at home and used to weld with his father but was laid off when he caught the Damplung.
Sisters
Roberta "Bertha", 32, lives in a lean-to on the Cobb home. Husband fought in the war and died, leaving her and her three kids to struggle. Children; Anna (15), Rose (13), Sam (11), and Mary (8).
Geraldine "Gerry", 28, lives with her husband on Boros. They have two children, Sunny (10) and Anita (5).
Theresa "Terri", 28, lives on Persephone as a famous performance artist. She is taking a few months off of dancing and singing so she can have her baby, a girl that's not been named yet.
Patrica, "Pat", 24, lives at home and helps take care of the family. She always wanted to take the life of a Shepherd, but the orders on Paquin wouldn't allow a woman to take the role. She doesn't want to marry or have kids.
Heidi, 18, lives at home but is always on the move with her different boyfriends. She's a real trouble, but everyone loves her; she's a Cobb and how could they not?
Character History:
Jayne was born planet side, the very first born to the eldest Cobb boy, Barty, and his young wife Eliza. Now, Jayne's mother is the prettiest woman in the 'verse, and you argue that point with him and he'll take it to you. She's the image of love and compassion, as well as discipline and firm action. She was the kind of mother to give you a cookie before dinner but make you eat everything on your plate, not that Jayne ever really had a problem with that. His father, a stern figure, is someone who Jayne admires though wishes more for. He's a hard working man, putting together all kinds of things on Paquin. When welding is needed, usually the foreman looks for a Cobb, as there is no other word in welding. All of Jayne's uncles and some of his aunts (on his father's side, of course) weld on different planets, for different people, but all the very best that anyone has ever found. His father was the only man to weld a hull without a single seam, and that was quite a feat.
Growing up was tough for Jayne. See, his mother and father had decided long before Jayne was ever born that they wanted a girl first, and that her name would be Jayne. Surprise of surprises when Jayne's little head of blond hair and his small swinging cod popped out; they still named him Jayne. The teasing alone was enough to toughen a man up, and it wasn't until later that he learned that his father's real name was Sue. Apparently the Cobb family had a way of hoping for girls first and still naming the boys the female name. No wonder he went by Barty. At any rate, schooling was tough but Jayne soon rose to the top of the toughest, and was bigger than everyone else too on account that his family just so happened to be big. His father, his grandfather, they were all tall and wide men, be it from welding or genetics. But with the number of fights that Jayne got into, plus the way he helped out around the family homestead, he was bound to grow big anyway.
He was four when his first sibling was born. She was really pretty when she was born and Jayne remembers holding her shortly after she had come out. She was so small and quiet and she just looked and looked at Jayne's tumbled mess of hair and childish freckles. Jayne and Roberta were always real close growing up, more so than any of the other kids, and he was there when she had her kids, though he wasn't there were her husband died. By then he had lost a little compassion, not for his sister but life in general. He feels bad that he wasn't there for her when she needed him, but his work on the outer planets helps keep shoes on his nieces and nephew's feet, and food on the table. Perhaps he's doing more for her out here than he would if he were there beside her, but either way he knows that she knows he still loves her.
Schooling wasn't too bad for Jayne, which he actually enjoyed going to, until he had to stand up and read out loud or recite something. He always got so nervous and clammed up, and when he read it sounded like a retard was reading. Now, Jayne always got high marks for his tests and exams, and anything else that didn't require him to speak. But because speaking is the biggest part of what others see, they always laughed and called him a dummy. Jayne was already toughened from the name calling about his actual name, so often times the dummy didn't bother him too much, but he does recall once when he was seven or eight asking his mother if he really was a dummy, since he couldn't read out loud. She told him that the next time someone said that to him to just knock them silly, which he did, because no son of hers was a dummy. She only had smart children, and asked him to tell her about his favorite thing, which at the time was a show on the Cortex about Earth-That-Was. He regaled in great detail all about the awesome chase scenes, and was very excited by the end of it, at which she said that was how he felt about reading on the inside, but couldn't do on the outside, and there was nothing wrong with that. He felt better right away, though to this day he has trouble reading out loud. He did develop a sort of defensiveness about his intellect though, and part of that fueled his body getting bigger and better than everyone else's.
When Jayne was 13 he started really working on the farm, and not just pulling the plow or sowing seeds, but also with hunting wild critters. He had always helped out as a younger boy, with his father, to cut down corn when it was ready, and also to track rabbits and how to sneak about them so as not to scare them. A welder his father was, and no one could put metal together like a Cobb, and though it was good pay, it was still not enough for the growing Cobb family, and it's also in the Cobb line to be good at hunting, tracking, and general stealth. Jayne pulled his weight on the farm and in the forest, learning both how to use guns and how to be a marksman as well as lifting heavy machinery and keeping the farm food fresh.
Speaking of... Food never seemed tight growing up, and it wasn't until he was about to leave home that he gained knowledge of just how difficult it had been for his mom and dad to get enough for so many mouths. What they grew on the farm was the majority of the food that they ate, and there wasn't so much left at the end of the year to sell off. Rice, beans, and greens, with what meat they could get, either from the forest, the market or from the old milk cow that stopped milking out. There were always eggs, and even to this day he has a fondness for them, but food... it was something that brought his family together no matter what. At the end of a long day at school and then in the fields, they would all gather around the long wooden table and say grace, and then eat what was there until they could barely move. The next day would be the same, and over and over after seven years, Jayne was no longer a little boy but a full grown man.
His years and efforts on the family farm had built him an excellent body; his sitting in school had got him a sore butt but a little smarter than he had been before. When it came to what he liked most about himself, it was how strong he had become, not how smart he was. No matter what his mother said, he was no doctor, and that sort of hurt, because he had tried. At least he graduated from school with moderate marks; after that he had stayed and helped with the farm for another year or so. It wasn't right that he didn't devote some of his time and energy into giving back to his family for all they had done for him, but even with all of his energy going into the land, it wasn't enough to support the now giant Cobb clan. It was shortly after Heidi's second birthday that Jayne packed his few belongings into a pack and kissed his mother goodbye; he was off to the big city of Rana on Paquin to earn coin, so that he could send it back home.
At the tender age of 20, with no previous work experience except that on the family farm, Jayne had no assets other than his size, and he didn't even consider his use of weaponry as a tool until later. He hadn't quite gotten to the point in his life when he would start a fight with anyone, unless it was about his intelligence, but most of the work he did manage to find didn't require an IQ test. He worked for a few months in the industrial district, doing heavy lifting and the like. His skills in welding were unknown to his employers until they found a hover bike he had been working on, which he had welded together himself. (Really, the Cobb welding was more about practicality and use of common sense rather than fancy techniques. When he was a tender age of eight his father had taken him into the barn and shown him how to start the welder, then welded some replacement parts on one of the backhoes; after that Jayne just picked up how to do things from watching his father, or trial-and-error; the finesse probably is in-born, though.) After it was discovered that Jayne could weld, he got a different job and a raise, and he sent home even more of his money than before, barely living in a dingy part of town.
