Inara: more bad ass than she seems? by Bytemite

BLUE SUN ROOM

Inara: more bad ass than she seems?

POSTED BY: BYTEMITE
UPDATED: Saturday, August 15, 2009 08:37
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 13987
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009 8:33 AM

I see a lot of interpretation of Inara as the princess who awaits rescue, lets other people do all the violence/action for her if it comes to that.

But is that really the case?

She knows how to use a bow and swords, and in her profession, it would make sense if she could handle herself in hand-to-hand combat.

Saffron, who is said to have companion training, clearly knows hand to hand combat (and other self-defense techniques). In Our Mrs. Reynolds, I interpret Inara as having dodged Saffron's kick rather than stopping Saffron not because she wasn't skilled in hand to hand combat, but because Saffron caught her off guard (Malcolm Reynold's widow) and because she wanted to make sure Mal was okay.

Also, I see Inara as having been a bit of a rough and tumble little girl, before she began Companion training. She seems very at home in an old trampy freighter, and in a low-class dive watching Mal and Jayne shoot billiards. Simon, who has an upper class upbringing, is often NOT comfortable (at least at first) in these settings. I think that suggests she may have come from a different social class than Simon.

Lastly, sometimes I wonder if she doesn't enjoy some of the thrill and adventure of the crew's law-breaking. Like at the end of Trash, she loved that, and I also wonder if she didn't enjoy it in Shindig when Mal basically mugs the slavers.

Reference/Inspiration:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5200581/1/Play_The_Part

^Fanfiction by jackwabbit, recently posted. Not mine, but definitely enjoyed it!

Discuss?

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Wednesday, July 8, 2009 8:36 AM

Oooo, wabbity wabbit is one of the best fic writers out there.
She is awesome!
Haven't read this one yet, will give it a go soon. :)

http://www.kidsneedtoread.org/

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Wednesday, July 8, 2009 2:09 PM

Anyone want to nibble on the conversation bait? I'm always interested in talking characterization, and since Inara's my co-favourite character, I'm curious how people see her and her possible past.

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Wednesday, July 8, 2009 9:59 PM

I think the theory about Inara having grown up in a lower social class could hold alot of water. she also did seem pretty snarky at the end of trash, whatwith that shiteating grin on her face as she pointed that gun at yo-saf-bridge. I, for one, would be very interested to know what her story is.

first things first, though, lets get books story told! daaaamn you dark horse!!!!!

Zoë: Sir, we don't want to deal with Patience again.
Mal: Why not?
Zoë: She shot you.
Mal: Well, yeah, she did a bit.

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Wednesday, July 8, 2009 11:39 PM

Considering that River is extremely comfortable on Serenity, I don't think Inara needs to be originally lower-class to appreciate the life on the ship. She DOES have her luxuries around her, after all. And while she's comfortable enough with the more civilized elements, like Mal, Zoe and Kaylee's sweetness, we don't really see her interact with "normal" folk at all when she doesn't have to. Ad look at her distaste for the "simple" art in the shop in "Safe".

I don't really see it.

As for her "wild side"... sure it's very porbable that she has some experience with weapons and self-defense, both through Guild training and/or personal interest. I also think she genuinely loves a thrill, as long as it's generally safe and not violent.

In the bar scene in Shindig, she enjoys the rough bar but once Mal starts stealing, she starts frowning and making snide remarks. She doesn't look impressed.

I definitely think that she is NOT a damsel. But I don't agree with the fic. I don't see Inara as hiding violent aggression, enjoying violence or, you know, having had an Evil Controlling Violent Mother.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 2:21 AM

Inara's back story would be interesting, 'tis true, but I don't think that she had all that much exposure to whatever her roots were. Companion training starts at about five or six doesn't it Young enough that whatever rough & tumble she may have started out as is remember (if at all) as a romanticized version of itself. I think her acceptance of, and ease in various situations is due to her training (perhaps the occasional client enjoys 'slumming' for the thrill of it).
As to her martial abilities; I do not doubt that Inara has received traditional training (open hand & some weapons; has watched enough professional fights to know talent when she sees it), but in the words of Han Solo, "Good against a remote is one thing kid, good against the living is another." Inara may have been a gifted student, who can incapacitate most run of the mill clients (very wealthy people that spend their time working, not working out) should it be necessary, but every time she's gone up against a professional (Yo-Saf-Bridg (who seems to have much more practical experience), Operative), she is shown to be way out of her league. Shooting reavers is a matter of remaining calm (lots of professional training at that), and not thinking of them as people (easy as lyin'); but even at that, she was on the 'clean up crew' just taking out the stragglers that got past Jayne & Zoe.
If she were to train more, and be willing to take a few serious hits (yes, you're fast & can hit me, but I'm big enough to let you hit me a few times so that I can whomp you - Jayne) she could be dangerous at & below her weight class & even a bit heavier while unarmed, and if trained with a 'proper' weapon (high capacity pistol or perhaps a sub-machine gun (largest caliber she can reliably handle)) she could hold her own any time she was outside of kicking distance.
For character balance reasons though I don't see it happening. An Inara/Zoe blend?

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 2:34 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by FlatTop:
Companion training starts at about five or six doesn't it Young enough that whatever rough & tumble she may have started out as is remember (if at all) as a romanticized version of itself.

Actually, it starts at 12, as per the deleted scene in the movie. Where do you get the age five number from?

Otherwise, I agree with your post. She's no proficient by any means and I doubt she'd care to be.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 2:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by AgentRouka:
Quote:
Originally posted by FlatTop:
Companion training starts at about five or six doesn't it Young enough that whatever rough & tumble she may have started out as is remember (if at all) as a romanticized version of itself.

Actually, it starts at 12, as per the deleted scene in the movie. Where do you get the age five number from?

Otherwise, I agree with your post. She's no proficient by any means and I doubt she'd care to be.

Hang on, I'll watch it again...
Ah! Right you are. I confused the lines, and thought it was the at twelve the, "... Physical act of pleasure was first mentioned, after years of training ..." My mistake.
So she could remember quite a bit of her childhood outside the guild.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 3:55 AM

I think Inara is a normal woman. Although she is loyal to the Guild and their rules, she also has an independent and adventurous spirit. She is proud of her career, she enjoys the fringe benefits it provides in terms of being able to associate with the upper class. But she gets bored, and like many women, she has an attraction to the "bad boy". On Serenity, with Mal and the gang, she has the best of both worlds.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 4:13 AM

Well, no, agreed, the abusive rim upbringing thing I'm not sold on myself.

