TALK STORY

Companion Rules

POSTED BY: MANIACNUMBERONE
UPDATED: Saturday, April 19, 2003 21:10
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Wednesday, March 5, 2003 9:33 AM

MANIACNUMBERONE


I have been thinking more and more about companions. (don't think disgusting thoughts) I am curious what rules they are governed by. I mean they are an honored profession by some, a joke profession to others, yet they seem to enjoy a singular status in the verse. We know that they have the ability to blackball "clients" And if Inara's character is any basis for how the rest of companions are supposed to act, well then we know a lot more. Who knows the companion rules though? What codes do they live by? What was the nature of their training?

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The best things in life are dirty.
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Wednesday, March 5, 2003 12:45 PM

LOSTANGEL


From what I have seen, they are not a joke profession, the only times that I have seen Inara disparaged, is from Mal, or the first (?) episode where the client made the comment about speeding up the clocks, but I think that was said in a fit of childishness, kind of like what we say about therapists who charge for 50 minute hours. (not fun, but the same thing)

Mal grew up with more old-fashioned values, which are out of touch with the more sophisticated values of the Core planets.

Anyone who has read the HoG script sees that there is a big difference between companions and whores, and they occupy different places in society. Whores are for sex, Companions happen to offer sex as one of their services.

Society has not always vilified prostitution, the Ancient Romans used prostitutes in some of their religions, some priestesses were "holy" hookers (couldn't resist).

I'm sure that companions have the same type of training and status as the Geisha have. Anyone who has taken an interest in the geisha knows that they are not mistresses, but artists, whose craft is the comfort and ease of her clients. They are put through vigorous training from as young as 7 years old, and must know dancing, or singing, or playing of an instrument or any combination as well as how to carry on a conversation, and pamper her client. On top of this, discretion is a must. Many geisha take on Patrons, but they are older, rich married men, as Geisha cannot marry. Oddly enough, the wives of the men do not resent the geisha mistresses, they even look upon the geishas with relief because they look at geishas as not being of the same level as wives. Then again, husbands rarely bring their wives for business socializing like Americans. The wives look at the Geishas as people to help their husbands relax and are thankful that they don't have the responsibility themselves.

Anyway, I'm cutting myself short, but that's my opinion of what I think Companions are like.

______________________
Lost Angel

WASH: Psychic, though? That sounds like something out of science fiction.
ZOE: We live in a space ship, dear.
WASH: So?


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Wednesday, March 5, 2003 1:14 PM

TALRIUS


Okay this one's a toughy.

It's hard to define a Companion because the only example we have, Inara has been only a enhancing character for us to get to know the other characters on Serenity. With the obvious exception of Heart of Gold Inara is very undeveloped we mainly see the reactions of others tward her carrer and her isolation. But I have to agree that she closely resembles a Geisha by definition.

The rules governing a Companion are sketchy. We know that Companions are aloud to date non-clientele, that a Companion always chooses their client, and a Companion must by guild law have a physical examination by a doctor annually. Companion's are also given several means of reaching clientele they can stay terrestrial based and work for a Guild House, they can sign on to a luxury liner and work from there or they can join up with any ship they see fit. Companions are aloud to become exclusive to a client. We also know that companions are given Immunization Packets to fight against diseases.

Just things I've picked up while trying to define a Companion for my Glossary.

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Wednesday, March 5, 2003 10:43 PM

MANIACNUMBERONE


Well, it sounds like Joss decided to base many of things in this show from the orient. I have chosen not to read HoG yet, I am still holding out for it to be released, and I want to be surprised when it does.
A question then, for the 2 of you who chose to respond, if Companion's can choose their own clients and offer whatever services they choose, is it up to the client to just accept what is offered or to request certain desired services? It seems to me as if it is vague who is in charge. Almost as if each person is in charge up to a certain point. If the companion is the one in charge of choosing what she does and with whom, why does Inara allow Atherton Wing to be so physically rough with her at the shindig? Is she just allowing her client to have his way, or is she being tactful, because they are in a public place?

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The best things in life are dirty.
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Thursday, March 6, 2003 4:48 AM

LOSTANGEL


I think that it would be like any business service. Companions can't be forced to do something they don't want to do, but if the client wants to do something, they can find a companion that will do it. It would be in the best interest of the companion to be as flexible as possible because not only does it mean the loss of a commission, it could give her the reputation of not being amenable (sp) and being difficult to work with.