When the company he had been working for bottomed out, Jayne ended up wandering the city at nights, trifling with women who he found attractive but never settling down, only having his fun and moving on, since he wasn't out for settling down, but helping out his family. It was perhaps this lifestyle change that brought on a new, undiscovered line of work. Now, Jayne was never stupid, especially in the city, and carried by his side a small hand gun that he had bought at an auction when he was 17. It had a few bullets but nothing serious, and he wore it mainly to maim anyone who might mug him. Yes, he was afraid of being mugged, though, with his size, most people steered away from him. It was a particularly warm evening when he was at a bar with Linda, if that was that her name, and was having a nice time, about to take the fun upstairs when a drunk stumbled into the venue, barely able to walk straight but armed with a rifle, and screamed out, "Lisa!" She seemed spooked, but what happened next was even more intense. Said drunk lunged at Jayne, and fired off a round, missing Jayne's shoulder by a minute. Jayne, while drunk enough for a late night of sex but still coherent enough to stay awake, without blinking pulled the handgun from his side and like lightening fired a shot into the man's right shoulder, knocking him down at a range of ten paces. Most people in the bar had freaked out and hidden, but one man, sitting near the corner. This man was Lieberman.
After the tussle, Lieberman approached Jayne and bought him a drink, and told him that in the morning he would like a meeting with him. Jayne agreed and pulled Lucy upstairs with him, and he promptly forgot what the man had said to him. The next morning, however, he was quickly reminded as Lieberman was downstairs, waiting. He discussed a business proposition with Jayne, that he wanted him to act as a body-guard of sorts. Jayne doesn't see why not, and suddenly was pulled into a world that he didn't even know of; the Underworld, the place where street-rats are kings and everyone else is either a buyer or a seller. His new employer paid him well, and Jayne soon found out why; Lieberman was hated among many as he got the better deals and the most money. Jayne fought off a lot of people trying to get to his new boss, shot a few and got into fistfights with the best of them. Once in a while he would fight against others for money, but only as a side job, and only when he felt like it. He worked out to keep his shape, and was stronger than a lot of the people he encountered. Granted, he was not the strongest out there, but still pretty strong.
Lieberman's work lasted about three years, and Jayne sent over half of his earnings home to his parents. It was a good time, and Jayne, while he was the best at what he did, sometimes got duped by Lieberman's other lackies; on more than one occasion he was cheated out of extra money, and he didn't stand for that. He started drinking and his new life made him slightly bitter, but as long as the pay was good he didn't mind. Eventually, though, all good things have to end, as did Jayne's first job. Lieberman ended up selling out to someone else, leaving the business and taking his leave of Paquin for one of the Core planets. Jayne, now without a job, looked for the new boss on Persephone. He was hired as a mercenary and quickly rose through the ranks, as he was the best shot of anyone planet-side, the fastest draw, the meanest punch, and the no-frills attitude that just make a henchmen irreplaceable. The no-frills came from a childhood of sisters, the years spent with Lieberman, the drinking, getting hated for something he didn't do. The hardening change in his attitude from even so few years ago when he was just a farmboy was hugely due to being jipped and duped, and deciding not taking it anymore.
Around the quarter century mark in his life was when Jayne really began his obsession with weaponry. Guns, beautiful guns, but not just guns, there were always other types of weapons to admire. He began fervently searching for and collecting the best weapons, researching them in his spare time. After a few months, he really began to amass a decent variety of colorful ways to kill people. Work - for a mercenary, anyway - was steady. Several people tried to kill him, but he just killed them right back. It was during one such moment that someone tried to kill him with possibly the shiniest gun he'd ever seen - a Callahan full-bore auto lock with customized trigger double cartridge thorough gauge. After he killed the man who originally wielded it, Jayne picked her up, and named her Vera. His love affair with his guns launched to a whole new level when he met Vera, and she was (and is) his special favorite. For five years he bounced from employer to employer, taking whichever jobs paid more. His loyalty always sided with those who were offering the most cash.
When Jayne was about 30, though, all kinds of things changed. For starters, the war began. Now, the Cobbs never really took no sides with anyone or any thing, and alliances were just not their sort. Though the people on Paquin were pretty much in favor of the Brown Coats, they kept quiet so's not to anger the more powerful Alliance. One thing the Cobb's had learned, was to never bite the hand that feeds - or controls your shipping. As a result, despite his obvious knack for fighting, Jayne stayed out of the war. Well, that is to say, Jayne didn't fight in no war. To say he stayed out is not the truth, because his fingers were dipped into everyone's honeypot. It was about this time that mercenary turned into thief, and Jayne started picking off supply lines and reselling. That's right, Jayne sold pinched supplies to the highest bidder - and nearly got himself shot in some instances. Usually he was selling to Brown Coats, or people on planets affected by the war. In general, Jayne didn't care if he was reselling to the Alliance - except any whisper that he was a war profiteer would have gotten him shot then and there. For the most part, Jayne laid low and made as much coin as he could during the war, hoping that it would be over soon enough so he could get back to killing people the old fashioned way - for money.
Of course, after the war, money wasn't as good. When you acquire a certain standard of living, you have to keep it going. After turning such a pretty profit with the stolen war goods, Jayne couldn't rightly go back to just killin' people. Instead, he picked up thieving and killing people, it paid much better. He soloed this for a few months, moving about from planet to planet, taking passage on what ships would carry him. It was on one of these transport ships that he met Stitch Hessian. Stitch was a smart sombich, and could formulate the plans better than Jayne, and it was Stitch that proposed Jayne's muscle match with his brain. It wasn't a terrible idea, so they ran for about six months together and carried out quite a few successful heists. Despite this successful partnership, Jayne had as much loyalty to the man as he could drive a dagger into Stitch's back and visa versa. It wasn't so much this attitude that allowed Jayne to betray Stitch after the Higgin's heist, as Jayne's desire to save his own skin. And even though it doesn't eat him up to think about betraying his partner to keep the money for himself (which he ended up dumping anyway), it does get at him what happened because of that betrayal later in life.