But I don't think the point was that Inara is really really VIOLENT deep down. I mean she is Buddhist. They frown on that, and I think she's as spiritual and has as much faith as Book.

But I think that, if the situation calls for it, she can handle herself. In fact, in Shindig, during the duel, after Atherton beat Mal, I actually would've liked to see Inara step in and turn the tables on Atherton. And I think she would have had the ability and the motive to do so.

And I think when she slapped Mal in the Train Job, she enjoyed that. Not because it really hurt him, because it didn't, or because she's violent, but because it's Mal, in an awkward position, and she got to rescue him. And because she slapped him, and she's probably wanted to do so for a while. And because it's funny.

For her background, I see her as being the daughter of a practicing companion, but the long term client of her mother dropped her after her mother became pregnant. Stuff happens (you all probably know what I mean), and she becomes a ward of the guild.

I picture the companions and companions-in-training as having a whole lot of opulence in their dorms, but prior to Inara being accepted for training, I imagine her growing up in a guild-run orphanage with friendly affectionate guild priestesses kind of like the orphanages that used to be run by convents; not overly rich except for being in something like a church, but they provide food, clothing, and education for the children. I can picture her running around like bit of a street urchin for a couple years with other girls her age.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 4:49 AM

Does anyone, though, think that Inara wouldn't be able to handle herself if she really needed to? Who could't really? I bet even Benning from the Shindig ball could do so, if properly motivated, and Inara has certainly had more training. We know she keeps her head in a tough situation, but so does Simon.

Being a wild child isn't necessary for that and I don't really see Inara as the tree climbing, trouble-causing sort. I see her as an exciteable child, certainly, and one who loves movement in general, but I don't really see her as rough and tumble in that she would have gotten into fights like in the fic without a fairly momnumental reason for it, or experienced them the way the fic describes.

In some ways we have a similar view of her childhood: absent father, mother who dies before Inara is an adult. But I don't see anythig street urchin-like at all. Friends, sure. Playing, sure. But nothing remotely associable with neglect or little supervision or being one among many. I don't think, basically, that entering the Guild dramatically altered her life in terms of surrounding wealth and privilege. Partly because young students are likely not buried in money right away, but also because she probably came from a comfortable-to-wealthy background. I just don't get a sense of "The Guild Rescued Inara from poverty" from her. She would probably react differently to the life she faces in the show if she had any connection to it, or maybe even mention it at some point.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 5:26 AM

She's just so accepting of it, though. And maybe it's the eight months she had on the ship before the series started, but in Out of Gas, she seems to know EXACTLY the kind of business Mal's involved in right away. Doesn't seem to bother her then, either, and she turns around and offers Mal some practical "respectability."

She doesn't say, no, wait, I have a Guild contract and can't be involved with thieves and brigands. Why's she so comfortable? Why does she decide the risk is okay?

At that point, I'm not thinking it's just Mal's allure. My thinking is, she's had some brushings with that kind of lifestyle already. Slumming with a client? Maybe, but if that's her only contact with it, why wouldn't she be more condescending about it? Inara is NOT really condescending; yes, to Mal she is, but that's a defensive mechanism. And do you really compare Inara traveling with the crew of Serenity as her slumming with them? Slumming is... there's kind of an inherent judgement about it, "let's go see how the other half lives and entertain ourselves." That's not how I see her with the crew at all.

How a person treats other people is a product of upbringing. I see social class division as very real in the Firefly 'verse. There are people in the upper class who are nice to lower classes, I grant you, great humanitarians, but how often do such individuals actually associate with the lower classes they might give money and charity to? How many would go live with them in their homes, and forsake a wealthier, more luxurious residence?

Inara's doesn't quite fit into the upper class, not just as a companion who on certain planets may not be given the respect she's entitled to, but in her mindset. For a literary example, she's acts very like (am I really going to do this? Blech, this is embarrassing...) Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. A gentleman's daughter, happy, well-adjusted, affectionate family, but their home is not rich. I put Inara as being in somewhere around that level of social class because of how she acts towards people from all other walks of life.

Even IF she supported Unification, she's flaunting guild rule and Alliance law from the get-go. She's got a bit of a rebellious streak. Definitely got a stubborn streak. Underneath that cool veneer, I suspect she's a spark plug. So as a little girl, I see her being active, getting into trouble, consorting with children and people that might not be approved of. She'd have to have had the freedom to do so.

I don't think she was abused, she's so confident for that. She was raised with a lot of affection, but not necessarily indulgence, because she's not spoiled about getting her way. And she's comfortable in a big chaotic family.

I don't consider being raised in a guild/ church orphanage as a neglectful or impoverished. I think she had a good childhood. But I don't think she was raised by an upper-class family. Simon and River were raised by upper-class families. Do you really think that if River hadn't gone to the Academy, she wouldn't have turned out differently, might react to the crew and being on Serenity differently? I think she would have.

Lastly, in Safe, when Inara makes fun of the duck/swan carving, Kaylee makes fun of it too. "It looks like it was made with longing, you know... By someone who really longed to see a real swan." Inara never comments on the China kaylee picks up, Simon does, so we'll never know what Inara thought of it.

But what is clear, is that Inara is able to see beauty in things that are old, dirty, and beat-up. Otherwise how could she think Serenity is so beautiful?

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 5:48 AM

Also, why does everyone think Saffron owns Inara in that little scuffle? She doesn't, it's a stalemate.

From the shooting script:

Quote:
Saffron punches, hard but Inara blocks - a spinning kick from Saffron and Inara rolls out of the way, Saffron moving to the shuttle and slamming the door behind her.

Inara is on her feet in a heartbeat, racing toward the foredeck hall...

She had a different priority than stopping Saffron. Saffron doesn't take Inara down, doesn't beat her in hand-to-hand combat. Inara lets Saffron go, and Saffron lets Inara go. They just had to fight a little on principle.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:15 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
She's just so accepting of it, though. And maybe it's the eight months she had on the ship before the series started, but in Out of Gas, she seems to know EXACTLY the kind of business Mal's involved in right away. Doesn't seem to bother her then, either, and she turns around and offers Mal some practical "respectability."