Just like with any service based industry, the true professional makes the customer feel like they are in charge while they are the ones that dictate the ground rules (been in cust svc. for over 10 years-much tougher than it sounds). I think that Inara did not want to make a scene in public, and through her years of experience, has developed a high tolerance of how she is treated by clients. We already know that she is capable of standing up to people when she feels she is being mistreated by the way she sets Mal straight when they first met.

Customer Service reps have to have a high tolerance of how they are treated. People have cursed at me, yelled at me, insulted me, and how I was able to respond depended on where I worked. Some places enabled me to firmly, yet politely tell the customer that behavior like that was not appreciated and I was able to terminate the call (I worked in a call center) Some places did not allow me that option and I had to sit there and take it, but I learned that it was not personal, they were not yelling at me, just a representative of the company that pissed them off. I think that Inara has had to learn the same thing.

______________________
Lost Angel

WASH: Psychic, though? That sounds like something out of science fiction.
ZOE: We live in a space ship, dear.
WASH: So?


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Thursday, March 6, 2003 5:56 AM

QUEENTIYE


Quote:

Originally posted by lostangel:
I think that it would be like any business service. Companions can't be forced to do something they don't want to do, but if the client wants to do something, they can find a companion that will do it. It would be in the best interest of the companion to be as flexible as possible because not only does it mean the loss of a commission, it could give her the reputation of not being amenable (sp) and being difficult to work with.



Agreed - it seems to me that the companion maps out a strategy with the client to meet the client's needs, but the companion has the responsiblity to be clear about what services she/he does/does not provide, and how those services can meet the needs of the client - sorta like an insurance sales rep! :D

Quote:

(been in cust svc. for over 10 years-much tougher than it sounds). I think that Inara did not want to make a scene in public, and through her years of experience, has developed a high tolerance of how she is treated by clients. We already know that she is capable of standing up to people when she feels she is being mistreated by the way she sets Mal straight when they first met.

Customer Service reps have to have a high tolerance of how they are treated. People have cursed at me, yelled at me, insulted me, and how I was able to respond depended on where I worked. Some places enabled me to firmly, yet politely tell the customer that behavior like that was not appreciated and I was able to terminate the call (I worked in a call center) Some places did not allow me that option and I had to sit there and take it, but I learned that it was not personal, they were not yelling at me, just a representative of the company that pissed them off. I think that Inara has had to learn the same thing.



Also got my start in Customer Service - know PRECISELY what you are talking about! LOL! Moreoever - one of the most thrilling things about CS is that you can sometimes turn a hostile client around with just a little patience, a willingness to hear what the client is actually needing, and the ability to meet that need!

Remember Inara & Early's dialogue - how Inara attempted to meet Early's needs and how Early figured out what she was doing and recoiled from it (mostly because he WANTED to remain distant and hostile!) I related to that scene because in customer service - that is really the right thing to do...even though it isn't always successful!

QueenTiye, Companion Academy drop-out!

Shamelessly gushing over Mal...

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Thursday, March 6, 2003 6:36 AM

HKCAVALIER


***Heart of Gold spoiler***

HoG openned up a whole can o' worms for me with that bit about Inara being on her way to becoming a "priestess." Now, I know a little about Geisha and I'm sure they have their roots in Shinto religion but I've never read anything about Geisha being priestesses. Also, the asian influence of the show seems to be primarily Chinese and I don't know of any Geisha in China. My sense is that Geisha is a uniquely Japanese tradition. This could all be due to my ignorance.

The thing that's got me really interested is if Joss isn't just refering to Geisha but really going for all the marbles and trying to crack the egg (I love me some mixed metaphors) of the "Temple Whores" of ancient pre-patriarchal culture, who apparently had sex with people as part of their devotion to the Goddess. Certainly Joss has enough feminist cred to be interested, but if he is going there, then all bets are off as far as what the heck a companion really is, 'cause all the information we have about those ancient prehistoric cults is speculative and intuitive.

Also, if Inara is such a devotee, what Goddess does she patronize and what the heck happens in the next 500 years that this part of pre-patriachal culture is resurrected and what other "footprints of the Goddess" would we find in 28th Century culture?

Just a few more reasons to add to my long list of reasons I can't wait to see the rest of the series, I mean all 13 seasons of it.

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

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Thursday, March 6, 2003 11:29 AM

LOSTANGEL


Well, I haven't seen anything spiritual or religious about Inara yet. That could be because since she was set to become a priestess and then mysteriously threw it away, she turned her back on it, or it could mean that Priestess was just a title of high rank versus a position of religious authority.