After the run-in with Higgins, and knowing that a powerful force might be after him, Jayne gave up his life of crime for salvage work near Ares. He stayed space for a while, going where the work would take him, avoiding people where he could. In keeping with a low profile, Jayne tried to make as few waves as possible, which meant ducking his head at times. His lifestyle didn't really change, he still lifted weights, collected guns, drank and loved women, but he was not as brazen as he could have been. He visited many planets, saw many people, made lots of enemies, but in general was pretty quiet for the most part. Salvage work wasn't bad, and it turned a fair enough profit to send back home.
Jayne doesn't remember why the crew decided to go to the edge. Perhaps it was the lure of junk ships wasting in space in the outer planets, or maybe it was just for the adventure of it. But whatever the reason, they went. This was right about the time that stories had begun popping up around the 'verse, about monsters who would attack ships near the edge and do all manner of horrible things. No one in the crew believed it, but to Jayne, the superstition couldn't be shaken. It was a mighty powerful thing, tempting fate, and Jayne openly protested going out where there might be obvious danger. He was laughed at, but the laughter died when they actually reached the edge. There were ships there right enough, ghost ships. No one on board, but there were still supplies? Salvaging was easy enough, but Jayne couldn't shake the feeling of fear in his belly.
The ship hadn't been out on the edge more than a week when they heard a distress call from a ship closer in. Thinking there was money in it, the crew turned their burners toward the call, but stopped when the ship was a spec on the screen. They saw the ship, but they also saw another ship docked; it was odd to see the smoke belching out of the engines, but the blood and bones on the hull was enough to make you quake in your boots. It was here that Jayne learned of the Reavers first-hand, and it stuck in him a powerful fear that he won't soon forget. At his bellowing screams to "get the hell out of here" the captain ran, but not before they heard the tortured sounds coming over the waves. The grinding sound of teeth on bone still haunts Jayne. No amount of loot is worth risking your skin for, and from the stories Jayne heard, that was literal.
As soon as they touched planet-side, Jayne left.
Canon points in Jayne's life, in reverse.
* Jayne joins Serenity. (2516)
* Jayne is a member of a small group of thieves. 2516 early
The Edge.
Something Unique:
Jayne is deeply spiritual, believing in curses, smites, and hexes, and the power of words. He doesn't really know about God, no matter how much the Shepherd tried to teach him, but he does know that there is a power greater than himself or any government, and that the power is what pushes Serenity through most of Mal's plans. His mother always taught him religion, but he and Book always discussed that it wasn't the religion that should be important, but the faith that something will be there.
Role Playing Sample:
Jayne hated baby sitting. He had done it only for a time when he was younger, and only for his mother because she had so many things to take care of, and there were a lot of younger kids to deal with. This, of course, had all been before he had even left home or gotten mixed up in the things he had gotten into, but even still, he had done it pretty grudgingly. Not that he would have refused, that would have been rude, but his siblings were annoying little brats that needed a good spanking more than anything. He'd never once hit his sisters or brothers, but boy, had he felt like it! Other people, hell yes he had, that was completely different. But you didn't hit your family; it was a cardinal rule at the Cobb house. The only hitting allowed was from parent to child, and usually with a belt or switch over a bared bottom. It was painful but did its job, and Jayne was glad that he was reared as he was.
But why he was tasked to watch River was beyond him.
Mal had given him a stern order, and Jayne had to follow it, though he loathed it. River and he didn't exactly get along, and while she was all right, and definitely getting better, she was still kind of crazy and he couldn't get over that. Nor could he ignore their long and rocky relationship, and how he had betrayed her, and she had gone after him with a kitchen knife, and how he had nearly gotten et by Reavers but she had saved him, and how he had protected her from getting shot by shooting first.... It was a tricky relationship, and definitely complicated. But perhaps there was a part of him that cared about her more than he let on to others, because he didn't hate her, he was just uncomfortable around her. She could read minds, after all, and part of what made him so strong was that no one knew he was really weak.
Simon had gone off to get supplies or whatever, Jayne didn't care, but he was upset that he didn't take River with him. Before the battle at Mr. Universe's satellite, he would have dragged her everywhere, but now he was cutting loose and spending time with Kaylee, which on some levels hurt Jayne a little. That was a part of him that was bitter, that Kaylee hadn't seen him or taken kind to him as she did to so many others. But he could get over that, they worked together, that was all. But that she fawned over Simon like some puppy was annoying, and that Simon just skipped off with her was even more so. Perhaps this was why Jayne wasn't so pleased to be watching River. Maybe he had wanted to get things done while he was on Persephone. His brother was close, and he could have waved him and gotten to see him, and that was someone he hadn't seen in ages. But no, he had to watch River.
Then again, he wasn't as sore about it as he really felt, because he decided to take her out to see some sights. When he had lived on Persephone, there were things he wanted to see but couldn't because of his work. Now he would pretend he was showing them to River but enjoy taking in the scenery at the same time. It was early in the afternoon, and they were in a quiet aquarium, looking at the giant creatures peering back at them from behind thick glass and thousands of pounds of water. The fish were colorful, and the atmosphere peaceful. The more refined places on Persephone really could be nice and quiet, and he was glad for the lack of bodies. Then again, there weren't many people who visited Persephone for the zoos, but nevertheless there they were.
River was standing at the glass and Jayne was looking at the plaque next to it. He looked over at her, serene in the blue light of the room, and half-smiled. They had left the ship in good company, and things were still going well.
"Hey, River, this says that thing in there is a tuna. Hard to believe something that size ends up in a tiny little can, huh?"
Face Claim: Adam Baldwin
Your Name: Hannah
Your Age: 21
How Did You Find Out of Gas?: I made it.
Previous Roles: Ron on H&H
The Core.
Full Name: Jayne Cobb
Nickname(s): "Hero of Canton"
Birthday: November 20, 2477
Age: 36
Origin: Paquin
Location: Serenity
Allegiance: Neutral
Occupation: 'Public Relations'
The Appearance.
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Height && Weight: 6'4'' && 200 solid pounds.
General Description:
Jayne is... swarthy, to say the least. While not exactly a hurtful amount on the eyes, he's no gorram pretty boy, neither. Rugged, yeah, that's what's been said. And what's not rugged about him? He's tall, taller than most men he knows, even Mal is a nose shorter than him. He's wide too, and he takes pride on that notion. Most of his early life he spent helping out his family, helping to make ends meet, and he worked for the bread his mother put on the table. Required, more like it, since Jayne ate more than a cow, and grew to be proportionate, too. Heavy-lifting, that's what built the muscle, but love, that was what toned it. So yeah, he's a rock of muscular mayhem, and anyone who's tried lifting or moving his dead weight would be able to vouch otherwise.