But even Simon was able to tell that Serenity looked "disreputable" and a smart person with an active interest in the world around her wouldn't need to have personal experience of their world to guess what Mal gets up to. I really think it's partly an open-minded hope for adventure and the 8 months she spent getting used to the ship.

Quote:

She doesn't say, no, wait, I have a Guild contract and can't be involved with thieves and brigands. Why's she so comfortable? Why does she decide the risk is okay?

But what about a slightly rough and tumble life before the age of 12 would have made her think so, either? It's not like she spent her childhood living on a smuggling vessel with criminals. There is no reason a poor childhood should necessarily make her more comfortable with criminals, and no reason why more regular or wealthy childhood would make her much less so, considering she has the same things to lose either way.

Quote:

Slumming with a client? Maybe, but if that's her only contact with it, why wouldn't she be more condescending about it? Inara is NOT really condescending; yes, to Mal she is, but that's a defensive mechanism. And do you really compare Inara traveling with the crew of Serenity as her slumming with them? Slumming is... there's kind of an inherent judgement about it, "let's go see how the other half lives and entertain ourselves." That's not how I see her with the crew at all.

But why would Inara necessarily be judgmental of them? I wouldn't be condescending to people with a terribly poor lifestyle if I had chosen to live with them for a time. And Inara certainly never shows herself to be narrow-minded or arrogant. Neither does Simon, except toward Jayne.

I think Inara is looking for adventure and feels secure enough in her charatcer judgment and knowledge of the world to make herself semi-at home with the crew of Serenity, without needing to have previous connection to their world.

Quote:

Inara's doesn't quite fit into the upper class, not just as a companion who on certain planets may not be given the respect she's entitled to, but in her mindset.

Well, we have never seen the society Inara is truly from. We've seen a slice of Persephone, which is hardly Sihnon, but there is nothing to suggest that downright arrogance and sneering are acceptable practice there. I don't say there isn't classism, but I doubt Inara is that much of an exception simply because she considers poor people to be human beings of equal worth to herself. Simon is never arrogant, after all, and I think many are raised with that sort of attitude.

Quote:

Even IF she supported Unification, she's flaunting guild rule and Alliance law from the get-go. She's got a bit of a rebellious streak. Definitely got a stubborn streak. Underneath that cool veneer, I suspect she's a spark plug. So as a little girl, I see her being active, getting into trouble, consorting with children and people that might not be approved of.

She has her own code of ethics and a sense of adventure, granted, but I do not see her as rebellious at all. She's not contrary, not stubborn for the sake of pride and she doesn't have an abnormal temper, either. I don't think there is any perceived spite in her choices. I think she tolerates a lot because it doesn't go against her sense of ethics, or because she recognizes morally grey areas. I do NOT think that flaunting Alliance law - in a society SO controlled that even Simon's father is more afraid than self-assured - is that unusual. I think people from all tiers have an official and a private face about the Alliance and its many many rules and that travelling with a ship like Serenity would be seen as something other people's private sides would understand, as long as it doesn't get her into conflict with the official side.

Sheydra never appears shocked. It's a cultural adventure that Inara went on, something to tease her about, but it's not a rebellious act of defiance or scandal. People raise an eyebrow but they don't drop their jaws.

I don't think, really, that Inara grew up in an environment where much was disapproved of for classist reasons (too secure to need arrogance as a separating line) but where there also wasn't too much opportunity to "consort".

Quote:

I don't consider being raised in a guild/ church orphanage as a neglectful or impoverished. I think she had a good childhood. But I don't think she was raised by an upper-class family. Simon and River were raised by upper-class families. Do you really think that if River hadn't gone to the Academy, she wouldn't have turned out differently, might react to the crew and being on Serenity differently? I think she would have.

After 8 months? I think she would have either hated it enough to leave or become chummy with them, like Inara.

Quote:

Lastly, in Safe, when Inara makes fun of the duck/swan carving, Kaylee makes fun of it too. "It looks like it was made with longing, you know... By someone who really longed to see a real swan." Inara never comments on the China kaylee picks up, Simon does, so we'll never know what Inara thought of it.

Actually, Kaylee doesn't appear to make fun of it. She seems to genuinely like it, explain the appeal to Inara. Look at how she insists that it's a swan. That's not derision, not that I would recognise. That's a moment where Inara's culturally and financially affluent background creeps forward to clash a little and she feels secure enough with Kaylee to voice it gently.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:32 AM

Quote:
But what is clear, is that Inara is able to see beauty in things that are old, dirty, and beat-up. Otherwise how could she think Serenity is so beautiful?

Many rich people love antiques, you know? This doesn't really imply anyhting.

Oh, and since you added the Elizabeth Bennet thing... that would actually work for me. They are hardly poor. They're just the poorer of the rich, not having to work and able to keep a few servants on their working farm/mini-estate. They have horses. They're part of a club that the comparable likes of Mal would never have access to, even if they're on the lowest end of it. Elizabeth doesn't really interact much with truly disapprovable types, either, and her open-mindedness is not out of nowhere, it's instilled by her father and not really stifled by her environment. Neither is she extremely rough-and-tumble aside from enjoying a muddy walk in the early morning. Eye-brow raising, not jaw-dropping.

That's a different picture than I originally got from your descriptions.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:45 AM

I got a bit of work to do now, bit worried about getting in trouble, but I've got some quick responses. I'll give a longer response later.

Simon is very arrogant at times. He doesn't mean to be, but when he describes the plates Kaylee was looking at in safe as "crap", that isn't even spawned by his annoyance at the Captain or his inability to really see Serenity as much more than run down garbage.

Also, my impression of Kaylee in that scene is that she's joking around with Inara. She knows that the store isn't well supplied or very rich, even describes it as "dusty." Both she and Inara are commenting on it. I seem to recall after Kaylee's comment that they both laugh a little bit.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:49 AM

Didn't Moreana say that being a Companion was a "family businnes"? I see her as a daughter of a Companion, raised by a loving foster family in high middle to upper class (her mother made sure she went to the best preschools and elementary schools). And her mother would breeze in for tea every once and while.

She does posses some martial skills and her hand to hand especially seems for "school oriented" and not a all like the dirty fighting of Mal and Jayne.