She couldn't have totally turned her back on the companion life if she is still a guild member in good standing. If she took her yearly physical, and can black ball a client, then that must mean that she is recognized in the guild.

Also, I don't know if you can go that high up on the totem pole as to be considered for one of the highest possible posts, then turn your back on it to just go back to being a regular worker bee (so to speak.) If she turned her back, wouldn't the other companions at the shindig have whispered and gossiped about her? You know, what is that black sheep doing here? Did you hear she was to be the next priestess, then she disappeared? But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.

I know that geishas are Japanese, and the influencing culture seems to be chinese, but I think it's possible that the geishas were an influence in Joss' creation of the companions. Also don't forget, geishas did not have sex with their clients. If they took lovers, the arrangements were purely social, and had nothing to do with their careers as geishas. While a companion offers many things, sex seems to be a big part of it.

______________________
Lost Angel

WASH: Psychic, though? That sounds like something out of science fiction.
ZOE: We live in a space ship, dear.
WASH: So?


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Thursday, March 13, 2003 6:46 PM

TZEGHA


In TTJ we saw a glimpse of her spirituality. Her one comment under her breath about how she prays for Mal, and then her more suspect comment to Kaylee about feeling the aura of a client that sways how she chooses a client.

Besides Ath ("can I call you Ath"), she seems to approach her clients (what we have seen, of course) from a healers perspective. I other words, she chooses clients who perhaps need her for more than they realize (beyond sex).

What if a more Buddhist perspective was applied to Companions (adding a more spiritual aspect, along with the love for all life)

(anyone who knows more about this jump right on in, I'm just having images of Seven Years in Tibet when the monks are scrambling to save the worms during the construction of a movie theatre)

There's more I want to say, but most of it wasn't my idea in the first place, and it'll spoil a little sumpthin sumpthin

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Sunday, March 16, 2003 11:57 AM

TALRIUS


In Our Mrs. Reynolds Inara says "Thank Budda-" (is their an 'h' in Budda?) when she finds Mal alive. So I think it's safe to say she leans that way, I'm not saying she does, because many people say Thank God and are not Christians.

--------------------------------------------------

MAL:
Well what about you, Shepherd? How come you're flying about with us brigands? I mean, shouldn't you be off bringing religiosity to the fuzzy-wuzzys or some such?
BOOK:
Oh, I've got heathens aplenty right here.

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Saturday, April 19, 2003 7:28 PM

LUPA


I am probably in the minority of people in that when I saw Inara I didn't think Geisha, I thought hetaira, a word that is Greek for companion. They were prostitutes, but highly respected. They were trained in all the arts - music, languages, dancing, philosophy and literature, conversation, etc. as companions, or at least Inara, seem to have been. They were not allowed to marry (at least, they were not allowed to marry Athenian men) and were not themselves citizens, but were still highly respected (the poet Sappho was a hetaira.) Some of this is sorta of topic, but I think it's a worthwile parallel.

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Saturday, April 19, 2003 9:10 PM

LJC


I think a lot of Mal's snarkiness re: Inara's trade is becasue he genuinely likes and respects her, and as someone who fought a war to be free, can't understand why someone would enslave themselves... He does seem to be fairly uncommon (the "Train Job" scene where everyone was in awe of Inara in the jail, for example.) in his disdain. And the first time he calls her whore is because she told him she supported Unification--it was totally a dig based on his being a browncoat. Since then, it's almost like a game between them. But he was very firm in "Shindig" that while he doesn't respect her profession, he respects her.

As for Book, just cause it's legal don't make it moral. It's still against the tenants of his religion, adn like any Christian, he wants to see her "saved" but he's very gentle in his prosteltising (sp?) and if you notice, after the first few eps, he's not quite trying so hard to preach to the crew. I still don't think Book would ever be comfotable with Companioning, but he does seem to accept that he's in the minority and not push.

It's interesting to me that in "Serenity' they seemed to be very much setting Book and Inara up to become close friends, yet in later eps, we only really see Book forging a bond with *Jayne.*

I have a whole slew of theories as to how the guilde and the academy might work, and such, becasue I have an Inara story on the back burner. I think the 'verse draws very heavily on the geisha--but they never really address the fact that the geisha were sold into that life. They were indentured servants of their "houses." I wonder if that would have come up at any point in the "Firefly" 'verse in later eps.

--
Some take the high road. Some take the low road.
And some just go screaming down the highway, dropping flaming bits of wreckage.

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