As for his appearance, well, he's not one to gussy himself up every morning. His eyes are brown, but if you want to get descriptive about it, they're more the color of new bark on a tree, a soft brown with a hint of green every now and again. Expressive too, if you ever get to look in them and not be knocked out or disgusted by what comes out of his mouth. His hair is cropped, and generally too short to be combed, though a hand through usually works the bed-head out. Believe it or not he enjoys his beard, very much so, but is known to shave clean to start fresh, and that really depends on his mood. He enjoys a clean barbe but that gruff look does give him an advantage of being menacing.
Jayne tends to make himself seem bigger than he actually is, by what way he doesn't know how. Perhaps his bulging shoulders have something to do with it, but it's more how he carries himself, or perhaps it's just because he knows that even if he is smaller, he's still got a bigger gun. Either way, he fills the space around him and commands a bit of respect. Not much, but a bit. He does lift weights when the ship can't set down on a place where he can run. The better shape you're in, he thinks, the better chance you have of whooping the other guys.
As for attire, it's best to think 'plain Jayne' on this one. Cargo pants are possibly the best invention in the 'verse, considering that all sorts of things can fit into those pockets, and a utility belt, no matter how heavy, will always be your friend in a time of need. He favors simple shirts, sometimes with a logo or design on them, sometimes just a plain color. That gorram River still owes him a Blue Sun shirt, it was one of his favorites. Add to that combat boots and fingerless gloves, and you nearly have a complete ensemble. But, alas, no man, especially Jayne, is complete without his gun. His handgun, Matty, is a shiny beauty, and she's always at his side. Only on jobs and special occasions does Jayne bring out the other guns. Vera is the very best of the lot, but she doesn't see a lot of action, not as much as she could, anyway. Only on the more difficult jobs does she get a chance to come out. She's served Jayne well, and he can only hope that in time she'll prove useful again.
The Personality.
Likes && Dislikes:
Jayne is fond of guns, and shooting them, and shooting other people with them. Jayne enjoys packages in the post, regardless of what he gets, though he usually knows any post for him is from his mother. He enjoys girls, also, young, pretty ones who like his build, though it could be noted that he likes anyone who likes his build... though girls are a bit more fun. Deep down Jayne also likes his family, the one on Serenity, though it's hard to dig that out of him.
Jayne dislikes - to the point of aberration - Reavers. You could say he's terrified, but he never gets spooked around them. He knows what Reavers do, seen it first hand, and the thought of a death such as they would offer is simply disturbing. Whenever they have to deal with them he gets anxious, and his discomfort is obvious to the point he can't hide it. He dislikes being made fun of, though he readily offers insults to those around him, and gets tread on when people take a stab at his standing. He hates the cold, and has an uncanny and wavering fear of heights, more or less, he hates being lowered from the ship onto something moving, say, a speeding train.
Interests && Hobbies:
Jayne takes a great interest in weaponry and its usage, storage, and even history. There's a bright side in him that doesn't get a chance to show through because his mouth speaks before his brain gets a chance, but he likes the personality of guns, likes to know who made them, when they first was produced, how it came about to the point at which he got it. He's not proficient in a lot of things, but he knows about his weapons, especially his guns. He takes pride in them, and treats them as equals, the same as Kaylee treats Serenity.
Jayne has an affinity for cooking as well, though he's rarely seen in the kitchen. It's a skill he acquired from his mother, to feed himself in the event that no one else is there to do it, and he does a bang-up job when he's made to cook for himself. Of course, he'll do what he can to avoid it, but sometimes the hankering comes over him to just cook something up and so he does. He's known for more than his Apple-ologies, but also his apple-ology pies.
If Jayne had been born on a Central planet, under a proper Alliance family, he probably would have been a scholarly type, but he wasn't and so he isn't. That taken, he's still very keen on certain kinds of knowledge, like reading. He's not much for recitation, but by reading history and the like he's learned some very important skills, and he's very keen on works concerning torture, fighting, and the like. Again, getting him to read out loud is a bit more difficult - he reads at a slow pace for sure but that doesn't make him stupid.
Music is a passion of Jayne's that he never really takes the time to cultivate. He's quite adept at playing the guitar, and he picks out a tune or two of his own aside from the folk songs that were passed down in his family. Music is one form of expression that he's quite good at, and is something that he can say better than words. His reading aloud might leave something lacking, but everyone listens when he starts to sing.
Lastly, as it's inherent in his family and something that almost comes natural, he welds. Not really an interest, nor a hobby, but it's something that he's always done and always known how to do, and when anyone needs some serious welding, they call on Jayne. Ok, so maybe it's more of a strength than anything else, but he doesn't put weight into it as a strength since it's something that just comes so natural.
Strengths:
Jayne is obviously a very strong person physically. He can lift objects (and push them) that might be too heavy for a normal person to lift (or push). He works out to keep his body in shape for this very reason, and has used this skill on many an occasion. Cargo that's heavy, parts, bodies... a good back and strong shoulders can carry you a long way.
It shouldn't be said, but it will be - he's good with guns. And knives. And explosives. And hand-to-hand combat. Anti-aircraft, auto-fire, repeaters, you name the weapon and Jayne will have used it, seen it in use, or know where you can find one. It's something that he learned when he was real small, and his instincts took over from there. To survive, to know your weapons and your surroundings, that is how you make it through another job. Be better than the rest and you end up on top. It's Jayne motto, if he ever took one up.
While not very good with his words, Jayne, when put to something that he really cares about, does what he thinks is best. As a criminal it's hard to judge what kind of a moral compass he has, but he follows a different path than others would think on that. He does what he needs for his cut, and in this you find a dedicated worker. What he doesn't get paid for, unless it's something pressing, that is when you see the morality shine through. He rarely gets involved with things personally so that he doesn't have to worry about getting attached to it, so that he can let go. Living in the 'verse has taught him that, to take what you can to get by and move on. But his family, his core, he knows that he only does what he does to do right by them. Only recently has the crew of Serenity edged into that core part of his life, which is why he went with Mal to Miranda, which is why he fought to get that message out. It was the right thing, even if there was no cut involved.
Weaknesses:
Money. Jayne has always been a sucker for a bigger paycheck. Not that you'd see him spend it, but he's always on the hunt for more. It's probable that his growing up in a poor neighborhood had something to do with the fact that he's on the constant prowl for something better, but there's an underlying fact that not many, if any, see at all. He doesn't exactly live up the high life, though he does spend a little on himself here and there, but that's all the more reason for him to want even more, to want a paycheck. He's greedy, and he knows it, and it doesn't really slow him down at the end of the day. There does come time when a fine line is drawn, though, and the money stops being good enough; that's when you care about people, and you take it in your heart to look after them. Jayne might not say this to anyone's face, but true loyalty, and really, friendship, is something that he can't put a price on... yet.