She does seem that with some training she could be a very good marksman and able to handle weapons bigger than a bow or a hand held laser.

http://fireflyfaninnc.livejournal.com/

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:50 AM

A guild orphanage is going to be somewhat more towards the low-end of the gentleman/woman class than other orphanages.

The only real difference I would imagine between the two situations (besides the obvious) is that Inara is going to be in a big city, and is going to have more contact with the lower/rougher classes simply by proximity than Elizabeth ever did.

I said that she probably ran around LIKE a street urchin. Not that she was one. Didn't mean to give that impression. :)

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:57 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
I got a bit of work to do now, bit worried about getting in trouble, but I've got some quick responses. I'll give a longer response later.

Simon is very arrogant at times. He doesn't mean to be, but when he describes the plates Kaylee was looking at in safe as "crap", that isn't even spawned by his annoyance at the Captain or his inability to really see Serenity as much more than run down garbage.

I dare you to find one more example. That's the only scene where we see Simon lash out in an unfair way and I think it is entirely due to the stress he's been under and Mal's condescending/domineering treatment. Kaylee's naive but good-natured suggestion that he enjoy himself sets him off on a rant - and yes, I think he considers the plate crap. Inara probably considers is crap, too, but doesn't say so. oesn't mean it reflects his genuine attitude toward lower classes or the Rim, as much as it reflects his frustation with his impossible situation.

Quote:

Also, my impression of Kaylee in that scene is that she's joking around with Inara. She knows that the store isn't well supplied or very rich, even describes it as "dusty." Both she and Inara are commenting on it.

She doesn't say the shop is dusty. Where do you find that? She does, however say that she likes the plate, prompting Inara to say "You do?" in a slightly incredulous way, which prompts that explanation about longing. Heck, she thinks that plate would make a good gift for Simon and looks "rich"... until Simon enters, causing Kaylee to mold her entire behavior to what he says.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:02 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
A guild orphanage is going to be somewhat more towards the low-end of the gentleman/woman class than other orphanages.

The only real difference I would imagine between the two situations (besides the obvious) is that Inara is going to be in a big city, and is going to have more contact with the lower/rougher classes simply by proximity than Elizabeth ever did.

I said that she probably ran around LIKE a street urchin. Not that she was one. Didn't mean to give that impression. :)

But why would a Guild orphanage (for a Companion's child, no less, not some random poor child in need) be located in a part of town where kids would have easy and regular access to rougher classes? Inara starts Guild training at 12 and I doubt they let them just roam the entire city unsupervised while they were much younger than that.

Considering that the Bennets had farming and house-keeping staff from lower classes, Elizabeth might have had easier contact there than Inara would in a well-tended care facility.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:10 AM

Hmm. I guess I sort of take my impression on how it might be from children who are the wards of other institutions.

While the children of the guild would be important to the guild in the sense of being prospective future companions... It's not where the guild's focus is, I think.

Much like the Christian Church in Europe. They care for orphans, yes, but the church is more geared towards the training and practice of the clergy and their patrons.

And, of course, I think that children from rich upper class families might be courted for future guild positions by the guild more carefully than children already in their charge.

Plus, kids. They're always going places where they aren't supposed to, and I seriously doubt the guild would place their orphans under guarded watch.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:23 AM

Quote:

KAYLEE
Everything's dusty.

INARA
Does it seem every supply store on
every border planet has the same five
rag dolls and the same wood carvings
of...
(looking at one)
What is this? A duck?

KAYLEE
That's a swan. And I like it.

INARA
You do?

KAYLEE
It looks like it was made with, you
know... longing. Made by a person
really longed to see a swan.

INARA
Perhaps because they'd only heard of
them by rough description.

Kaylee holds up a little painted souvenir dish with painted chinese characters on it.

KAYLEE
You think this'd make a nice gift?

INARA
A gift? For whom?

Kaylee just studies the dish.

KAYLEE
I just think it's nice. Kinda rich,
you know.

INARA
Oh. For Simon.

KAYLEE
I didn't say that.

INARA
Well, you don't do a very good job of
hiding your interest.

KAYLEE
He's just so < cute >. You wanna take
a bite out of him all over, you know?

Just then, Simon and River enter. Simon is nervous about being out and visible, a little frazzled at having to watch River constantly.

INARA
(to Kaylee)
Careful.

KAYLEE
Did he hear? I don't think he heard.
(louder, maybe too
loud)
Mornin', you two!

Kaylee's over-bright greeting just makes Simon more jumpy. He forces a smile, nods.

INARA
We don't usually see you two out and
about planetside.

SIMON
(tense)
We're trying something different
today.

River immediately goes to the farming equipment, starts touching things.

SIMON (cont'd)
River, careful with that, that's...
(helplessly to Kaylee)
What is that?

KAYLEE
That's a post holer. You dig holes.
For posts.

SIMON
(to River)
It's dirty and sharp. Come over here.

He steers her over to the crafts section with the women. He picks up the little dish Kaylee was admiring.

SIMON (cont'd)
(reads the Chinese)
"Jiangyin, Prairie Paradise."
(then)
Good God. They ask money for this
< crap >?

From Jaynestown, selected quotes.

Quote:
SIMON
Well. Canton really--
(breathes in)
--really stinks.

So, this is a place where they... they
make mud? A mud-based economy. That's almost
interesting.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Hmm. I guess I sort of take my impression on how it might be from children who are the wards of other institutions.

While the children of the guild would be important to the guild in the sense of being prospective future companions... It's not where the guild's focus is, I think.

Much like the Christian Church in Europe. They care for orphans, yes, but the church is more geared towards the training and practice of the clergy and their patrons.

And, of course, I think that children from rich upper class families might be courted for future guild positions by the guild more carefully than children already in their charge.

Plus, kids. They're always going places where they aren't supposed to, and I seriously doubt the guild would place their orphans under guarded watch.

Not guarded watch, no, but I guess I just don't see Inara unmotivatedly wandering the bad parts of Sihnon for contact with the unwashed masses. She probably had hobbies or read or did friend-type things with the kids already around her, and I don't see them being "rough kids", either. Why would the Guild put her in with kids who would either have behavioral or educational deficits? Why would they dabble in that at all?

I don't think the Guild is trying to raise it's own new Companions in such an institution but I do think they would aim to guarantee a higher end education and environment than a regular orphanage. They do not have the universal approach of the church, nor do they need to be open to everyone. I don't think they run lots of orphanages, though they may charitably give to them. If Inara was indeed raised by a Guild care facility, as opposed to her own mother or a foster mother, I think it would have been a smaller, exclusive place. Why would the Guild take over the raising of a Companion's child at all, if it wouldn't grant a certain privilege to that child, as opposed to handing her over to other relatives or an Alliance institution?

If anything, we can expect that the Alliance would have structures in place and that they would be well-regulated. Brain-washingly so, maybe, but nothing to motivate the Guild to set up a big rivaling program for anyone outside their own circle to begin with.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Quote:

KAYLEE
Everything's dusty.

INARA
Does it seem every supply store on
every border planet has the same five
rag dolls and the same wood carvings
of...
(looking at one)
What is this? A duck?

KAYLEE
That's a swan. And I like it.

INARA
You do?

KAYLEE
It looks like it was made with, you
know... longing. Made by a person
really longed to see a swan.

INARA
Perhaps because they'd only heard of
them by rough description.

Kaylee holds up a little painted souvenir dish with painted chinese characters on it.

KAYLEE
You think this'd make a nice gift?

INARA
A gift? For whom?

Kaylee just studies the dish.

KAYLEE
I just think it's nice. Kinda rich,
you know.

INARA
Oh. For Simon.

KAYLEE
I didn't say that.

INARA
Well, you don't do a very good job of
hiding your interest.

KAYLEE
He's just so < cute >. You wanna take
a bite out of him all over, you know?

Just then, Simon and River enter. Simon is nervous about being out and visible, a little frazzled at having to watch River constantly.

INARA
(to Kaylee)
Careful.

KAYLEE
Did he hear? I don't think he heard.
(louder, maybe too
loud)
Mornin', you two!

Kaylee's over-bright greeting just makes Simon more jumpy. He forces a smile, nods.

INARA
We don't usually see you two out and
about planetside.

SIMON
(tense)
We're trying something different
today.

River immediately goes to the farming equipment, starts touching things.

SIMON (cont'd)
River, careful with that, that's...
(helplessly to Kaylee)
What is that?

KAYLEE
That's a post holer. You dig holes.
For posts.

SIMON
(to River)
It's dirty and sharp. Come over here.

He steers her over to the crafts section with the women. He picks up the little dish Kaylee was admiring.

SIMON (cont'd)
(reads the Chinese)
"Jiangyin, Prairie Paradise."
(then)
Good God. They ask money for this
< crap >?

I think this may be the shooting script. I took my clues from the actual episode transcript, and my embarrassingly detailed memory of certain scene deliveries:

It's a little bit different in small details, without the dusty line and without the "did he hear?" part.

http://firefly.shriftweb.org/scripts/107.shtml

But even if it had been shot with that opening line, it wouldn't change the way the rest of it is delivered. Kaylee's not joking about the merchandise. She may smile through it, but she's not making fun of it.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:38 AM

No, wouldn't be for people outside their circle... But they're kids. Even if Inara wasn't a little rapscallion, it's almost guaranteed someone in the orphanage would have been. And since we don't exactly know how many companions and training houses there are in the system, I doubt there's going to be enough companion orphans on every planet to justify a guild orphanage on every planet. So they're probably consolidated into one place.

I just see the orphanage kids all wandering the big city together during the day when they have free time. And playing with any other kids they meet... Who may not be from the same social class. Who's going to stop them, if the guild isn't watching them all the time?

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:39 AM

Different interpretations, I guess. I thought after Kaylee's comment, and Inara's comment, they both kind of laughed.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:52 AM

I've been talking a lot about what I think. What do you think?

I gather you think she comes from an upper-class family?

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 9:44 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
I've been talking a lot about what I think. What do you think?

I gather you think she comes from an upper-class family?

Upper class, upper middle class... something like that. I think she is very at home within those circles, if not emotionally, then habitually, socially, from early on. By the age of 12, she would have had a fairly solid social identity, methinks, and I don't see even a decade of Guild training erasing that, and I simply do not feel any "from lowly roots" things from her, in her interactions with people who actually are from lowly roots. I also think her socialising in any meaningful manner with "rough" kids would be more unlikely than not and also wouldn't be necessary to explain any of her interactions on the show.

What makes her different, to me, is not that she originally doesn't belong, but that she has always been singled out for beauty and talent and that she feels a particular restlessness, a longing for difference. (For whatever speculative or spoilerly reason.)

More generally about her childhood:
She definitely didn't have a normal nuclear family, but considering how somewhat solitary she is - and judging by Nandi's comments, probably always has been - she doesn't strike me as someone who was comfortably socialised in a big group in early childhood. I see her as having one fair exclusive female care giver, be that her mother or a foster parent or other kind of guardian. I don't think she has close living family. If there are distant relatives or an estranged father alive somewhere, she has no contact with them. The Guild would have felt like a natural extension of that female guardianship.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 10:16 AM

What strikes me about Inara is her clear-thinking emotional and physical courage in dangerous situations. In the movie, we don't learn what transpired to make Inara call Serenity and get them to come to the Training House, but I think there must have been considerable pressure and menace. She already knows the Operative is a scary fellow. Then, when he and Mal start fighting, Inara can see what he is doing. She's learned some martial arts (the Blu-Ray documents make mention of this, right?), so she has an educated eye. When she watches the Operative, she can see all of the things he is doing right, all of the moves he has mastered. His strategy. I imagine her very quickly sizing him up, comparing him to, for example, her martial arts teachers from school or other practitioners she knows. And she can evaluate him and know that he is very, very good, and that he is acting with deadly intent. Inara knows how outclassed Mal is, how outclassed she is, and she goes in anyway, twice. She must know she has no chance of prevailing against the Operative, she's basically stepping in and getting beaten as a way to buy Mal a few seconds' time, to give him the chance to still be alive when her "incense" goes off. And she does this probably knowing that the Operative could kill her if he spared a few seconds to do it. I think it's incredibly courageous.

I have my own ideas about Inara's family life, but that's another long, long post.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 10:40 AM

It's funny, because I see that possibility too in Inara, AR.

I think that her open-mindedness, tolerance, and sense of humour were allowed to develop on their own without interference... But she also has grace and restraint and a nurturing way about her that go beyond just guild training, which also does suggest a single very watchful female caretaker.