Jayne is also clumsy with people. Things, not so much, but he embodies foot-in-mouth disease. Simon called him an ape in the past, which is probably true, but not because he is an ape, but because he's just blunt and sometimes brutal. His inability to coordinate himself lost him the chance to have a sit-down with Kaylee in any sort of shiny fashion, that's for sure, but that's air through the engine now. Now he's working on mending his mouth so that his mind speaks first, though he still jumbles on without paying heed most of the time. Charm, yes, that is what he lacks in this area.
That said, Jayne is probably rude to a lot of folk. His tongue, unruly as it is, doesn't stop his hands from digging into whatever they feel like whenever they feel like, and that is a fault of his that he's well aware of. If you've kicked it over and your stuff is still there, he'll pick it apart to get the maximum value out of it. He'll rummage through the cargo looking for whatever it is he needs, and he'll take it without asking. He's got the mind that whatever he needs he can use, and though his Ma taught him different, if it weren't for this philosophy he'd be dead at least twice over.
He's vain. Let's face it, if you're not looking at Jayne then something must be wrong with your eyes. He takes pride in his body (probably another fault of his), and wants people to notice. That means that his time and energy, aside from building strength to protect himself and to take a bullet, doesn't go wasted.
Secrets:
Jayne is a pretty truthsome guy, on most things. He's a bad liar, for one, and two, those things that he really wants to stay buried he simply blocks out and tries to forget... like when he tried to sell out Simon and River on Ariel, and how Mal caught him and strung him up by his bootstraps. His biggest secret though is that he feels lonely, that for all the money he can make he's still lonely. Everyone around him has someone, or had in the case of Zoe, and it hurts him to never have loved someone. Yes, love, he's not a gorram action figure with kung-fu grip, but a real, live person with feelings. He'd probably be laughed off the ship if he ever told anyone, but he really wants to find someone to love and take care of, and treat tender-like and not like some whore, though whores have their benefits.
Jayne also has a compulsion that he's tried to stop. He's very tactile, meaning, he has to touch things, smell them, taste them. Some may or may not notice it, and sometimes even he forgets about it, but he'll take a shirt and smell it good and deep before he puts it on, or he'll really feel the apple before he cuts into it. Rough, smooth, fragrant - Jayne likes to really be connected to his surroundings.
Overall Personality:
Jayne is a complicated creature. On first glance you'd probably never know it, but stay around him a while and you'll start to notice more than his oddities. He's not shy, he's cautious. River Tam has taught him at least one thing, and that is you can't judge people on their appearances. She's one of the most dangerous people he knows, and she's half his size and less than that in his weight. He knew that before, of course, with the shadier looking people, and anyone who has a weapon, of course, you always have to look out for those people. But that gorram girl is small, fast, and deadly, and she just don't look it. It's something to keep keen for.
A very selfish creature, Jayne is willing to sell you out for a price. Of course, the longer he gets to know you, the more he comes to like you, the higher that price gets, because he is still human, and there is something about a relationship, a bond, that is hard to put a price on. Simon and River made him tetchy, made him nervous that the Alliance would find them and bind them all, and he tried to sell them to the Feds to get rid of them and make a profit. Maybe almost being dumped out of the airlock forced it out of him, like it did his breath, but he came to realize that human life shouldn't have a price. It still does in the case that they have to hunt someone down as a job, but not when you or someone you know cares about them.
While you see Jayne oftentimes looking out for Jayne, there's an softer underbelly to him that you'd never know about. For as selfish as he is, he's also pretty selfless. Over 50 percent of what he gets he in turn sends home to his mother and younger siblings. He's the oldest, and by rights he's got to do what he can to look after those that care about him more than they ought. The particular instance that brought this forefront to his mind was when that stupid wu ming shao zu Tracey came on board as a stiff and ended up getting himself killed all for money, for his family to get them off that ice rock they called home. It caused a good deal of reflection on his part. Here was another man, who, like himself, wanted to do right by his mother and father and see them in the best way possible; Jayne is more or less that same kind of stupid. His little siblings at one point or another get the diseased of the world and only money can get them better, and he'd rather go sly than see them die.
That's another side of Jayne that most people look over. He's very family oriented. His mother makes him little things, hats, gloves, the like, and he wears them as though it were a crown of gold. He's so proud of his mother, so very pleased that he makes her proud and that his work gets her and the little ones by. It's not much, and to live on his own and still afford to send home enough to get them by too, that's something. It's been years since Jayne went home, but the last time they were near Paquin he spent a day playing piggyback with his nieces and nephews, helping out around the house, making sure everything was in order. His family loves him and they don't really know what he does, they are just glad that he does it, and that is a deep vein in Jayne.
His ego is big, it should be known as well. Of course, it depends on the situation. When someone compliments his ability with a gun, that's a sure thing to make him proud. If a lady pays mind to his muscle, that too does him well. But when he knows that there is no honor to be had, that he is undeserving of such favors, Jayne knows it to be wrong. He is said to be the hero of Caynton, a legend of mythic proportions. At first he was so excited, so giddy that a whole town thought him to be better than the air. He was genuinely touched that he had inspired them, but it was very disappointing that they didn't know the real reasons for his actions. He had done a very horrible thing to a man, and he had lived with that, and he had dumped the payload onto their little town only because it would have cost him his life to keep it, and nothing is worth that. They didn't understand, and he doubts that they would understand. He was so gorram guilty when that Mudder ran in front of the bullet meant for him... it was his mistake, his bullet, and yet that kid had it in his head that Jayne was something worth saving. Maybe to those folk he was, since he had given them hope and the knowledge that they could rise up; but to Jayne, it was wrong, horrible wrong, and he's lived with that one, too.
All in all Jayne is a good guy who does bad things for good reasons. He's been caught up in an awful sort that he could have probably done without, and he knows and bears that guilt as he should. Unlike Mal, he's slightly religious, at least, he listened to the Shepherd when he had something wise to say. He's not entirely stupid, either, he just likes what he does and likes to keep to himself. He hides his emotions better than Zoe sometimes, like when he gets hurt by some of the fun that gets poked his direction by the crew. He's crude, yes, that can't be ignored, but he's real truthsome, and he doesn't have that fear of repercussions for what he says, so he says what comes to his mind, and that's usually what everyone else is thinking. Then comes the fallout from that, and well, he can get real tired of the remarks on his character. Then there are the times of trouble when he tells a joke, and people get offended. He's seen enough in his life to know that at those times, you either cry like a baby or you buck up and keep going - and since his goal is to keep moving, well, you can imagine where that puts him, huh?
It's been known of Jayne to show contempt for those with money who don't use it, and he often will make fun in like terms that they would mock him. But, despite this dislike of those with what they call brains, Jayne is in his own right very cunning, and he likes to use what he calls 'common sense' rather than brains. Yes, it's very nice to know your numbers (nuthin' from nuthin' does equal nuthin, after all), and to be able to recite that is surely a wonder, but there's more to the 'verse than all of that. There's using your smarts and then there's using your brainpan - and Jayne is fond of the latter. Again, no, recitation isn't his fondness, but he knows what is smart to do, as well as right. Perhaps it is this trait that taught him noblesse oblige, though he has no idea what it means. He does know, though, that when you're on a job and someone gives you something out of sincerity, you take that and you seem very appreciative. You take what is handed to you and you thank the shiny Lord for it.
The Family.
Parents && Siblings:
Mother - Radiant Elizabeth "Eliza" Cobb, 56
Mother, mama, ma, the light of the Cobb family. Works from home to manage all the children she has, and the children her children have. Those grandchildren who's parents work long hours away from home often stay here for a stable home environment.
Father - Sue Bartholomew "Barty" Cobb, 58
Father, papa, pa, the beating heart of the Cobb family. Without his sweat and labor the giant Cobb clan would fall apart. He's the best welder on the right spinning side of Paquin, which is probably why he still has his job.
Brothers
William "Bobby", 26, lives on Ariel and works well in the Blackout Zones. Isn't married but probably has a few illegitimate children.
Mathew "Matty", 20, lives at home and used to weld with his father but was laid off when he caught the Damplung.
Sisters
Roberta "Bertha", 32, lives in a lean-to on the Cobb home. Husband fought in the war and died, leaving her and her three kids to struggle. Children; Anna (15), Rose (13), Sam (11), and Mary (8).
Geraldine "Gerry", 28, lives with her husband on Boros. They have two children, Sunny (10) and Anita (5).
Theresa "Terri", 28, lives on Persephone as a famous performance artist. She is taking a few months off of dancing and singing so she can have her baby, a girl that's not been named yet.
Patrica, "Pat", 24, lives at home and helps take care of the family. She always wanted to take the life of a Shepherd, but the orders on Paquin wouldn't allow a woman to take the role. She doesn't want to marry or have kids.
Heidi, 18, lives at home but is always on the move with her different boyfriends. She's a real trouble, but everyone loves her; she's a Cobb and how could they not?
Character History:
Jayne was born planet side, the very first born to the eldest Cobb boy, Barty, and his young wife Eliza. Now, Jayne's mother is the prettiest woman in the 'verse, and you argue that point with him and he'll take it to you. She's the image of love and compassion, as well as discipline and firm action. She was the kind of mother to give you a cookie before dinner but make you eat everything on your plate, not that Jayne ever really had a problem with that. His father, a stern figure, is someone who Jayne admires though wishes more for. He's a hard working man, putting together all kinds of things on Paquin. When welding is needed, usually the foreman looks for a Cobb, as there is no other word in welding. All of Jayne's uncles and some of his aunts (on his father's side, of course) weld on different planets, for different people, but all the very best that anyone has ever found. His father was the only man to weld a hull without a single seam, and that was quite a feat.
Growing up was tough for Jayne. See, his mother and father had decided long before Jayne was ever born that they wanted a girl first, and that her name would be Jayne. Surprise of surprises when Jayne's little head of blond hair and his small swinging cod popped out; they still named him Jayne. The teasing alone was enough to toughen a man up, and it wasn't until later that he learned that his father's real name was Sue. Apparently the Cobb family had a way of hoping for girls first and still naming the boys the female name. No wonder he went by Barty. At any rate, schooling was tough but Jayne soon rose to the top of the toughest, and was bigger than everyone else too on account that his family just so happened to be big. His father, his grandfather, they were all tall and wide men, be it from welding or genetics. But with the number of fights that Jayne got into, plus the way he helped out around the family homestead, he was bound to grow big anyway.
He was four when his first sibling was born. She was really pretty when she was born and Jayne remembers holding her shortly after she had come out. She was so small and quiet and she just looked and looked at Jayne's tumbled mess of hair and childish freckles. Jayne and Roberta were always real close growing up, more so than any of the other kids, and he was there when she had her kids, though he wasn't there were her husband died. By then he had lost a little compassion, not for his sister but life in general. He feels bad that he wasn't there for her when she needed him, but his work on the outer planets helps keep shoes on his nieces and nephew's feet, and food on the table. Perhaps he's doing more for her out here than he would if he were there beside her, but either way he knows that she knows he still loves her.
Schooling wasn't too bad for Jayne, which he actually enjoyed going to, until he had to stand up and read out loud or recite something. He always got so nervous and clammed up, and when he read it sounded like a retard was reading. Now, Jayne always got high marks for his tests and exams, and anything else that didn't require him to speak. But because speaking is the biggest part of what others see, they always laughed and called him a dummy. Jayne was already toughened from the name calling about his actual name, so often times the dummy didn't bother him too much, but he does recall once when he was seven or eight asking his mother if he really was a dummy, since he couldn't read out loud. She told him that the next time someone said that to him to just knock them silly, which he did, because no son of hers was a dummy. She only had smart children, and asked him to tell her about his favorite thing, which at the time was a show on the Cortex about Earth-That-Was. He regaled in great detail all about the awesome chase scenes, and was very excited by the end of it, at which she said that was how he felt about reading on the inside, but couldn't do on the outside, and there was nothing wrong with that. He felt better right away, though to this day he has trouble reading out loud. He did develop a sort of defensiveness about his intellect though, and part of that fueled his body getting bigger and better than everyone else's.
When Jayne was 13 he started really working on the farm, and not just pulling the plow or sowing seeds, but also with hunting wild critters. He had always helped out as a younger boy, with his father, to cut down corn when it was ready, and also to track rabbits and how to sneak about them so as not to scare them. A welder his father was, and no one could put metal together like a Cobb, and though it was good pay, it was still not enough for the growing Cobb family, and it's also in the Cobb line to be good at hunting, tracking, and general stealth. Jayne pulled his weight on the farm and in the forest, learning both how to use guns and how to be a marksman as well as lifting heavy machinery and keeping the farm food fresh.
Speaking of... Food never seemed tight growing up, and it wasn't until he was about to leave home that he gained knowledge of just how difficult it had been for his mom and dad to get enough for so many mouths. What they grew on the farm was the majority of the food that they ate, and there wasn't so much left at the end of the year to sell off. Rice, beans, and greens, with what meat they could get, either from the forest, the market or from the old milk cow that stopped milking out. There were always eggs, and even to this day he has a fondness for them, but food... it was something that brought his family together no matter what. At the end of a long day at school and then in the fields, they would all gather around the long wooden table and say grace, and then eat what was there until they could barely move. The next day would be the same, and over and over after seven years, Jayne was no longer a little boy but a full grown man.