I wonder really if it couldn't have been both. I know that sounds weird, but maybe she was in an orphanage like that, and at the same time had the High Priestess of House Madrassa grooming her for later companion training, too. In a good way, not a creepy child sex slavery way, with Inara taking interest in the companion way at a young age because of her mother.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 10:44 AM

I don't know about the Blu-Ray companion documents, but I know for a fact that at least the Serenity RPG manual lists her as competent in martial arts and her new-tech bow.

Obviously, she's better at talking her way out of situations, but I think the suggestion is she's not necessarily a slouch, and that she can be underestimated by someone if they're not expecting it.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 12:58 PM

Well said - she's not a slouch, and, as for underestimating any female in the Jossverse, well, it's not the smart thing to do :) I've been thinking about the martial arts, the fencing, it's something she could practice with other people, but in a very defined way, with rituals, procedures, traditions, in a way it's a way to reach out and be with others but also still have those built-in protections.

And good point about the talking her way out - she took the conversation very smoothly in hand in Bushwhacked, and even chanced an exchange with the dangerous and obviously crazy Jubal Early. What an interesting character.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 1:13 PM

Tracked down the companion papers, since the RPG may not be canon. They say yes, Companions are ALL trained in martial arts.

Quote:
Guild-certified Training Houses instruct students in history, culture, spirituality, music, dance, self-defense, and, of course, the art of love, providing Guild Companions with a vast array of skills that enable them to converse on any subject, perform in any capacity, and satisfy even the most discriminating clients.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:14 PM

Wow! I'm flattered that my little fic stirred up such a discussion! I'm not over here much, and I hope my reply is in the right spot (this site is hard for me to navigate for some reason, which is why I'm not here often), but I wanted to say that I truly appreciate lively debate about our favorite show, so I'm glad my little piece could play a part in stirring the blood.

I'm way tired and need to get to bed as work comes early, but...let's see...story wasn't meant to mean that Inara was poverty-stricken but rather a normal girl. Normal children of both genders get into schoolyard fights. The mom...didn't set out to write her at all, but then she came to me and wouldn't let me go. I see her, in this fic at any rate, as overbearing/very strict and wanting to be in the upper echelons of society but not quite there.

You know the type-wanting more for their children and pushing too hard for it. This woman is a woman of class, but not quite enough class to be where she wants to be. That sort of thing. So, she pushes her daughter to be more constantly and doesn't want her to be a normal child, etc, but instead a perfect one, and she'll stop at nothing to get that.

As far as the "family business" thing...hm...I forgot about that...my bad...but could not the companion in the family been an aunt? A grandmother? Etc? Perhaps that's what gave mom that big old chip on her shoulder.

Honestly, this is a stand-alone little piece that is one view of Inara's past. I certainly don't stand by it as the only one...I might even write another story another day that presents a different view. I'm fluid like that.

But again, that's how I meant this one, and I'm happy to have raised some discussion.

Thanks for starting this, Bytemite. I'm truly flattered. (And FollowMal-I didn't know you read my fic?!)

Oh, and yes, Inara can hold her own. And deep down, she ain't as much of a "lady" as she lets on. That IS my honest opinion that ain't likely to change, unlike the mom/past angle.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:26 PM

PS-there have been some truly interesting viewpoints here...and I like them! I only just now got mostly caught up on the posts. More to talk about, but really must away to slumber.

Night, all!

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:41 PM

Thanks for clarifying. That's kind of how I interpretted your fic, but it's good to know your reasoning behind your choices too. I can see where you were coming from with her mother now. Kind of brings to mind her comment in Trash "You are not my mother, , or anyone else who has any say in my choices." I think that suggests SOMEONE may have taken extra special care of Inara's instruction.

I often change my mind too, but some ideas stick around with me long enough that I begin to include them into my over-all theory.

Man, I have a THEORY about Inara, a fictional character. That's really kind of sad. Oh well, she's fun to talk about. I think Joss Whedon outdid himself depicting her in season one, you just get glimpses of her different sides, but she could be so many things. Very mysterious.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 8:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jackwabbit:

Oh, and yes, Inara can hold her own. And deep down, she ain't as much of a "lady" as she lets on. That IS my honest opinion that ain't likely to change, unlike the mom/past angle.

Perhaps we just differ in our definition of lady, mayhaps?

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 8:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:

Man, I have a THEORY about Inara, a fictional character. That's really kind of sad.

Not really. I say, if we can talk about Elizabeth Bennet without being embarrassed then we can talk about Inara.

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 8:11 PM

I'm really glad we have generally similar views, even if we differ on some details.

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
I wonder really if it couldn't have been both. I know that sounds weird, but maybe she was in an orphanage like that, and at the same time had the High Priestess of House Madrassa grooming her for later companion training, too. In a good way, not a creepy child sex slavery way, with Inara taking interest in the companion way at a young age because of her mother.

I guess that still sounds a little too emotionally distant for me, like an occasional visit, or an observing teacher role. I don't disagree that such a person easily could have existed in her life, as well, but for me there was a much more present female care giver, who did all those mother-type things that come easily to Inara with the rest of the crew: hugging, hair-petting, emotional support, gentle teasing. A bond that's more personal, frequent and beyond grooming for a brighter future.

I really think we not that far apart in our views, though, that it impacts our understanding of Inara's character in most instances. At least, I get that impression from your posts, usually. :)

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 8:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by GillianRose:

I have my own ideas about Inara's family life, but that's another long, long post.

Yes, please?

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Friday, July 10, 2009 1:45 AM

I keep coming back to Inara's behavior concerning River, from the beginning, but most especially in the BDM. Brave, as I said before; also, consistently nurturing and tolerant, and very adult. Inara acts as one who has clearly defined, deeply felt moral standards and obligations regarding a child in her care. I think that comes from being loved and cared for, day after day, by a woman that she loved - and, importantly - admired very much. Maybe they weren't congruent as far as temperment; maybe Inara and her mother didn't understand each other very easily, that may be a reason for the reserve, the emotional caution that is so much a part of her. I also think about the maternal aspect of Inara when I watch her very first conversation with Simon, about the immunization packets and Simon's behavior after Dobson shoots Kaylee. She is gentle with him in word and manner, but she doesn't let him off automatically. I hear a clear moral challenge in her tone when she explains how dear Kaylee is to all of them. I see it in her face when she waits, quietly, while he stammers out his miserable reply. Then she very quickly reads him as sincere, and offers him honest empathy. It's very intriguing to me, as I think about it, what she reveals to him when she describes herself as "lost in the woods" along with everyone else. Hmmm. So very personal. That bears more cogitatin'.

And, I don't necessarily think Inara had an absentee or unknown father growing up. I don't want to make the assumption that if Inara's mother was a Companion or retired Companion, she couldn't have had a stable relationship with the father of her children. I don't think her family is healthy and whole when we meet her, but there are so, so many ways for a family to fall apart, so many ways for hearts to get broken that have nothing to do with Companioning. Especially in times of political unrest and war.

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Friday, July 10, 2009 4:39 AM

I think it's possible for companions to marry have children, and be happy. Complicated, like Inara says, they probably have to apply to the guild, and work out pre-nuptials and different versions of their contract if they want to continue to keep practicing... The guild might even evaluate prospective partners to make sure they meet some kind of standard for the continued respectable image of the guild and other companions.

If a practicing companion gets involved with someone without all the oversight, I suspect there'd be a LOT of trouble, and so generally companions and the guild all try to be ambiguous about whether they're allowed to have relationships on the side. It discourages issues with the clients who feel more than the companion does.

I imagine most companions prefer to retire instead, or take up teaching the companion skill, passing it on to their daughters in the way of geisha. Except for the sex parts, because that would be squicky.

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Friday, July 10, 2009 7:59 AM

AR: Maybe the High Priestess was the "Abbess" so to speak of the orphanage, and had connection to House Madrassa. I wonder how many Priestesses one house might have?

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Friday, July 10, 2009 11:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
She knows how to use a bow and swords, and in her profession, it would make sense if she could handle herself in hand-to-hand combat.

Combat? Self-defense training makes sense to me, but combat doesn't at all. Companions are lovers, not fighters. I am quite sure Inara knows how to defend her own person, but she's surely not someone who's been trained for all-out combat. I believe that's part of the reason for the bow and arrows in the movie - that's a sport weapon, and makes sense that a Companion would how to use it. She wouldn't be so good with a big ole gun.

I'm all with you, though, that Inara isn't a helpless damsel. Fics that present her like that are pretty much unreadable to me!

Quote:
Also, I see Inara as having been a bit of a rough and tumble little girl, before she began Companion training. She seems very at home in an old trampy freighter, and in a low-class dive watching Mal and Jayne shoot billiards.

Actually, on the episode commentary, Joss says that that opening scene in the bar was meant to show that Inara is not at home in Mal's world. It's part of the whole arc - she doesn't fit in his world, he doesn't fit in her world, but in the end they find that they don't fit in their own worlds either, and are happiest to share engine brew in the cargo bay. (Joss said it better, I'm sure! Shit - or was it Jane? Did Jane Espenson do the commentary for that one?)

As to your first point: I do like to think that Inara had a different kind of upbringing from the Guild, just because it seems rare that a Companion would choose to join a freighter. I think it's been made clear that she was running from something, but she had to have some reason for choosing Serenity. If she'd been a total upper class snob, she'd have chosen something much nicer.

But we don't know what drove her out of her life in the Guild, and we don't know how uncomfortable she might have been in her first days on board. She certainly wasn't warm and cuddly in her first meeting with Mal. She was a bit of a condescending snob actually. ("...on a vessel of this... type.") So I don't see that she's comfortable in this "edge of the Rim" life. I do see that she's open to it, and I think there must be a reason for it.

BTW - this line of reasoning was behind the background I wrote for her in my fic, which was lower class though not abusive or at all violent. I wrote humble roots for her because I wanted to explain why she ran to Serenity. But I don't think my take is canon because of what Joss has said about her mother being in the same business.

Anyhow, Inara does enjoy the "adventures", and certainly isn't too bothered when the crew crosses the line of the law, as long as no one is harmed. I don't think that's because she's rebellious in nature. She's basically respectful of the Alliance. Supported them even. But I think she holds her own morals above what the government defines as proper.

As to the inspiration fic, it seems a fun little bit of AU, an interesting version of Inara's background. But I don't think it rings true to the character. (From jackwabbit's post here, I don't think it was meant to.) Canon Inara just doesn't have that kind of violence in her.

-----------------------------------------------
hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

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Friday, July 10, 2009 11:22 AM

ETA: also meant to say - what's up with the orphanage thing? I'm having a hard time picturing the Guild as an orphanage, since it's something that's highly respected, damned competitive, and very much associated with luxury and wealth.

I mean, surely the Novices don't get silks and jewels from the age of 12, but little orphan Annies sleeping in bare dorms... Really?

-----------------------------------------------
hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

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Friday, July 10, 2009 11:28 AM

Well, there's a difference between the training house, and an orphanage. I don't think they'd be housed in the same building... Or that the training house would even be in the same building as the business offices and companion quarters for House Madrassa.

Kids can be a bit destructive. Stains, torn fabric, knicks, broken things... I'm not so sure if I were the guild, and my main interest was simply providing shelter, food, clothing, and a rudimentary education for orphans, that I'd surround them with things that are expensive and irreplaceable.

Inara is ALWAYS a condescending snob to Mal, doesn't mean she is one or started out one. In that particular case, she was acting that way to negotiate a better price for the rent.

Hand to hand combat does not mean combat/war and gun-training.

I like something GillianRose wrote about in The Misfortune, how Inara slowly comes around to understanding the crew's rule breaking. But I also think... She likes breaking rules. Thinks it's thrilling.

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Friday, July 10, 2009 12:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Kids can be a bit destructive. Stains, torn fabric, knicks, broken things... I'm not so sure if I were the guild, and my main interest was simply providing shelter, food, clothing, and a rudimentary education for orphans, that I'd surround them with things that are expensive and irreplaceable.

I'm missing something: are you saying that the Guild has a side mission working with orphans, orphans who have nothing to do with the actual business of the Guild? If so - cool. Guild doing charity work - I like it!

Or are you saying that the kids who get into the Guild start in the orphanage, as in the Novices actually live in the dorms until they grow up a bit? That's the concept that would stump me. My bad if it's not what you meant.