His years and efforts on the family farm had built him an excellent body; his sitting in school had got him a sore butt but a little smarter than he had been before. When it came to what he liked most about himself, it was how strong he had become, not how smart he was. No matter what his mother said, he was no doctor, and that sort of hurt, because he had tried. At least he graduated from school with moderate marks; after that he had stayed and helped with the farm for another year or so. It wasn't right that he didn't devote some of his time and energy into giving back to his family for all they had done for him, but even with all of his energy going into the land, it wasn't enough to support the now giant Cobb clan. It was shortly after Heidi's second birthday that Jayne packed his few belongings into a pack and kissed his mother goodbye; he was off to the big city of Rana on Paquin to earn coin, so that he could send it back home.
At the tender age of 20, with no previous work experience except that on the family farm, Jayne had no assets other than his size, and he didn't even consider his use of weaponry as a tool until later. He hadn't quite gotten to the point in his life when he would start a fight with anyone, unless it was about his intelligence, but most of the work he did manage to find didn't require an IQ test. He worked for a few months in the industrial district, doing heavy lifting and the like. His skills in welding were unknown to his employers until they found a hover bike he had been working on, which he had welded together himself. (Really, the Cobb welding was more about practicality and use of common sense rather than fancy techniques. When he was a tender age of eight his father had taken him into the barn and shown him how to start the welder, then welded some replacement parts on one of the backhoes; after that Jayne just picked up how to do things from watching his father, or trial-and-error; the finesse probably is in-born, though.) After it was discovered that Jayne could weld, he got a different job and a raise, and he sent home even more of his money than before, barely living in a dingy part of town.
When the company he had been working for bottomed out, Jayne ended up wandering the city at nights, trifling with women who he found attractive but never settling down, only having his fun and moving on, since he wasn't out for settling down, but helping out his family. It was perhaps this lifestyle change that brought on a new, undiscovered line of work. Now, Jayne was never stupid, especially in the city, and carried by his side a small hand gun that he had bought at an auction when he was 17. It had a few bullets but nothing serious, and he wore it mainly to maim anyone who might mug him. Yes, he was afraid of being mugged, though, with his size, most people steered away from him. It was a particularly warm evening when he was at a bar with Linda, if that was that her name, and was having a nice time, about to take the fun upstairs when a drunk stumbled into the venue, barely able to walk straight but armed with a rifle, and screamed out, "Lisa!" She seemed spooked, but what happened next was even more intense. Said drunk lunged at Jayne, and fired off a round, missing Jayne's shoulder by a minute. Jayne, while drunk enough for a late night of sex but still coherent enough to stay awake, without blinking pulled the handgun from his side and like lightening fired a shot into the man's right shoulder, knocking him down at a range of ten paces. Most people in the bar had freaked out and hidden, but one man, sitting near the corner. This man was Lieberman.
After the tussle, Lieberman approached Jayne and bought him a drink, and told him that in the morning he would like a meeting with him. Jayne agreed and pulled Lucy upstairs with him, and he promptly forgot what the man had said to him. The next morning, however, he was quickly reminded as Lieberman was downstairs, waiting. He discussed a business proposition with Jayne, that he wanted him to act as a body-guard of sorts. Jayne doesn't see why not, and suddenly was pulled into a world that he didn't even know of; the Underworld, the place where street-rats are kings and everyone else is either a buyer or a seller. His new employer paid him well, and Jayne soon found out why; Lieberman was hated among many as he got the better deals and the most money. Jayne fought off a lot of people trying to get to his new boss, shot a few and got into fistfights with the best of them. Once in a while he would fight against others for money, but only as a side job, and only when he felt like it. He worked out to keep his shape, and was stronger than a lot of the people he encountered. Granted, he was not the strongest out there, but still pretty strong.
Lieberman's work lasted about three years, and Jayne sent over half of his earnings home to his parents. It was a good time, and Jayne, while he was the best at what he did, sometimes got duped by Lieberman's other lackies; on more than one occasion he was cheated out of extra money, and he didn't stand for that. He started drinking and his new life made him slightly bitter, but as long as the pay was good he didn't mind. Eventually, though, all good things have to end, as did Jayne's first job. Lieberman ended up selling out to someone else, leaving the business and taking his leave of Paquin for one of the Core planets. Jayne, now without a job, looked for the new boss on Persephone. He was hired as a mercenary and quickly rose through the ranks, as he was the best shot of anyone planet-side, the fastest draw, the meanest punch, and the no-frills attitude that just make a henchmen irreplaceable. The no-frills came from a childhood of sisters, the years spent with Lieberman, the drinking, getting hated for something he didn't do. The hardening change in his attitude from even so few years ago when he was just a farmboy was hugely due to being jipped and duped, and deciding not taking it anymore.
Around the quarter century mark in his life was when Jayne really began his obsession with weaponry. Guns, beautiful guns, but not just guns, there were always other types of weapons to admire. He began fervently searching for and collecting the best weapons, researching them in his spare time. After a few months, he really began to amass a decent variety of colorful ways to kill people. Work - for a mercenary, anyway - was steady. Several people tried to kill him, but he just killed them right back. It was during one such moment that someone tried to kill him with possibly the shiniest gun he'd ever seen - a Callahan full-bore auto lock with customized trigger double cartridge thorough gauge. After he killed the man who originally wielded it, Jayne picked her up, and named her Vera. His love affair with his guns launched to a whole new level when he met Vera, and she was (and is) his special favorite. For five years he bounced from employer to employer, taking whichever jobs paid more. His loyalty always sided with those who were offering the most cash.
When Jayne was about 30, though, all kinds of things changed. For starters, the war began. Now, the Cobbs never really took no sides with anyone or any thing, and alliances were just not their sort. Though the people on Paquin were pretty much in favor of the Brown Coats, they kept quiet so's not to anger the more powerful Alliance. One thing the Cobb's had learned, was to never bite the hand that feeds - or controls your shipping. As a result, despite his obvious knack for fighting, Jayne stayed out of the war. Well, that is to say, Jayne didn't fight in no war. To say he stayed out is not the truth, because his fingers were dipped into everyone's honeypot. It was about this time that mercenary turned into thief, and Jayne started picking off supply lines and reselling. That's right, Jayne sold pinched supplies to the highest bidder - and nearly got himself shot in some instances. Usually he was selling to Brown Coats, or people on planets affected by the war. In general, Jayne didn't care if he was reselling to the Alliance - except any whisper that he was a war profiteer would have gotten him shot then and there. For the most part, Jayne laid low and made as much coin as he could during the war, hoping that it would be over soon enough so he could get back to killing people the old fashioned way - for money.