Quote:
Inara is ALWAYS a condescending snob to Mal, doesn't mean she is one or started out one. In that particular case, she was acting that way to negotiate a better price for the rent.

LOL! How come everytime I chat with you it goes so quickly off topic?

My point was not about any Mal/Inara dynamic, it was about Inara's comfort level with Serenity's way of life. You are claiming (correct me if I'm wrong!) that she is comfortable with it, so much so that she must of been of some lower class before joining the Guild. I was responding to that issue, and that only.

And my point was: I don't see the comfort level. Besides, the opening scene in Shindig makes the point that she doesn't belong there. Of course, the same episode makes the point that she doesn't belong in "her" world either, so there certainly is wiggle room there. She's got some kind of complicated background, that's for sure!

Quote:
Hand to hand combat does not mean combat/war and gun-training.

Uhh... then what do you mean by "hand-to-hand combat" and "bad-ass"? Because when you say those words in a Joss-verse, I picture Inara going all River.

Quote:
I like something GillianRose wrote about in The Misfortune, how Inara slowly comes around to understanding the crew's rule breaking. But I also think... She likes breaking rules. Thinks it's thrilling.

I like GillianRose's ideas too.

But I don't see Inara getting any joy-ride thrill out of rule-breaking purely for the sake of rule-breaking. She sure as hell got a thrill out of out-foxing Saffron, but that was because Saffron needed a take-down.

-----------------------------------------------
hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

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Friday, July 10, 2009 1:56 PM

Quote:
I'm missing something: are you saying that the Guild has a side mission working with orphans, orphans who have nothing to do with the actual business of the Guild? If so - cool. Guild doing charity work - I like it!

It would have to be supplemental to whatever programs the Alliance runs, but on big worlds, just like in our world today, I think there would have to be spill-over to other institutions. I'm not exactly sure how that would work, but there's two ways I can think of the orphanages being organized. Either they take only selected children (maybe some who didn't have a companion as a parent, on a case-by-case basis), and the orphanage is consolidated into one place, or the guild, like religious groups in current times, may try to set up orphanages as they can wherever they are located, and take whatever children they can. For charity, like you said, and because of the spiritual side of the guild. But they would always, always take the orphans of companions, because that would be what the orphanages were originally set up for.

In the event that a companion dies with children and no one to look after them, guaranteed Guild care would be kind of a perk. There might even be some kind of day care component in there too, for the busy practicing companion mother.

But no, I don't see active recruiting of companions out of the program or coercion or brainwashing involved... Unless the child expresses an interest in joining the guild and receiving training. Otherwise, I picture them receiving a general Alliance sanctioned education until they're 12, and receiving scholarship and support to go into whatever programs at the Academy they choose. Hopefully not any of the ones involving surgery, but I get the impression that not all of the curriculum at the Academy involves violations of human rights. River and whoever her classmates were seem to have been special cases.

Quote:
My point was not about any Mal/Inara dynamic, it was about Inara's comfort level with Serenity's way of life. You are claiming (correct me if I'm wrong!) that she is comfortable with it, so much so that she must of been of some lower class before joining the Guild. I was responding to that issue, and that only.

And my point was: I don't see the comfort level. Besides, the opening scene in Shindig makes the point that she doesn't belong there. Of course, the same episode makes the point that she doesn't belong in "her" world either, so there certainly is wiggle room there. She's got some kind of complicated background, that's for sure!

Heh heh, that was one of the few times where I wasn't bringing up the Mal/Inara dynamic. :) I was just explaining how Inara isn't a snob, and why that reflects on her background. The specific example just happened to involve Mal.

I actually think Inara was very comfortable at least until the fight broke out, which is more an example of Mal's issues than it is an example of normal lower class life. Afterwards, during the fight... I don't know. Clearly she was nervous when the fight started and when they made their get-away. She didn't ACT happy then, I admit, maybe because it was getting too dangerous. But when Mal first steals the money off the slavers, I have a hard time reading her. There are rare times she approves of some of Mal's darker behaviour, like when he shoots Dobson. But other times, like when he catches the kid who picks his pocket in the Message, she just shakes her head in disapproval. There's a lot of contradiction in her, her "Robin Hood" references and what not.

In fact... Now that I think of it, do you think that may be a reflection of how Mal treats her profession? Disapproving face-to-face, but when the other is out of earshot, suddenly the other's job is "honest work" or "noble?"

Quote:
But I don't see Inara getting any joy-ride thrill out of rule-breaking purely for the sake of rule-breaking. She sure as hell got a thrill out of out-foxing Saffron, but that was because Saffron needed a take-down.

Like you said, I think there's wiggle room, and I think sometimes she's more playful about being bad than other times.

Saffron deserved it, but where exactly does her "You should let me fence the lassiter for you!" come from in the next episode, if she otherwise disapproves of the thieving?

Quote:
Uhh... then what do you mean by "hand-to-hand combat" and "bad-ass"? Because when you say those words in a Joss-verse, I picture Inara going all River.

Nah, she can't go up against 20 reavers, disarm them, and take them down with stolen axes, no. Or close her eyes and shoot three guys behind cover in less than a second. But I think Inara was evenly matched with Saffron, a professional thief, liar, and general femme fatale. I think one on one, she'd actually have surprising skill in the martial arts, and that she is normally able to defend herself more than adequately.

The operative definitely outclassed her, though.

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Friday, July 10, 2009 2:21 PM

Also, both Inara and Kaylee do laugh after kaylee's "longing" comment, and after Simon goes off on his tirade and tells him off about not thinking much of the people who chose this life, Inara gives him a look as she follows Kaylee out. It's hard to read again, it's not angry, it's not sympathetic, it's seems to me to be somewhere between disapproving, troubled, and unhappy.

http://www.thewb.com/shows/firefly/clip-actually-i-was-being-ironic/e6
4bd01015

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Friday, July 10, 2009 3:31 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AgentRouka:
Quote:
Originally posted by jackwabbit:

Oh, and yes, Inara can hold her own. And deep down, she ain't as much of a "lady" as she lets on. That IS my honest opinion that ain't likely to change, unlike the mom/past angle.

Perhaps we just differ in our definition of lady, mayhaps?

Indeed. I think Inara does have all the outward appearances of being lady-like, but deep down she does enjoy getting her hands a bit dirty, so to speak. It's Trash that makes me certain of this. She looooooves her role there.

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