Of course, after the war, money wasn't as good. When you acquire a certain standard of living, you have to keep it going. After turning such a pretty profit with the stolen war goods, Jayne couldn't rightly go back to just killin' people. Instead, he picked up thieving and killing people, it paid much better. He soloed this for a few months, moving about from planet to planet, taking passage on what ships would carry him. It was on one of these transport ships that he met Stitch Hessian. Stitch was a smart sombich, and could formulate the plans better than Jayne, and it was Stitch that proposed Jayne's muscle match with his brain. It wasn't a terrible idea, so they ran for about six months together and carried out quite a few successful heists. Despite this successful partnership, Jayne had as much loyalty to the man as he could drive a dagger into Stitch's back and visa versa. It wasn't so much this attitude that allowed Jayne to betray Stitch after the Higgin's heist, as Jayne's desire to save his own skin. And even though it doesn't eat him up to think about betraying his partner to keep the money for himself (which he ended up dumping anyway), it does get at him what happened because of that betrayal later in life.
After the run-in with Higgins, and knowing that a powerful force might be after him, Jayne gave up his life of crime for salvage work near Ares. He stayed space for a while, going where the work would take him, avoiding people where he could. In keeping with a low profile, Jayne tried to make as few waves as possible, which meant ducking his head at times. His lifestyle didn't really change, he still lifted weights, collected guns, drank and loved women, but he was not as brazen as he could have been. He visited many planets, saw many people, made lots of enemies, but in general was pretty quiet for the most part. Salvage work wasn't bad, and it turned a fair enough profit to send back home.
Jayne doesn't remember why the crew decided to go to the edge. Perhaps it was the lure of junk ships wasting in space in the outer planets, or maybe it was just for the adventure of it. But whatever the reason, they went. This was right about the time that stories had begun popping up around the 'verse, about monsters who would attack ships near the edge and do all manner of horrible things. No one in the crew believed it, but to Jayne, the superstition couldn't be shaken. It was a mighty powerful thing, tempting fate, and Jayne openly protested going out where there might be obvious danger. He was laughed at, but the laughter died when they actually reached the edge. There were ships there right enough, ghost ships. No one on board, but there were still supplies? Salvaging was easy enough, but Jayne couldn't shake the feeling of fear in his belly.
The ship hadn't been out on the edge more than a week when they heard a distress call from a ship closer in. Thinking there was money in it, the crew turned their burners toward the call, but stopped when the ship was a spec on the screen. They saw the ship, but they also saw another ship docked; it was odd to see the smoke belching out of the engines, but the blood and bones on the hull was enough to make you quake in your boots. It was here that Jayne learned of the Reavers first-hand, and it stuck in him a powerful fear that he won't soon forget. At his bellowing screams to "get the hell out of here" the captain ran, but not before they heard the tortured sounds coming over the waves. The grinding sound of teeth on bone still haunts Jayne. No amount of loot is worth risking your skin for, and from the stories Jayne heard, that was literal.
As soon as they touched planet-side, Jayne left.
Canon points in Jayne's life, in reverse.
* Jayne joins Serenity. (2516)
* Jayne is a member of a small group of thieves. 2516 early
The Edge.
Something Unique:
Jayne is deeply spiritual, believing in curses, smites, and hexes, and the power of words. He doesn't really know about God, no matter how much the Shepherd tried to teach him, but he does know that there is a power greater than himself or any government, and that the power is what pushes Serenity through most of Mal's plans. His mother always taught him religion, but he and Book always discussed that it wasn't the religion that should be important, but the faith that something will be there.
Role Playing Sample:
Jayne hated baby sitting. He had done it only for a time when he was younger, and only for his mother because she had so many things to take care of, and there were a lot of younger kids to deal with. This, of course, had all been before he had even left home or gotten mixed up in the things he had gotten into, but even still, he had done it pretty grudgingly. Not that he would have refused, that would have been rude, but his siblings were annoying little brats that needed a good spanking more than anything. He'd never once hit his sisters or brothers, but boy, had he felt like it! Other people, hell yes he had, that was completely different. But you didn't hit your family; it was a cardinal rule at the Cobb house. The only hitting allowed was from parent to child, and usually with a belt or switch over a bared bottom. It was painful but did its job, and Jayne was glad that he was reared as he was.
But why he was tasked to watch River was beyond him.
Mal had given him a stern order, and Jayne had to follow it, though he loathed it. River and he didn't exactly get along, and while she was all right, and definitely getting better, she was still kind of crazy and he couldn't get over that. Nor could he ignore their long and rocky relationship, and how he had betrayed her, and she had gone after him with a kitchen knife, and how he had nearly gotten et by Reavers but she had saved him, and how he had protected her from getting shot by shooting first.... It was a tricky relationship, and definitely complicated. But perhaps there was a part of him that cared about her more than he let on to others, because he didn't hate her, he was just uncomfortable around her. She could read minds, after all, and part of what made him so strong was that no one knew he was really weak.
Simon had gone off to get supplies or whatever, Jayne didn't care, but he was upset that he didn't take River with him. Before the battle at Mr. Universe's satellite, he would have dragged her everywhere, but now he was cutting loose and spending time with Kaylee, which on some levels hurt Jayne a little. That was a part of him that was bitter, that Kaylee hadn't seen him or taken kind to him as she did to so many others. But he could get over that, they worked together, that was all. But that she fawned over Simon like some puppy was annoying, and that Simon just skipped off with her was even more so. Perhaps this was why Jayne wasn't so pleased to be watching River. Maybe he had wanted to get things done while he was on Persephone. His brother was close, and he could have waved him and gotten to see him, and that was someone he hadn't seen in ages. But no, he had to watch River.
Then again, he wasn't as sore about it as he really felt, because he decided to take her out to see some sights. When he had lived on Persephone, there were things he wanted to see but couldn't because of his work. Now he would pretend he was showing them to River but enjoy taking in the scenery at the same time. It was early in the afternoon, and they were in a quiet aquarium, looking at the giant creatures peering back at them from behind thick glass and thousands of pounds of water. The fish were colorful, and the atmosphere peaceful. The more refined places on Persephone really could be nice and quiet, and he was glad for the lack of bodies. Then again, there weren't many people who visited Persephone for the zoos, but nevertheless there they were.
River was standing at the glass and Jayne was looking at the plaque next to it. He looked over at her, serene in the blue light of the room, and half-smiled. They had left the ship in good company, and things were still going well.
"Hey, River, this says that thing in there is a tuna. Hard to believe something that size ends up in a tiny little can, huh?"
Face Claim: Adam Baldwin